dmc27

^ Congrats on the 8! Drop that *****!


Revv - great 1st post. Glad to have you aboard. There are/have been (imo, of course) some great members here who work for dealerships service/finance/sales, be it Mazda or another company, and the input and info from the "otherside" is always a great benefit to the members here.


A quick warning that you sound like you already know: your position may lead to lots of unwarranted heat from members during trying times.




Dennis

Revvittupp

Fine with me. I come in peace, and think I could save a couple of people a couple of Bucks. I no longer work in a dealership, so it's no skin off my back to drive prices down.

DRTYJRZ

I will be purchasing an 8 next October. I want to know how to get the best deal. I've done all my research as far as negotiating and closing prices and things of that sort. But my situation is that i'm going to be Special Ordering this 8. How do i negotiate on price, closing, financing? Thanks in advance.

DRTYJRZ

I will be purchasing an 8 next October. I want to know how to get the best deal. I've done all my research as far as negotiating and closing prices and things of that sort. But my situation is that i'm going to be Special Ordering this 8. How do i negotiate on price, closing, financing? Thanks in advance. .... didn't know that the font was going to be impossible to read.

rddragoness

Revv, thanks so much for taking the time to provide this info. That was a gracious thing to do.

I have a few questions concerning the Tire and Wheel warranty however. I have had all the required service done at the dealership as is stated, and I'm getting close to the 25K mile mark, as well as the 3/32nd mark on my tires.
Unfortunately I have lost my manual...so the only records I have are in their computer, which I'll get copies of, no problem. The GM told me that I could upgrade my tires if I wanted...come to find out that the tires I have ( Dunlop SP Sports), are higher priced than what the Tire warranty allows....which not replacing w/ the same is fine with me. A couple of the parts guys have been trying to sell me on the tires that they they have in stock, but I want something that is a better tire, and higher performance, and is still under the $250 limit per tire. I guess the first question is do I have to get the tires the dealer has, & should I expect a markup or tolerate one if I can prove I can get them cheaper. The second question as the tire warranty went with the manual....does it include mount and balance..A third and final question is since I've "hit a pothole" here and there, and I'm beyond the 12k 1 year mark, could I get them to really replace a couple of wheels? They are the shinka wheels and $535 a piece retail..

Revvittupp

ON a special Order, you will likely have to sign a Purcahse order and leave a deposit, so you will essentially be forced to negotiate price first. To do this, my best advice is to go online. Do an internet inquiry and simply lay out what you want, go to edmunds "build" it, get the Invoice and TMV. Send your request to EVERY Local dealer. When you get all of the offers, take $100 off the lowest and send that number to the rest as your best offer to match/Beat.

When you get the two lowest, go visit both. See whom you LIKE better. Agree to a price and sign and commit. After thsi is done, ask to sit with a Finance Manager and discuss "possible" rates and warranty prices. You now have two months to shop for the best Loan yoiu can get. Ready for delivery? come armed with your loan, and see if they can beat it.

Revvittupp

No problem. I know very little about the effect of certain mods on the car and changes in Timing and A/F/R's so I come hear to learn. Many others don't understand things from the otherside. Forums were created to exchange that informationa nd I'm happy to provide what I can.

It sounds like you are NOT talking about the Mazda Roadside package. It sounds like you are talking abotu Tires For Life... Correct?

If so, that is a great prodcut for a long term owner, provided that YOU FOLLOW THE MAINTENANCE. As with all other insurance companies, they are looking for excuses NOT to pay, but if they can't find an excuse, they happily will. Over 60% of purchasers of the product NEVER get one set of tires, but it's their fault. That''s the only way it can be a deal for those that follow it closely.

That said, the dealer does it for a profit, period. Yes, you should expect tires to be a little higher priced then they are on Tire Rack. Dealers realy don't buy tires all that cheap. They should be able to order you some different tires as well, as long as they are not anything too exotic. The parts guys may be sterring you into a good tire, they tend to have a good opinion of what people like on their cars, or they could be simply sterring you into what they have on hand. But then again, the tires they have on hand, are usually chosen for a reason, and are usually a good value point tire.

Wheels get replaced when bent, not scratched. It has to be to a point where it cannot be mounted and balanced correctly. Mounting, Balancing, Valve stems and taxes are included, but not in the price per tire...

A lot of this was assuming that this is in fact Millenium Protection Group's Tires For Life. If it is so, contact the dealer and get Millenium's pohone number. Trey, the owner is a great guy, a wealth of knowledge, that is helpful and SURPRISINGLY easy to get on the phone.

Hope that helps.

Revvittupp

Remembered this post after a conversation in the lounge... thought it might be good for a new wave of viewers...

BUMP!

quazmosis

iTrader: (2)

So are you saying to accept the car with the salesguy first, but negotiate price etc later with the Finance guy?

Revvittupp

Not really accept it, mroe or less gloss over it, and ask the questions that you claim to be more important. they will "assume" that the price is ok with you, hwich is fine.... actually a good thing for you, as you will likely get better pricing on other things if they think you are paying a fairly high price for the car. My point is to get the negotiations going backwards. If you get to talking with a good manager, he's not going to lose the deal. By the end of the process they may end up turnign their screen over to your view and everything, a lot of times they miss the whole "make a freind" part of selling cars and end up rolling over for you. I saw it many times as a salesman. The earlier in the process you can talk to a manger, the less money the deal will make.

So in short, don't agree with the price, but don't disagree with that either, mention that you want to talk about other things that are "more important to you".

quazmosis

iTrader: (2)

And those more important things are what? I'm still fuzzy on this. I was dealing with a dealership this past weekend, and they didnt seem like they even wanted my sale. I was all the way to the breakdown of trade in, price, final monthly payments. And I said no thanks, the salesman told me to sit tight while he talked to the sales manager, and I was thinking he'd come back with either offereing me more for my trade in, or less for the vehicle i was going to purchase, and he came back and said "well at least we tried right" and pretty much walked away and left me the customer sit there. Rather odd really.

Revvittupp

THAT WOULD BE QUITE ODD..

I meant Trade/Financing options, rates accessories, etc.

I also recommend to "shop" for a good dealer. A good dealer will get the car you want, new or used. A good dealer, to me is someone that will do what it takes to sell YOU a car. If that means call you a couple of times, that's what they do. If you want to be left alone until you decide on your own, that's what they will do. If you want to take the car out for a second time, they will gladly.

Contrary to popular belief, they are not that fard to find. For new cars, I recommend starting by looking at certified dealers. They at least have to have a plan in place and reasonable CSI scores to get there. IMO, a sales manager makes a dealership either a pleasant or unpleasant place to be. A salesmanager that consistantly hides behind his desk is doing NO favors. At the same time, a SM that comes over and beats you up till you buy or die is likewise doing no favors.

dmc27

^ I completely agree about a good dealer. My 8 was brought in from another dealership, the sales guy worked his *** off, and had to just keep calling me. Though he was an *** when it came to NOT calling me at work. But overall he busted his butt - though mostly b/c I kept saying "no" to his offers until he hit the point I wanted in the first place.

My question is this: You say talk about "things that are more important" and mention this may lead to better pricing on other options later. I assume I have to be able to note or remember the price or figures for each individual option (trade value, trim options, etc) so later I can negotiate a lower price, then say "ok, now here's the numbers I was told for x, y, and z options."

Is that a correct assumption?

Revvittupp

Sort of... take notes in with you. a bunch of randomly scrawled figures on a shee tof paper. take it out when they are gone, or in front of them, whatever you are comfortable with. I would personally refrain from spilling it all out at once however, becuase they will then try and grab it and beat the "collection" by a little instead of gettign a bit at each point...

dmc27

gotcha. thanks.

HookedupRX8

Rev-,
Here's my situation. See if you can give me some advice as you read. I am looking to buy an 8. I found the 8 i want at an audi dealership. Its velocity red mc, this is the only mazda on the lot and the saleman told me it has been sitting on the lot for about a month. Its an 06 with 9,204 in miles on it(6speed). The price on the window is 21,998. I have an protege 5 with about 2,000 left on the loan. This salesman was easy and courteous to talk to. I have scouted all over for an 8, but this by far looks like this best deal. From what i've heard its better to buy a car towards the end of a month cuz the dealership wants to meet its sale quota for the month and is willing to drop price to do so, correct? My questions are these. For the financing part since i owe on my car 2k, i am on the loan with my parents(cosign) for the protege. Will it be harder for me to finance another car but with just me on the loan? If you mention you found a better deal somewhere else that your interested in would they be more inclined to drop the price to keep a new customer? I can handle paying off my protege and paying the monthly on the 8. I had also asked the sm if there had been any offers made on the car, he said no, it hasnt really been a good sales month for them. So is this just the ryt time to start negotiating on the 8? any advice would be helpfull.
Here's a pic.

Revvittupp

First things first, I would spend a bit of time on autotrader.com so you can find similar vehicles in your area. Find some similar models that you may not like as much, btu are cheaper, and at dealers. Brign the printouts with you.

As far as the financing, i would apply at any credit unions you may belong to, as well as online at capitalone.com. Bring these loans in with you. You should be ok by yourself now as long as you have been good on this car and other debts recently.

Don't pay the protege off yourself, instead let the dealer, and let them roll it inot your new loan, use the money as down payment if desired. Essentiall the same thing, but... down payment shows committment to the bank moreso then a paid off trade.

Monthly sales quota's and end of the month deals are more for new cars, but I suppose it matters a bit. My personal problem with that is that used cars are actually unique. They can't order another velocity red with lowe mileage, there is no used car factory. You risk losing the car you really wnat, and that to me is not worth it. I'd pay a bit more for the car that was perfect for me.


It seems this audi store traded this car and would like to turn a profit before it sits too long. 30+ days is a good point on a niche vehicle where they will start to bargain. That price seems a bit high to me, depending on yoru area, so I bet if you had some competitive quotes in hand they would be very likely to move up to a couple thousand or so.

Additionally based on what you are tellign me, I advise Gap insurance. It's a small price to pay for a lot of peace of mind.

I hope that helps, ya never knwo you may even find a car you liek more on autotrader if you ddin't look there already, or you may infact find the same car at a lower price. It is a fairly competitive website. Typically cars are listed at moderate profits.

HookedupRX8

so basically, if this is the car i really want and is perfect for me i should bring in other cars (printouts of autotrader cars a t a lower price) even tho they are not the favorite and show these to dealer. Saying that I've been looking for quite a while for this kind of car and that other dealers have the similar car at a lower price and that is more affordable with a new car payment and the current one with my car in my posession now?Saying also that youve actually looked at these cars at those dealerships and that your very interested on one in particular but it has a lower price, then the dealer should begin negotiating with me? Then just keep implying that its just a problem paying for the 8 while also paying on the existing car. Then they should do what exactly? Did i miss anything, thanks man, for helping me out.

dmc27

Not only say you test drove +/- like another car, but go and do it! One of the worst things you can do is decide it has to be this car and not look at any others. Salesman smell that on you like poo! lol.

You may even find that something else does catch your eye, and at a lower price. IMO, the only way to have a chance of negotiating a good deal is to be up front and honest w/salespeople - by letting them know you're shopping several dealers. There's nothing wrong with letting 3 or 4 dealers compete for your money.

Revvittupp

DMC offers good advice here...

DO some legitimate shopping. It can't hurt, its practice, gives you insight on what other dealerships are really willing to do, etc, and you may even like one more. The worst thing you can do with a USED car, is get stuck on a [particular car or color. That said, if a truly great car is available, and it can be acquired for similar money as others, you should get it.

Don't insinuate any problem with paying for a car. You want to trade in yours on an upgrade, and don't wwnat to overpay. YOu dont have to say you can't afford a particular payment, simply that you choose not to.

WHether you look at the other cars or not, at least come armed with information about the sales prices in your area. A non mazda dealer isn't going to hang on to an 9 if they are selling it for more hten everyone else around them, they will cut the price and get what profuit they can, while they can. Be reasonable, an 04 with HIGH mileage is obviously worht less then an 05 with low mileage. Bring similar models, dont be overly concerned wiht color/options but moreso year and mileage. A touring is probably worht $500 less then a GT, a Sport another $1000 less, and a base without DSC another $500-$1000 lower depending on area. That said, an 04 high mileage GT is worht less then a low mileage base 05 in most areas.

Negotiation comes naturl to dealers, they dont expect people to accept the pride on the window, they certainly HOPE so, but it's not a frequent occurrance. They make money by selling cars, not by collecting them. Buying cars to look pretyt on the lot is NOT the goal. If you arrive prepared, informed and willign to do business, act reasomably and respectfully, you wilol likely get a "good" deal. I say good in quotes, because good is a state of being more hten anything. IF you are unhappy with a deal, it doesn't matter how little profit there is, or how good your price is as compared to other cars, it will always be a bad deal to you. Sometiems dealers actually LOSE money selling you a car, but if they get rid of a "problem" car, and acquire a happy new customer likely to return, refer freinds or service their car, it is a good deal to them. By problem I meant a car that is not selling well on their lot, not necissarily a car that will give you problems.


i hope that helps.

opus_opus

Thanks. Great write up. How do I increase my chance of making a deal in the "wildcard"? I assume end of the month, even better end of the quarter or fiscal year? What are the tail tail signs that can I get a great deal?

Right now, I am looking for an 08 white GT 6sp. It's a tough color to find. Does it help me or hurt me?

Revvittupp

It's tough to say... be at a dealershup in the last few days and see a Sales Manager running around the showroom looking like a chicken with his head cut off talking to every customer he can... You will know it if you fall into one of these categories, they will practically beg you to buy a car.

DrewMan

wtf?

kvndoom

There's a new MMORPG out (Age of Conan) and the bots are out in force trying to sell in-game currency for real cash. Sounds stupid, but it's a 8- or 9- figure industry, even if it isn't legal.