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Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Mazda3 Prices Paid and Buying Experience
4322 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 12:36 PM
You are in the Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum. Your Hosts are car_man & kyfdx
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Ok..my situation is a lil weird, but still shareable. I was at a dealer in Dallas while my girlfriend shopped for a used car. I was bored so I started looking around the new car lot. I should mention that I am in an '04 Lancer Ralliart now and looking for more mileage and a lower payment. I have decided the Honda Civic is the car for me but a salesman came out and we started talking about Mazdas...as I had nothing better to do while waiting. I even told him I wanted a Civic...which he conceded was a good car...he even owns an Accord. (an odd point that I pointed out to him, working for Mazda and driving a Honda). Anyway, we talked and I agreed to drive the 3. Which I didn't 'not' like. I just still didn't like it as much as the Civic. The mileage is not as good and it doesn't have all the options I want. Well, I figure to myself, if the 3 is less per month...saving money is my ultimate goal so why not at least talk, right? So they want to look at my trade in so see what they can offer for it. But I had to leave to meet my girlfriend who'd already left the lot in her dad's car. Well I said I'd come back and let them look at my trade in...which happened about an hour later as my girlfriend decided on the used miata she was looking at so she went to make the deal. During that, I let them look at my trade. We finished that part of it and again I left because my girlfriend's deal was done. So then I get a call from the salesman saying he wanted to make an appointment for me to come in. I asked why since he'd already seen my trade...told him just get me some numbers and I'll see if I like them. He said they can't do it that way because I needed to be there for that. I've never had a dealer say that to me before. He just said that's the way it's done. So I said I'd 'get back with him' because no way am I driving all that way just to hear them tell me my trade in isn't worth what I want for it. I know exactly what it's worth and I am not taking less. What I want for it is very fair as well...and they stand to make a good bit of cash when they re-sell it as it is still in excellent condition. To think he thought I was going to fall for the 'let's keep him at the dealership for hours until he finally relents and buys our car' game....he's nuts. Sheeeesh.
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Your post makes a good point - as the customer you need to be able to say - NO thanks - that is not what I want to do. I was in a dealership many years ago and ask the sales guy - how much is this truck? - he asks me the standard - How much do you want your payment to be? (I say - paying cash)& again ask - What is the price of this truck? Do you have a trade in? (I say - no trade) - again how much is this truck? He says - we can give you a good deal and we will beat any other dealers price - bla bla bla. So I ask AGAIN - HOW MUCH FOR THIS TRUCK? The sales guy looks at me and says - its our policy to NOT give customers pricing information until they have filled out our questionaire (basicly a credit application)- then we can sit down and talk about our pricing and bla bla bla. So I pull my check book out of my pocket and hold it up - and say - So if I wanted to write you a check (right NOW) for this truck you could not tell me the selling price. He said NO - I can not give you that information. So I walked out - not really mad - but just confused - I ended up buying the exact same truck later that day at another dealership. I can't be sure - but my guess was he did not think I was a serious buyer - so he did not want to waste any time on me. Now when I am faced with a dumb salesperson I like to ask WHY do you want me to do that? When I get the "its our policy or we do this for all customers" - I ask WHY would you have a policy that makes it impossible to sell me a car? If you give the numbers - and I like them - I will buy the car TODAY. If you don't give me the numbers then I will go buy the car someplace else. |
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Replying to: monkeyninja (Feb 21, 2006 2:11 am) If there is a good bit of cash to be made why not make it yourself? Why leave all that money on the table? Based on your statements you seem sure it will fly off the shelf so why give the dealer all that extra $$$? |
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| I'm not giving the dealer all that money. Not as much as he wants it to be anyway. According to my research, the car is worth $12,900 as a trade, $14,900 person to person and $15,900 'average retail.' So my way of thinking is, if they're going to make $16,000 from my car out the back door, why would I let them give me $10,500 for it? ($10,500 or even $11,500 is all I've managed to get out of them so far. Basically I'm not going to let them make $5,000 off of me while I take a shot in the bank account. If they want to sell me a car that's $17000, they'll come up a lil bit on their offer for mine. Any dealer worth a damn will be able to get at least blue book for my car which is $15,900. If they refuse a $2000 profit trying to get a $5,000 profit....then that's their own fault. Apparently the old saying "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" doesn't hold very true for them. | |
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Some people just don't want to sell on their own. It's not to difficult to understand...is it? I'm actually glad I went thru the Internet guy at our dealership. Offered me a price which was dead invoice, on Edmunds and on his Mazda paperwork, and even took the $800. worth of Mazda coupons I had. Got the 3s for $16,235 & TT&L. Was probaly the easiest buying experience I've ever had. He also gave us a trade in price which Terry in the Real World Forum said they would offer. What's not to like. They obviously made some $ somewhere as they agreed to the deal. The Sandman 
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I have sold a few cars myself - but most of the time I trade my old car in. Lets say you can sell your car in a private sale for $16,000 - or take $14,500 as a trade in allowance. Many will say that a $1,500 gain - I do not. First of all in many states you pay sales tax on the DIFFERENCE between the price of the new car and your trade in value. So (in Texas anyway) thats 6.25% of $14,500 or $906 more in sales tax. To put an ad in the paper is about $40 - its good for 2 weeks - so lets just say the sales tax and ad fee combined is about $950. So now the net gain is $550 - still not bad - but how many phone calls will you get - 2 or 1,000? I am not sure which would be worse! Then if your lucky you get to have a few complete strangers come to your home (or meet you in the Kroger parking lot) so they can drive the snot out of your car. They then offer you $13,500! If your lucky you get your asking price - or maybe you get shot and left in a ditch someplace. Still think the $550 savings was worth it? |
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That same dealer lost me forever tonight. I knew he would, I was just waiting for it to happen. Ok, so he wouldn't discuss trades or anything else without me coming in...THEN he calls me suddenly. They "just" had a meeting and the 3's here are going to be going for $13,900 because the dealership is way behind and they have to move the cars. Ok...I ask which model. He says the i's. I was originally test driving the i-touring. So I ask what about that? He says, "well, they're willing to deal now, that's the point I'm trying to make so we need you to come in." So I ask..."But what's the price of the i-touring?" He tells me that I have to come in to find out (basically). So finally I say "If a guy called you with a bag of cash beside him and wanted to know the price of the i-touring...what would you say?" He tells me that he'd have the guy come in, etc, etc. I said "I'll call ya later." But I won't though. I'm sooo done with them. I wasn't even in the market for a 3 anyway. I was just giving him 'the chance' he asked me for. And he blew it. Salesmen....they must think we're stupid. |
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Is it possible to get a 3 without the sunroof, but the Bose stereo system??? Would getting the 6cd upgrade also include the better speakers? Thanks for any insight.
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Replying to: mtbr1 (Feb 22, 2006 9:38 am)  ZOOM ZOOM |
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The reason car sales people think customers are stupid - is because many are! They get them to agree to accept thousands of dollars less for their trade in - they get them to buy things like $600 paint protection packages - $2,000 extended warranties & agree to 18% interest rates (even if they have good credit) - they also talk them into paying $500+ document (or other made up) fees. I have always thought that many customers agree to this stuff because they are afraid to either say NO - or because they don't want to look like they don't know what they are doing - so when the sales person says - this is a standard fee we charge all customers they just say - OK. |
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