Soon To Be Mazda 3? [Archive]

Shags

03-17-2006, 09:30 PM

Name's Tom. Just joined. Thank you. Lil backstory.

I've been a Jeep driver for about 8 years. I currently own a 95 Wrangler, my baby, the beast. I did the whole "Jeep thing" offroading, rockcrawling etc etc. It's lifted 5" with some big ole 35" tires and it's mean as sh$#! But after yesterday I think she's for sale.

My sister came over yesterday with a rental, her Neon is in the shop. She walks in the door and says, "You have to drive this rental!" "What is it?" I say. "It's a Mazda 3" she replies. At first I scoff, I've been an Amercian made kinda guy. Reluctantly I get in and the rest is history! I totally fell in love with the Mazda 3! I've been searching for a new ride for quite some time now and have completely looked over this vehicle. All I can say is that it is excatly what I want in a car.

I'm now searching dealerships for the exact combination I want. I'm looking at the Mica Black with the spoiler, the 2.3 and possible the 5 speed auto. I need the auto cuz the wife can't and won't drive stick. I can live with that. I believe the 2.3 comes in the "S" model?

Anyways enough of my rant. I'm new here and really looking forward to learning some things and getting the right kind of information. If any of you have any advice before I buy, ex; what to get and not to get, I would gladly appreciate it. I'm looking at the 06's by the way.

T

Shags

03-18-2006, 05:38 PM

I guess no one cares. Oh well I'll still be here.

Blackrose

03-18-2006, 05:43 PM

Welcome to the boards. You will definatly love the MZ3. I have an 04 and its a great car. Are you going to get Sedan or Hatch? I curenlty own 3 Mazdas and love all of them. Good luck.

ZoomVT

03-18-2006, 08:30 PM

hey welcome to the boards. we do care, weekends are kind of dead around here.
i have an 04 mazda 3 s. i love this car, and i think you will love it too.

wildeagle

03-19-2006, 10:08 AM

Welcome to the boards, I am new to here as well and just got my 06 Mazda3 about a month ago. I have the 5 speed auto with the 2.3L and it is awesome. I was the same way as you when I took it for a test drive I fell in love with the power and handling of it. My only suggestion after driving it over 1000KM is to look in the tire threads because the factory tires suck. I got a quote on a set of kumho's and am just waiting to hear when they can take my baby in to replace the factory POS's.

Shags

03-19-2006, 02:37 PM

boardumb

03-19-2006, 03:24 PM

I got my S-Touring, which stickers at 19125 (Add 199 for custom pinstriping that was already on it, so they tried to say it was 19324 instead) for 17500, but I wouldn't call myself a great haggler.

Shags

03-19-2006, 03:32 PM

How did you get them down that far? I need to know before I go in and just hand them my ass. I definately don't want to pay full sticker price!

boardumb

03-19-2006, 03:47 PM

How did you get them down that far? I need to know before I go in and just hand them my ass. I definately don't want to pay full sticker price!

Hmm....did you say it was only 19,000-19500? Building your car through the mazdausa website, black mica sedan s with moonroof/6cd changer and rear wing spoiler should sticker it at 19655, with an invoice of...18285.

Again, I'm not a great haggler, but the easiest thing for me to do is wait til the end of the month. I know in Texas, (or maybe just Houston and Austin) they get a special bonus if they sell so many Mazdas in a month, so some were telling me they would sell the car 1000 under invoice (but then the guy added some 130-170 fee that I think was kind of a scam, but hey, thats about 850 under invoice). Of course that deal was in Houston, and to save the trouble of driving all the way over there, and being impatient, i got my car 500 under invoice just 6 days ago (you could say 700 if you count that gay pinstriping).

But also, save some money on the side so you can get a different set of tires ASAP.

1sty

03-19-2006, 04:15 PM

I'm looking for a 2006 Mazda3 S sedan in Black Mica, withthe Moonroof/6CD option Auto 2.3L and the rear wing spoiler. So far there are only 2 in town and they are about $19,000-$19,500. Does that sound about right? How much could I haggle them down if at all?

Sounds right to me. The thing that sucks about the 3 is the price. Dealers are very unwilling to haggle on them, atleast around here, as they are a VERY hot selling car. This is also why mazda does not rebate them much.

Also, check out the website of the dealer you are going to use, alot offer some extra savings coupon if you visit their website.

Shags

03-19-2006, 05:51 PM

Yeah the one I'm going to has a $500 coupon for military, reservists, or retirees from the military. I served 4 yrs. in the Army maybe that will count. For March they're also paying registration and first months payment. I'll see though.

Is the 6CD/moonroof option worth it? I was thinking that the only mod I wanted to do first was get rid of the stock speakers and get some Polk's or Infiniti's. Maybe throw an 8" sub in the rear with an amp. I want to keep the head unit though because I like the way it looks with the dash and interior an all. I might change that later but for now it's gonna stay. New tires are definately on my 1st to do list as well. What's a good tire to go with? Right now I'm used to buying 33"-35" offroad tires with aggressive tread at like $150-$200 a tire.

I'm also considering the Titanium Gray as a 2nd color option seeing as that the Black Mica's are rare around here.

wildeagle

03-19-2006, 06:48 PM

I'm in Canada so pricing is higher for me (Canadian dollar isn't worth as much). I did wait til the last coupel days of the month and I got them down from 29,900 to 28,800, I'm not much a haggler either but I wanted to make sure that I got the price all in (everything in Canada has GST tax on it) so with my negotiations I got them to throw it in. Mine was a Hatchback in the Titanium Grey with everything in it (moonroof and 6 cd changer plus all the other extra's). I do like the 6 cd changer as I can throw in a bunch of cd's and not worry about changing cd's multiple time a day, and although it's been a bit to cold up here to make full use of the moon roof I like having it alot.

As for the tires it depends on what you are looking for but again I suggest reading the Tire thread as that is where I got my info from. The Kuhmo's I got was because of the quality and All season capability.

Shags

03-20-2006, 01:21 PM

I have a few more questions. I'm having extreme difficulty finding the model I want with the options and colors I want around here. Like i said before I'm looking at this combo:

2006 Mazda3 "S" 4 door
Mica Black or Titanium Gray
Moonroof/6CD option
Rear Wing Spoiler
Auto Tranny

My question is what is the difference between getting this combo with the "S" model and getting it with the "I" model? I know the main difference is the 2.0 in the "I" model but what else? Is there that much of a difference betweeen the 2.0 and 2.3? It looks like i can find the combo I want but in the "I" model not the "S" model. Shit!!

EDIT:Forget it!!! I'm going with the 2.3 "S". The search feature works charms. I just gotta find the one I want here locally! Shit!!!

boardumb

03-20-2006, 03:26 PM

You could have them order it for you if you are patient enough, they'll probably just ask for a down payment. Just don't be fooled by any salesman saying you'll have to pay sticker or extra fees (http://www.insidercarsecrets.com/new-car-purchase.html) because they lose out on money for it, because if you buy it first day they come in, they get more dealer holdback (http://www.safecarguide.com/gui/neg/holdback.htm)

Phatbungo

03-22-2006, 10:08 PM

Hey guys, everyone is talking about price. I am getting an '06 mazda 3i touring w/ the spoiler for about 17500 (before tax/tags/etc.) and thats loosing about a thousand on trade. what you think?

1sty

03-22-2006, 11:28 PM

The reality is that no price is really comparible. There are too many ways for the dealer to make back money even if the buying price seems good.
The trade, the loan length, and the interest rate are all very important and all give a dealership a way to hide some things. Also, the area your in make a HUGE difference. Down in the Boston area, these "deals" I see people talking about getting on here now and againdon't exist. Most of the best "Deals" I have seen have been from the middle of the country where there is MUCh lower operating cost for the dealer. i have yet to see one that didn't have some BS in it that was in a high buisness cost area.

boardumb

03-23-2006, 02:36 PM

Hey guys, everyone is talking about price. I am getting an '06 mazda 3i touring w/ the spoiler for about 17500 (before tax/tags/etc.) and thats loosing about a thousand on trade. what you think?

Isn't that almost MSRP? I mean...if in your area they are being sold very well, then it's hard to get the price down.

And based off 1sty's post, I would suggest trying to find some people in your area and see how much they are paying, calculating in trade value, loan, etc. Fortunately (or unfortunate depending on how you look at it) I got mine without a trade in (totaled my last car) and got a loan from my own student bank.

Shags

03-23-2006, 07:58 PM

I guess since I started this thread I should post up and update.

I don't have a Mazda3 yet :(

I am waiting until the end of the month to see if I can get a better deal. I have no trade in but I'm gonna put $6000 down so that should be incentive. I'm still looking at the Black Mica but I am now leaning towards the Titanium Gray. I thought I wanted the rear wing spoiler but no one in town has it so hmmmm...Should I go with the rear wing spoiler, the rear lip spoiler, or no spoiler?

I want to be in this car so bad but yet I don't want to settle for just picking anything off the lot!!

I read these forums every day and am so stoked to be getting a Mazda3!!!

tsunami

03-23-2006, 10:05 PM

welcome to the forums... and good luck with the purchase... i don't see why you couldn't get a non spoiler sedan and have the dealer order you the mazda part for the spoiler and have them paint/intsall it for you... also with that coupon you have for being a reservist don't say you have it until the very end right before you agree on the final negotiations... lol the look on their face is priceless... (btw black mica ftw!!!)

Shags

03-23-2006, 10:21 PM

Phatbungo

03-24-2006, 12:01 AM

Hey shags I found my titanium gray 3 on tuesday, my dealership that i have delt with before got it the next day, and they were able to have my spoiler overnighted and put on on thursday for my pickup on saturday. If you have a cool salesman and a great dealership they will do anything for you business, if not go elsewhere. Every dealership has access to cars in their region, tell them what you want and they can work deals with other dealerships to get the car you want.

tsunami

03-24-2006, 02:03 AM

phatbungo pretty much sums it up... and yeah black mica is a bitch to keep clean (you have dust.. i have salt/pollen depending on season) but when its clean man oh man it is the sexiest color there is... but it only stays clean for a couple hours... :(

Puckpimp71

03-24-2006, 02:22 AM

Oh I'm not throwing any coupons into play until deal is near done. I like the Titanium Gray cuz I think it will be easier to maintain than the Black Mica. I live in Vegas and trust me it gets dusty as hell out here!
If you want a good deal without the headaches, go to Edmunds and offer a couple hundred over invoice before any money down, rebates, etc plus tax, tag etc... All dealers pay the same price on the car, so shop the lower dealer fees (around here they vary from $399 to $1099) and don't let them hit you with addendum pricing. As far as the backend of it goes, try USAA or another CU for financing and see what they can do based on your credit. Let the dealer have a shot at beating the interest because often times, they have deal going with the banks they use and, though it's a long shot, they might do better than USAA. Don't bother with rustproofing, etc. and Mazda's warranty is long enough, so don't worry about getting an extended one. With $6000 down, I'd venture a guess that even Gap Ins. isn't even necessary since these cars tend to hold their value well. PM me if you have any questions about the purchase.

Shags

03-24-2006, 09:02 PM

Puckpimp71

03-24-2006, 11:06 PM

s-plan is essentially invoice on the car. It's a courtesy program Mazda extends to employees/family members etc that work for dealers and/or affiliates of Mazda. Go to Edmunds and look up the invoice price plus destination and that's what s-plan is.

goldwing2000

03-24-2006, 11:48 PM

Not exactly but close enough.

I can post a pdf file if it really means that much to anybody.

I just got off the phone with Bianca, a very cute sounding girl,
She's probably a fat chick. (hah)

Shags

03-25-2006, 09:37 AM

I would like to see the PDF file of the "S Plan" pricing. That way I can see if i were to get a better deal haggling on my own. Oh and yer prolly right about her being a fat chick. The voice thing on the phone seems to work in opposites. I met this chick over the internet once and when I finally got to talk to her on the phone she sounded almost like a dude. I was hesitant to meet her in person but when I did I wasn't sorry at all. She was absolutely gorgeous!!! She didn't sound like a dude at all either. I'll keep you posted on the whole Bianca thing.

boardumb

03-25-2006, 11:39 AM

Sounds like an end of the month deal. I would try to haggle lower.

Captain KRM P5

03-25-2006, 11:57 AM

welcome to the forums! you will like the 3 alot, its a great car and like everyone has been saying the pricing is harder to haggle on because of high sales. if you wait until the model year changeover, dealers will be itching to get rid of the last model year's stock for better than usual pricing.

MP5cd

03-25-2006, 01:02 PM

Welcome you wont regret

Amemiya

03-25-2006, 01:36 PM

Welcome to the Boards, I have a 2005 Titanium Gray Mazda 3i. I love it to death. The only advice is have fun with your car.

goldwing2000

03-25-2006, 02:46 PM

I'll keep you posted on the whole Bianca thing.

Sweet. (2thumbs)

Here's your pdf.

Shags

03-25-2006, 03:35 PM

So I basically just add down the sheet the options that the car has and that will be my ballpark figure?

Mazda3Rookie

03-25-2006, 04:03 PM

I just got off the phone with Bianca, a very cute sounding girl, and we talked about a Mazda3. Didn't get to talk to her for long but I'm taking a no-haggle test drive tomorrow and hopefully by April 3rd at the latest I'll be in my Mazda!!!

She mentioned that they were offering employee pricing. She called it "S Plan" pricing to be exact. Does anyone here know what that is? The car I want is $19455. Does anybody know a ballpark figure of what I'll be paying for this "S Plan" pricing?

The excitement grows.....

I got my Titanium Gray 2006 3 S Touring 5-door Manual last November for $17,100 destination charge included, which is $50 above invoice. The dealer also gave me decent money for my almost-dead Dodge Stratus ES.

I leave not too far from Boston, if I could get a dealer around here to go to invoice, you should be able to do so as well. I purchased the car at the beginning of the month, the day after the dealer got it.

Good luck, the 3 is a great "little" car, I'd buy it over and over again.

Infact, the little devil in me is already drooling after the MazdaSpeed3.... (laugh)

goldwing2000

03-25-2006, 04:47 PM

So I basically just add down the sheet the options that the car has and that will be my ballpark figure?

Yep. Just keep in mind that most of the "accessories" are dealer-installed, so they won't show up on the factory sticker.

p5stockr

03-25-2006, 04:52 PM

I just got off the phone with Bianca, a very cute sounding girl, and we talked about a Mazda3. Didn't get to talk to her for long but I'm taking a no-haggle test drive tomorrow and hopefully by April 3rd at the latest I'll be in my Mazda!!!

She mentioned that they were offering employee pricing. She called it "S Plan" pricing to be exact. Does anyone here know what that is? The car I want is $19455. Does anybody know a ballpark figure of what I'll be paying for this "S Plan" pricing?

The excitement grows.....
I bought my 03 P5 on the s-plan( my dads service mgr at the local dealer) and I got it for $50 over invoice plus0% interest ! best dealr ever..till I lost my mind an traded it for an 05 Titan last May( $6000 rebate pushed me into it!) BUT Im in the same boat as you, I fell in love with the 3 an kick myself in the balls everytime I put gas in the titan so yesterday my dad had one of the sals mgs look for me a 3s GRand Touring 5dr 5spd on the locator...soooo like you im waitin to hear the good news that they found me one..........

Puckpimp71

03-27-2006, 12:49 AM

s-plan=invoice. Occansionally, it'll differ, but the most I've seen it change from invoice is about $30 below, on a '05 model. Not sure about anywhere else, but FL has a Port Assesment added on the invoice/destination and varies from coast to coast. A trade we did with a Tampa dealer had a $220+or- added on the invoice and the local dealers have a $155 Miami/Fort Lauderdale Assesment added on. I've noticed it on the S-plan deals I've written since July.
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2006/mazda/mazda3/100614381/options.html?action=1&x=42&y=5

bbrich57

04-11-2006, 01:38 PM

Hey Shags!!
I just found this thread. Better late than never I guess. Welcome to the forums and how'd you make out in the end... if there is an end?
I agree that in Vegas you'd be better off with the grey car. Black is the most difficult color to take car of no matter where you are. They say silver is the easiest, but I don't know for sure. I know about black though. (ughdance)
I also agree with what has already been said that you'll enjoy the Heck out of this car. A whole new experience from a Jeep.
I had worked for a Jeep dealer when the Wrangler (and "new" Cherokees) were new (Remember the AMC/Jeep/Renault Dealerships,) so I have a pretty good idea of what ya' got.
I drove the first Wrangler our dealership received right around this time of year. I remember it was the first week in May, the week of my birthday. That's the reasoning I used to argue that I should get it for the w/e and the boss said, "yes!" We'd had it for only about a week. It was a fun time, and was kinda' sorry to have to return it!
Jeeps have their place, but so do the 3's. The quality/reliability is almost sure to be better. I LOVE mine as much as any car I've ever owned. I hope you will too. 'Course I've always been something of a sports car nut anyway, and like Al Pacino in G.F.III, "Just when I thought I was out (of playing around w/cars,) they (Mazda) drag me back in!" Certainly the MPG's will be better! (poke)
Good Luck, if you haven't already finalized the deal, but let us all know!