What have you guys paid?! I'm starting to sweat.

[Geostrophic]

I'm brand new to this forum - but I plan on making the jump into MS3-land very soon. After the test drive, I could imagine no other for my next car. The plan is to make the purchase soon, and I've been doing allot of research on cost, MSRP, etc.

Lately, I've run into used car ads offering up 2007 MS3's for about $300 less than MSRP (and in many cases, more). With 07's going for >= MSRP...what can I expect when I sit down to negotiate for my new MS3?

Edmunds suggests that folks are paying MSRP...are they out-to-lunch?

This may be considered rude...I'll find out soon enough - but what did you pay?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

[AGM130]

Im in the military and I just ordered through a military car sales place which is a service for us in the military and believe they are only aloud to make so much off the car(probably wrong about that though). I paid $23,296 for a 08 MS3 GT with only the wheel lugs and cargo net, but with 6year/75,000mile warranty and full ziebart/schotchguard (wasn't sure if they did that on all vehicles?)

[Mocoso]

Ok reposting my first post (sorry not sure how it got split)
Yes it will be considered rude by some but they can choose not to post... back in February of this year in SoCal the MS3's were going for pretty much MSRP - give or take 300 bucks... you may hear of an exception here and there but thats what it was in general... dont think Edmunds is out to lunch...

What are people paying NOW for the 08's - *shrugh* but I would have no reason to doubt Edmunds and you should target to beat it but dont expect to beat it by much

By the way: where you live plays a factor on price... maybe not as much on MS3 but you should try and get pricing for what people paid in your area... SoCal can be somewhat skewed (example: in winter Corvette's in cold climate area can sell for a big discount while in SoCal weather wont be a factor in pricing)


(Edit:sorry for the messed up post - think its clean now....)
Wow: thats a first... my post got totally hosed... LOL not sure how the hell that happened.,,,)

[Geostrophic]

Thanks allot, to both of you. I'm feeling better already. (cheers2)

I really appreciate the hospitality - despite the fact that I'm new 'round here.

First guy I spoke to at the dealership was already priming me for a reaming...claiming some $2700 destination fee because the MS3 is "rare".

I've been dealing with another guy since (who has been less outgoing with the odd charges) - but we haven't gotten to brass tacks yet, and so no numbers as of yet. So, those used car prices made me sweat.

Thanks again!

[AGM130]

Another thing i remember seeing this video a while back: How to Buy A Car Without Getting Screwed (http://lifehacker.com/software/how-to/buy-a-car-without-getting-screwed-298810.php)

Might help

[Mocoso]

may I suggest your best bet at getting a fair price would be to deal with fleet managers instead of walking up to sales guy at dealer... you will get a lot less bull - i.e. some dealers no longer have fleet managers that deal with internet sales (they wised up) but the internet sales guys usually are more straightforward than a walk up - use Edmunds or cars.com to get quotes online from various dealers....

[Geostrophic]

may I suggest your best bet at getting a fair price would be to deal with fleet managers instead of walking up to sales guy at dealer... you will get a lot less bull - i.e. some dealers no longer have fleet managers that deal with internet sales (they wised up) but the internet sales guys usually are more straightforward than a walk up - use Edmunds or cars.com to get quotes online from various dealers....

That's good advice. As fate would have it, that is who I've been talking to. Submitted a quote request to my (one and only) local Mazda dealer - and I've been dealing with their "internet guy". He seems almost disinterested in selling me a car. ...but I figure that'll work to my advantage. Hopefully...

[sleeper3]

I just got mine today... 08 GT with nav and mats for $25,394... not too shabby.

[flipstylex]

i paid 22.9 on my sport :-) mazda dealers are real nice :)

[Vindikacione]

Paid Invoice. Got the satin fuel cover, mats, and zeibert extra coat for free. Bought it over the phone/online outright. Never even met the dealer. Amazing what you can do online nowadays.

[Nachtsturm]

I paid invoice as well. But doesn't really matter since I will be trading it in in May for a white one.(dark)

[SwampAss]

I paid invoice in 06 on the first one to hit the dealership.

[Geostrophic]

i paid 22.9 on my sport :-) mazda dealers are real nice :)

Giddy-up! Thanks everyone.

[Hirudin]

Yeah, I can't believe how many people out there want more than MSRP for their USED MS3! I wanted to call each one of them up and tell them to suck a lemon...

I shopped around quite a bit, even outside my state. The few dealers I talked to in Arizona (Phoenix) seemed very interested in dealing on an '08 Sport. Almost got one of them down to invoice!

My local dealer was willing to let me out the door with an MS3 Sport with all weather floor mats for $22,222.22 + tax + title + license (which is about 3% over invoice). I would have been forced to wait for the car to be delivered though, which they estimated at 2 months (it wasn't finished being built yet). I walked out (not in anger, but because I didn't want to wait so long). I 'slept on it' and went back the next day and they had taken the deal off the table. That was the last time I went there until after I bought my car elsewhere. Screw those assholes!

I ended up buying in Texas from a private seller: used MS3 GT w/ 15,000 miles and a souped up stereo for $19,600. A good deal IMO! I drove through El Paso on my way back home to Albuquerque in fact.

Oh, I drove by that dealer recently, they have 6 MS3s! I'm so glad I didn't let them talk me into throwing my money into the MSRP toilet!
If you're serious, I would be willing to work on my salesman guy a little for you. I don't want to waste my time though...

[Hirudin]

And by the way, there was another thread just like this within the last couple weeks. I have a very hard time believing it, but some guy was in there trying to convince us that he paid 20k for an '07 GT "with every option except the navigation". He had a relationship with the dealer and had a potentially valuable trade-in.

[AJ08]

yea i paid 24k with taxes and tags so i paid invoice.. wanted a white one.. kinda mad there just coming out with the white one 4 months after i bought mine (rant)

[Young Roids]

Yes i remember him good price if it's true. I am gonna be in the market for one this spring so I will get a white one.

[Hirudin]

Yes i remember him good price if it's true. I am gonna be in the market for one this spring so I will get a white one.
Now that I think about it... having the dealer undervalue your trade and give you a very good deal on the car might be the best way to go. You'll end up paying less on taxes, maybe less on insurance, and maybe even less on registration and stuff.

[Sacrilicious]

actually, it's just conserved onto itself, because the trade serves to take away from the taxable price of the car. ie: the taxable price would be the same for both a 10k trade + 25k car and 5k trade + 20k car.

[Ms3InMd]

In Feb. 07 I paid 25k otd for my Cosmic Blue gt without Nav. I thought that it was a good price considering what they were selling for around here.

[AutoXRacer]

I paid $22.7K for my 2008 Sport.

[Brets3]

I picked up my 08 Black Mica GT for $23,800 a couple of weeks ago. The dealer even delivered it to my door (200+ miles) along with the paperwork and took my trade site unseen (06 Titan - they gave me 20K trade). Needless to say I was pretty happy with the deal especially since I never left my couch.

[redspeed]

First guy I spoke to at the dealership was already priming me for a reaming...claiming some $2700 destination fee because the MS3 is "rare".

El Paso Mazda are fucking thiefs. I tried to get mine there and the salesman wanted to transfer $5k from my 20th anniversary Maxima!! I left immediately and never talked to them again. Drove all the way to Garcia Mazda in Albuquerque NM and got it there. They tried the market adjustment fee bs, but I talked them out of it. Got mine for $23,000 and still had to transfer $1k from my trade in, but overall got a better deal than in EP Mazda.

[Je5ter]

you guys suck... Mine was like $31 000 all said and done with freight and PDI.. however I live in Canada and they like to screw us in the ass here...

[Vindikacione]

But yours is White!!! Sweet!

[muchdutch]

Brets3 or anybody else: have advice for buying via email? I have a relationship set up with one dealer so far and they are quoting me $26500 as the average price for a MS3 GT with no nav. She didn't mention any other add-ons that it has. Not included is the D/H of $499 - I'm not even totally sure what that is: dealer handling fee? I asked if they were selling at MSRP and she said yes, but then quoted me this price.
Any advice on haggling down to MSRP? What 'extras' did you manage to get thrown in?

[Je5ter]

But yours is White!!! Sweet!


Hell yea it is!! :P

[Vindikacione]

Brets3 or anybody else: have advice for buying via email? I have a relationship set up with one dealer so far and they are quoting me $26500 as the average price for a MS3 GT with no nav. She didn't mention any other add-ons that it has. Not included is the D/H of $499 - I'm not even totally sure what that is: dealer handling fee? I asked if they were selling at MSRP and she said yes, but then quoted me this price.
Any advice on haggling down to MSRP? What 'extras' did you manage to get thrown in?

Are you military? Know someone who is? If they use USAA, they can have a rep to negotiate for you. Nothing more than invoice is usually the going rate. Seriously helps to have USAA. That price doesn't sound like MSRP, probably includes freight.

[Twisted99]

I paid 23 out the door for my 07 sport in August. So it was like 500 below invoice before tax and license. Go at the end of the month and they will be more likely to deal.

[staples187]

I paid 24k plus tags and taxes w/ the road hazard warranty. GT w/o navi.

[Crypt0wind]

When buying a limited production car like the MS3 your not going to get the x,0000 off. So, if you can deal a little something off, you got a good deal! If you pay MSRP when your getting the average MS3 deal. If you pay more than MSRP your getting worked!!!

Remember, the best deal is when both parties walk away unhappy. (freak)

It's never advisable to take the deals/salesperson first deal, there's always room in the deal to work. The dealer/salesperson will always make $$$, no matter what they tell you...

[Falconx84]

i paid msrp -$500 .... 07 sport, first on on lot, first day it was there

they were moving it to the front of the lot on the slightly raised pedestal thing and I told them to get outa my car!! lol

[///M Compact]

I paid MSRP, but the salesperson had to locate my car and it was flatbedded from Cleveland to Cincinnati at no charge. Plus, I get free oil changes every 5000 miles as long as I own the car- the oil changes end up costing about $42 since I supply the Mobil 1 5W-30, but it's still a good deal IMO.

[shockdoctor]

How many more horror stories can be posted about "over invoice"? This is quite sobering to see how many people get taken for a ride at the dealership. I would never have spent timer or money at a dealer if invoice or more was the going rate. Way back this last June, I paid $22,400 otd for my Cosmic blue GT with everything but nav.

[Hirudin]

...
Not included is the D/H of $499 - I'm not even totally sure what that is: dealer handling fee?
...
I can't be sure, but it sounds like something they call a "doc fee" (short for "document fee").

I don't know about y'all's area, but here we have "Fee Agent DMVs" (or "MVDs" as they're called here). They perform the same service as a normal MVD but usually it's much faster (no lines etc.). For the added speed they charge a fee, usually $15 to $20. The fee is high, but it's right at the point where it's still worth it to me (I've never been in there for more than 20 minutes or so).

I'm fairly certain that the "doc fee" is a fee they charge to do the DMV paperwork for you and to make it easier on you (for an exorbitant price). $500 isn't even close to being worth it. It's not even in the same fucking galaxy as "worth it"!

It's a way for the dealer to pass their cost of doing business on to their customers directly.

... yes I'm a little bitter

[Vindikacione]

I paid MSRP, but the salesperson had to locate my car and it was flatbedded from Cleveland to Cincinnati at no charge. Plus, I get free oil changes every 5000 miles as long as I own the car- the oil changes end up costing about $42 since I supply the Mobil 1 5W-30, but it's still a good deal IMO.

Sweetest deal I've seen yet!

Almost jealous, but I sort of like getting under my car and doing the changes myself, although doing it yourself sucks something fierce -compared to a, Honda Accord. Also gives me a reason to buy a lift for the house...

WHY a canister filter? The MS3 is anything but a "green" car. Ah, I vent.

[///M Compact]

Sweetest deal I've seen yet!

Almost jealous, but I sort of like getting under my car and doing the changes myself, although doing it yourself sucks something fierce

I change the oil on my other sleds, but an MS3 oil change is a much more fiddly job, what with removing the underbody tray and messing with the canister. I wish that Mazda had followed BMW's lead and mounted the canister top side; I can change the oil in my 318ti in less than 20 minutes.

[Brets3]

muchdutch: I sent a mass e-mail out to all of my "local" dealers explaining my desire to purchase a MS3. Within a couple of hours my phone was ringing constantly. Most dealers refused to discuss numbers over the phone. Needless to say my business when elsewere. You may want to check if dealerships have online sales, I purchased my 350Z this way and saved about 3K. Just keep calling around and eventually a dealer will want to sell bad enough to work with you. Just take your time. I just got very lucky.

[dan1101]

I just paid $24,700 for a Silver 08 GT w/o nav in Richmond VA. This was after a bit of haggling, the price on the window sticker was $25,400. This dealer normally sells for 1% over "invoice", but didn't want to do that on the MS3 because it's a limited edition. I think that's a crappy policy myself.

They wouldn't budge on their $299 processing fee, I can't remember the last time I paid one of those. However I successfully made it through the gauntlet of extended warrantys, glass etching, and paint protectants. The paint protectant actually seemed legit, my MS3 was brand new in the showroom the first time I saw it, with black spray paint on the hood! It was the demo for the paint protectant, the spray paint wiped right off. So at least I'm partially protected on the hood without paying the $500.

The dealer does give free oil changes with loaner car for the first 3yr/36,000 and free inspections for life, so I plan to take full advantage of that.

[n|njutsu55]

Dealers around here all add a $2500 "market" fee and they say its non negotiable. Gt's sale from $27,500 to $31,000 plus tax, license,etc. I paid 26,200 out the door for my GT with a few options so I got a great deal.

[Vindikacione]

You figure some people end up paying a ton after mark up-

Some of many fees:
-Dealer Processing Fee
-Transportation and Handling Fee
-Extended Warranty Fee
-Customs and Port Fee
-Import Tax
-Gas Guzzler Tax (well almost)
-State Sales Tax

Then to top it off you have to deal with a 3-8% APR on the Car Loan.
And you can see a rate hike of 5-25% on your Car Insurance, if you totalled your previous car or under the age of 25 or if your Car Insurance see the car as a "Sports Car" due to the weight per HP ratio.

Before you know it your car is easily $25-33K.
And then we throw down an easy $2.5-5k for rims and simple upgrades.

Its simply crazy talk, but we love our rides!!! We work just so we can drive them to work. It's awesome. The circle of life. The sad part is that in 6-10 years your MS3 will be spent, probably on its last leg, and you'll have to start the entire process over again.

So ask yourself this question- What's my next ride going to be?

I'll tell you this- Mazda started a sweeping trend by introducing the MS3 starting at $22K.

It won't be long until you see a AWD drive version for the same price in 3-4 years. Mazda will be trying to keep up with the improvements on the WRX, Lancer, GTI, Mini, Civic, and future MR2. Those other non-Mazda companies are going to ante up and you're going to want a faster/enhanced ride, but Mazda likes you as a customer, so just keep telling them what you want and the 300HP AWD, 2nd Generation Mazda 3, will be out in 2011 or if we're lucky sooner.

[turbobst]

I paid $400 over invoice for my 08 Speed3 Sport.

[dan1101]

Dealers around here all add a $2500 "market" fee and they say its non negotiable. Gt's sale from $27,500 to $31,000 plus tax, license,etc.

That's what the boss at my dealer in Richmond told me, but of course even though he sounded sincere I couldn't believe him.

I've heard of that sort of thing with very popular cars like the Toyota Prius, but I don't know how popular the MS3 is with the general public.

[Hirudin]

I made a quick trip to University Mazda here in Albuquerque. I pretty much started my conversation with "I know you guys have a dealer markup, I'll pay MSRP but not more" after the douschbag took down all my information he went and pretended to have a conversation with the boss, when he got back he said "well, we could take a thousand off". I'm like "COOL! That was easy!" Then he started writing the new price... now only $1000 over MSRP... what a deal right?

I pretty much told them to stuff it and left. I already knew University Volkswagen sucked, I don't know why I thought University Mazda would be any different.

[redspeed]

I made a quick trip to University Mazda here in Albuquerque. I pretty much started my conversation with "I know you guys have a dealer markup, I'll pay MSRP but not more" after the douschbag took down all my information he went and pretended to have a conversation with the boss, when he got back he said "well, we could take a thousand off". I'm like "COOL! That was easy!" Then he started writing the new price... now only $1000 over MSRP... what a deal right?

I pretty much told them to stuff it and left. I already knew University Volkswagen sucked, I don't know why I thought University Mazda would be any different.

Go to Garcia Mazda, I got mine there. They had the " market adjustment" fee, but they took it off and got my sport for $23k.

[Hirudin]

Go to Garcia Mazda, I got mine there. They had the " market adjustment" fee, but they took it off and got my sport for $23k.
I had a much better experience there as well (it's also closer to my house). One salesperson mentioned that they had the markup, but it was almost like they started to mention it, decided that they shouldn't have, but had to finish their sentence anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqvIUA5_jr8

Unfortunately they didn't have any silver MS3s to sell me so I bought used...

[Quiksilver05]

Its kind of funny I was bouncing around 2-3 mazda dealers and the one that were being pricks to me gave me the best deal (boom01) I got my 2007 Silver GT for 23k with a few extra stuff like lug nut locks cargo net/mat. They tried to stick me with extra fees by adding a lo-jack or longer warranties yadda yadda!