CX-9 vs Competitors

Sounds to me like the two offers they presented are the standard discounts offered by Mazda Corporate. i.e. that may be their full price without dealer negotiation. The dealer rebates may be hidden in how much they are giving you for the Equinox however, some dealers may offer a bigger retail price off but less for your Equinox. Price varies but definitely check the "how much did you pay for your CX-9 post on this forum to get an idea of what other users have paid"

With regards to the interest rate. 0% is hardly ever free and consumer almost always pay for them one way or another. For example, in my area (Canada) at regular price Ford has 0% interest rate offers, during Ford Employee Pricing event the prices are lower but the interest rate higher. I think Mazdas may be unique because they present you the 2 interest options. (I may be wrong here though, the only cars I bought new were Mazdas). In both new car purchase for me it was cheaper to take the higher interest route with the bigger rebate, and that's is without cash downpayment. It is counterintuitive, but sometime 0% isn't cheaper. You showed it with your calculation above. If you get the 0% you save $2,062 as opposed to saving $3,000 if you go with 3% interest rate, so the 3% interest rate would offer a net saving of $938 compared to the 0% option on a $20,000 loan. If you are torn between the 0% or not, just go with the cheaper deal overall. If you have a hard time figuring out which one is cheaper on the spot, the monthly payments don't lie. If the monthly payment are cheaper for the same 60 month period, then it is cheaper. (Bonus, in my case the 4% loan with my bank could be reimbursed at anytime for no fees, I payed it faster and saved even more money.)

That being said, both offers mentioned seems to me like standard Mazda corporate mark-off available at any Mazda, not a deal from the dealer.
Youri, this is good advice. Thank you. My calculations were preliminary and the Mazda deals, so to speak, were their initial offers, without any pushback from me. I didn't want to spend hours at the dealer. I felt it was more effective to visit another Mazda dealer then work one off other. I suspect when I visit the other local Mazda dealer today, they may sweeten the pot when they learn about their competition which I may inflate a little ... maybe, maybe not. The problem I have with the $3,000 offer is it is tied to the Mazda's financing at 4.9% which for $20,000 for 60 months is $2,590 in interest. So my net discount is really $410. I need to find out if there is a pre-payment penalty, if not, then I can refinance at 3%. In either case, I was hoping for a substantial discount that isn't tied to any dealer financing.

The second dealer actually has in stock the car we want. So maybe they may be motived to move it. I'll find out this afternoon. Wish me luck.
 
Great review @Poppy D ! I’m glad you liked the CX-9 and that’s the decibel meter worked for you.

As for deals and discounts, you just have to shop around and see who’s willing to offer bigger discounts. Here in DFW, we have 4+ Mazda dealers and they all are offering different discounts, different internet discounts, and more. There are lots of car buying/negotiating videos on YouTube, but I wouldn’t be afraid to walk in and offer them Invoice price + delivery + doc fee - discounts and see what they say. Especially if you’re ready to finance NOW. Once we were heavy into negotiations at my chosen dealer, they actually offered me both discounts ($1500 total + their dealer discount of another’s $1000 off) with the 0 for 60 APR. it depends on the day and how much the manager is willing to go.
 
Great review @Poppy D ! I’m glad you liked the CX-9 and that’s the decibel meter worked for you.

As for deals and discounts, you just have to shop around and see who’s willing to offer bigger discounts. Here in DFW, we have 4+ Mazda dealers and they all are offering different discounts, different internet discounts, and more. There are lots of car buying/negotiating videos on YouTube, but I wouldn’t be afraid to walk in and offer them Invoice price + delivery + doc fee - discounts and see what they say. Especially if you’re ready to finance NOW. Once we were heavy into negotiations at my chosen dealer, they actually offered me both discounts ($1500 total + their dealer discount of another’s $1000 off) with the 0 for 60 APR. it depends on the day and how much the manager is willing to go.
It would seem that at the end of the quarter and year end that they might be more motivated to sell to make quota ... but maybe they already did. I have an appointment with another dealer this afternoon. So well see what that negociation looks like. The salesperson from the dealer from yesterday emailed me this morning with their 2 revised offers: 1. $3,500 and use their financing at 4.9% or 2. $1,000 plus @ 0%. So essentially adding $500 to each discount. I may have muddied the conversation with the Equinox trade. When the salesperson asked about a trade, I said that I wasn't sure and that most likely sell it privately but she went ahead and looked at my car and came back with a trade in value of $6,725. Never even drove the vehicle. Kelly Blue book has the trade in value at $7,700. So there is a grand lost right there. Wish me luck.
 
It would seem that at the end of the quarter and year end that they might be more motivated to sell to make quota ... but maybe they already did.
You are correct. MANY car sales experts often discuss the 3 best times to buy a car... a Monday or Tuesday, end of the month, or end of the year. Your timing is perfect. Don’t be afraid to politely walk out, or do the “slow walk out” during negotiations. They’ll call you or get you back with some kind of deal.

They are dying to sell cars right now, and they know you can take your business anywhere.
 
You are correct. MANY car sales experts often discuss the 3 best times to buy a car... a Monday or Tuesday, end of the month, or end of the year. Your timing is perfect. Don’t be afraid to politely walk out, or do the “slow walk out” during negotiations. They’ll call you or get you back with some kind of deal.

They are dying to sell cars right now, and they know you can take your business anywhere.
I have already received a two email messages and a phone call from the first dealer this morning. The problem is they are making small concessions. I think they know precisely what the final discount should be ... why don't they go there first and save everyone a lot of time. I'm heading to Boston tomorrow so I'll be offline for a few days. So the dealers will have to wait until I come back.

We'll see what the second dealer says this afternoon. It just seems they should be much more motivated than they are. Could be I am expecting too much?
 
My advice. Don’t try to sell tour equinox yourself. Cars at that price point are hard to sell. (Too much for most on the market to afford without a loan, and too many newer car at the same price. ) i did the mistake with my ford edge and it sat in my driveway for 6 months, without any offers.

I recommend you shop in Boston while you are there. Big city dealers can sometime be more competitive.
 
Take the Equinox to CarMax or some other such place that will give you an offer on your car. Use that as a starting point at the dealer.
 
MazdaUSA is offering 0.9% for 60 months on 2021 models to very well qualified customers. We don't know your credit rating, but in any case, shop around for a better rate, perhaps from your bank or credit union. My credit union is offering 2.89% for 60 months, subject to credit score. If the stealership can sign you to a higher rate loan than you'd otherwise qualify for they get a bigger kickback from the lender.

When I bought my 2016 Mazda offered 1.95, and the dealer offered me 1.9 from a major bank. Fine. Then they actually financed it at 1.9 through a different major bank. Again, fine...except...the title clerk put the first bank's name on the title papers as lien holder. It was a real headache getting the title corrected until I finally got the general manager on the phone. I could have paid off the loan and not gotten the title cleared from a bank I'd never done business with.

This guy has some good suggestions for finding the trade in value of your old car.
 
Some also forget the potential cash discounts. Let's say you're in love with a car but it has a 4% rate and it's making you doubt the purchase. But you know outside financing can provide you a loan at 3%. Since you can now pay cash for the car with this loan, you actually save more than 1%.

I had a friend once get the money from the bank of mom and dad. They set up the payments so the parents made some money. Friend was happy to pay because the amount he needed to borrow was less, due to the cash discount. And he avoided the dealer rate of like 3.9 or 4.9 %

Cash discounts are right on websites in Canada.
 
My advice. Don’t try to sell tour equinox yourself. Cars at that price point are hard to sell. (Too much for most on the market to afford without a loan, and too many newer car at the same price. ) i did the mistake with my ford edge and it sat in my driveway for 6 months, without any offers.

I recommend you shop in Boston while you are there. Big city dealers can sometime be more competitive.
I agree, I don't think I'll take the "for sale by owner" route. Besides the hassle, I don't want it rusting all over the driveway.
 
Take the Equinox to CarMax or some other such place that will give you an offer on your car. Use that as a starting point at the dealer.
I don't know much about Carmax. I don't know if they have one here in Central New York. But it certainly a good idea. I probably should goole it to see where the closest one is. Thanks
 
Check out Vroom, Carvana, and Auto Nation too. I sold my Tesla to Auto Nation and almost sold it to Vroom. They both gave me offers at KBB/Edmunds trade-in value! Or simply walk in to the dealer with one of their offer printouts and see if they’ll bite.

These all have online quotes. You can get one in minutes, no hassle.
 
I have already received a two email messages and a phone call from the first dealer this morning. The problem is they are making small concessions. I think they know precisely what the final discount should be ... why don't they go there first and save everyone a lot of time. I'm heading to Boston tomorrow so I'll be offline for a few days. So the dealers will have to wait until I come back.

We'll see what the second dealer says this afternoon. It just seems they should be much more motivated than they are. Could be I am expecting too much?

Some dealers live in a vacuum as if they’re the only dealership you’ll speak with As I had mentioned in my examples, three of them were like that but two of them cut right to the bottom line.

I second the recommendation to shop around in Boston and go to multiple dealers, though, as I said before I would email the dealers and negotiate with them that way before ever stepping foot in the dealership.

Good luck! Safe travels to Boston. Looking forward to hearing how this works out for you.
 
Here is an update on my experience with dealer two. I drove a 2021 White Grand Touring. Whoa ... the interior is very plush and well appointed. Lots of brushed aluminium ... I like brushed aluminium. Anyway, this rig is loaded with more than the touring: w/reverse brake support, 360 monitor, seat memory, heated & ventilated seats, heated steering wheel w/paddle shifters, navigation, 20" wheels and auto folding mirrors ... yikes!

Anyway as luck would have it, it snowed about 8 inches over night so it was enough snow for a pretty good test. So during my test drive I found a parking lot that wasn't plowed. The CX9 went through it like dry pavement, yes I didn't notice any difference. I figured I'd try braking ... accelerated to about 30 mph then slammed on the brakes and as expected the antilocks took over and she stopped straight and true... but I expect that would be true for the other cars in this segment. Then I checked the turning radius, whoa, the CX9 has a smaller turning radius than my Equinox, alot smaller... and my Equinox is considerably shorter than the CX9. Bottom line ... I like the CX9 Grand Touring. I just hope that over time all of the features keep working ... hopefully CX9 owners who have had theirs for years can chime in.

Now the dealer part:The sales person immediately went into the manager's office and both of them came to talk to me. Here's the scoop: They don't have the car I want on the lot. They have located 2 of them about 120 miles or so away. I said ok, so how much?

MSRP $45,600 (dealer added floor mats and wheel locks)
- 2,479 dealer discount
- 6,500 trade in for 8 year old Equinox - $225 less than the other dealer
36,621
+ 22 New York State Inspection
+ 75 Document fee
+ 2,929 8% sales tax
$39,647 Out the door price plus .9% financing

If I finance $20,000 thru Mazda at .9% (vs 3% at my bank) will save an additional $1,100
Bottom line: 2,479 + 1,100 the saving will be $3,579.

Before I left, the sales manager said we can work with you on your trade for a few hundred dollars. He did say that he does have sales numbers to meet for the quarter and year end. I also told him I don't like wheel locks, been there done that, never again. He said he'd have them replaced with lug nuts. So that's all I have.
 
That seems like a fair deal for a 2021 right now as far as the ~$2500 off sticker goes. However, they appear to be lowballing your trade by $1000. Again, I would try CarMax, Carvana, etc. and get a quote from someone else for your other car. If the dealer matches it, great. Otherwise, sell the car to another company and just focus on the out the door price on the CX-9 at the dealer. Anything around $2k off on a 2021 seems to be reasonable at this point based on the "prices paid" thread.

Of course, if you can wait, the deals will get better as 2021 wears on and supply improves. If you can stomach driving the Equinox for a few more months, I would guess you could save a couple grand.
 
That seems like a fair deal for a 2021 right now as far as the ~$2500 off sticker goes. However, they appear to be lowballing your trade by $1000. Again, I would try CarMax, Carvana, etc. and get a quote from someone else for your other car. If the dealer matches it, great. Otherwise, sell the car to another company and just focus on the out the door price on the CX-9 at the dealer. Anything around $2k off on a 2021 seems to be reasonable at this point based on the "prices paid" thread.

Of course, if you can wait, the deals will get better as 2021 wears on and supply improves. If you can stomach driving the Equinox for a few more months, I would guess you could save a couple grand.
I agree about the trade in value, I also think the Equinox should be closer to $7,500. As I was about to leave the sales manager said he was open to finding a few hundred dollars. So the door is open for further savings.

Like you said, I could wait until the end of the 2021 model year and maybe save some since I'm in no hurry. However, I suspect the Equinox will be worth less and the .9% interest maybe gone. But who knows.

I have to admit the CX9 GT is pretty darn nice. So much nicier than the Highlander I test drove yesterday.
 
3. Mazda Direct - probably not as high on my list as others, but interesting that the tire pressure indicator may tell you that one of the tires is low but won't tell you which one ... same as my wife's Audi ... so I can live with that.
love this feature! My new Mazda 3 has this and it’s instant as it shows the individual tire pressure including the last reading (shows date and time). a week after I got the car the weather turned extremely cold (minus 20deg C) and tire pressure warning info and chime came on and it actually displayed the tire pressure reading (exact issue) on the main digital instrument cluster display soon as I started the engine. Very neat feature! Hope this flows through the latest Mazda vehicles with the 2nd version Mazda Connect!
 
love this feature! My new Mazda 3 has this and it’s instant as it shows the individual tire pressure including the last reading (shows date and time). a week after I got the car the weather turned extremely cold (minus 20deg C) and tire pressure warning info and chime came on and it actually displayed the tire pressure reading (exact issue) on the main digital instrument cluster display soon as I started the engine. Very neat feature! Hope this flows through the latest Mazda vehicles with the 2nd version Mazda Connect!
I need to check to see if the 2021 CX9 has the same feature. I did pull the trigger on the CX9 yesterday and should pick it up Monday. I'll post the details in another post.
 
We are in Boston now for a couple of days after all of us received negative Covid tests, Yeah! Anyway we got a call from the dealer while we we on the New York State Thruway. The dealer agreed to another $565 discount. So that makes the discount over $3,000. I can live that. I will post all the details after I get the final paperwork on Monday. The dealer has to get the car which according to them there are only two white Grand Tourings with bench seats in the US, I found that hard to believe, but since that's not my problem, I won't worry about how they source the car. If everything goes according to plan, the dealer will own a 2013 Equinox and I'll own a 2021 GT.

Just a comment on the Infortainment on the 2021 GT, some members commented that it was either difficult to use or slow or both. On my test drive I used it to do a few things like configuring the HUD. I found it to be fast and easy to use. So it seems like Mazda was listening and made some improvements. They did disable the touch screen capability while the car is in drive, this is not an issue for me. Since I prefer to drive the car, not the screen. I'd like to hear other member's experiences with their 2021's.

Poppy D
 
Sounds like a good plan @Poppy D. You may have yourself a good deal there. If it was me, I’d have them email me a copy of the sales sheet. This should breakout all the feels, tax, your sales price (including discounts you’ve negotiated), trade-in, etc. This way to can look it over and avoid surprises on the day you go in to finalize everything.

I will also agree that my infotainment system (10.25” screen) is impressive, and fast. I’ve had zero issues with it, and finding a car with a solid infotainment system and a high def screen was paramount in my new car search. The CX-9 has that! It’s a quality system (though I’ve found it won’t remember which POIs I have set on or off after shutdown).
 
Back