How was your CX-5 Car Buying Or Leasing Experience

I've told the Mazda purchase story before so I won't again. But, I've been kicking a lot of tires, time for something a bit quieter than my 2015, so I've been dealing with the dealers.

I really hate car dealers for the most part. The Honda dealerships are the most aggressive. The classiest place I went to was a Toyota dealership but I don't fit well in the new Camry. To avoid pain go in straight up with "I just want to drive it" and I've found most of them are OK with you doing that although some still do the turnover or pressure. One place, Honda, wouldn't discuss price with me clean and I walked (I was close actually to buying but they saved me by being asses). They're probably the best Honda service department in these parts but the sales department did not make me a fan.

I don't think you can judge it by the brand although it seems like Honda is really aggressive and every Toyota on the lot comes with 5 accessories that you don't want. Mazda does this too. And I had a miserable buying experience with Mazda while the local guys seem pretty mellow. I was looking at 2017 GT's and every one had the roof racks.

I haven't found any of them who seemed willing to let me have the keys.

Ironically, I may have come full circle. I started by exploring the new CX-5 because it's quieter and I was hoping for a diesel that will never come. I've been set on

Malibu Hybrid (way past that now)
Camry (not enough head room)
Kia Optima Hybrid (barely enough head room and it was pretty bland in the base that I drove)
Accord (really like it, may still do it, especially if Honda comes off their high horse and offers some financing).
Accord Hybrid is not here, yet.
2018 CX-5: The Touring with preferred package is basically everything I want in a car except for MPG (but cheap enough that the MPG isn't much of an issue), a HUD (want not need), AA/Carplay (want not need) and it's RED!

I was set on leaving the CX-5 club but maybe not.
 
What price did you get on your 2017 GT?

We paid $33.5K plus tax and license for our GT AWD Premium with all weather mats, cargo mat, rear parking sensors, roof side rails and crossbars, trailer hitch, and the front and rear bumper trim. Didn't need or want the bumper trim, but it looks pretty good. Would have been cheaper to buy the accessories aftermarket, but the car only had 5 miles on it and had never been test driven.
 
I began my car buying experience the end of summer, doing online research and test driving nearly a dozen different models. I settled on a CX5 Touring around Halloween, and the color combo (SR w/ SB) shortly thereafter. For two months I kept tabs on which dealerships had the build I wanted, and how many cars where out there - 12, in a 250 mi. radius. And that number hardly changed until after Thanksgiving. But I wanted to wait until the end of the year. After Christmas, the number available dropped to 6 - one in San Diego Co., one in Orange, and four in LA.

I sent out emails to the three dealers, asking for a breakdown of car cost, TTL, and an out the door price. OC and LA dealers responded immediately; SD dealer (the closest to me) did not. Hoping to avoid travel, I wrote again to the SD dealer's Internet Sales Mgr, cc'ing the General SM, who wrote back, said he and the ISM were in meetings, he'd forward it to her, yada yada. Next day, still no response. So I forwarded it again, to the ISM, the GSM, and the manager of the dealership. Finally, the Internet Sales Manager calls me to discuss it, asking me to come in. I ask her to email me with the pricing information I'd requested. Four hours later I get her email, but only with a car price, no TTL or OTD. Three pitches to the SD dealer, and they foul the ball.

I accepted the OC dealer's offer, even though it was less than a hundred more than LA. The time and money getting to and back from LA was worth it. The dealer asked what time I'd be at the train station, I told him and bought my train ticket. Then he writes back - another salesperson has sold the vehicle. But, he has the same build - CX5 Touring FWD in SR w/ SB, but with the Preferred Package. I can buy it for the same price. I hadn't wanted a moonroof, but getting navigation and Bose speakers, I could live with it.

So, here are the numbers:

MSRP 28,230

I paid 25,472 + 1372 TTL = 27,844 OTD

Since I was doing the negotiations with the GSM, another salesperson picked me up from the station, took me through the whole paperwork process and car intro, and I was on my way home after spending just a little over an hour at the dealership.

I'm glad the SD dealership fouled up, I got a great deal, I was treated fairly and respectfully, and I got to have a nice train ride up the coast.
 
My local Mazda dealer let us take a CX5 out by ourselves when we were test driving multiple cars prior to our decision of which one to buy. As far as the purchasing procedure, I get everything hammered out online before I step foot into a dealership. I have done this with the last 5 cars we have purchased and it saves a bunch of time and eliminates any surprises.

Our local dealer also lets us take cars out for the weekend to really check out the car. When I was thinking of giving my CX-5 to my son, and getting a Miata for myself, they gave me a car for the weekend to help convince the wife! Great dealer.
 
Bass Mazda in Sheffield Lake Ohio treated me right from the minute I walked in the door.

Lucky you. Five years ago I went there to buy a Mazda 5. After sitting around for a half hour they finally approached us and when I said I was interested in a 5 they acted as if they had never heard of Mazda let alone selling new cars. Clearly we went to the wrong place. Went over to Montrose Mazda in Cleveland (off of 480) and that wasn't much better, but after 6 hours we eventually left with a new car.

When we went back to Montrose to buy our CX-5 the experience wasn't much better. The girl on the phone happily made an appointment for 5 but when we got there she had left and the dealership closed at 6. So we got a different salesman, who couldn't find the car we wanted to test drive- he had keys but no car. He finally found the car across the street but it wouldn't start. He claimed the remote wasn't programmed, but come to find out the battery was dead. The manager said he wanted to put a new battery in it so we signed the paperwork but left without a new car, which was promised for 9 the next morning. Got a call the next morning that the people who put batteries in don't come in until 9 so it will be 9:30. Then we got another call that they wanted to detail it before it left the lot and that they would call us. They never called. I showed up at noon and said where's my car? It doesn't take three hours to clean a brand new car! And I never got an owner's manual.

Maybe I should ask 7eregrine to come with us next time around.
 
Overall a good experience with Mazda of Lakewood, but not without it's hiccups.

The test drive was great. They let me take the CX-5 on I-70 and drive it up the mountain a little bit and then back to the dealer. This drive is what sold me on the CX-5. The salesman I worked with was not pushy at all. Never tried to get me into anything I didn't want, and overall was very friendly and easy to work with. As I only wanted a basic Touring trim, was nice not having a salesman trying to constantly upsell me to a GT or packages for the Touring I didn't want.

I went back to this dealer a week later (mostly based on the very positive experience with the salesman), with a valid offer I had from another dealer that was about the lowest I could get. He took it to his manager, they beat it (not by much, but enough) and threw in lifetime free oil changes. Sadly those ended when the dealership was bought out earlier this year. Still salty about that and McDonald Mazda will never, ever get my business because of it. But hey, 4 years of oil changes I guess are better than nothing.

The first hiccup was that the CX-5 I wanted ended up not being on the lot, so they had to drive it over from some other dealer and it took for freaking ever.

The second hiccup was that the finance guy tried to up my loan percentage 2 points from 3.99 to 5.99 percent. I told him I was walking and he begrudgingly fixed it. He was really the only negative person I worked with there. I refinanced at 2.99 percent the following week through my credit union (they were closed the day I bought).

Anyway, it was the first new car I bought...actually first car I bought period. It was a bit of an intimidating experience, but I learned a lot and feel perfectly confident the next time I ever buy a car.
 
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Lucky you. Five years ago I went there to buy a Mazda 5. After sitting around for a half hour they finally approached us and when I said I was interested in a 5 they acted as if they had never heard of Mazda let alone selling new cars. Clearly we went to the wrong place. Went over to Montrose Mazda in Cleveland (off of 480) and that wasn't much better, but after 6 hours we eventually left with a new car.

When we went back to Montrose to buy our CX-5 the experience wasn't much better. The girl on the phone happily made an appointment for 5 but when we got there she had left and the dealership closed at 6. So we got a different salesman, who couldn't find the car we wanted to test drive- he had keys but no car. He finally found the car across the street but it wouldn't start. He claimed the remote wasn't programmed, but come to find out the battery was dead. The manager said he wanted to put a new battery in it so we signed the paperwork but left without a new car, which was promised for 9 the next morning. Got a call the next morning that the people who put batteries in don't come in until 9 so it will be 9:30. Then we got another call that they wanted to detail it before it left the lot and that they would call us. They never called. I showed up at noon and said where's my car? It doesn't take three hours to clean a brand new car! And I never got an owner's manual.

Maybe I should ask 7eregrine to come with us next time around.
You definitely should. I know a bigshot in the NE Ohio Mazda organization. I should have mentioned that in my post. Could have something to do with it. I can get you an Eplan discount, too. [emoji16]
 
I began my car buying experience the end of summer, doing online research and test driving nearly a dozen different models. I settled on a CX5 Touring around Halloween, and the color combo (SR w/ SB) shortly thereafter. For two months I kept tabs on which dealerships had the build I wanted, and how many cars where out there - 12, in a 250 mi. radius. And that number hardly changed until after Thanksgiving. But I wanted to wait until the end of the year. After Christmas, the number available dropped to 6 - one in San Diego Co., one in Orange, and four in LA.

I sent out emails to the three dealers, asking for a breakdown of car cost, TTL, and an out the door price. OC and LA dealers responded immediately; SD dealer (the closest to me) did not. Hoping to avoid travel, I wrote again to the SD dealer's Internet Sales Mgr, cc'ing the General SM, who wrote back, said he and the ISM were in meetings, he'd forward it to her, yada yada. Next day, still no response. So I forwarded it again, to the ISM, the GSM, and the manager of the dealership. Finally, the Internet Sales Manager calls me to discuss it, asking me to come in. I ask her to email me with the pricing information I'd requested. Four hours later I get her email, but only with a car price, no TTL or OTD. Three pitches to the SD dealer, and they foul the ball.

I accepted the OC dealer's offer, even though it was less than a hundred more than LA. The time and money getting to and back from LA was worth it. The dealer asked what time I'd be at the train station, I told him and bought my train ticket. Then he writes back - another salesperson has sold the vehicle. But, he has the same build - CX5 Touring FWD in SR w/ SB, but with the Preferred Package. I can buy it for the same price. I hadn't wanted a moonroof, but getting navigation and Bose speakers, I could live with it.

So, here are the numbers:

MSRP 28,230

I paid 25,472 + 1372 TTL = 27,844 OTD

Since I was doing the negotiations with the GSM, another salesperson picked me up from the station, took me through the whole paperwork process and car intro, and I was on my way home after spending just a little over an hour at the dealership.

I'm glad the SD dealership fouled up, I got a great deal, I was treated fairly and respectfully, and I got to have a nice train ride up the coast.

If you don't mind me asking which SD Mazda Dealer was it?

-John Hine in San Diego
-Bob Baker in Carlsbad
-Wescott Mazada in National City
-Mazda Of Escondido
-Mazda El Cajon

I got my CX-5,Snowflake white pearl, AWD, Touring, Black interior, Preferred package, and Sun roof from Mazda of Escondido.

Bob Baker in Carlsbad emailed me and I told him my requirements. I asked for an appointment to visit but the internet sales manager did not get back to me for 2 days. He finally responded to me saying the were swamped with all the "Before New Years" shoppers visiting that dealership.
 
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Unpleasent but I prevailed by saying NO many times. Ed

^ this. This works well if you tell the finance person as soon as you sit down that you are not interested in gap, paint sealer, extended tire protection, valet parking, drive through coffee club..... Its already painful dealing with the sales person no need to relive it through the finance person! Great job OP doing your homework before the vultures attacked!
 
You definitely should. I know a bigshot in the NE Ohio Mazda organization. I should have mentioned that in my post. Could have something to do with it. I can get you an Eplan discount, too. [emoji16]

7eregrine, could you tell me more about the Eplan discount? My wife and I are shopping for a car and we are running into problems with dealerships getting back to us.
 
If you don't mind me asking which SD Mazda Dealer was it?

-John Hine in San Diego
-Bob Baker in Carlsbad
-Wescott Mazada in National City
-Mazda Of Escondido
-Mazda El Cajon

I got my CX-5,Snowflake white pearl, AWD, Touring, Black interior, Preferred package, and Sun roof from Mazda of Escondido.

Bob Baker in Carlsbad emailed me and I told him my requirements. I asked for an appointment to visit but the internet sales manager did not get back to me for 2 days. He finally responded to me saying the were swamped with all the "Before New Years" shoppers visiting that dealership.

I won't name the SD County dealership that didn't want to play ball with me. One person's foul up isn't reason enough to disparage the entire dealership. During my test driving phase I visited most of the dealerships in San Diego - including the one I won't name - and always had a positive experience with the sales personnel.

The dealership I bought from, Capistrano Mazda, did a wonderful job, and I would recommend them.
 
I worked out a deal with a Mazda dealer in Oak Lawn, IL through the internet and then by phone. I told the internet sales guy I would pick the car up on Thursday night. When I got there nothing was ready and the guy that I was dealing with was gone. I was transferred to the 'top salesman'. I waited until they got the car ready to test drive and took a little test drive. We got back to the show room and I said I was ready to buy it. The 'top salesman' quoted sticker price. I said that I worked a deal and showed him the printout from my email. He told me he couldn't sell it for that price and he would have to ask the manager. After about 10 minutes I walked out and never went back. I called CJ Wilson in Countryside, IL and they said that they would beat any deal that I had. I went to CJ Wilson and they wrote me up for $100.00 less than the deal I had worked over the internet. The experience at CJ Wilson went very smooth, no hassle. Probably the best car buying experience I've ever had. The finance guy did try to sell a bunch of stuff, but I just said NO.
 
I worked out a deal with a Mazda dealer in Oak Lawn, IL through the internet and then by phone. I told the internet sales guy I would pick the car up on Thursday night. When I got there nothing was ready and the guy that I was dealing with was gone. I was transferred to the 'top salesman'. I waited until they got the car ready to test drive and took a little test drive. We got back to the show room and I said I was ready to buy it. The 'top salesman' quoted sticker price. I said that I worked a deal and showed him the printout from my email. He told me he couldn't sell it for that price and he would have to ask the manager. After about 10 minutes I walked out and never went back. I called CJ Wilson in Countryside, IL and they said that they would beat any deal that I had. I went to CJ Wilson and they wrote me up for $100.00 less than the deal I had worked over the internet. The experience at CJ Wilson went very smooth, no hassle. Probably the best car buying experience I've ever had. The finance guy did try to sell a bunch of stuff, but I just said NO.

what did you end up paying?
 
7eregrine, could you tell me more about the Eplan discount? My wife and I are shopping for a car and we are running into problems with dealerships getting back to us.

This happened to me too. 2 out of 3 local dealerships stopped emailing me when I asked for lease payment breakdown. The other gave me a OTD price then reneged when I said I was going to lease and that "special price" was only if I used "their financing" ie; jacked up interest rate from a non-Mazda Capital source. I had to go out of area.
 
Once I found a dealership willing to be responsive, and had the color & model in stock I wanted, the sales process was easy. Of course, in the F & I office they tried to sell me a whole load of insanely overpriced garbage - one package of crap would have added $170 a month to my $340 a month lease lol. I said NO THANKS.

The sales experience was good but the after sales has been awful. They still have not paid out my trade due to them not sending the finance company one little detail. DMV does not have the car registered to me as yet. I've emailed, called, spoken to a few different people and nobody has taken ownership. Time to call the GM or start posting on Yelp, FB, etc. if they can't get organized.
 
7eregrine, could you tell me more about the Eplan discount? My wife and I are shopping for a car and we are running into problems with dealerships getting back to us.

Sorry, didn't see this earlier. The Eplan discount is basically a friends and family discount. It's not the greatest discount. Mine was about $2,200 (about 9% off MSRP) off a GT and a friend of mine used it to get about $2,400 off her 6 T. No idea why she got a bigger discount on a cheaper car, but what ever.
You have to know someone to get it. I've seen people get slightly better deals here, but I was more then happy with my no haggle out the door price.
 
I dealt with Frema Mazda, and they honestly were one of the best buying experiences I have ever had. I was in the dealership for a grand total of 45 minutes, and would have been shorter but I failed to send them how much I was doing as a down payment and they had to redo the paperwork really quickly. They did not have the car I wanted so they made a trade with another dealer and offered to deliver the car to me and complete the paperwork in my driveway. Not to mention they offered the best price with no hassle of the big dealers in Raleigh, NC. Dealing with one of those big dealers just left a bad taste in my mouth and I would have bought somewhere else even if the price was higher, but Frema was just the best to deal with. I will say the cosmetics of the dealership leave a lot to be desired, but the way they treated me and the other customers I saw and talked to was worth it.

Honestly if you want a great experience and a awesome price give them a chance. Tell them I sent you and they will give you a little extra (not to mention a little referral bonus for myself as well :)
 
I bought used from a Chevy dealer, and it was "typical".
The ownership experience has been ho-hum.
Getting rid of it will tear me a new arsehole though. Mazda has the used value retention of a condom.
 
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