brillo

Sorry to post this here as well, but I haven't gotten a response in the dealer section and I'm prolly 24hrs from buying.

A dealer quoting me invoice wants to change me a $290 advertising fee for the 8, I didn't pay this on my 6 that I recall.


Whats the verdict on this?

DisneyDestroyer

I call bull$hit.

A fee is a fee. The dealership shouldn't ask you to pay their advertising. And if they put one of those lame self-gratification stickers (or license plate frames) on your car, you should be charging THEM for advertising their dealership.

Boozehound

F#$&K no! Don't pay that - that's the rediculous crap they try and stick you with right at the end. That's the kind of thing that would make me walk if they don't budge...

mysql101

I had no such fee to pay.

arattle

I wouldn't pay it. My dealer had a "dealer processing fee" of $99, which I knew translated roughly to "dealer profit". However, if you know that you talk them down to near-invoice, you can pretty much calculate your discount and factor in the fee that they're charging you, and then assess whether or not you're getting a fair deal. I thought that $28,400 was fair, so paying $28,500 was also fair to me. However, if that $300 that they're adding in your case makes the deal less attractive, I would walk away and try a different dealer. There are plenty of 8's left for everybody who wants one.

-arattle

expo1

It’s amazing how Dealerships can leave such a bad taste in people by pulling crap like that. Would you pay an extra dime for a can of Coke to pay for their advertising? That should be factored into the selling price, if he needs to show that fee then demand he reduce the price of the car by $290. Have you also seen his invoice or are you taking his word that’s its invoice? Based on the $290 crap I would not believe him. There are places on the net to check if his price is fair. Post the specs of the 8 and the price before taxes please.
The last two times I bought a new car I walked in knowing more about the car than the salesman. With the amount of info these days on the Net why cant we I just go to www.Mazda.Com like I would www.Amazon.com select a car with options and pick it up at some Mazda owned location? The whole new car dealer network should be looked into for ripping people off. You need to get very pissed and under no circumstances pay that fee. It’s not like they have the last RX-8 in the state. Also be on the lookout for prep fees and window etching. Tax and tags should be the only extras on a sales quote.

TODreamer

Thats some pretty low sh*t they are doing to you.

Truss

Total price is all that matters. The can charge you $10,000 for the car and then a $15,000 "Reelect Bush 2004" fee and you're still getting a good deal. If a different dealer can beat the total price, then walk. If not, then try to fight the fee but ultimately take the deal.

T.

dirtylittlepaws

Walk away. Tell them you will take your business somewhere else. they will change thier tune quick.

Dr. Rx

I wouldn't pay anything more than invoice price. Dealers still make a profit from the manufacturer's holdback. Mazda I believe has a hold back for 2% + 1% of the base price. If the dealer wants to get rid of the car they'll negotiate..just play hardball, if you don't like what they're offering...walk. Another dealer will gladly try to earn your business.

Raevik

Yeah, I saw it and paid it. I had been haggling with them all day and I saw it at $100 and said "What the hell is this?". The salesman said "This is the advertising fee. It's standard for all sales". I argued for a minute, and was basically exhausted by it all and said F- it, it's not enough to make me walk on the deal.

Basically, I fell right into their plans.

zoom44

totally agree with Disney. it's big time BS and they shoul dpay YOU a fee for putting their name anywhere on your car.

Air Force RX8

Don't pay, walk away. Why should they make a profit off of you and then charge you part of their overhead for operating? I walked away from a dealership for the same kind of crap, and don't regret my decision a bit! I had to drive further to get what I wanted, but I did get what I wanted and that is what mattered most.

Labop

I'd turn it around and charge them the $300 fee for advertising their name all over your car. You'll probably be laughed at, but it'd be prertty fun to try. I didn't pay any BS fees, advertising or delivery. I was within $100 of invoice and I considered that a good deal. It helps to know how to haggle, and when to threaten to walk. I think in my case it's genetic, my Dad could sell sand to the Bedouins (nomadic desart dwellers).

marcj1

And to think, most businesses view advertising as an investment, not a source of income...brilliant!!

brillo

Thanks guys, yeah, he's claiming $290 over edmunds invoice incluing destination, so I basically told him how it is and that he has to meet my final offer. The 8's in Dallas (a four hour drive from houston), so he has to make it worth my time.

Looks like I'm going to walk on this one. Thanks again for your help.

-Alan

bowman

The fee has nothing to do with putting their name on your car (and BTW, don't let them use your car as a travelling billboard).

edmunds.com on advertising fees:
The invoice price does not include any fees that may be charged by the manufacturer to dealers in a particular area of the country, such as local advertising fees. Edmunds.com does not track or provide such local fees.

If an advertising fee appears on the invoice, it is an actual cost that the dealer paid to the manufacturer when buying the vehicle. In other cases dealers may choose to write in their own ad fees on the consumer sales contract. However, in either case these advertising fees are just one example of the dealer's cost of doing business. As with all such dealer-itemized fees, consumers should treat as "negotiable" any advertising fee they are asked to pay.

Many consumers attempt to determine the dealer's "actual cost" for a vehicle and then "allow" for the dealer to make some profit. However, the invoice price is almost always higher than the amount the dealer actually ends up paying to the manufacturer. This results from a variety of discounts offered to the dealer that do not appear on the invoice. The two most common discounts are "dealer holdback," and "manufacturer-to-dealer cash" - both of which are available on Edmunds.com - but there are often others that are not generally known and that are based on other factors (for example, the dealer's sales volume for a particular month).

Accordingly, determining the dealer's actual net cost is difficult even for seasoned automotive insiders. This is why we developed the Edmunds.com True Market Value® (TMV®) pricing system, which is our determination of what other consumers are actually paying for the vehicle. The TMV® accounts for the effect of all of the manufacturer's extra charges as well as the dealer's hidden subsidies, and we believe it is the most important price to know when negotiating your purchase.

Doctorr

A fee is just extra profit a dealer thinks he can get. More power to 'em, if it works. At least he had a 'reason' why you should pay.

Jarman Mazda simply told me the price was "now $2300 over list, take it or leave it," a year after I put a $1000 deposit and agreed to pay List Price.....

"We are a no-haggle dealer, customers like it that way..."

That's why I'm not a customer, got my deposit and walked.....bvllsh!t.
.
.
.
doc

TORacing

mine tried to stick me with a $600 dollar docking fee. But I convinced him to drop it. I mean what the hell is a docking fee why should I pay because the car has been sitting on the lot.

valpac

iTrader: (2)

Well, in finding my lowest price, I faxed what I wanted (i.e. Color , Options) and they called me back with their best offer.

Here's the rub... Of 27 dealers contacted, 16 responded and ALL but one had an ad fee, doc fee, whatever ranging from 150 to 399. Only one did not have that fee but their offer was not competitive. I agree..negotiate the best deal regardless of the dumb fees and don't look back..

BTW, I got the salesmanto admit that the "doc fee" was "pretty much pure profit" so you might be able to negoitate it out of the total cost, but don't count on it. Pure profit IS pure profit.

Lastly, the my RX-8 price was 30407 which included the 299 doc fee. 823 below invoice.

Happy hunting!

thew

they will allways add lot fees and advertising fees to any car they keep on ther lot. make them get you one from a diffrent lot. then they cant charge you fees.. Or if you order it and it does not sit on there lot in the same area as the For sal cars then they cannot charge you that..
but if you saw this car sitting on there lot then they get to charge you for asvertising its sale.

dont let it blow the deal .. just tell them you want more mone for your trade in .. or you want them to knock down the sticker

you can make this happen .

Murph

I'm the first one to agree that you shouldn't pay BS fees, but this one actually is legit. But it's worth clarifying that it's actually not the dealership's avertising fees, but Mazda's. Most manufacturers charge the dealerships a certain percentage of each car for advertising. The amount varies by region, so it will be different in various states. In my area, it's 1.5% of the invoice price. So if you are trying to calculate what the dealer really paid for the car to determine what kind of deal you are getting, you should factor that in there.

Very true, if you are not comfortable with the deal, then walk away, but it's not BS. When you look at the various websites online to get invoice pricing, check the fine print at the bottom. There is usually a disclaimer that says additional fees might apply, such as tax, tags and advertising cost.

As for their advertising decals/brackets on my car? That's right out. Every car that I've purchased in the past 10 years, I have clearly stated, "I do not wish to have any of your decals or license plate brackets on my car". I offer to take some of their business cards instead. So far, not a single dealer has complained and none of them turned my car into a rolling billboard.

Just for the record, advertising is at the top of my list of things that I hate in life... you can't go anywhere these days without ads being rammed down your throat, however, to answer your initial question, a reasonable advertising fee is not BS. Check with some reliable sources to determine what the advertising rates are for your region. FYI - if you have to be in the Ney York Metro region, it is 1.5%. Some regions charge a fixed amount instead of a percentage.

Woodie

Don't pay it. Brillo, if you are in Houston, there are too many dealers to choose from. I bought my 8 in Houston and had no such fees and got a great deal.

thew

just order one.. No lot Fees at all that way and you get it the way you want it !

And Advertising fees are charged by the Dealer not the Manufacture.
For instance.. My specialty built Frod 4*4 van.. built by Ford was order and built for me at the plant. it was then shipped to the only Ford Warrenty Autherized 4*4 conversion Co. in the USA. They converted it. And i drove it home from there shop. It never saw a delaer Lot.. Ever!! I did drive it by the Dealer i used to get it.. we signed paper work and that was all.. But that was 450 miles after i picked it up and then took it to the Dealer to finish the deal.

In that case there were no Lot Fees, Advertising fees, coffie and dougnut fees...
I just payed excatly $300 over Fords Listed MSRP .. Witch is very easy to get.

Btw Fords MSRP is $3500 dollars less than the Dealers MSRP !!!!!..

so look very carfully..

And now I always Order my cars from the factory..

Except my 8 I just named my price to my dealer. and made him bend to it. I am sure there were Lot fees and the like.. but becasue I said I wont pay more the 27,500 for my loaded 8 .. they just lowerd there margin and still got there fees.


its all a game. Just decided what you want to pay.. and then dont budge ~ !