I had a chat with Mazda Canada today.

In the conversation I brought up the question of how many cars were returned on the buy-back, and what would happen with them.

Here is what they told me:

They told me that 37 cars were bought back in Canada.

They confirmed that in Canada the cars that were returned are being sold by the dealers.

The dealer who received the return gets to buy the car again from Mazda, at a discount, based on the mileage, time and wear& tear, and they can sell them as new. Or at least as "demos".

I was not able to extract an amount they would be sold at as they tell me they use a formula that determines price based on the factors of time, mileage, and items that need to be repaired.
It is similar to what they calculate after lease returns.

So, the good news is there are some RX-8's now available, probably at pretty good prices.

The bad news is that some of them may have been abused.

The REALLY bad news is that they are not forcing the dealers to disclose they are buy-backs, and they can try to sell them as new or "demos" without disclosing the circumstances.

 

That's so unbelievable...the non-disclosure part.

 

A little while back someone was claiming they were reselling the cars in the US as well. Did that ever get confirmed or denied, I seem to recall it was a Minesota dealer that someone claimed has a buyback RX-8 for sale.

 

I don't know about Minnesota but I noticed a black RX8 at the dealer with a removed clear shield. I don't know why it was removed but the line was still on the car across the hood and fenders but no shield. The car also had a handwritten sticker only on the passenger window.

 

One of the dealerships near me has 2 buybacks on the lot for sale. The one I was looking at was a Red, GT, 6 spd with moonroof and it has 8100 km on it. The best deal they came to me with was $3000(cdn) below msrp. I declined on it and decided to wait for the one I ordered, hopefully by Feb/Mar it'll be here.

The problem I have with the buybacks is you know the person who returned it drove the crap out of it before bringing it back....

 

A used car for $3000 below the MSRP of a $30,000 NEW car? Sounds like a ripoff to me. They lose more value than that when you drive them off the lot. Then you take 8100 miles into account...

Edit: Just noticed you were speaking Canadian, but the point still stands.

 

I think in GA if the car was titled to an individual, it is "Used" by legal definition. "Demo" means the dealer drove it; never titled to an individual.

 

If it was titled than it is used.
You can check if a car (US or CA) is or was titled before on carfax.com

There is no way around it. And if they are re-selling the cars it is plain and simple I-L-L-E-G-A-L

 

Oh, the invoice will show that they are USED cars, but the salesmen will tell potential buyers that they are JUST LIKE NEW!

 

Buy-backs in the USA have been shipped to Mazda facilities. They are branded vehicles and cannot be sold without disclosure on the title. Almost like a salvage title or lemon law buy-back. It's the law. Mazda employees have had first shot at them, then the rest go to auction, if any.

 

Correction: If they are reselling the cars AS NEW it is illegal. It's perfectly legal if they tell you it's used.

 

I wonder if a CARFAX would show them as "buyback" cars?

Someone who sold their car back should post their VIN and let someone with a CARFAX account run a report...