I stumbled on the RX8 while looking for a replacement for my trusty Integra. Was looking at new TL but now I am obsessed with the RX8. I am getting quotes from "fleet" sales people. Any suggestions on what I should get from dealer? I think I want Silver GT with spoiler, black leather. Should I get the aero flares or splash guards? When I go to the dealer, I know more about the car than the guys trying to sell it. Any help appreciated. Haven't bought a new car since my 95 Integra. Thanks!!!

 

Its OK that you know more about the car than the salesperson. In order to get a good deal on the car, make sure that the dealer understands that you are equally familiar with the car buying process. If the dealer knows that you are ga-ga over the car, he also knows that he can probably squeek a few more dollars out of you just to satisfy your infatuation.

If you've made up your mind that you are going to get one - then the next step is to decide on what equipment you want, and what you're willing to negotiate on. Items like the spoiler, aero / appearance package, splash guards, etc. are a stricktly personal choice. Get what YOU like, not what the masses like.

Then, research the price. Sites like Edmunds.com and others can give you invoice price, fair market value, and info on things like hold-backs and the like. Learn about these things, and recognize that you should be able to purchase the car at pretty close to invoice (especially if the dealer is hungry to meet a quota so that he gets his monthly holdbacks from the factory). Note that this is general information, and may or may not apply to Mazda. (I don't know if they operate on the same type of quota / holdback system that is common with US mfgrs).

Finally, now armed with all the information (what you want, what your willing to pay) - then go visit the dealer. Remember, you're in charge. You'll probably have to play their game for a while ("let me check with my manager... oh, I don't think we could do that... etc."). You can walk at any time. Visit another dealer. Tell each dealer that you're shopping around. Tell them to quote you a price that they're comfortable as being their best deal, one good enough that it won't be beat elsewhere. Tell them you'll be back to buy from the dealer that treats you the best (price, respect, comfort, etc.). Sometimes, just getting up to leave can be worth another couple of hundred bucks, because they know that the chance of buying a car there drops dramatically if they let you leave. Hopefully you have a couple of dealers around so that you can comparison shop...

Just a couple of ideas...

 

Print out the options list from somewhere, if you don't already have it.

Here's the online Accessories brochure .

Go to Trussville Mazda online and price-out the options, at least those you think you want, might want, heck, all of them.

Write the prices next to each item on the options list. Now you are armed for the options warfare.

Things that are extremely hard to add to your car afterwards are the GT package (good choice ) and the navigator. MAKE SURE you don't want the nav if you're not gonna get it.

All the other options are things you can add later. I can't think of any that are more involved than an interesting afternoon project for a do-it-yourself type of guy. Also, there are a lot of 3rd party things that are already out, tons more to come even still. Know what I mean? Some people insist on OEM for options. Others insist on buying their add-ons from such companies as Mazdaspeed, for but one example.

If you're not sure, just get what you need to get at this time & leave all the other goodies for later.

Glad to hear from you!

 

I just bought my RX-8 last Thursday from the Internet Manager at a dealership that is further away from me but gave me the best price without any haggling. I bought my Touring, Appearance and Rotary Pkg at invoice and they threw in the spoiler for free. I wasn't looking for the spoiler or rotary package but they really wanted to sell a car they had in inventory rather than have to trade one of their other cars to get an RX-8 equipped as I was looking for.

I highly recommend spending some time going to the websites for your local dealerships and requesting quotes from their website. You'll know quickly if they are going to deal or not.

I received a better price from the Internet Manager than I did by calling the General Manager at a different dealership that I've dealt with and bought a few cars from before.

Best of luck! Look forward to having another happy RX-8 owner soon!

 

yes i agree, do all the dealing via email. i walked in and signed papers. it was done.

400 over invoice. you should be able to do better now. and 0% financing.

beers

 

According to Edmunds.com, internet managers base their sales on volume, whereas floor salesmen try to sell fewer cars at a higher price. This means that you can almost always get a better deal with less haggling through an internet manager. I bought from a dealer who claims to be the #1 volume dealer of 8's in the country. Their sticker price was well below Edmunds TMV, so I just took it. I know, I'm a sucker, I'm sure I could have negotiated further, but that's what I get for walking in off the street. If I had to do it over, I'd definitely hit up the internet manager for a quote.

 

I too would recommend the internet route. The internet manager quoted me $100 over invoice right away without any haggling. Some dealers are more open to internet buying than others. I had one that called me back once and then never answered my emails. But the one I'm dealing with now answered my emails daily.

 

Haven't bought a new car since '95? Start here:

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/carintro.html

 

I'm going to be buying my 8 within a month I hope. How does one buy over the internet? Where are you getting thier email addresses? Are you going through some other site that sends your info to a bunch of dealers?

 

Easiest way would be to go to Edmunds.com- you can build the car with the options you want and get an invoice price for the vehicle. There will be an icon to get dealers quotes from all of your local dealers. They might not have exactly the car you want, but you'll typically get a better deal if the car is on the lot already.

 

I got mine for $900 BELOW invoice last week. It was one of those "no haggle" dealarships - kinda the same as internet purchasing. My last vehicle was purchased through AutoBytel. Very pleasant experience with both of these purchases.

 

What dealership was that?

 

Bill Britt Mazda here in Fredericksburg, VA.

 

I can recommend an internet buying service called CarBargains (http://www.checkbook.org/auto/carbarg.cfm). For a $190 fee, this service puts out bids on the car you want -- they guarantee at least five quotes, stated as invoice plus or minus a certain dollar amount. The quotes are all-in, so there are no hidden fees to surprise you at closing. I believe they do business in most large metro areas. My price was just over dealer invoice (which is to say quite a bit higher than MadDog's $900 under invoice), but the process was almost effortless, and I knew to the penny what I was going to spend.

 

Advice other than price
Get them to look up the VIN # and check for the current recall of the passenger airbag, as well as the M flash (update to the PCM) status and make sure you have those items done before you pick up.

 

Which dealer was that?

 

I was under the impression that they all claim that.

 

Probably. But it helps to know that since I'm going to be buying one soon, and it puts pressure on the dealer to come in with the lowest price among the bidders ... :p

 

Be patient...


I have never lost money by waiting. I have ALWAYS found a better deal by waiting. This applies to cars but to other things as well. I got my car for $2000 less then the dealer who told me that was the best deal I was going to get.

 

I bought from John Hine. They're definitely a volume dealership, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to know that other dealers claim the same thing All their prices seem to be well below (~1.5k) Edmunds TMV, so I figured it was a fair deal. But don't be a sucker like me. Try the internet- you can always walk in and haggle if you don't like your quotes.

 

By "same thing", I meant #1 volume dealer of RX-8's, by the way.

 

A related question- has anyone had any experience with "no haggle" dealerships? I've gone to two that both say they give you best price up front, no haggling, only one's standard discount is $1000 less than the other. Problem is, I prefer the one that the dealer asking $1000 more has. Does this mean they really can haggle? They both said they are dealer incentives, not Mazda's.

 

From my understanding, a dealer incentive is just what the manager is offering off the vehicle. It's not money coming from someplace else to subsidize the car, like a manufactuerer's rebate or something like that. The "incentive" is just an attractive salespitch for "here... I have too many of these... take it now... please...". I would ask them for a lower price and let them know another dealership already has them beat. Tell them you'd prefer to give them your business over the other dealer but you'll go where the price is.