Jenny

Hey all. Just wanted to say hi. I'm new to this forum. I've browsed it a bit and I'm loving this car! But it looks like most of the info on dealers around here are outdated.

I am planning on buying a new RX-8 within the next couple of weeks. However, I don't know the going rates around here (LA northwest suburbs) and which dealers are good to work with. For all you RX-8 veterans out there, let me know your thoughts:

-internet dealer?
-good price for an auto, touring package with spoiler? closer to invoice or MSRP?
-any other advice before doing the test drive?

Thanks for the help

chinx

galpin mazda seems pretty good

tRiX8

hi Jenny, welcome to the club!

have you done some research? decide on the package you wanna get then nail down your asking price.

pret

ummm...i'm not from CA, but i swore i saw another post where Galpin Mazda crashed someones RX-8.

Outlaws eXtreme

Accidents happen... that wasn't on purpose. Besides, Galpin sells the most RX-8s in So Cal for a reason, they have the best deals and can beat ANY price in So Cal.

Ask for Philip one of the Internet Sales there.

I still go to Cerritos Mazda for service even though they left some gunky oil on my hood, interior dusty with white chalk, because it was just one time. I'll let one time slide. Second time, I'll leave.

Jsuzuki

If you know what you want, purchase through a broker or the Internet. It's great for people who do not want to spend 4 hours haggling for deal. I've used CarDirect.com with good results. AAA has a broker service as well.

For my RX-8, I pre-ordered with Thousand Oaks Mazda. Quite clueless and they admitted it. It was quite a relaxed place with no pressure.

Jenny

Thanks all for your responses. I did a bit more searching and found that you all liked Galpin a lot as well as carsdirect.

I did a test drive at Thousand oaks Mazda. Jsuzuki, you're right. They were not pressuring at all and they even recommended another dealer to go to to see if they have the car I want: red, auto, touring package.

Just for kicks, I asked how good of a deal I can get and he said that they have a special for 3.9% financing and $1500 off MSRP. I was hoping for a better deal but this sounds like a good start. What do you all think?

Tonight, I may go to Galpin and see why you all LOVE them so much

Thanks again for the help. Any other suggestions??

Jsuzuki

Jenny:
If you see a "nordic green" RX-8 zipping along the 101, 405, 23, 118, 5, or Mulholland, give me a wave. That will be me. I have yet to encounter another green RX-8 on the road...

lefuton

whoa, those are almost all the same freeways i take, except for the 23, i head towards the 210 but end my commute off the skirball exit (i'm the yellow one =p )

boothguy

Jenny: my suggestion wold be to use the search function on Mazda's website to find the car you want with the color and equipment you've decided on, and then make a deal remotely with the fleet/internet person.

Galpin does seem to have a good reputation and Browning fares pretty well too, but they're all the way in Cerritos. I live in northern SD County and bought mine from Caliber in Riverside, but only because they had the car closest to the exact combination I wanted, and I was able to make a deal that I was satisfied with.

In late December, I was able to get $500 over invoice, which was a pretty strong deal at the time. I've heard other people say that you can get closer to the invoice price currently, so that's what I'd be working toward now.

It's a terrific car - you won't regret it.

mmaaax

I just got my tit gray 6-sp GT red/black from Santa Monica Mazda after visiting Culver and Browning. Mike at SM was the only salesman with a clue. All were offering $500 over invoice as their opening bid, with options at invoice.
First drive was straight up PCH on the holiday weekend - took me an hour and a half just to get to Topanga - I was questioning the wisdom of owning a sports car in LA. Then up tp Mulholland and Stunt Road. Ah, sweet redemption.....

Outlaws eXtreme

The SM place was small, and limited options... That was why I went to see it at the larger lots like Irvine/Browning Cerritos/Galpin... more opportunities to get what I want without having the hassle of waiting etc..

mmaaax

Yeah, SM is small, Culver is even smaller.
We went to Browning Cerritos to see a big selection but nobody within 80 miles had the car we wanted in stock. It was a case of dealing with the people who made me the least crazy!!! It took SM 2 hours to locate the car and three days to come up with a deal to persuade the other dealer to part with it.
I found the web inventories ( Mazda and dealers) to be very unreliable, maybe because they're not updated promptly, and because cars get shuffled around from dealer to dealer (which Mazda doesn't track)
Oh, plus the internet sales staff seemed to be even more clueless about the product than the showroom staff.
My recommendation is decide on the exact car you want, go to whereever you feel most comfortable (eg closest or friendliest or most knowledgable) make a deal and let them bring you the car. If you not emphatic about what you want you know they will try to get you to take something else off the lot.

twisty7867

I ended up buying mine used, for credit reasons, but I worked with Tim at Star Mazda in Glendale - he was extremely helpful and all of their prices were only a few hundred dollars over invoice. I would highly recommend them to anybody. It's a small, friendly dealership without that slimy "car dealer" feel. Even the finance manager was cool.