Buying a Mazda 3 SP23

[safetyboy]

Greetings. I am new to the forum, hopefully some of you might have some advice for me.

At the moment I am looking at buying a Mazda 3 SP23.

Unfortunately, I have not had a whole lot of experience buying new cars, have always bought second hand until now.

I run my own company, and am looking at leasing/hire purchase on it.

I have 3 questions:

<OL>
<LI>Any general feedback on the SP23? It seems to be getting excellent reviews in all the motor magazines, but I am looking for the point of view of someone who has owned for a couple of months. Are you happy with your purchase, have you had any problems, is there anything about the car that really s**** you?</LI>

<LI>Sticker price on the car is 29990 + onroads, which means it works out close to 34 on the road. I assume that I shouldn't be buying sticker price - but how much room to move do the dealers have on this?

They have given me a trade-in price on my current car. I am guessing that they have an amount that they can move on the car, for arguments sake lets say 2k. I assume that if I beat another $1000 dollars out of the dealer for the trade in, that comes out of the pool and gives them less room to move on the price of the car?

Any general suggestions of how to get the best price out of them?
</LI>

<LI> Finally, the dealership uses St George as their leasing company. Is it worth shopping around for this sort of thing, or is it much of a muchness?
</LI>
</OL>
Thanks for your time.

SB

 

[twilightprotege]

i think most people are happy with the sp23. most seam to be going for the sedan rather than the hatch though. i cant say what they are like as i've never driven one myself, but if it's anything like my sp20 i'm sure you'd be happy.

in terms of leasing - definately shop around. there is so much competition in the banking sector you can almost get stuff for nothing now...

 

[BigStarS]

my frd got his for $31k drive away....but he had to do a lot of haggling and a lot of waiting!!(2 months) he got it in west ryde mazda....maybe u should go check it out!! btw...i bought my SP20 in artarman...and my chick bought her RX-8 in hornsby...and it seems that the west ryde ppl give the best bargain!! so do shop around a lot...and b firm with ur best offer!!

 

[tidy protege]

hi saftey boy if the sp23 are anything like the mazda 6 you will be buying into a great car they handle well power delivery is smooth and they drive well on the road they also have a good engine which loves to rev and is very economical however if you are concerned dont look past the max sport it goes just as well as the sp23 but is a couple of grand cheaper all you are losing are the seats and the 17" wheels

 

[safetyboy]

my frd got his for $31k drive away....but he had to do a lot of haggling and a lot of waiting!!(2 months) he got it in west ryde mazda....maybe u should go check it out!! btw...i bought my SP20 in artarman...and my chick bought her RX-8 in hornsby...and it seems that the west ryde ppl give the best bargain!! so do shop around a lot...and b firm with ur best offer!!

Apparently, I am going to be waiting 2 months anyway, apparently that is just the norm.

Is it worth talking to 2 different dealers, and playing them against each other?

 

[safetyboy]

if you are concerned dont look past the max sport it goes just as well as the sp23 but is a couple of grand cheaper all you are losing are the seats and the 17" wheels

From what I can see, the differences between the Maxx Sport and the SP23 are:

<UL>
<LI>Front/Rear additional body kit/bumper/whatever</LI>
<LI>External Temperature Guage</LI>
<LI>LED Brake lights on the hatch</LI>
<LI>Climate Control</LI>
<LI>Leather steering wheel and shifter</LI>
<LI>Variable Intermittent on the wipers</LI>
<LI>Stainless Steel scuff plates</LI>
<LI>2.3l engine, Neo -> Maxx Sport have 2.0</LI>
<LI>Lower ratio gearbox</LI>
<LI>Larger Brakes</LI>
<LI>30kg more weight</LI>
<LI>Yellowness</LI>
</UL>

For me, the key differences are Engine, Climate Control and most importantly, Yellowness!

SB

 

[BigStarS]

i think it's really important that u do shop around...most dealers said no way and didnt think twice when my frd asked for anything less than $33k...and he finally got it down to $31k in the end...with persistance!! u can do it!!

 

[twilightprotege]

yep - shopping around always helps

i know when i got my 20 i wanted no change over trading in my ex's car and mine. the first place we went too wanted $6k change over. we eventually got $0 change over.....which was really amazing considering the coloured 20's had just come out and i had the 1st black one in brisbane

 

[malebastard]

I've clock 5000 kms on my sp23 already and haven't had a single issue!!

The car is a pleasure to drive!!!

You kinda walk up to ur car smiling and checking it out like its a real hot chick!!! (wiggle)

You've made a good decision on the choice of car... now you just have to find the right price...

also come join www.sydneymazdaclub.com and www.mazda3forums.com...

you'll get alot more mazda3 owners there!!

 

[BigStarS]

yo...my buddy got his SP23 last friday....the novelty has kinda worn off on me...cos i test drove the thing so many times...so i'm gona stick to my baby...SP20 ROCKS!!!!

 

[SURGE]

Hey, I haggled the dealer down to $31k on road, with a full tank of juice and slim-line plates. The tool was trying to flog me some SP23 mats, which I noticed on their demo were looking frayed and shagged on a car that was just shy of 5000k old... I think I'll settle for $20 BigW jobs.
Anyway, what gets me is how they sit there saying "aww, look, Im not going to make any money on this sale, Im giving you such a great price" while they sit back in big arse flashy showrooms. I would love to know exactly what their margin is.

 

[malebastard]

yo...my buddy got his SP23 last friday....the novelty has kinda worn off on me...cos i test drove the thing so many times...so i'm gona stick to my baby...SP20 ROCKS!!!!

Test driving is different to owning!! (hump) (hump)

 

[Yew]

hello to all members here

just came across this forum while doing some research for sp20 hatch and sp23 sedan. the topics here really interests me and i have registered myself in order for me to gain more information on these cars.

i am also thinking of buying a sp23. however, the driveaway price of $31k quoted to me by some car dealers ard brisbane and gc areas is kinda steep for me at the moment. but i really like sp23 because of its specs as well as its beautiful instrumentation.

guess i will have to settle with a used sp20 which i really dun mind. saw a used yellow 2002 sp20 on carsales.com.au (qld-brisbane region) priced at abt $24k. the mileage is only 12000kms. looks tempting, but before i get my hands behind the steering wheel of this car, what are the things to look out for when buying a used sp20?

based on stock condition of these 2 cars, will the new sp23 be much more superior than sp20 in terms of performance? jus wanna know, is it really worth to get a new sp23 than an used sp20?

thk u very much!!

 

[twilightprotege]

welcome to the forum!!!

from what i have heard the sp20 is only just behind in terms of straight line speed, but is better on teh twisties and is a better finished off car

 

[Yew]

thks twilight

i've seen from one of the threads that you mentioned it will cost 6k max to increase the power to 175kw??? wat sort of kit you talking about here? i am new to modifying cars so please pardon me sometimes for some simple questions.

 

[twilightprotege]

6k is pretty much all custom engine work - esp head work, camshafts, full exhaust.

and dont worry if a question is simple - we all had to learn somewhere!

to see if 6k is enough, after the queens birthday long weekend when i get a dyno run i will let you know what is possible. i am probably down on power due to my restrictive resonators, but they will be changed out eventually. they are probably robbing 5whp at the moment i'd guess, maybe more.

 

[Yew]

do u recommend installing bov? i see most wrxs and evos have them on.

i have read thru the aussie aussie aussie ooi ooi ooi forum! its good to see so many mazda car lovers in that forum! but i think i will join that after i got my sp20 and i can go on cruises together with you guys.

 

[twilightprotege]

only forced induction engines (turbo and supercharged) have blow off valves. so on an sp20 it'll be useless.

for a first mod you're probably best off getting a cold air induction system (like Injen), commonly referred to as a cai. easy to do, pretty cheap and gives good smile factor

 

[Yew]

oic...alrighty...

do u mind explaning wat's the purpose of restrictive resonantors?
y do pple like to have a short shifter?? is it for better feel?

 

[twilightprotege]

the purpose is to give more back pressure and a quieter exhaust note. back pressure is needed to stop unburnt fuel and oxygen exiting the combustion chamber. but back pressure robs power.

have a look at www.howstuffworks.com - it's a great place to learn