Mazda incentives on new cars

Looking to possibly purchase a Mazda for the first time and had a question about 0% and APR Customer Cash. I got a quote from a dealer that had two prices: one price for non-promotional APR and one that was a few hundred higher with 0% APR.

I'm assuming this is just a dealer tactic since they know the APR Customer Cash is there but, having never bought a Mazda, not sure if maybe this is the norm or a Mazda corporate deal.

As far as APR Customer Cash goes, does this work like a normal rebate would? Any restrictions other than being able to qualify for the financing?

If this is not the correct place for this, so please move to the appropriate place.
 
I got a quote from a dealer that had two prices: one price for non-promotional APR and one that was a few hundred higher with 0% APR.
Stuff like this drives me crazy.

If the price of the car is higher at 0% APR, then it's not really 0% is it?

Slice it any way you like, but if you have to pay more for the car in order to get 0% financing, then it's not 0%. Period. Argue with me all you want, but whatever the price difference is, then that's what it's costing you to finance it. Dealers (all makes) have been doing this for years. It's never 0%. Smoke and mirrors. Face it, nobody lends money for free.

Somebody has to pay for borrowing that money and stretching out the repayment over 5 years (or however long the term is). At the end of the day, it's not the banks or the dealer that's going to take the hit for cost of borrowing. The Customer always pays, no matter how they present it or sugar coat it. Any time I've ever bought a car and brought up this subject with salesreps or the managers, they never have an answer and always have that sheepish look on their faces. They know what they're doing.

Anyway, sorry for the short rant.

Get the best deal you can, look at the bottom line out the door, and good luck.
 
@Buzzman12 Exactly, the 0% APR is a tactic to snag people who don't know better. It only works best for you if you are aware of the pricing and can talk it lower, which many, if not all aren't willing to do. As said, they have to make up that money somehow. I am glad I bought my car when I did. Got a good price and low APR. I don't regret not waiting longer.

@AWE46M3 If you really need to get a car at this moment, do your research. Find out the best prices and be willing to walk out if you don't get what you feel is fair. If I hadn't come prepared when I did, I would have either been paying more, or not have a new CX-30 at that moment.

Pretty much every dealer right now is offering this 0% APR deal. So it's not just exclusive to Mazda right now.
 
@Buzzman12 Exactly, the 0% APR is a tactic to snag people who don't know better. It only works best for you if you are aware of the pricing and can talk it lower, which many, if not all aren't willing to do. As said, they have to make up that money somehow. I am glad I bought my car when I did. Got a good price and low APR. I don't regret not waiting longer.

@AWE46M3 If you really need to get a car at this moment, do your research. Find out the best prices and be willing to walk out if you don't get what you feel is fair. If I hadn't come prepared when I did, I would have either been paying more, or not have a new CX-30 at that moment.

Pretty much every dealer right now is offering this 0% APR deal. So it's not just exclusive to Mazda right now.

I don't need a car, it's just a matter of wanting to try to take advantage of the current state of auto sales... :)

When I saw that there was a "fee" for the 0% I wasn't sure if that was a BS dealer thing or something passed down from Mazda corporate - which is why I threw the question out here. If I have to pay a fee to get 0%, I may as well wait for Customer Cash incentives and just pay cash. I could also probably just pay the fee, take the semi-"free money" and make more money investing it rather than paying cash up front. I can live with the price I'm getting, just don't like the feeling of getting BS'd by a dealer; my perception is different though if it's not something that they dictate on their own terms.

I have never looked into any 0% or any special financing deals until now so I wasn't sure if this is a normal thing. Based on what @Buzzman12 is saying, it doesn't sound like an uncommon practice in the industry...
 
Weigh your options and do the math.
Figure out what the "fee" is, and then do a rough estimate of what you think your ROI would be on your money if you invested it instead.
In today's world, I'm not sure you'd get a whole lot back for investing it. Too much uncertainty.
The other issue that people have is: good intentions do not always translate to reality.
If someone has the cash, but opts to invest it and buy the car on credit, more often than not, the person doesn't have the willpower to actually set that money aside and invest it.
It usually gets spent.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
@AWE46M3 Most fees are BS in the car industry and they come usually from the dealers to make some profits. That fee doesn't surprise me. A lot of them we can't fight either. It's another way they manipulate the customer into spending more. A lot is capitalizing on the customer not knowing better and put themselves into a deal that costs them more in the long run. That's the goal. None of these dealers actually care about you. They want what they can drain from you.

Another semi-related thing to note is an issue with most people and their spending habits of cars. When they see the 0%/84 type deals, they are still willing to pay the minimum anyway. Even though they could afford to pay more. More money in the pocket. But with the way that cars can depreciate and people changing cars every few years, they wind up not getting much on the trade in because they paid so low every month on their 0%/84 deal.
 
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