New here, would appreciate your opinion on potential purchase

[PMT]

My local Mazda dealership has a sunlight silver metallic 3S hatchback, 5 speed with the following options: ABS package, moonroof package, Xenon package, leather seats, rear skirt diffuser, cargo net, electrochromatic rearview mirror, wheel locks, and appearance one package. Took the car for a test drive tonight with my wife, and was approved for 4.9% apr for 60 months. Nice car, handled well. Didn't push it hard, car just arrived at the dealership last week and only had 4 miles on the odometer. There was plastic wrap all over the place.

The price they are giving me on the car is $20,300. They are giving me $18,000 for my trade in, but I still have a payoff of $20,000, so I have $2,000 of negative equity I have to put in the deal. So my total financing amount would be $22,500 (which includes everything, OTD price). I don't like that rear skirt diffuser, or the appearance 1 package, they are both adding $800 to the price of the car.

Now here is the dillema. They also had a white 3 and I like white better. The problem is the car only has the moonroof and ABS package, no Xenon lights or leather. But, it's much less expensive, actually by $2,000. Do you guys think it's worth saving the $2,000 to get the color I want but missing some options? Also, I was looking at the Ford Focus ZX5 with the PZEV engine in a manual transmission fully loaded (side airbags, leather, ABS, heated seats) and I could get a smoking deal on that because Ford has a $2,500 cash back rebate, and the Ford dealership will sell at invoice. That car would only be $15,500 after rebate and discount pricing. That is $5,000 less expensive than the Mazda 3 I looked at tonight.

So, this is a long post sorry about that. All opinions are welcome and appreciated. The Mazda dealership is expecting a call tomorrow with an answer, apparently someone else was inquiring about that car (the silver) so they need an answer tomorrow.

 

[sunlight_guy]

Jesus that's a tough one. I'm not sure I know what I would do in your situation. On the one hand, don't give up any of the cool options, cuz later you'll regret it. That's what happened with me when I got my first P5. Three months later I traded it in for the one I should have gotten in the first place and I took it up the ass, but what the hell, you have to like what you drive, right? One the other hand, the Ford is a lot cheaper with some good options but it is a Ford and not as handsome as the 3 in my opinion. Like I said, tough decision. What if you asked them to put out a search for the exact car you want. White, no appearance package, etc.... They should be able to find something. By the way, white is the shiznit on the 3. My dream 3 would be white, with tint, moonroof, leather, manual.

Good luck man!!

 

[Kain]

I initially thought that price was way too high, but pricing it out the invoice comes to ~$19,800, and $20,300 is $500 over invoice, which is about what you'd expect to pay after haggling. That's still high for a, uh, "economy car". But being a first-year model, you wouldn't expect a big rebate like Ford has going for the Focus.

Myself, I couldn't justify paying $5,000 more for a Mazda3 over a Focus ZX5; it's a better car, but it sure as hell ain't 5 grand better.

I'm guessing if the trade-in will leave you $2,000 upside-down, then selling it privately would help you get closer to breaking even on your current car.

So, this is a long post sorry about that. All opinions are welcome and appreciated. The Mazda dealership is expecting a call tomorrow with an answer, apparently someone else was inquiring about that car (the silver) so they need an answer tomorrow.

Man, that's just some bulls*** sales tactic to pressure you into the sale. Stick to your guns and don't cave in.

 

[mazda3zoom]

in the end its gonna be about what YOU like, i could have gotten a svt focus alot cheaper then i payed for my 3 but i liked the options i got with the mazda better. also the 3 has a very nice lookin interior (and exterior) and the focus is just kinda plain in my opinion. i dunno tho man u gotta tough one? (uhm)

 

[PMT]

sunlight guy and kain, I want to thank both of you for taking the time reply. You both make excellent points. I will address some of them. Kain, your numbers are right on, I did forget to add, it's a $500 over invoice deal for the Mazda 3. That is the best they would do. Said the car is very in-demand and they have no problem selling them, they won't go lower on the price. I can understand, it is a first model year car, $500 over invoice is a decent price. Selling it privately would be a huge pain. Have you ever tried to sell a car private party, it's no picknick. Plus, I get a tax credit by selling it to the dealership. Basically the way that works is since I already paid tax on my car, I just pay the difference in price between the Mazda 3 and my trade in. Mazda 3 is $20,300 - $18,000 for my trade, leaves a difference of $2,300. So, I'm only paying taxes on $2,300 instead of $20,300. That is like giving me an extra $1,000 for my car, it's worth it to sell it at the dealership. You know what, I was thinking the same thing to. I like the 3, it's probably a nicer car than the Focus, but damn, I'm not sure it's $5,000 nicer either. The ZX5 is a great little car. Gets the same gas milage, has a great stereo system and heated leather seats even (Mazda 3 doesn't have that). I'm leaning towards the Focus myself, just because of the enormous cost savings. Ford dealership is only willing to give me $17,500 for my car, they weren't as aggressive in pricing, so that means I would be rolling $2,500 into the Focus. That is stil only $18,000 total for the Focus, a savings of over $4,000.

sunlight guy, I agree. Even though I like that white color better, I would not be happy "settling" for a car that didn't have the options I want. The Xenon lights are so cool, and the leather seats were very nice. I think I would miss those two options a good deal. Still, I'm not sure the car represents a good enough deal to warrent over the Focus at this time. No rebates on the Mazda 3.

Thank you both again, looks like I could be a Ford guy (at least the Focus is finally on consumer reports best buy, they seem to have worked out the bugs).

 

[Kain]

Sounds like you're making the better decision. I'd hate to lose a potential Mazda driver to another make, but ya gotta do what's best for you. If I was in your shoes and wanted a wagon, that deal on the Focus seems to be your best bet.

Another thing you might want to try is to see if there are any 2003 Protege5's left. Dealers will go real low to get rid of a car that is last year's model and discontinued. Plus the general consensus is the Protege5 looks better than the Mazda3 hatch and is a great car in its own right. I'm not sure if it came with Xenons, but I know leather and a moonroof were options.

Good luck to you either way.

 

[Tonys3]

Just remember your already upside down in equity, and Fords do not have the best re-sale value, its usually not too good, You only live once ! Buy the 3!! I got my 3s , with alloy package, pwr package for 16,200 (just a thought)

 

[TX Speed Demon]

Think about how long you are going to keep the car. For 5 years? If so that $5,000 works out to $2.75 a day. I'd certainly pay $2.75 to drive the car I really wanted with all the options I wanted over a cheaper, comprably equipped car that I didn't really want. Hell, most people pay that in tolls just coming to and from work every day.

I say have the dealer ship in a White Mazda 3 with the options you want. They did it for my speed (I would only buy orange) and I'm sure they'll find a way to get one for you. Just be honest and firm. Say "I'll take a white one with the options from the silver one at that price. I really want white and it is a dealbreaker for me. If I get the silver one I'll always wish I had white, but the limited options on the white one you currently have doesn't make it a good enough deal over the price I was quoted for a Focus ZX5. If you can get me a white one with my options I'll take it, but if I'm going to settle, then I'm going to settle on saving $5000."

 

[Loose]

I got your white car w/o leather, w/o abs, w/ moonroof and 6CD and none of the other crap. I love it!

 

[genericuser]

that's a very good point. I'd honestly rather have a protege5 than a focus any day. The p5 may even be cheaper than the focus used. Id' see if you could snag one of those.. I love the p5

 

[dulog]

.. and was approved for 4.9% apr for 60 months ... my total financing amount would be $22,500 (which includes everything, OTD price).

Just an idea, sorry if you've already thought of this, but if you haven't already try shopping around banks and credit unions to see what rates they offer on new car loans. Not that 4.90% is really bad, but you may be able to get something around 3 or 4 percent. This could save you anywhere from a few hundred to over a thoudand dollars depending on the life of your loan. I'm no expert on cars or buying them, but from what I read at the dealer you first negotiate the price of the car, then talk trade in and then talk financing and only take their financing if it can beat what you can get on your own.

I realize this may not be easy to do now since they are putting pressure on you for that silver one and the idea of waiting for the car you want is probably not appealing. However if you're looking to try to get the best price on a car this should really be included in the picture and I don't see it mentioned much.

 

[PMT]

Thanks again for the additional informative replies. There is no white Mazda 3 5-speed hatchback with the options I want in my entire state! We did not try to locate one outside of the state, but I suppose that is an option. Depending on where one was located it would be about $500 in transportation fee according to the dealership. That fee basically negates any savings I would have by not having that rear diffuser and appearance 1 package. The silver is really not too bad on the car. It's actually a very nice silver, I would be happy with that car too. Also, this dealership has no pending orders for a white car, so they would have to special order one for me, and they told me that is a 4 to 6 month wait minimum. I kind of need something now.

4.9% isn't too bad for me. My credit isn't just the best credit in the world. The finance manager I worked was extremely nice and upfront, and allowed me to look over the credit report she pulled on me. Believe it or not, the becon score I got through her ranking was better than what I was told when I did it myself at home, by 26 points. I'm at a 670, tier two. How much would I really save by shopping around for one percentage point better; maybe $8 - $10 at most on my monthly payment? Not that big of a deal for me, but still a good suggestion.

And finally, there is something to be said for driving around a car that makes you happy, regardless of money. I'm still not convinced the Mazda 3 is $4,000 worth of happiness over the ZX5 I'm considering. It's really not a bad car, have any of you test driven the Focus with the new PZEV engine. It's got a lot of get up and go, and it's very smooth. $4,000 a month is an extra $75 added to my monthly car payment. With interest over the life of the loan that comes out to approx $4,500. Still not sure if the Mazda 3 is worth the extra expense. Yes, it comes with nice ammenities the Focus doesn't have like, Xenon lights, TPMS, curtain airbags, and "17 wheels/tires etc,. Could I afford the extra $75 a month, yes. Would it be nice to put the $75 towards many others things, like savings, yes. Could I be just as happy driving the Focus for the next 5 years as the Mazda, that is the question I still can't answer right now.

I'm still in decision mode, told the Mazda dealership not to rush me. They called this morning wanting to know. This is a tough decision, again your replies are really appreciated.

 

[Loose]

good luck

PMT, good luck man.

 

[nate0123]

One nice thing about where I live is that there are 4 mazda dealerships within 20 minutes drive . . . have you tried shopping around for better prices or the options you want on a 3?

 

[Loose]

One nice thing about where I live is that there are 4 mazda dealerships within 20 minutes drive . . . have you tried shopping around for better prices or the options you want on a 3?

We have 1 dealer here and no one here is buying the 5dr. and the people who are are for NY and OH. Plenty of 5dr here, i paid 17,200.