Questions Before I Buy CX-50

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Bay Area, CA
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CX50 PPT PMG/T
Hello all. New to this forum and this is my first post. I’m loving the look of the CX-50 and seriously considering the turbo Premium Plus Package trim. Went to a dealership yesterday and sat in one and pulled me in more. Loving the poly metal gray combo with either terracotta or black interior . I’ve never owned a Mazda and I hear that reliability is one of its strengths. That is high on my list. I’ve owned Lexus and never had any major issues. But before I dive in, I have a few questions which some of you CX-50 owners may be able to answer.

1. Bose sound system - how does it sound? I didn’t get to listen to it while at the dealership.
2. Brakes - are they ceramic or semi metallic. I’ve owned German cars and didn’t like the heavy brake dust. Had to wash the wheels every other day to keep them clean.
3. What don’t you like about the car?
4. I have a friend who owned a CX-9. Forgot the year but it was at least 10 years old when he got rid of it. The water pump went bad after 10 years and it would’ve cost $3K to fix since the water pump is in an area where the engine would have to pulled to replace it. I hope this car is not the same.
5. Due to the current shortage, most dealers are adding markup over MSRP. I’m told it will be this way for a while. I’m not willing to pay markup. I’d rather keep my old car than over pay. Am I being unrealistic in these times?

Sorry for the long post but just have to get these questions answered before I pull the trigger. Thanks in advance.
 
5. Due to the current shortage, most dealers are adding markup over MSRP. I’m told it will be this way for a while. I’m not willing to pay markup. I’d rather keep my old car than over pay. Am I being unrealistic in these times?
If you intend to trade in a vehicle that has any decent trade value at all, you can be sure that when dealers get back to discounting off MSRP trade values will go down in kind, actually more than in kind for late model trades.

Does it matter if you pay $1,000 over MSRP now vs $3,000 below MSRP in normal times if your trade is worth $4,000 more that it would have been in the absence of shortages? No, it does not. What if your trade is worth $8,000 more than it would be in the absence of the so-called supply chain shortages? The same applies if you do a private party sale rather than trade. It would matter if there is no vehicle to replace or if it's very old with very high mileage. If the existing vehicle were a three year lease then there is a bunch of free money laying there if you buy it at end of lease.

For some perspective, a month after I bought mine as a 4,000 mile dealer loaner CPO, KBB trade value in September 2020, designated "excellent" condition, was $23,377. A $5000 dump off MSRP, give or take, the day you drive a new car off the lot was pretty typical in this price range and it would go down from there with each passing month and 1,000 miles.

That was before the so-called supply chain disruptions caused the price spikes. Two model years, 21 months, and 10,000 miles later you'd expect that trade value to be $20,000 give or take in normal times. Today, in just very good condition, KBB says it's worth $28,473 in trade, over $2,000 more than I paid for it before TT&L. It has actually gone up $1,000 just in the last week or two since this matter was previously discussed!

Location will vary. There are two smallish Mazda dealers in my metro area. I was surprised to see that a third has recently closed down. At the one dealer, every new CX-5 is posted as "in transit". The other dealer doesn't state one way or the other on their web site. There may be zero on the lots. That drives up used prices. If the local Toyota, Honda, etc. local dealer have few comparable models on their lots that exacerbates the issue (or windfall if you prefer) ever more.
 
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The Bose is awesome. Same kind of setup as I have in my CX-30, which at least one website rated as the best manufacturer-stock sound setup ever installed in a new car. Good electronics (Bose's vehicle stuff is less gimmicky than their overpriced home audio) and some serious thought put behind speaker placement. The newer CX-30/50 speaker layout designs are significantly better than the Mazda 6/CX-5/etc generation.

Mazda's reliability rating is great. This is a new design, out of a new factory, so you're dealing some unknowns. But the factory's run with Toyota, who also has a stellar reliability rating. I wouldn't worry about it. My son's driving my 100K-mile 2015 Mazda 6 right now and it's only needed the kinds of maintenance (new belts/plugs/etc) that you do on any car with that kind of mileage.

On pricing, one dealer in my area is charging $2,500 over MSRP *and* bundling in a protective undercoating and "serial etching" for another $1,600 or so.

The other dealer I contacted is selling me the CX-50 at MSRP, but is also giving me $500 less than I paid for it in early 2021 for my 2021 CX-30.

Guess which dealer got my business? :)

Never paid MSRP for a car before, but also haven't gotten that kind of trade value either.
 
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Found a dealer that do not add markup over MSRP. But they do add the accessories package for $1200. Some accessories that are not worth that much. My trade would be a 2008 Buick Enclave CXL with 145k miles. i don’t expect to get much for it. Anyway they don’t have the color I’m looking for but will be getting more soon. Let’s see where this goes.
 
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Found a dealer that do not add markup over MSRP. But they do add the accessories package for $1200. Some accessories that are not worth that much.
Dealer add-on package is are near 80% profit and in my mind the same as a markup. $1,200 for tint, vin etching, door edge guards? Maybe worth $200 for the front window tint and $20 for the door edge guard
 
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Found a dealer that do not add markup over MSRP. But they do add the accessories package for $1200. Some accessories that are not worth that much. My trade would be a 2008 Buick Enclave CXL with 145k miles. i don’t expect to get much for it. Anyway they don’t have the color I’m looking for but will be getting more soon. Let’s see where this goes.
Did you mean OEM accessories or the garbages dealers put on to lighten your wallet?
If the former, it is not a bad deal since you pay MSRP for them w/o labor cost... that is, if you want them.
If the latter, offer the dealer to buy at MSRP before they put on these garbages... That was how I struck a deal with a dealer.. they add a $899 package on all Mazdas...

P.S.
some sort of stickers on body panels for theft protection...
 
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This is the best deal I have seen in my area so far. I realize these added accessories are not worth the money they are charging. But at least I’m not paying thousands above MSRP and I’m getting something. I can’t ask them not to install these accessories as they are already there. I’m sure they won’t remove them either. So I see two options, jump on it or wait until more are available in the market so price will go down. I don’t see that happening this year.
 
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What are the accessories you refer to? OE accessories?
Or, paint protection, edge guards, that sort of over-charging stuffs.
 
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I can’t ask them not to install these accessories as they are already there.
Actually, this is exactly what you do. As mentioned, the $1,200 dollar package cost them about $200.

I know the pitch "we have to charge you, it's already on the car," - they said exactly that, right?

This is where many of us here have told them "that's nice, But I'm not paying for them" Or as I said "okay, I'll put a deposit on the next one that comes in before you put it on" After a week or 2 they'll come calling for you to buy the one that's on the lot.

They think you need to buy a car, but the truth is you only want to buy a car - however they actually do need to sell one. They'll make money at MSRP even if they throw in those near useless extras.
 
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“This is where many of us here have told them "that's nice, But I'm not paying for them" Or as I said "okay, I'll put a deposit on the next one that comes in before you put it on" After a week or 2 they'll come calling for you to buy the one that's on the lot. “

In a market like today where there is shortage of inventory, how well does this work?
 
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“This is where many of us here have told them "that's nice, But I'm not paying for them" Or as I said "okay, I'll put a deposit on the next one that comes in before you put it on" After a week or 2 they'll come calling for you to buy the one that's on the lot. “

In a market like today where there is shortage of inventory, how well does this work?
It doesn't. That world hasn't existed for 2 years and there is no end in sight as of now
 
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It doesn't. That world hasn't existed for 2 years and there is no end in sight as of now
Respectfully, it sure does work.

Dealers have little inventory, but they have no customers either. Check out the CX-5 pricing threads. If someone wants to believed that they must bend over and pay over MSRP, I can't stop them, but people out there should know that it is possible and happens every day.

Best strategy - call or email and tell the dealer you'll be down in the morning to buy stock no. xxxxx listed on their web page if they can sell it to you for MSRP only (maybe plus dealer doc fee) before TT&L.
 
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Wait it out for a second year model. Bugs worked out and under MSRP likely.

I’m thinking of replacing my 16.5 GT with a second year CX-70 PHEV. Now THAT is waiting it out LOL.
Same here, but 18 GT, and it needs to look better than the CX-60.

My last new car prior to the CX-5 was 22 years ago.
 
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It doesn't. That world hasn't existed for 2 years and there is no end in sight as of now

^^ This. What @hal2 mentioned is certainly possible, and it never hurts to ask (unless its the only car on the lot the person in line behind you is willing to pay). It's just less common to see these days, as @dunhillmc mentioned (and I believe he works for a Mazda dealership if I'm not mistaken). Dealerships are in it to make money, so if they have limited stock, they're going to want to maximize the profit of every car on the lot.

@Flipsonic if you have a high volume dealer near you, it's more likely that you'll be able to do what @hal2 suggested.
 
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Dealers have little inventory, but they have no customers either.
This is simply not true. If it were true used cars would not still be up 40% over the last two years. Supply shortages persist keeping new and used prices elevated. Anecdotes on a forum saying, "No way I'm paying MSRP, I'll wait," is not a reflection of the market.

Now, whether one can negotiate the price of junk add-ons is another questions. Some dealers might, others might not, and it might depend on what else you spend with the dealership--financing, extended warranty, etc. and whether then can make money off a trade.
 
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They think you need to buy a car, but the truth is you only want to buy a car - however they actually do need to sell one. They'll make money at MSRP even if they throw in those near useless extras.
The average age of registered cars and light trucks in the US is either 12 or 14 years, depending on which source you read, and there are 290,000,000 of them while full new car production in a decent economy 17-18 million annually. Only 14.4 million were sold in 2020 and 14.9 million in 2021 and that was not for lack of buyers, with low output creating more pent up demand.

While a particular individual may want and not need a new vehicle, be assured there are a buttload who discover that need every day.

There are only three things that can change the current pricing scenario: 1) resumption of full capacity new vehicle production, 2) recessionary conditions and rising unemployment or 3) much higher financing interest rates.

Dealers certainly make excess profit selling at MSRP, and those with high allocations are making money hand over fist. Those not getting those allocations, ending up selling half what they have in the past are not doing all that great at MSRP.
 
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This is simply not true. If it were true used cars would not still be up 40% over the last two years. Supply shortages persist keeping new and used prices elevated. Anecdotes on a forum saying, "No way I'm paying MSRP, I'll wait," is not a reflection of the market.
I still disagree. For giggles and grins, go to a dealer, you'll see 12 cars on the lot and 1 customer in the store, at least that's what I saw when I stopped at the parts department. Used cars are up because there are no new cars on the lot, not because they sold out of new cars but because they don't have them coming in
 
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