I am looking at a 07 GT with navi, sirius, moonroof, auto dim mirror. Does anyone know what I should aim for out the door on this thing?? I know that they have not exactly been flying off the show room floor but I want to make sure that I get the best deal possible. Also does anyone know if Mazda corporate is offering dealers any supplemental rebates other than the customer cash listed on the web site?
I paid just under $24k for my 06' Speed6 GT when it was relatively new and getting good reviews. It did not have Navi or Sirius though. All the other options were included though.
First, do all your online homework and know (a) what you must have and what you want to have, (b) the INVOICE price (not list) for the car, and (c) online prices for any options you want to have. I wouldn't skip the Navi or MoonRoof, but the AutoDim and Sirius are both easy installs you can do yourself (you can do it all in a few hours, and they include step-by-step instructions).
Second, find all the incentives on the car from Mazda so you know how much money can be taken off the dealer's price. Try to find both customer AND dealer incentives. So you know what they are NOT showing you. If they get money back (most likely) then they're more likely to sell at a "loss" and pick up the incentive to make up for it.
Third, use the online tools and request an internet quotation in your area. Specify all the options you want (must haves vs wants). Many dealers will come in low to move a unit, and you'll get 2-5 competitive quotes quickly. (Note: these will include the incentives.)
Find out the FAIR price for your trade-in (if applicable). Kelly Blue-book it online (write down the various ranges too), take it to Car-Max (you can use them as a backup if the dealer low-balls you), etc.
Finally, use the quotes as a reference to find out if/how the incentives, invoice info and other items add up. Understand how much dealers are making / losing and try to use this to your advantage. Now that you're informed, and not making an impulse buy, the dealer will have a hard time negotiating things their way.
Also, don't ever include your trade-in until you have an initial price/deal, and make sure you DOUBLE check all the finance paperwork LINE BY LINE against your figures. The sales guys are salmons compared to these sharks. Everything should match what you agreed to.
There are plenty of online guides out there to help you shop, so do some research there too. The online quotes are by far the best thing to happen to car-buying consumers in a while.
#1 rule... don't rush through any of the steps.
Happy car buying. (boom08)