So I'm a 26 year old living in Upstate, NY. I just got a new job doing traveling sales (about 2000 miles per month). They give me a car allowance and gas allowance so after some research I decided the Mazda 3 would be my best bet. I want it to be as top of the line as possible so I'm getting the Grand Touring with the Navagation system. Also the Blue color (Stratta?). Anyway, the car salesman says he checked the entire Northeast and that there are none that match my specs. He says that I'll have to order it from Japan and it'll take 4 months. He said it will be an '07 instead of the '06 which is pretty cool. So my main question is does all this seem to add up? Plus the price tag I want to dicker with a little but he's telling me we're looking at $24,195. How far do you think I can dicker with this price?

So here's the questions that I have:

1) What type of price can I dicker for an probably get?
2) Does 4 months sound accurate in how long it will take to get to me?
3) Are there going to be any changes in the '07 model?

Here's a list of all the options that I'm getting outside of the GT:

1) Spoiler (Rear Wing)
2) Navigation System
3) Floor Mats
4) Moonroof/6CD/Bose Package
5) Automatic Transmission

Any help would be great because he's calling me back tomorrow (Monday 05/08) to finalize our deal.

 

hey toadly. im not to much of a bargainer, so i cant help you out much with price. but four months does seem accurate for shipment since its an '07 model and its not available here as of yet. changes on the 2007 model include a nice facelift for the body, new wheels (personally i prefer 2004 -'06 body style and wheels) , slightly different/improved interior. the new models were discussed in the New Member area a little while ago, so heres a link to that.

https://www.mazdaforum.com/m_16674/tm.htm

good luck with everything. youre going to LOVE the new 3.

 

I really appreciate the help. That one article about the '07 and all the upgrades they are making to the car really make me want to wait it out and get the '07.

 

Since you are getting an 07 you might not be able to bargain too much. Throw at them that you have to wait 4 months for the car and, lets just say, the Honda dealer has the civic that you want in stock. They might not go down that much but it doesnt hurt to go that low and you never know they might take it.

 

I forgot to write go down to somthing around $21,000.

 

then don't forget the pricing if you want extended warranty as well as the license transfer costs... etc. that will also need to be added into your final price

 

I sold cars. The waiting period is about that long. I wouldnt order it. Just WAIT till it comes out. Why? They will NOT negotiate on the price of a car they dont even have. They dont even have a stock number for it yet so they dont even want to play around with orders unless you pay sticker. Also, you will want to drive it. Dont believe for one minute that an 06 or 05 will be just like an 07 in drivability and looks. Even though you may like the way it looks in a picture it wont look like that in person. And once you drive it you may not feel comfortable with it.
The tactic of saying you were looking at a Honda or whatever other brand is lame and doesnt work. Everytime someone told me that I just smiles and said, "well if you really like the Honda go buy it cause I cant sale you a price but I can sale you a car you will fall in love with..." What that says to the customer is that I recognize that you are trying to make me go down on the car but I wont cause I know the price isnt much of a problem its actually the monthly notes and which car you REALLY want rather than the one that has a lower price tag. Belive me most good Sales people arent stupid....They know what you are trying to do. ....You Should know this since you are also a Sales person ;-)

 

I ordered my '06 3 (5 door) back in January and just picked it up last weekend-that's 4 months almost to the day! The reason for the wait is that I ordered the navigation system which meant I had to buy the Bose sound system, and all that was based on the Grand Touring option. I also went with blue, but Winning Blue, not Stratto (the latter is much darker). So your time frame is right (they told me mine had to be special ordered from Japan as well).

As for price, I was able to negotiate a final price of $21,900 before tax etc. I did my homework and that was a fair number.

Good luck with your new car, I love mine, and I'm sure you will too. Ray