New Car Purchasing Tips (Mazda 3)

I'm presently looking at the Mazda 3 Evolve SP Hatch and considering to purchase. I would greatly appreciate any insights regarding an outright purchase.

For instance, I'm seeking advice on recommended accessories to include, whether it's better to buy outright from a dealer demo or opt for new stock. Additionally, I'm curious about the value of an advance payment for servicing. Any guidance on how much room there is for price negotiation would also be welcomed. Any other tips related to this purchase would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

    • I wanna read more posts about buying new ALDI cars.

      • +3

        They also sell wheels apparently.

    • +1

      The posts from 2019 are super relevant thanks for the tips

      • Most of the tips haven’t changed. Go read them and see if you’ve got any further questions.

        • its more so the market being so tight and high weight times I'm not sure what currently works

          • +3

            @firejack:

            high weight times

            They certainly are!

          • @firejack: Go ask the dealer about lead times. If it’s a long wait you’re unlikely to get much discount. If they’ve got some in stock they’re more likely to be wanting to sell and MAY offer a discount.

            Right now the market is slipping out of the covid craziness. Supply is improving but other factors are messing with the market such as high interest rates, high fuel prices etc.

  • I'm sure I read that Mazda has increasing supply of in demand models so might not be too bad a time to look..

    Might be worth approaching those buyer agents (like auto expert) to get a feel for the discounts in the market.

    I think floor mats and a tank of fuel was the best offer you could get last year, should be better now, especially with the used market "normalising"

  • +4

    My family's always bought demos which come with the balance of a new car warranty. The last time was in early 2021 when we got 25% off driveaway RRP. Always, always have a good look around every panel, the engine bay and underneath in broad daylight, even run a flashlight over all the paintwork to check for any dings or repaired damage - this is particularly important if it was a service loan or staff car. Don't be embarrassed about doing your due diligence because you don't want to discover anything you wish you'd known when it's sitting in your garage. If you can test drive the demo you're interested in, do so to make sure everything works and sounds normal.
    Demos sometimes already have floor mats, cargo blinds and boot liners - ask to get them included at no extra cost.
    Alternatively you should try a broker (eg. AutoExpert as mentioned above) to see what they negotiate. I'm not sure how bad Mazda's backlog is, but if you want a build-to-order be ready to wait.
    Most importantly, don't fall for them pressuring you, it's false urgency. Don't be afraid to contact a different salesperson or say no to upselling on extended warranties and paint protection. Same applies for service packages, read the T&Cs to be sure they're not trying to charge you more for throwing in bs extended warranties.

  • +4

    Hi,
    Have a look @
    The $30k new cars the CarExpert team would buy

    https://www.msn.com/en-au/motoring/news/the-30k-new-cars-the…

    Some good alternatives there.

    • According to the article above, the Mazda 3 (which OP claims to be purchasing) is no longer available in Australia. One is wrong me thinks.

      • Tell me you didn't read the article properly without telling me you didn't read the article properly.

        The MANUAL Mazda 3 can no longer be bought new. You can still buy it in auto.

    • Don’t settle for less than 15% of RRP

      Can you haggle me for 14% off RRP and I let you keep the any further savings 😊

    • why is this getting so many negs, is 15% too much to ask for or are there a lot of sales people reading this comment ;) Also whats your thoughts on capped or pre-paid servicing

      • why is this getting so many negs, is 15%

        Why not try yourself and report back to us?

        capped or pre-paid servicing

        Haven't seen any that give a option of picking one or another.

      • +1

        It’s getting negs because it’s all stuff you’d find out isn’t true if you’d done some reading of those older threads before posting.

        There’s always some big talker telling you they got 15% off this or that and you shouldn’t settle for less. What they don’t tell you is that the car they bought was a runout model or a colour no one wants and the dealer just couldn’t sell it at rrp.

      • 15% is almost impossible.
        And paint protection is snake oil. Skip the ming mole hard sell tactics.

    • +2

      Go for 20% off. Tell the dealer it's only fair since you'll only ever use 4 out of the 5 seats and thus should only be paying 4/5.

  • +3

    Do you actually NEED a new car right now?

    Can you delay the purchase for 6 months? The new car market is currently changing rapidly for the better

    The demand side has been squashed from interest rates(except for yourself, sleeping on your bags of cash).

    The supply side has been improving over the last few months with computer chip shortages being resolved, however there are some issues offloading cars at the ports at the moment(stink bugs & fumigation requirements), however that is being addressed currently with manufacturers cleaning cars prior to arrival, sending them inside containers, and hiring the entire boat just for their vehicles.

  • Sadly it means dealing with a car stealership.

    I have generally avoided buying cars due to how bad stealerships are to deal with as they are all about ripping as much as possible from you. Also the massive markups in Australia from the Landed cost of a new car including taxes and shipping to the retail cost.. I have seen over 100 percent markups when working with automotive companies… Some of the markup is valid for stuff like transport to dealers but most goes into the pockets of the oxygen thieves in marketing and sales.

    When I have go a new car I usually go through a leasing firm .. nice as I do not have to deal with the stealership.
    There are also car buying advocates that can help as well if you do not have access to leasing ..

    The sooner the government relaxes the laws on importing near new second had cars and new cars purchased OS the better…

  • I read recently that Mazda is catching up, and now minimal delays on new car delivery. Try a few dealers.
    Also my last purchase (2019) was a demonstrator model which had all the optional extras already fitted (mats, paint protection etc) , Suitable discounted price. Admittedly that was before COVID.

  • +4
    1. Always specify the built year, Dealers can and will sell their oldest cars first. A 2022 build is worth thousands less than a 2023 build ( not compliance plate)
    2. List down exactly what you want, model, spec, colour, options - new, demo or near new?
    3. Take your spec and go shopping - make sure you use your requirements list exactly - don’t deviate. Research prices via Carsales. If there are lots of demos for sale, you know Dealers are desperate to clear stock and you can drive a hard bargain.
    4. Don’t buy any aftermarket extras as they are only used to improve their profitability. This includes extended warranties. Try to include genuine service packages to reduce future servicing costs. Negotiate free accessories and full tank of fuel.
    5. Buy at the end of each quarter to maximise incentives
    6. Be prepared to walk away or until they bring the sales mgr over to negotiate
    7. Read the sales contract carefully before signing
    8. After ordering make sure the car is perfect before you take it away. Check everything works and paint is defect free. If you find anything get it down in writing.

    Hope this helps!

    • This is exactly what I’m looking for. It’s great advice especially since there are so many curve balls they will throw your way. I’ll give it a shot and reply here if I have and feed back on how it goes.

    • +1

      Always specify the built year, Dealers can and will sell their oldest cars first. A 2022 build is worth thousands less than a 2023 build ( not compliance plate)

      Disagree. Yes, it’ll be worth less but not ‘thousands’. You light get it cheaper anyway.

      5years down the track when you go to sell it as used the model yet will only make ‘thousands’ difference if there is a significant upgrade with the later version. If it’s basically the same car, the overall condition and kms will be more important to a buyer. Trade in might hurt a little more, but that’s a bigger loss anyway and if the car is low kms and good condition you can negotiate a bit better too.

  • +1

    Try a car broker.They found 3 cars,specified colour for my son in law,
    1 in QLD and 2 in different locations in NSW.
    Ready pick up next week

  • -1

    It can be thousands at a trade-in situation.

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