Hi, friends! I've been lurking here for several weeks now and love all the insight and photos everyone has posted of their CX-3's. I'm at the point of starting to look seriously into purchasing a FWD base Grand Touring. For everyone who has purchased, were you able to negotiate any dollars off? Or any add-ons? Do you mind if I ask how much your out the door price was? This is my first car purchase as an "adult," so I want to make sure I'm able to get the right price for a car so new.
Negotiating
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As always, your ability to negotiate depends on how much you want to buy a particular car and how much the dealer wants to sell it. For a desirable brand-new model like the CX-3, there's not going to be much wiggle-room. If you don't buy the car today, someone else will probably buy it tomorrow. I was able to get a few hundred dollars off MSRP, but I was very specific about what I wanted.
The way I see it, right now it will be tough to get a good deal, going to dealers further out from the city and in lower buyer volume areas might help since they'll be more aggressive with sealing what ever deal comes to them.
Go into every negotiation with a plan, and you'd be surprised at what you can get. I bought mine at $500 below invoice + license + tax.
Here's a general process:
1 - Do your research. Consumer reports and other websites have good pricing data on what is considered a "good deal." Make sure you know what invoice is with the options you want. Make sure you know what incentives are available (none for CX3 at the moment).
2 - Pick a low-ball, walk-away price and plan on walking away the first session unless that price is met. The low ball price might be what you could hypothetically expect at year end or for a previous year's model with big incentives. You are not likely to get this price, so plan on walking away the 1st day. It's more of a learning exercise for you--what can you possibly negotiate for?
3 - Go into the dealership, do a test drive, be friendly with the salesman, and generally show excitement and interest in actually buying the car. Phone calls or internet negotiations don't work well for this... they're impersonal, volume-driven which means the dealer is more likely to "let you walk."
4 - Start negotiating towards your walk away price. After a few rounds of seeing the manager, the salesperson will present a price close to invoice.
5 - Once you feel the dealer is getting towards their best and final offer (it's not), tell you came in with a walk away price, you appreciate the offer, and you'll think about it unless they are willing to meet your walk away price. Listen to their reasoning, tell them you completely understand, but you need to think for your own. Do not change your walk away price.
6 - Tell them you'll be in contact after you think about it. Admit you understand and appreciate their position on their best offer, but tell them if they can come down lower, it'll help you make the decision.
7 - Repeat for other dealerships. If you really wanted to, you can play them against each other. At some point, you'll be down to the $100-$200 difference so it may not be worthwhile to keep at it. But hey, it's YOUR money, and if the dealer is willing to make a deal, it's a win for the dealer. No need to feel guilty. You might see if the salesperson and dealership you really like can beat or match the best price you got.
Again, all of this starts with doing your research and coming up with a plan. The info below are readily shared by dealers if they feel like you're someone who knows what the numbers are. Here's some specifics:
Absolutely no "Documentation Fee"
Invoice is relatively easy to get.
You can negotiate an additional ~$260 below invoice for "dealer holdback"
You might be able to negotiate some $$ further below, but at this point the dealer is theoretically taking a loss. (However, it's still a potentially good business decision for the dealer because just selling the car will benefit the dealer's volume numbers, so at some point).
Don't buy finance dept add-ons.
Know your payment or finance options.
If you have different sales tax rates nearby, know the difference in savings. 1% difference in sales tax on 30k car is $300.
So, plan ahead, be confident that you've planned, and don't deviate from your plan. Unlike other business negotiations, this is one situation where you can always come back and negotiate again regardless of how the last one went.
Here's a general process:
1 - Do your research. Consumer reports and other websites have good pricing data on what is considered a "good deal." Make sure you know what invoice is with the options you want. Make sure you know what incentives are available (none for CX3 at the moment).
2 - Pick a low-ball, walk-away price and plan on walking away the first session unless that price is met. The low ball price might be what you could hypothetically expect at year end or for a previous year's model with big incentives. You are not likely to get this price, so plan on walking away the 1st day. It's more of a learning exercise for you--what can you possibly negotiate for?
3 - Go into the dealership, do a test drive, be friendly with the salesman, and generally show excitement and interest in actually buying the car. Phone calls or internet negotiations don't work well for this... they're impersonal, volume-driven which means the dealer is more likely to "let you walk."
4 - Start negotiating towards your walk away price. After a few rounds of seeing the manager, the salesperson will present a price close to invoice.
5 - Once you feel the dealer is getting towards their best and final offer (it's not), tell you came in with a walk away price, you appreciate the offer, and you'll think about it unless they are willing to meet your walk away price. Listen to their reasoning, tell them you completely understand, but you need to think for your own. Do not change your walk away price.
6 - Tell them you'll be in contact after you think about it. Admit you understand and appreciate their position on their best offer, but tell them if they can come down lower, it'll help you make the decision.
7 - Repeat for other dealerships. If you really wanted to, you can play them against each other. At some point, you'll be down to the $100-$200 difference so it may not be worthwhile to keep at it. But hey, it's YOUR money, and if the dealer is willing to make a deal, it's a win for the dealer. No need to feel guilty. You might see if the salesperson and dealership you really like can beat or match the best price you got.
Again, all of this starts with doing your research and coming up with a plan. The info below are readily shared by dealers if they feel like you're someone who knows what the numbers are. Here's some specifics:
Absolutely no "Documentation Fee"
Invoice is relatively easy to get.
You can negotiate an additional ~$260 below invoice for "dealer holdback"
You might be able to negotiate some $$ further below, but at this point the dealer is theoretically taking a loss. (However, it's still a potentially good business decision for the dealer because just selling the car will benefit the dealer's volume numbers, so at some point).
Don't buy finance dept add-ons.
Know your payment or finance options.
If you have different sales tax rates nearby, know the difference in savings. 1% difference in sales tax on 30k car is $300.
So, plan ahead, be confident that you've planned, and don't deviate from your plan. Unlike other business negotiations, this is one situation where you can always come back and negotiate again regardless of how the last one went.
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893 Posts
Being a brand-new car, there is little room to negotiate right now. My price was just slightly below MSRP. I think in a few months, or maybe closer to when they release 2017 models they will offer a lot of dealer incentives to make room for the new inventory. The TrueCar price in the US is $26,500, which is just about what I paid for it (not including tax, title, processing fee). The only thing I was able to negotiate was the trade-in for my car. They wanted to give me $11,000 but I was ready to walk out and had them agree to give me $13500 for it. The manager was trying to tell me how he's losing money on the deal, which is complete BS because if you're losing money on a deal common sense tells you to not make the deal lol.
There is little room between invoice and MSRP on the CX-3. Right at 1,000 USD on my AWD GT. Don't expect to ever buy one at 3k off MSRP as there simply isn't room. If you're getting a deal below invoice, they are making the money somewhere on you - whether it be on your trade or in the finance department.
Inflex has good points. I paid $200 over invoice and am fine with that. I used to sell cars (long time ago) I like to write fair deals and never split hairs over a couple hundred dollars. I was in and out of my dealer in no time as I wrote an immediate and fair deal which eliminated all the BS. Our time isn't worth it.
Inflex has good points. I paid $200 over invoice and am fine with that. I used to sell cars (long time ago) I like to write fair deals and never split hairs over a couple hundred dollars. I was in and out of my dealer in no time as I wrote an immediate and fair deal which eliminated all the BS. Our time isn't worth it.
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I signed finance paperwork on a base Sport and was told "it'll be here next week" and shook hands. The following morning I was told the manager at the dealership that was shipping the car to me, was "working a deal to sell it to someone local to the dealership". I was FURIOUS as they sold the car I was told was mine.
So, I told them to get me a Touring for basically the same price.
THEN I got a USAA $500 discount
Then I talked them down from that $1,600 stupid warranty with protective exterior/interior protection thats "already on the vehicle"....got that for $400 vs $1600.
and they waived the $885 destination charge bc of the original f*ck up....
with a 1.99% rate, let's say I made out like a bandit.
So, I told them to get me a Touring for basically the same price.
THEN I got a USAA $500 discount
Then I talked them down from that $1,600 stupid warranty with protective exterior/interior protection thats "already on the vehicle"....got that for $400 vs $1600.
and they waived the $885 destination charge bc of the original f*ck up....
with a 1.99% rate, let's say I made out like a bandit.
Through my employer we have "Cost + 2%" with Mazda which is nice. No need to haggle, they show you their purchase price and you add 2% to it. At that price they don't have much room to maneuver, so don't expect free winter tires or oil changes. Just FYI, there is not much difference at cost between the midrange and higher end models. They mark up quiite a bit the GT or Touiring or whatever the high end model is in your country.
What I was able to negotiate however is accessories at cost + 10%, so I got the rubber cargo mats and mud guards. One things I did which I would recommend: shop for your aftermarket (non-Mazda addons) ahead of time and arrive at the dealership with a quote. I had quotes for the 12-year rust protection treatment, security marking (Sherlok) and window tinting from 3rd party body shops which were way under the regular price of my dealership. They matched those prices. Saved me the trip, but I didn't mind going to get the car tattooed elsewhere to save a few bucks.
- B
What I was able to negotiate however is accessories at cost + 10%, so I got the rubber cargo mats and mud guards. One things I did which I would recommend: shop for your aftermarket (non-Mazda addons) ahead of time and arrive at the dealership with a quote. I had quotes for the 12-year rust protection treatment, security marking (Sherlok) and window tinting from 3rd party body shops which were way under the regular price of my dealership. They matched those prices. Saved me the trip, but I didn't mind going to get the car tattooed elsewhere to save a few bucks.
- B
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If you're a Costco member, I'd recommend checking out their automotive site. They contract with particular dealers to offer a set discount, which seemed to be $500-1000. I couldn't take advantage because the model I wanted wasn't available at any of their contracted dealers in my area, but the process seemed simple enough. Might even be worth the price of membership.
Now that I think about it, there is a "recent college grad" credit ($250?) that was offered. I didn't qualify - think it requires graduation in next 6 months or less than 12 months after graduation. So check to see if you qualify for that.
Anyway, I agree negotiating is the best way to get to the absolute lowest discount. As others have suggested, there are other options that result in less hassle.
To add to my post, I worked with 3 dealerships. The 1st took about 15 minutes of haggling (refusing their offers) to get to invoice. The 2nd wrote up invoice minus dealer hold back (invoice - $260ish) on the very first offer. I called the 3rd as a feeler and they weren't interested in negotiating at all ("...brand new car, can't keep in stock at MSRP bs"). I offered the 1st dealership a chance to beat or match, and they beat the offer. Win-win. I get a great price, they get a loyal customer who'll spend more money there over life of car as well as refer others to the dealership.
The deals are definitely out there, brand new car or not.
Anyway, I agree negotiating is the best way to get to the absolute lowest discount. As others have suggested, there are other options that result in less hassle.
To add to my post, I worked with 3 dealerships. The 1st took about 15 minutes of haggling (refusing their offers) to get to invoice. The 2nd wrote up invoice minus dealer hold back (invoice - $260ish) on the very first offer. I called the 3rd as a feeler and they weren't interested in negotiating at all ("...brand new car, can't keep in stock at MSRP bs"). I offered the 1st dealership a chance to beat or match, and they beat the offer. Win-win. I get a great price, they get a loyal customer who'll spend more money there over life of car as well as refer others to the dealership.
The deals are definitely out there, brand new car or not.
I hope you are right, going to try and buy one this weekend. Not easy to figure out how much I can get it for or how much others have paid.
What are the other aspects of your deal? Trade, financing etc. Usually dealers don't sell at a loss so if you got $1,500 under invoice they made money elsewhere on your deal to level it out.
Invoice and dealer cost is rarely the same. I don't know if there is a $1500 difference between the two though.
Thats great. Most dealers don't sell cars at a loss.
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