more specifically: FWD, 6-speed manual, 2.0L skyactiv base sport model...nothing fancy, just spectacular fuel economy and more room than my mazda3 hatchback

anything in particular wrong with them that you're aware of? the biggest complaint seems to be that the 2.0L engine doesn't have any "zoom-zoom", but i'm fine with that (at least in theory...i've become used to the zip of the 2.5L gas-guzzler i currently have)

mazda is currently running their $0 down / 0% APR for 60 months promotion...i've never bought new (or from a stealership), so any suggestions for how to negotiate would be appreciated...for example, can i expect to be able to talk down the price of a car that's on the lot if i'm planning on doing the financing special offer or is it an either/or scenario in most cases?

8/11/2014 2:54:08 PM

I've heard nothing but praise about that vehicle.

8/11/2014 4:53:56 PM

great car. good looking, sporty for the segment, based on what we've seen so far it has a very well designed engine IMO.

8/11/2014 6:55:42 PM

I went and test-drove one a few months ago and like everything about it, with the exception of the vehicle not being very quick. It's not that the car is underpowered compared to other similar vehicles, but we ended up getting a Forrester XT instead.

You should be able to talk a couple grand off the sticker price regardless of your financing decision. I've never dealt with Mazda, but I couldn't imagine them being that much different.

8/11/2014 7:01:40 PM

^Incorrect.

There's about $700 between invoice and sticker. Unless there's dealer cash from Mazda you'll be hard pressed to get it for much less than invoice. Forester has over $2k markup before any incentives.

I'm too lazy to do the research, but you can find out if there's any dealer cash or rebates on Edmund's and TrueCar although these things sell like hot cakes and the '15s are still pretty new so I wouldn't really bank on it. If there are any '14s left those would be the ones to get the best deal.

I spent close to 4 years in new car sales/finance management and happened to cross shop these a few months ago for my wife, so hopefully that helps.

8/11/2014 9:21:20 PM

thanks for the feedback! good to hear that they seem pretty solid

they have a $500 incentive for current mazda owners (which i am) and my wife will graduate from grad school in december, so we should be eligible for the $500 graduate incentive

i think those both stack with the $0/0% deal...which is only on the 2015 model, by the way...it's 0.9% on the 2014 for whatever reason

[Edited on August 12, 2014 at 11:09 AM. Reason : .]

8/12/2014 11:07:13 AM

Facelift coming in the next few months... hopefully it will be on sale when you get it.

8/13/2014 6:25:35 PM

^ facelift on the 2015?

8/14/2014 3:47:00 PM

Figured since I had a minute, I'd help out:
Student/College Grad $ Offer

Requirements and Restrictions:

College Graduate Bonus Cash is available towards leasing or retail purchases to customers who have graduated (within one year) or will graduate (within six months) from an accredited junior or community college with an Associate's Degree or from an accredited college or universtity with a Bachelor Degree. Students who are currently attending graduate school or who have graduated within the past year with a Masters or Doctoral Degree are also eligible. Cash must be applied towards down payment or capitalized cost reduction. Offer is NOT transferable to members of same household. May be combined with other public offers, but cannot be combined with other private offers (Owner Loyalty/Conquest Bonus Cash)

Good call on the financing, I forgot that the 15's have been out since this past winter. They're awesome vehicles, and if you care about resale Mazda has come quite a long way and is right up there with Honda/Toyota. Part of that is the strategy of not whoring out their product with big markup or incentives. The more rebates there are, the less it's worth the minute you drive off the lot.

8/14/2014 9:16:59 PM