[selfskr]

On Monday I ordered a Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus Hatchback. The dealer said he is waiting for Mazda to "accept" the order. Assuming it does, I am curious to hear the experience others have had with factory orders in today's environment. How long did it take for the car to arrive? Did you get an anticipated delivery date and, if so, how far in advance did you get the date? How accurate was the date?

I need the car by August, so if it doesn't look like it will arrive by then, I will have to bail and get something else (the dealer said he was fine with that because he will have no problem selling the car to someone else). I saw on another thread that Mazda may have closed orders on the 22 model year and 23 production may not start until July, so I may be out of luck.

I am ordering because there are no M3H Turbo PPs within 300 miles of me. Actually, that is not entirely true. One dealer in Virginia has 2 of them but wants $7,500 over MSRP, which to me makes them "unavailable" on general principle. By comparison, the dealer from whom I ordered is charging MSRP with no markup.

 

[brassrox]

On Monday I ordered a Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus Hatchback. The dealer said he is waiting for Mazda to "accept" the order. Assuming it does, I am curious to hear the experience others have had with factory orders in today's environment. How long did it take for the car to arrive? Did you get an anticipated delivery date and, if so, how far in advance did you get the date? How accurate was the date?

I need the car by August, so if it doesn't look like it will arrive by then, I will have to bail and get something else (the dealer said he was fine with that because he will have no problem selling the car to someone else). I saw on another thread that Mazda may have closed orders on the 22 model year and 23 production may not start until July, so I may be out of luck.

I am ordering because there are no M3H Turbo PPs within 300 miles of me. Actually, that is not entirely true. One dealer in Virginia has 2 of them but wants $7,500 over MSRP, which to me makes them "unavailable" on general principle. By comparison, the dealer from whom I ordered is charging MSRP with no markup.

I refuse to pay a cent over MSRP out of pure principle. Luckily my car is fine and can last me for many more years, but I do have a hankering for more power and a quieter ride would be nice too.

 

[mmmoose]

My dealership placed a factory order with Mazda for a base Turbo at the end of January. My salesman called me up in the middle of February to let me know the car was done and parked at the port in Japan. It arrived on the last week of March. Dealership called me up in the middle of the week to let me know it was being unloaded from the truck and that I could come by anytime to pick it up. They said they got zero warning whatsoever that it was going to be delivered that day. And I can confirm from the door sticker that the car was manufactured in February 2022. So assuming supply shortages haven't gotten worse, you should expect to wait roughly 2-3 months for delivery. I'm on the east coast also, in PA, if that matters.

And just as brassrox said, don't pay a cent over MSRP. Unfortunately that's about as good of a bargain you're going to get in these crazy times. Walk away if they start marking things up... there are plenty of other dealerships willing to do fair business with you. It just takes patience and persistence to find them.

 

[perseus]

I refuse to pay a cent over MSRP out of pure principle. Luckily my car is fine and can last me for many more years, but I do have a hankering for more power and a quieter ride would be nice too.

Did you test drive the Turbo yet?

 

[selfskr]

So assuming supply shortages haven't gotten worse, you should expect to wait roughly 2-3 months for delivery.

Thank you. This gives me some hope that, unless the model year switchover interferes, I may actually get the car by August.

My second choice is a GTI, which appears to have much more availability. The driving experience in the GTI is more engaging than the 3, but the interior of the 3 is far superior and I have serious qualms about the GTI's reliability and cost of maintenance.

For laughs, here is a screenshot of the quote from the Mazda dealer in Virginia that was asking for a $7,500 markup on the 3:

The dealer called shortly after sending the quote to ask if I had any questions. I said: "Yes I do. Are you serious?" He made no effort to negotiate the markup. He said, due to supply shortages, the dealership is charging a $7,500 - $10,000 "market adjustment" on all vehicles, so this quote was "on the low side." I wished him luck finding someone other than me to buy the car for 20% over MSRP.

 

[mmmoose]

The dealer called shortly after sending the quote to ask if I had any questions. I said: "Yes I do. Are you serious?" He made no effort to negotiate the markup. He said, due to supply shortages, the dealership is charging a $7,500 - $10,000 "market adjustment" on all vehicles, so this quote was "on the low side." I wished him luck finding someone other than me to buy the car for 20% over MSRP.

That's hilarious. I can't believe they'd even send you that offer without feeling the slightest hint of embarrassment or guilt. Personally I'd forward that entire quote (along with the names of all the people you dealt with at that dealership) straight to Mazda corporate and see what they have to say about it. I don't know what Mazda's stance is on that, but other manufacturers have spoken out against the practice and have even threatened penalties for dealerships taking part in it. Someone even went so far as to create a website where you can report crazy markups, to further publicly humiliate and pressure them to stop it.

I know it's a complicated issue because dealerships need to make money and stay afloat at a time when inventories have dried up. But I don't think screwing consumers over with markups is the best approach to solving it either. The manufacturers need to bear an equal burden and provide subsidies or incentives to their dealership network if they can't deliver on their end.

 

[brassrox]

Did you test drive the Turbo yet?

Yeah a few times...I just need to test drive the Integra (regular and Type-S) and have prices calm down, then I'll pull the trigger. I tend to overthink these things, but thinking about my next car and building them online is a sort of hobby lol.

 

[rarotunn]

Yeah a few times...I just need to test drive the Integra (regular and Type-S) and have prices calm down, then I'll pull the trigger. I tend to overthink these things, but thinking about my next car and building them online is a sort of hobby lol.

That’s pretty much where I’m at. I want to see the Integra type S and see if it’ll get AWD (it won’t) then pull the trigger on a Mazda 3 turbo. Will probably wait for the new special color they are working on

 

[brassrox]

That’s pretty much where I’m at. I want to see the Integra type S and see if it’ll get AWD (it won’t) then pull the trigger on a Mazda 3 turbo. Will probably wait for the new special color they are working on

I'd be shocked too if it gets AWD...although SH-AWD would have been a great audio.

The loaded A-Spec was about $1.5k more than I hoped it would cost, but as long as the Type-S is under $41k, I could see myself justifying that purchase if the handling is superior to the 3.