Sell MR2, Buy Mazda 3/6?

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~Time_Attack~

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Midship_Express
I've just taken a new job at a car dealer. I haven't been there long but there is a nice looking black/black 2007 mazda 6 2.3 5 speed on the lot with just 40k on it. I'm planning on buying a car for the winter anyway, but I wasn't planning on making payments. I'm not in the best position to be buying right now, but I think I should pursue this further. I've never bought a new car though, so I'm a bit confused. If I did buy it, I'd probably have to sell one of my MR2s. What do you guys think?
 
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~Time_Attack~
I've just taken a new job at a car dealer. I haven't been there long but there is a nice looking black/black 2007 mazda 6 2.3 5 speed on the lot with just 40k on it. I'm planning on buying a car for the winter anyway, but I wasn't planning on making payments. I'm not in the best position to be buying right now, but I think I should pursue this further. I've never bought a new car though, so I'm a bit confused. If I did buy it, I'd probably have to sell one of my MR2s. What do you guys think?
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You answered your own question. If you're not in the position to buy, it's only going to drag you down.
 
If he's gonna be buying around winter anyway and the deal is good, then why shouldn't he?
 
I don't have a down payment. I do get a discount and I have a general idea what they'd take for it versus what they're actually asking.
 
Having no car payments one minute and then having a car payment the next is quite a huge decision. I regret every second of making this mistake myself in Nov. 2009. I should of kept my van which was paid off and poured money into my Camaro which is also paid off then sold the van and enjoyed a debt free life afterwards. Count on having $350-500 per month being taken out of your bank account with car payment and full coverage insurance being the culprit. Is that an expense you want to worry about? If you're in commission sales at this dealership I would think twice about changing your financial situation until you are SURE this job will work out. Nothing is worse than starting a job, changing your financial situation and realizing soon down the road that you hate your job or lose your job or even get "let go". Now you're stuck with this car payment and if you default on the loan your credit is shot for at least 5-7 years until you fix it.

This market/economy right now is the pits for big ticket sales. Dealerships are a shaky industry right now in the US.

The best thing to do would be to see how the job lasts, put away some money for savings and if you decide you DO want a newer car put down a substantial down payment. You'll then have less responsibility to deal with monthly. Just a thought.
 
I'd prefer to wait until october or november, but the car happens to be there and its exactly how I'd have optioned it.

I dont work in sales. I currently work in detail, but an hoping to move to parts or service in a year or so. I think the job is fairly safe as two people are leaving soon and two others are only part time. My boss even complemented my work today.
 
My MK1 MR2 is a terrible winter car. The side skirt is less than ankle height from the ground. The heater is terrible and it takes forever to warm up. I've driven it in the snow before and its not that its bad, its just not what I want as a winter car. Its also rusting bad due to road salt. I love this car and I'm very attached to it emotionally. My MK2 is much more comfortable though and I greatly prefer the look of the MK2.

My MK2, forget about it. Its more stock than my MK1 is, but I'm not wasting my time and money ruining another decent MR2. I'll be keeping this car for further modifications in the future like an engine swap.

I want a nicer newer car. Something presentable. Something fun to drive, sporty, but 10x more practical than an MR2. It needs a back seat, bigger trunk and needs to be a 5 speed. The Mazda IMO is worlds better than the camry or accord so the only thing that leaves is an older 3 series which would be nice but I'm ruling that out due to cost of ownership.

I am friends with one of the two Mazda technicians at our dealership. If something did happen and I couldn't fix it I'm sure he'd be able to help. He also seems to think I can get it in the 10k range. They are asking about 14k. The factory warranty has expired but the car looks to be in very good shape. I have only noticed that the rear bumper has some cracked paint.
 
~Time_Attack~
They are asking about 14k. The factory warranty has expired but the car looks to be in very good shape. I have only noticed that the rear bumper has some cracked paint.
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Definitely play this card. A car with visual blemishes is a lot harder to sell than a car with problems under the hood.
 
Is $14k the normal price or are they discounting it for you since you're an employee?
 
The actual asking price is 13,770. Employee discount is one thing, but I figure they gave much less than asking price anyway so I stand a chance of getting it for less. I also happen to know in about a month or so they'll be sending people to auctions to buy new used cars for next year so they'll most likely be looking to push a few cars for extra room before long.
 
I love the Mk1 MR2, if you need a car why not get a honda fit or something else that is mid sized like a civic.
 
I don't like most new cars. Modern hondas and toyotas are just plain boring. I'd just like a new-ish car for a change and one that is still not terribly boring to drive. The newest car I've ever owned was a 1993 civic hatchback. Its true I prefer older cars most of the time but sometimes you just want something that is nice right out of the gate. You know what I mean?

I was planning on just buying another rust bucket civic this winter before this idea popped into my head. Who knows maybe I still will. I don't really want to through...
 
I see this as being a hazard of working at the dealership - lots of tempting cars to look at all day. I'm not at all surprised that shortly after taking the job, something really tempting came along.

If it's the car you'd buy anyway (you haven't said it is), and you're going to buy in a few months anyway, and it has the right options and mileage and everything, then go for it. Otherwise be aware that something else nice is going to come along.
 
I work at a dealership too. If your not in the best position to buy right now or make payments then hold off. Secondly for employee pricing purchases it usually requires full upfront cash not payments.

The dealership here is very busy and we have a pretty quick turn over rate so I see a ton of cars come through (and did eventually buy one), if it's anything like here you'll see something else down the line when your in a better position to buy one. Plus longer your there it's likely they'll give you a better deal so they don't think you took the job just for a deal on a car which some do try to do.
 
Danoff
I see this as being a hazard of working at the dealership - lots of tempting cars to look at all day. I'm not at all surprised that shortly after taking the job, something really tempting came along.
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I loved working in used cars at a local Toyota dealer. I used to check in the new trade-ins and would sometimes get some nice cars. When they cleared payment we could use them to run errands. 👍
 
Danoff
I see this as being a hazard of working at the dealership - lots of tempting cars to look at all day. I'm not at all surprised that shortly after taking the job, something really tempting came along.

If it's the car you'd buy anyway (you haven't said it is), and you're going to buy in a few months anyway, and it has the right options and mileage and everything, then go for it. Otherwise be aware that something else nice is going to come along.
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It is a car I'd be very interested in. Its a black/black 5 speed 2.3 I4 thats not totally loaded but is still nicely equiped. Its right in the middle of what I'd want milage and conditonw wise and I'd say overall its a very sharpe car which is why I was so smitten right away when I saw it come in.

CMvan46
I work at a dealership too. If your not in the best position to buy right now or make payments then hold off. Secondly for employee pricing purchases it usually requires full upfront cash not payments.

The dealership here is very busy and we have a pretty quick turn over rate so I see a ton of cars come through (and did eventually buy one), if it's anything like here you'll see something else down the line when your in a better position to buy one. Plus longer your there it's likely they'll give you a better deal so they don't think you took the job just for a deal on a car which some do try to do.
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I think you're pretty right on this. I think I could make the payments without much trouble, but I'd like to have money to put down in order to keep payments down. I don't have much in the way of credit either way so having a payment would be trhe best way IMO to assure a low interest rate on whatever I do end up financing.

I'm not sure about a cash up front policy. It was never mentioned to me. Its a fairly large dealership I work at so I doubt they have such a policy. At least for someone who has been there for some time, which is not a bad idea to wait a little longer for that reason just in case.

All that said, I am probably going to just let this car go. I know I could get a pretty good deal on it right now but I'd rather be able to put something down on it. In another month or two when I know if this new job is concrete or not and I've got a bit more saved back I'll start looking again. I may even look at Mazda 3 hatchbacks. I found out from my insurance both would cost me only about $45 a month for full coverage with no deductable so thats not bad at all. The way I figure it I'd be looking at about $300/month in payment and insurance combined.

Eric.
I can has AW11?
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Maybe... I don't really want to sell it but I figure if I did I wouldn't have to put gas and insurance into three cars. It would also give me a slightly larger amount to play with. That said it has way more sentimental value that monetary value so it will be hard to let go of that one.
 
Yeah me to. I've had 4 in as many years. Still have an aw and an sw...

My friend has offered me way more than its probably worth. Enough that I almost feel bad selling it to him. Then again he is a qualified technician and would probably take even better care of it than I could.
 
6 = win. They handle well, sound good after about half an hour of work (and no money), and while the aftermarket is a bit lacking it's still mostly kinda there.

I say at least take it for a drive.
 
Would you take the 6 over a 3? I imagine a 3 hatchback would handle better and be more practical with the trade off of not being as presentable as the 6.
 
I would, but then it's more of an "I don't really like the 3" thing. I've not actually driven one yet but I'd actually be surprised if it was particularly better on the road than the 6.
 
I like the way the 6 drives better.

There's a buzzy feel to the way the 6 goes down the road (on the right wheel and tire choice, mind), and the steering on the first generation Mazda6 is much better than the steering on the first generation Mazda3. The best thing you could say about the Mazda6 is that it feels like a bigger Protege. The Mazda3, despite being better than the Protege in every other way... doesn't. I may be going out on a limb here, but I've always felt the 3 was a bit anti-septic compared to the Protege and the Mazda6.

The thing is, the Mazda6 is incredibly light for a modern mid-sizer. And it's incredibly well-balanced. The Mazda3, on the other hand, is porkier than the Protege was... though not as porky as its platform-mate, the Mark II Focus. So you have a light car with a suspension built to handle big loads versus a heavy car with a suspension built to handle light loads... whaddaya get? A sporty 6 and a floaty 3.

I guess if you got the 2.3 hatchback in sport trim, it'd be as nice to drive as a 6 (probably better), but we didn't get that here...

-----

How much do I like the Mazda6? I'm borrowing my third one for a magazine review next month. Which I timed to coincide with a track-day.

Which, God-damnit, didn't push through. Now I've got to find an excuse to go attacking a mountainside sometime in that week, or the borrow will be wasted.
 
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The only 3 hatch we got here was with the 2.3. Our 3 sedans were offered with the 2.0 or 2.3 though. I really like the look of the 6, a lot more than the 3 sedan. The 3 hatch though is pretty good looking IMO. Either way I'd go would be with the 2.3l/5 speed. We have plenty on the lot with the 2.0 and an auto. You couldn't pay me to take one of those.

A V6 manual 6 would probably be a treat, but good luck finding one of those anywhere. If you even could you would be paying a premium for it.
 
Danoff
I see this as being a hazard of working at the dealership - lots of tempting cars to look at all day.
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Yes.

I don't like trucks much, but this mint used Dodge pickup keeps looking at me when I park my car...and I'm not in the market for a vehicle. There's some people who work in sales and turn around cars that the dealer isn't interested in, but I'd imagine that leads to having more than a few lost strays living at your house, leaking on the driveway until they're housebroken. Thankfully, it won't fit in my luggage, so I can't buy it. At least, that's the excuse I use.

Eventually, you'll get over this phase, or give in after you've saved up.
 
Danoff
I see this as being a hazard of working at the dealership - lots of tempting cars to look at all day. I'm not at all surprised that shortly after taking the job, something really tempting came along.
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This is quite true. Of the few dealership jobs I've had over the years there are a few that stand out. One of which was that red CLK430 I drove while working at a Honda dealer. Ironically, I saw a red 5dr Focus SVT while working at the Ford dealer that I wanted. *cough* Should of bought that one back then and not the one I currently have. :lol:
 
I don't know who handles internet sales or the website in general. About all I could tell you is who probably took the photos.

I did talk to a sales person that I just happened to know from before. Turns out we both had MR2 turbos at one point and had a mutual friend. Its a small world huh? He saw my MR2 parked on the lot an wanted to talk about it. I asked him to find out more about the car for me but he never got back to me about it.

I'm still not planning on getting my hopes up just yet though.
 

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