2004 Mazda 3's Flooding Market at $6995?

[tcbted]

Has anyone tried Autotrader this week?

There's a retailer flooding the market with dirt cheap Mazda3's from
under $7k. The first two online pages are littered with these cars.

It sure isn't helping our resale value. Anyone have any insight into what is
going on with these giveaway prices?

Here is a sample link.

http://www.trader.ca/powerpage/details.aspx?vlotid=1643620&adid=6996519

[RedRaptor]

Your first post is a link to some SPAM? Mods, I would remove this link and check out the OP as this is very suspicious.

[tcbted]

I'm not sure I understand.

I was simply looking for help ... I tried to get a handle on trading my car today, and I was told the market place is flooded this week with cheap Mazda 3's.

I bought my 2004 car from Orillia Mazda, and thought I'd trade up for something bigger.
I called a small Toronto dealer who had an Accord I was interested in moving up to.
I was shocked when I was offered a pitiful 8k on trade for my car which only has 37k on it. When I mentioned that Mazda dealers were asking $14k retail on similar cars to mine, this whole issue came up.
The reason for my post is that I'm at a loss to explain what is going on with
the marketplace. I've found this site about a month ago, and I'm thrilled to have found it.
I'm sure it will be a great resource for me in years to come.
I didn't want my first post to cause controversy ... I was just shocked at these riduculous prices, and was wondering if there is a hidden catch.
Anyway, I should have opened with an introduction. I own a red 2004 Mazda 3, and my wife has a 2008 Mazda 3. Love the cars, but I wanted to try something a bit bigger. I'll keep my car before I let some wholesaler dictate a huge loss to me.

I'm truly sorry if I've offended anyone here ... I was simply looking for help. I've been an active member and supporter at Caddyinfo.com and Cadillacforums for many years under the same user name.

Having said all that, it just seemed weird to me that one or two wholesalers are flooding the market. I'm not affiliated with them, I'm simply pissed that they are lowering the value of our cars. I was wondering if these were daily rentals or US cars. Virtually overnight, the retail value of my car seems to have plummeted, and I'm not buying into it.
So, no, I'm not some dealer spamming the net.
Feel free to lock my thread and I'll simply go away ... but I was sincerely looking for
help with my first post.

Thanks in advance,
Ted.

[RedRaptor]

Hey Ted,

Thanks for introducing yourself. I'm sorry if I came across harsh in my first post but many spammers now sign on the forums and post a link to a 3rd party website for their first post.

As for this wholeseller selling off Mazda3s for $7K, I can't explain it either. But you are right...hell for $8000 I'll buy your Mazda3 with only 37,000km on it. ;)

You should be getting around $14,000 at least.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

I went to that dealership when I was looking at Protege 5's, the ones I saw were ragged. Off lease and rusty. These are probably the same deal.

[Axelarate]

I'm pretty sure those cars were previous rentals with high mileage. Rental cars with high kilometers will pretty much depreciate almost 2x than a privately owned car with decent mileage.

[x_o_k_x]

that sure does piss me off, knowing that our cars dont cost a thing, There is definately something fishy going on. Perhaps higher mileage?

[tcbted]

Here's a pic of my 2004 GX.
Its basic ... just auto, cd, air, keyless, not much else other than
tint.
I'll have to try and come up with funds for some cheap allys:)

By the way, one Toronto dealer tried telling me that even Mazda dealers
wouldn't bid higher than $8k for my car ... ridiculous, as the car is as perfect
as any 2004 could be.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n243/tedtcb/small6.jpg

[tcbted]

that sure does piss me off, knowing that our cars dont cost a thing, There is definately something fishy going on. Perhaps higher mileage?


One of the cars this guy is advertising is a 2004 GX with only 12,000 klm on it, for just $7,990.

It just doesn't add up ... yet dealers gleefully point to this guy's ads when they
tell us our cars aren't worth anything.

[x_o_k_x]

One of the cars this guy is advertising is a 2004 GX with only 12,000 klm on it, for just $7,990.

It just doesn't add up ... yet dealers gleefully point to this guy's ads when they
tell us our cars aren't worth anything.

7990 for an 04?? thats insane, crowd doesnt realize how good our cars are. Is it because we have Fords suspension and platform?? Doesnt that make you feel ripped off/driving cheap cars that look top and best of its class?

[Scotticus]

I'm sure it all adds up to this:

BULLS**T, and there are a few possibilities of why and how:

- the cars are huge pieces of shit, and no one in their right mind would purchase them (I saw a lot of shitty sport GT's for 12k when I was looking for my car)

- the ads are lies, and the cars don't actually exist for that price. "Oh, that car just sold! But I have a better one here for 14K..."

- any dealer knows that Autotrader prices aren't an accurate pricing mechanism for their cars; it depends on wholesale prices, and a good wholesale Mazda 3 is still being sold at auction (both independent auctions and Mazda auctions) for $10K - $15k depending on its condition/kms, before it's put on a lot for $5000 +

Whenever a dealer says "Well, this is what Autotrader is selling product X for" it really means "I'm trying my best to convince you your product isn't worth as much as it is, and I'm hoping you won't call my bluff". I could put a Mazda up on Autotrader for $50 000 if I wanted to. You have to look at wholesale prices to see how low dealers buy their cars for; that's an accurate gauge, not Autotrader.

I would wait a month or two, and see if ads like these are still up. I have my doubts. I just waded through months and months of used car buying shite before I found my 3, and I can assure you, that with some prices, something is amiss and it will eventually surface and disappear. At least that's my guess!

[Scotticus]

... a good wholesale Mazda 3 is still being sold at auction (both independent auctions and Mazda auctions) for $10K - $15k depending on its condition/kms, before it's put on a lot for $5000 +


What I meant here, was $5000 plus the $10 000 that the dealer bought the car for, making the asking price of a good used 3 start at $15k, and then reduced from that price by haggling to maybe $12k - $14k.

There is no such thing as a good used Mazda 3 selling off lease, at an auction, for less than $8000. There's a huge demand for used 3's right now.

Those ads are lying, somehow. Wait for them to be exposed and blow over... I hope.

[tcbted]

I tend to agree, Scott.
Gas prices are soaring, and built-in-Japan 4 bangers cannot be
depreciating overnight like Hummers.
One or two of these ads would make me wary ... 50 or so on Autotrader
is absolutely insane ... seriously, are they flood damaged Katrina cars?

[Jeff-TheBiz]

They could be US cars...

You would be surprised at the amount of people who tell me that they went somewhere to look at a car they saw in an ad, only to find that the "GT" that was listed didn't have alloys, or a 2.3L engine. Some of these dealers have no idea what the models have.

They also could be lost leaders or bait and switch... "Oh, that one has sold. How about this one?"

[TheProfessor]

The prices for used Mazda3's is dropping, and it's just a function of the sheer number of them on the roads IMO. As I've said before, at any given time there are about 500 for sale on autotrader!

And while it is very likely that the cars the OP referred to are either ex-rentals, American vehicles or just poor condition vehicles, the fact remains that they are contributing to the devaluation of the Mazda3. People looking to buy a used Mazda3 will see this type of ad and just assume that it's a good deal.

[DumpInfo]

Scottius definitely nailed it square here. I also looked around for a civic a couple years back and also came across Autotrader selling a 2000 Honda Civic, 16k, sedan for only 7k! So I go to the dealer the following day thinking I would go forward with the deal. As I arrive the customer rep told me that model was sold the night before. So he continues on and tries to sale me the another civic for $7,000 more. I was like no thanks and left. This happened to me on 2 occasions before I realized it's a crock of ****!

The price range stated above is correct! My 3 originally started as a lease and until this year I bought it out. The whole ordeal of the vechicle loosing value is untrue. I bought my car $12k with taxes incl. It's a 2004 Mazda 3 GT w/ 70k. The whole deal of the vechicle going for 8k is unlikely coming out of a lease unless like someone stated it's in the US or the crap has been crapped out.

[super_vixen]

I went to a dealer (non-mazda) to look at a new car and questioned what the trade-in on my 2004 Mazda3 Sport GT would be (it has 88K on it) and wholesale - I can get $10,000 out of a non-mazda dealer.

I will be trying to sell it on autotrader instead, because despite what has been on there this week, most of them seem to sell around $13-17K depending on options/mileage of course.

[Seliina]

They could be US cars...

You would be surprised at the amount of people who tell me that they went somewhere to look at a car they saw in an ad, only to find that the "GT" that was listed didn't have alloys, or a 2.3L engine. Some of these dealers have no idea what the models have.

When I was looking for a used Mazda 3, I was told by a the salesman at a Mazda dealership that ONLY the GTs have 2.3L engines.:loco
I guess he thought I was an idiot.

Oh, and that link to Autotrader now has the price listed as $7,990...

[iconicrocket]

Could some of these Mazda3 coming on market be part of those Zipcar or AutoShare fleet?

I remember seeing a lot of these around the city before they started to change over to Corollas. That would explain the sheer number and the lower price, since the cars get abused.

[ziegs2020]

The price starts at $7000... probably only 1 available at that price ;)

[TheProfessor]

The price starts at $7000... probably only 1 available at that price ;)

Um, there are no less than 58 used Mazda3's on trader.ca right now listed at under $8k, and that's in the Toronto region only (not adjacent cities). If you search for models under $10K the number of vehicles jumps to about 125!

That's pretty bad IMO.

[borts]

I looked at about 150 Mazda 3's before I bought my 2004 a few weeks ago. The sub $9000 cars are junk. High kms, bad paint and body, limited options. Sure there are deals out there, but not too many. I ended up with a 2004 GT/GFX 62000 km and a accident report (rear ended little damage) car is in mint condition $11,500. It was a lease and was well maintained. So I think I did fairly well.

[ziegs2020]

Um, there are no less than 58 used Mazda3's on trader.ca right now listed at under $8k, and that's in the Toronto region only (not adjacent cities). If you search for models under $10K the number of vehicles jumps to about 125!

That's pretty bad IMO.

I didn't check trader.ca, but that is horrible :whoa

[whiteomega]

i stole the Canadian Black Book values from the Acura website (they have a link to appraise your car with Black Book if you look hard enough ;) )

Here's what I got for your car:

Low: $7,800.00 High: $8,900.00

6995 is awfully low given these numbers; and given the shape yours is in, i would expect at least $8,500

Edit: i should point out that obviously this doesn't consider car history and the like; this is just straight up value. as always, YMMV.

[ZOOM ON 3]

Hi guys,

Try to sell your car privately. After I went to a Honda dealership that offered me $7500.00 for my 2004 Mazda 3 Sedan GT with about 83000km I ended up laughing at them.
I put my car on Kijiji and within a week I had sold my car for just under $12000.00.

But the market is getting very saturated with our cars because of these independent dealers that are lowballing these cars.
Also note that the wholesalers are only getting about $8000 to $9000 for these cars.

Good luck, my thoughts just to put this on Kijiji and you will sell it. Don't waste your money on autotrader. I received 15 calls for my car thru Kijiji and only 1 call thru the autotrader.

Vito

[jaimie08mazda3]

actually ive seen that place. downsview auto have been trying to sell all of those cars. they have been on the market for the past 3-4 months. my thought is that they are sick of the cars and are like **** it sell them nowww. bvut 8K for a mazda3. i paid more on my down payment of my car..

[jaimie08mazda3]

one more thing look at this
http://www.trader.ca/powerpage/details.aspx?vlotid=1643620&adid=6990811
6995 for a 04 mazda3 gx with A/C i should buy it and use it for parts. i need new brakes anyhow lol

[monstar]

has anyone tried to go down there and test drive/negotiate a price? i would like to see whether this pricing is just a strategy to get ppl coming through the doors

[cereal83]

I am going to go down there after work today and check it out. Take one for a test ride and stuff. I will let you guys know what happens if I do end up going. I will see if I can get one for $5000 and see what they will give me for a 06 Si

[IrishmanM3]

those places had rav 4's for dirt cheap compared as well. My Toyota sales budy told me that some were 2wd, wich is not available in Canada and never have been. They are american vehicles that due to the ailing market dont sell and find there way here. He also claimed that the part numbers dont match, and there warranty will not be honored here so save my self the trouble and stay away from the cheap wholesalers like that.

[p_k]

well , fomr my experience,
what i would do is go to dealer, and ask for hwo much tey willing to pay , for trade in,
then u get an idea how much your car worth ,
and then u add at least 3g on top of the price,
that how much you can sell your car for..

ie, they quote u like 8g, that meean u can sell it for at least 11000, or more,
post on kijiji , put 13000 obo ,

[TheProfessor]

I believe that dealer in particular is selling US inventory. You can tell because in most every listing there is no mount for a front plate (a requirement here, not in some US states). I know some members here have asked that their dealer not drill into the front bumper and have made alternate arrangements for their front plates, but most owners/buyers would not make such a request. Also they never once show a picture of the gauge cluster, likely because they don't want you to see the MPH speedo.

[matt9]

There are plenty of Mazda3 cars for sale in sub 12k. Why? Because the perception is that they will last ~250kkm max. A brand new one is 20k so one with 100kkm should be about 10k, makes sense. Also the 2004 models have much less features then the newer ones, are lower rated for safety and have awful fuel economy (between 5mpg-8mpg less than Civic/Corolla) which works out to $500+/year just in gas costs (for ~25kkm/year).

[rsquared]

When I was looking for a used 3 in early 2005 I came across the same scenario. Ajax Mazda was selling about 5 sedans on Autotrader priced significantly lower than other dealerships. When I went to test drive one, the car was very sluggish. The salesperson tried to convince me it was because it was my first time driving it and I wasn't comfortable with the feel yet. In order to test his theory, I asked to try out a demo model and the demo felt great in the test drive. Turns out the cheap sedans were all car rentals. Needless to say I never went back there. Cliche, but if it's seems to good to be true, it probably is.

[cereal83]

Well I went there today and looked at the cars. I don't see anything wrong with them, They are all Canadian cars, some have around 100k but some much lower. Only thing I noticed was the cheaper ones (under $10k) were 5 speed, no auto. The cheapest one I saw there that wasn't sold was for $8400, all the ones priced under that had sold signs on them. I don't think they are too bad unless they all don't have clean titles but for somebody who is on a budget, I think they would be fine. Just the 2 dudes who run the place aren't very helpful. I ask for help, he said go outside and see what you like then come back if you want to go for a spin

[Sergiomax11]

a few days ago i bought a 04 Mazda Gs with 63,000 kilometers for only $8900.00 I havent picked it up yet but there saying tuesday i can go pick it up. I bought it from downsview auto

[bbc20000]

one more thing look at this
http://www.trader.ca/powerpage/details.aspx?vlotid=1643620&adid=6990811
6995 for a 04 mazda3 gx with A/C i should buy it and use it for parts. i need new brakes anyhow lol

the thing with this dealership is that many of these cars had accidents. i went there to get a mazda 3 but i did not buy through them. one thing was that many looked like had accidents (bad body work, parts not aligning properly), two many had rust and third i thought that it is really weird that most of these cars have about the same millage ?? also many of these cars have really used up sits etc.

but the truth of the matter is that there is tons of mazda 3 out there. and i mean tons. ford used car dealership :loco:loco:loco:loco in Mississauga on Erin Mills has like 20 of these cars there! but the prices are higher then the dealer that you posted link to.

still i think that if the car had only 1 owner, it is in excellent condition, and the maintenance record is there you should be getting good money for your car.

[bbc20000]

a few days ago i bought a 04 Mazda Gs with 63,000 kilometers for only $8900.00 I havent picked it up yet but there saying tuesday i can go pick it up. I bought it from downsview auto

My self I got my wife mazda exactly like this one (same color) :)

http://ppgmedia.canadatrader.com/ppgphotos/20080326232502885/20080326232502885_20085211038436714839-display.jpg

with 85k on it. automatic transmission, full package but no leather seats. one owner. off lease. the car is 2004 but it is really only 3 years and 2 months young.

I paid $11,500 plus taxes for this car. i thought it was an awesome deal.

interior is in excellent condition. well kept car.

[iheartmazda3]

i have an 04 everything but leather fog lights and sun roof , and i payed 14,750 and it had 31 490km on it

[rick10]

i paid 11 900 plus tax on mine with 39 000km , 04. after taxes it came out to like 14 500 . Not too bad i guess

[Thrizzl3]

paid 8500 for my 05 no a/c had 97000k on it

[rick10]

i paid 11 900 plus tax on mine with 39 000km , 04. after taxes it came out to like 14 500 . Not too bad i guess

mine was the gt model too

[HYPER GEAR]

so how r the 2005 going for right now?

[rick10]

so how r the 2005 going for right now?


there are a lot of factors when you are selling an import i think

1 mileage- most of these cheap mazdas have high mileage , you can actually go to this "delaers" and they would bring up the place by 1500-3000 for a mazda with decent mileage

2 mods, most of these mazdas at the dealers come with the old tires , if you have some mods ( by mods repairs) your car price would be a little higher , specially for tires

3 2.3 , 2 L, most of these cheaps mazdas are the 2 liter engines and have not ac. GT usually keep their value (for what i seen at these dealers)

4 manual , automatic (tiptronic), automatic are more expensive

So lets say you have a GT , new tires , low mileage (somewhere below 60), automatic, i would think anywhere from 12000- 14000. Remember that THESE DEALERS put a lot of taxes before selling you the car, so a car that is 9000 would end up costing you around 12000 after taxes (if not more), so selling it private you can sell it for higher and people would still buy it

[rick10]

so how r the 2005 going for right now?


there are a lot of factors when you are selling an import i think

1 mileage- most of these cheap mazdas have high mileage , you can actually go to this "delaers" and they would bring up the price by 1500-3000 for a mazda with decent mileage

2 mods, most of these mazdas at the dealers come with the old tires , if you have some mods ( by mods repairs) your car price would be a little higher , specially for tires

3 2.3 , 2 L, most of these cheaps mazdas are the 2 liter engines and have not ac. GT usually keep their value (for what i seen at these dealers)

4 manual , automatic (tiptronic), automatic are more expensive

So lets say you have a GT , new tires , low mileage (somewhere below 60), automatic, i would think anywhere from 12000- 14000. Remember that THESE DEALERS put a lot of taxes before selling you the car, so a car that is 9000 would end up costing you around 12000 after taxes (if not more), so selling it private you can sell it for higher and people would still buy it