Hello all,

Thanks again for all your advice. I decided to skip Toronto only because of the time of year. The weather is too unpredictable this time of year so it could be a problem trying to get back from Toronto with a new car in a snowstorm.

I finally bought my Protege. I know a poster here had a bad experience at Performance Mazda but of the three dealerships I went to in Ottawa they were the ones who treated me the best and who I found were the most honest.

At Carling Mazda the saleswoman I dealt with agreed to reduce the list price by $1,000. I accepted then she went and got her sales manager and he told me the best he could do was $600. I left.

Bank Street Mazda simply offered to match any offer I could find.

Performance Mazda offered me $700 off MSRP for the specs I gave but said they would give me a better offer if I took one of the Proteges they had in stock. The sales manager made the $700 offer via e-mail. Performance Mazda was the only dealership that mentioned carcostcanada and their dealership cost quotes.

Anyway - at the end of the day I ended up getting a 2003 silver Protege LX, 5 speed, with air conditioning. No power windows or mirrors. =0( But they took $1,100 off the MSRP so the grand total that I paid with freight, PDI, gas tax, AC, PST, GST, and admin tax was $20,808.81. The plates were extra and I also decided to go for their snowtire and rim deal for $599 plus tax (I called around town and this was a decent deal because it included labour and free rotation next spring).

I think I got a decent deal and although the sales guy did some of the standard car sales psychological crap overall he was pretty good to deal with. But I didn't get any freebies like IchBinEinMP5. Oh well I am still happy with the price.

If you are shopping in Ottawa, based on my experience, I would recommend Performance Mazda. It is worth the drive to Orleans!

Enfuh - who is bummed because it is snowing heavily in Ottawa today so cruising around in the new Protege really isn't fun. =0(

 

Good to hear that you got your Protege and that you are (mostly) happy. I do not endorse any particular dealership, but the people at Performance Mazda were good to me, with no BS sales tactics (probably because I contacted the Manager initially). I found them to be pretty internet and product savvy.

I also believe in dealing with a dealership that is close by, so that you can create a relationship with their staff and hopefully gain as much acceptance and credibilty that you can, ensuring that you get treated properly, fairly, and get an honestly good deal next time you purchase or need warranty work done.

 

Good to hear that you got what you wanted but I had a guy I was dealing with in mississauga he wanted to get rid of his p5s for the end of the year thye were selling below cost, Before I bought my mazda 3 he offered it to me for $20,000 out the door It was A fully loaded p5

 

Sigh - oh well. As I said in my first post - car shopping sucks. You never know if you are getting a good deal or not - unless you have an in with someone in the industry. I don't think I could have personally negotiated a better deal from any of the Ottawa dealers. But others may have more success. Negotiating is a definitely a talent. =0)

 

Am looking at New Mazda 3's here in Ottawa. Have had really good luck with Bank Street Mazda in the past! Coming from a history of Rx-7s...will I love the 3? Yes, I know - but it's practical!