After 10 years and 107K with my little Mazda2 (purchased at a different local dealership), it was…read morefinally time for an upgrade! I did my price/condition research via CarFax, Kelley Blue Book, and JDPower online, then made an appt to test-drive a used 2021 Mazda3 (45K miles) at Roger Beasley Central. (Before making the appt, I specifically asked a store rep online if the price were open to negotiation, since my research w' Kelley showed an average listing at thousands less than Beasley was asking. The online rep said yes.)
THE GOOD PART: Once at the store, Sky was a pleasant and knowledgeable salesperson. She patiently answered all my questions (esp since I'd never driven a keyless car with apps before!) and went with me on my test drive. So far, so good...
THE BAD PART: Once I'd driven the car, a "numbers guy"---I think his name was "Willie" but I'm not positive (heavy-set w' beard/cap)---came over with a couple of printouts with figures, offering me not a penny less than the initial $19.5K asking price! As mentioned, I'd already done a ton of research online, showing the "Typical Listing" price for this make/model/mileage at $17.7K, the Kelley "Fair Purchase Price" at $16.1K, and the JDPower price at $18.1K. "Willie" brushed off all of my figures, saying I must not have entered the correct mileage for the Kelley quote (which I did), and that Beasley "did not use" JDPower numbers. (Just because you don't "use" them doesn't mean JDPower doesn't have reputable numbers!)
I didn't expect to get the low-end price of $16.1K, but I certainly DID expect a bit of negotiation that ended up closer to the $17.7-18.1K numbers. Especially since I was offering to pay for the entire car up-front! I've negotiated for used cars several times in past decades, and I know that the dealership always initially marks up the price and that the later agreed-upon price usually falls within the range shown by Kelley and others. But this guy offered NOTHING.
He also told me that Roger Beasley had 4 dealerships in town and that I was not going to find another similar Mazda3 with them at a better price than $19.5K, since all the prices were linked---insinuating that if I really wanted a Mazda3, I'd have to deal with Roger Beasley! At this point, I informed him that PoleStar just down the street on Burnet currently has a similar Mazda3, as do other Mazda dealerships in Buda, San Antonio, etc., as do other smaller dealerships within Austin. He basically shrugged, and I left.
Just curious: Did he think I was ignorant about car prices since I'm a middle-aged woman?! I find it hard to believe that he would not have negotiated the price with a man, and taken him more seriously. Needless to say, I won't be coming here again.