misbehave

I am going to buy a P5 in a month or so.
I still have some questions in my mind. Maybe some nice people from here can help me out.
I am living in WA. There is a dealer in Lynnwood, WA offering a P5 (ABS Side Air Bag, Moonroof, 6 Disc changer) for $15249. Do you guys think this is a good deal?
I have also thought of buying it from the internet. What do you guys' comment on this? Anyone ever buy a car online?

I live close to eastern WA, close to Spokane. It seems so difficult to find a P5 with the color I want and the exact options I want on it. Do you guys find this difficulty as well?

Do you guys suggest I buy it before 2003 or after Jan 2003? Will there be a price different before and after?

Right now I am looking for a white color P5. I am looking for one with the Manumatic Trans, ABS, NO cd changer and NO moonroof.
What do you guys think about moonroof? It's seems so difficult to even find a P5 around here that doesn't come with the moonroof? But I personally not really into moonroof.

One last question. I know that the Asia/Japan version of P5 has a 170horsepower engine. I am not sure if the Japanese version P5 have the same engine as the USA version or not. Have anyone try to "modify" or purchase a "computer" for the engine to get that 170horsepower?

Hope you guys can give me some idea.

SEA_P5

Use edmunds.com to figure out an appropriate price for our location.

I think that is an awesome deal. Are you buying the car outright or financing....check the financing.

Is this new or used?

thel

Well, since the one offered has a moonroof, hand shaker and a cd-changer and you don't want those things then why are you even considering it?

I am wanting a yellow P5 with a moonroof and cd-changer and a couple of other easily added on accesories but I won't consider a car in a different color with options I REALLY don't want (alarm, polished wheels, AT for example) so even if one came by for $12,000 I wouldn't consider it a great deal b/c I don't want the car.

Rawny12017

15 g's is a good deal with those options...i got my p5 for 16,800 and i got it without a moonroof and a 5 speed...

Sir Nuke

Misbehave, first off, welcome to the club, and our little home away from home..

the car you described is a good deal. considering that price is below the standard MSRP for a car with NO OPTIONS.

as for when to buy....buy before the end of the year...and the closer you get to Dec. 31st the more leverage you have to get the price even lower....the reason being that for EVERY car that is still sitting on the dealers lot on Dec 31st, HE has to pay taxes on his inventory....and if you take delivery BEFORE the 31st....that is money HE dosen't have to pay...and money YOU could save.

As for the question about the engine....its the SAME engine...the cams are different and the ECU is different...you can obtain the cams...but not the ECU...its not a direct plug in to our computer...so I am told be the EXPERTS on that particular subject.

CaptainKRM

The engine code on the japanese engine is the FS-ZE, I believe ours is the FS-DE. Sir Nuke was right about the differences, but I remember reading that compression is also different between the two engines as well. There is currently no cost efficient way of getting the japanese engine to work the way it does in japan in an american mp3 or p5.

That deal is a very good deal. I got a moonroof in my car and originally did not want it. After having it and using every so often I have grown to really like it. The only day I didn't like it was the day I left it open during an exam and pouring down rain. Oops.

misbehave

Thanks for replying everyone.
I sure get lot more ideas now.
I think I will try to get it before Dec 31st, IF, I can find the right one I wanted.

The selection are very limited in my area. I will be able to have a little bit bigger selection if I buy it from the Seattle area. (4.5 hours driving distance from here)

misbehave

To: SEA_P5

I am going to need financing.
And it's a new one.

jas9297

Who are we kidding, is that a great deal or what?!

For a silver 5-speed 2002.5 with ABS, Side Air Bag, Moonroof, and mats, I paid $16198 (including freight, with no processing fee). Plus of course TT&L. That was the Mazda employee S-plan price!

The 2003 is nearly identical in price, but comes with mats. Plus you get lower prices on the moonroof and ABS/airbag options. Base invoice is $15,807 with NO options. See http://www.edmunds.com/new/2003/mazd...5m/prices.html

Does your $15249 price include the $520 freight? If so, it's a smokin' deal! Even if not, it's still a great deal!

misbehave

No, the price doesn't include freight charge. I am thinking about this too. That dealer is about 5 hour drive away from where I live. I am thinking about should I drive out there with my wife and drive back home in 2 cars, or pay the freight fee for them to deliever the car to me.
What do you guys think?

I believe the $15249 price tag doesn't include the shiftable auto trans, and doesn't include alarm system. ( I want both) But the price tag does include ABS+ side airbags, moonroof and 6 disc changer (I don't want the changer.)

jas9297

I thought the freight was required wherever you took delivery. Is there a way to avoid it if you pick it up on the west coast? (for example, on shipping lots?)

Still, 15,800 for all that is cheap.

The 5-spd is awesome unless you do a lot of rush hour commuting in stop-and-go traffic. Since I don't, and since I love manual shifting, I wouldn't dream of owning anything else as long as I have 2 working legs. If you are familiar with 5-spds, you will understand this. If not, you will learn to love it. Still, it depends on your wife and life style. There are some discussion on this board about the choice between the 2.

As for the CD-changer, it is almost free if you want the sunroof (although I didn't care about the sunroof at first, I now love it!). I don't know how it works, but it is in-dash, not in the trunk. This should make it work like a normal CD (you can put one in if you want or load more than one). So it shouldn't make a difference, but you may want to ask those who have it.

As for alarm, there are some discussions on that too. I don't have one, but there are complaints about the factory alarm. I think the bottom line is you will probably be better off getting an aftermarket alarm for about the same price or cheaper.

So I guess it comes down to the manual vs. auto. I wouldn't worry about the 5 hour drive -- you will want to drive it the minute you buy it anyway! I also assume you can service it at a local dealer. Good luck.

misbehave

Thanks for the tips.

I don't think I will get the 5 speed. Maybe my next car I will get a 5 speed.
My wife will be driving this car too and she doesn't know how to drive stick shift, so I will have to settle for the auto trans.