Jim Feinstein | Page 43

This sale came about because a very fortunate confluence of events. First, we wanted to buy a sporty, roomy, zippy and reliable car to replace our 2009 gas-guzzling BMW 335i in gorgeous condition with only of events. First, we wanted to buy a sporty, roomy, zippy and reliable car to replace our 2009 gas-guzzling BMW 335i in gorgeous condition with only 34K miles on it. (We've just moved from Chicago and have never had to drive as much as we do around here!). Second, we did our research on Consumer Reports, Edmunds, Cars.com, and Yelp, and pretty much knew what we wanted: based on a couple of internet quotes and CR pricing, we wanted a 2014 s-Touring Mazda 3 for somewhere around $25.5K. Third, we really didn't want to play the whole "haggle" game. To our way of thinking, we *want* the dealer to make money, as long as we don't get played or ripped off in the process. Car buying shouldn't be as difficult as some dealers make it. Initially, due to a mix-up, we went to Tuttle-Click Mazda in Irvine, where we test-drove a couple of cars and then decided to talk price with our (new and ignorant salesperson). We basically told her that we wanted her to give us her highest price for the (BMW) trade-in, her lowest price for the car, and the best finance deal possible. That's what everyone wants, right? Knowing that we had several guaranteed internet prices, she took our BMW keys (to have the car evaluated for trade-in), and came back 10 minutes later with the following offer: $26.1K (MSRP w/o destination charge) for the Mazda, $17K for the BMW (worth, at minimum $22K as a trade-in), and 5.8% APR for 60 months for the financing. Seriously? Our credit scores are over 800. Subsequently, she played the box-and-haggle game (with the sales manager acting as the "bad cop") a number of times, including the following: "What do you want your monthly payment to be?" "What do you want to get for your trade-in?" "What do you want the price of the Mazda to be?" "Do you know that we had a BMW just like yours in here a month ago, and all we could get for it was $17K?" And so on. And despite being asked on three different occasions, she refused to give our keys back to us. Finally, we told her, "We've explained to you what we want. We want our keys back now and we want your best numbers. You have five minutes to get them to us." She came back with our keys and some BS numbers, and we thanked her for her time and started to walk out. Of course, she and her sales manager followed us out to our apparently crappy BMW ("My appraiser is never off by that much; you just won't get more than that for the BMW," the sales manager said.), insisting we could make a deal of some sort. Yeah, I don't think so. Subsequently, we went a quarter-mile down the road to Carmax, where we were offered $22K for our BMW. Sold! The next day, I wrote an email to Tustin Mazda's internet division, explaining what we wanted and how we wanted it (i.e., fair price and no BS haggling stuff). I asked if this could be accomplished there. Jim Feinstein, the internet division head, assured us that it could be done. So, despite our anxiety, we took the trip there. Everything went smoothly and as promised: No hard sells, no bait-and-switches, no jerking around. It was a pleasure dealing with Jim from start to finish. He was patient, fair, and honorable (a word I typically wouldn't use to describe a car salesman). I wouldn't hesitate to deal with him or with Tustin Mazda again. We are now the owners of a soul red 2014 s-Touring Mazda 3, and we couldn't be happier! Zoom zoom! Thanks, Jim and Tustin Mazda! More

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I always conduct my car-buying in the following way: I do my homework on what constitutes a fair price to pay; I collect written quotes from dealers via email; and then I select the best quote and walk on th my homework on what constitutes a fair price to pay; I collect written quotes from dealers via email; and then I select the best quote and walk on the dealer's lot with my deal in writing and in my hand. I was in the market for a 2014 Mazda6 for my son. And, following my car-buying protocol, I received a quote from Jim Feinstein at Tustin Mazda. I was immediately impressed with several things: Jim wrote that he would sell me the car at invoice cost. Period. He played no games; did not attempt to tempt me with incentives for which he did not know if I qualified (several dealers did do this); never pressured me (some others did this too, like "come in today and save more"); and he never tried to up-sell me. In fact, after I told him that the car was for my son, and would be my 21 year-old son's first new car purchase, Jim made wise suggestions about how to structure the deal so that we could start to build my son's personal credit rating. As it turned out, I received a couple of lower quotes than Jim's. But I had decided that I wanted to do business with him and gave him the opportunity to match my best deal. He did so and we drove over 35 miles (past other Mazda dealers, including our home town dealer) in order to make the deal with Jim. Our experience at the dealership was easy. We met Jim and immediately felt welcome and comfortable. He is warm, friendly and knowledgeable. He NEVER tried to up-sell us when we were there, or to re-negotiate our deal (again, I've experienced that elsewhere). And he was very interested in my son, his understanding and comfort with the car, the deal, and the dealership. Jim even invited my son to stop by and "let them" wash his car. I really appreciated Jim directing his attention to my son, who is buying the car, and not to me (the father who had orchestrated the deal, but who was at that point, just "along for the ride"). The rest of the folks at Tustin Mazda were all friendly, helpful and warm. For example, I lost count of the times that Jim or a colleague offered us something to eat or drink, which began as soon as we walked into the showroom. All-in-all, we had a delightful experience with Jim Feinstein and with Tustin Mazda. We would recommend both without reservation. More

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