Mazda S Plan vs. Ford Z Plan (vehicles, German, SUV)

[calgirlinnc]

I am eligible to use the S Plan with Mazda or the Z Plan with Ford....

Looking at the Mazda CX-5 or the Ford Edge.

Before I go into the dealership, I am wondering what info or advice any of you might have if you have dealt with purchasing with the S Plan/Z Plan.

I have read that the Mazda dealers are not as easy to work with as the Ford Dealers.

TIA.

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

I am eligible to use the S Plan with Mazda or the Z Plan with Ford....

Looking at the Mazda CX-5 or the Ford Edge.

Before I go into the dealership, I am wondering what info or advice any of you might have if you have dealt with purchasing with the S Plan/Z Plan.

I have read that the Mazda dealers are not as easy to work with as the Ford Dealers.

TIA.

I qualify for X-plan pricing on Fords through my employer which also qualifies me for Mazda S-plan. I shopped for a Mazda a couple years ago and my experience was that the Mazda dealers are very unfamiliar with the process, especially if it is one of the Ford legacy plans that Mazda corporate honors. I got the impression that they don't do many of these deals, so were unsure on the particulars. On the other hand the Ford dealers were all knowledgeable about the plans, the current pricing and more than willing to help.

In your case though, I think there is more to it then which is going to be the better one to deal with.

The Ford Z-Plan is for Ford retirees and their families and offers discounted prices that are LOWER then dealer invoice in most cases. Basically, you can buy a car for less then the dealer can and the fees you can pay are capped while you can still take advantage of any promo offers.

The Mazda S-Plan is their generic plan offered to suppliers and affiliates. Basically they allow you to buy a car for dealer invoice + destination fee. This basically amounts to what would be considered the best deal possible walking in the door. You can still use any other rebates and incentives as well. What they do not do is cap or control any of the dealer fees.

Overall, I think you will find that the Z-Plan will probably give you the greatest discount, but either plan is a good deal. You should get any documentation/PIN numbers setup ahead of time.

For instance on the Ford plan you need to go to www.myplan.ford.com and login using the provided username and password (whomever you're buying the car through should have that information, if they don't they'll need to get one). You can then browse pricing and print the needed forms that you bring to the dealer to make the purchase.

The Mazda plan works pretty much the same way. You need to go to this website:

Mazda USA - The Official U.S. Site for Mazda Cars, Crossover Vehicles, SUVs and Trucks

Once there you need to request a PIN, which is on this page and requires a Mazda Partner ID number that the person with the eligibility should have:

https://portal.mazdausa.com/m171/VPP...ER_PIN_REQUEST

Once you get the PIN Certificate you can take that to the dealer and you should present it to the sales manager to handle the transaction.

[calgirlinnc]

Thanks so much for your detailed and thoughtful reply. I did not know that with the Z plan it is LOWER than dealer. I did know the price is set by Ford. It seems with Mazda it's more convoluted.

I had that impression about Ford, but unfortunately the Edge costs more than the Mazda CX-5. Maybe it will even out though?

Also the CX-5 gets better MPG (a big consideration now) but the Edge has been around a few years.

Normally I would not buy brand new but in our particular circumstances this time I think it may be our best option.

[Tourian]

Just tell them up front when you go in there that you qualify for the special price. Don't be lame and have them work the whole deal as if you were just a normal customer just so you can see what kind of price they offer you so you can get the satisfaction of surprising them with your "coupon" at the very end.

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Just tell them up front when you go in there that you qualify for the special price. Don't be lame and have them work the whole deal as if you were just a normal customer just so you can see what kind of price they offer you so you can get the satisfaction of surprising them with your "coupon" at the very end.

Wan't planning on doing that....

[exhdo1]

I thought the plan prices were on the bottom of the dealers invoice? I may be wrong. Do the dealers have to honor the plan prices?

[calgirlinnc]

Got quoted 29K on a mid-level Edge, and 22-24K on a Fusion. That was about a $2500 savings on a Fusion, which seems pretty paltry.

I know I haven't shopped for a car for a very long time but those prices seem pretty high to me. Considering, for example, what else you could get for $29K (granted, not brand new).

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by exhdo1

I thought the plan prices were on the bottom of the dealers invoice? I may be wrong. Do the dealers have to honor the plan prices?

I have read where Mazda dealers refuse to honor the S plan on models that are selling well.

But those posts were a few years old. Is anything selling well now?

[Dunbar42]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

Is anything selling well now?

I doubt many Ford or Mazda models are selling well. Check truecar.com to get an idea of what you could get particular cars for in your area. German cars seem to sell at a much smaller discount to MSRP according to that site.