We just had a really nice car buying experience at Earnhardt Mazda. We worked with Linda who was very helpful. This was the fourth dealership we went into and Linda was the first salesperson to actually tell us about all of the features in the car before starting our test drive. I guess the other dealers expect you to figure it out for yourself, but Linda walked us through all the unique little tech features that we would have eventually found on our own playing with it, but Linda accelerated the process. We leased a Mazda3 and even after the deal was done Linda took the time to walk us through the controls again. (the Mazda3 has a central control dial on the central console the controls all the electronic features which is different than other cars so it was helpful). There was a bit of the usual back and forth over price/payments but less haggle than usual that we brought to conclusion more quickly than usual and I feel that I got a pretty good deal. Frank, the GM, took the time to introduce himself and we had a lengthy conversation that felt authentic and not the usual BS glad-handing you seem to get. I also thought that it was a nice gesture that Linda introduced us to a service manager which showed a certain level of respect for the service dept. that I don't recalled having seen before. I would definitely work with Linda again the next time I'm looking for a new car.
I was surprised by how much I liked the Mazda product the Mazda3 in particular. It is very responsive and has nice pickup/acceleration for a compact at a very reasonable price, especially when compared to similar Honda and Toyota cars. I also liked the styling a lot more. It wasn't until researching it after the first test drive that I discovered the Mazda3 is a Car and Driver 10 best for 2015 which made me feel good about our purchasing decision. Having had a good experience here, I would start my search at Mazda next time and use the Mazda product and price as the benchmark instead of starting at Honda or Toyota and using one of them as the benchmark.