Mazda Financing Deals

Financing directly through Mazda

• Mazda financing terms range from 24 to 72 months
• Mazda 0% financing terms go up to 60 months
• Apply online or at a Mazda dealership

Jose Efrain Tavarez has been a Mazda salesperson for 22 years in San Antonio. “Yes, of course the better your credit, the better the financing,” he said. But you could still qualify for financing directly through Mazda when you have OK credit if you have money down — the nice thing is that Mazda counts its rebates as money down on the car.

As Tavarez noted, your credit score does play a big part in determining your credit tier (you can check your credit score for free here), but it’s not the end-all-be-all. Your credit tier isn’t just based on credit score — your credit report, down payment, loan term and the type and value of the car are also considered, according to Mazda.

Ask for a tier bump. If the loan offer you receive isn’t as good as you were expecting, you could ask for a tier bump. You could point out the reasons why you should get a tier bump, which might include high income, low debt, positive credit history or the down payment you’re making. If that doesn’t work, you could ask what it would take to get a tier bump. It might be that a slightly larger down payment could improve your loan offer’s APR.

Get preapproved. You can learn what to expect by getting an auto loan preapproval and having a loan offer in-hand when you go into the dealership, as it gives you a great way to negotiate. For example, if the dealership offers you a 5% APR auto loan and you have a 3% APR loan preapproval in your pocket, tell them and ask them to beat it. Having a preapproved auto loan could save you money and help you walk into the dealership with more confidence.

More about Mazda Capital Services

Ultimately, if you choose to finance directly through Mazda, you’ll actually make your auto payments to Chase. Mazda doesn’t operate its own financial lending division and instead partners with JPMorgan Chase, which manages Mazda Capital Services in the U.S. to provide customer financing. So if you finance through Mazda Capital Services, Chase will be the one lending you the money. (If you want to figure out what your payment may be, you could use LendingTree’s auto loan calculator.)

But this isn’t a unique situation — Chase also manages manufacturer financing programs for Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati and Subaru.

Mazda rebates and incentives

Just because Chase manages Mazda financing doesn’t mean you’ll have to miss out on manufacturer finance specials. There are still special APR financing deals, rebates and incentives. They are often vehicle-specific and time sensitive, so make sure the exact car you want has the rebate that you may qualify for when you plan to buy it.

• College Grad Program — Recent or soon-to-be graduates from an accredited two- or four-year college, or graduate, nursing or trade school may be eligible. You must have graduated within 24 months (or will be graduating within six months) and have proof that you are employed (or will be within 90 days).
• First-Time Owner — This program is to help enable customers with little to no credit get into a Mazda. To qualify, you can’t have an auto finance or auto lease on your credit history; you have to have proof of income and it’s recommended that you have a down payment of $500. You may be able to combine this program with other incentives, such as the College Grad Program.
• One-Pay Lease Program — If you’d prefer to lease and can afford one very large payment, save some money by paying for the entire lease upfront. This could amount to half the car’s price. The benefit of paying cash is that you’re not paying interest and paying less overall than you would with lease payments.
• Mazda Mobility Program Cash Bonus — Mazda could reimburse up to $1,000 of the purchase and installation costs of adaptive equipment for motorists who have a medical need. This is only available on some models and you must submit your reimbursement request with the required paperwork within three months of purchasing your Mazda.
• Mazda Loyalty Reward — If you are a current Mazda owner, you may be eligible for a $500 loyalty reward, which you could combine with other offers. But you don’t even have to own the Mazda yourself — if one of your family members who lives at the same address as you has a Mazda and you want a new Mazda, you could still get the discount.
• Participating Lender Lease Loyalty — If you are a current Mazda lessee (or someone you live with is) and you want to lease a new Mazda, you could get a $750 rebate.
• Military Appreciation Bonus Cash — To be eligible for this $500 rebate, you have to be a family member of or an active duty member, reserve or veteran/retiree within two years of separation from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard or Coast Guard.
• Mazda Customer Cash — This rebate is specific to vehicle model, location and time of year. The amount it’s worth can differ based on vehicle trim as well, generally ranging from $250 to $1,500. You may not combine this deal with certain other incentives, such as special financing.
• Mazda Special Financing — Mazda 0% financing offers may be available on certain vehicles for well-qualified buyers. Like the Mazda Customer Cash, you may not be able to combine it with other incentives.

This is not an exhaustive list of Mazda rebates and incentives or of their requirements — visit Mazda’s website or a dealer for more information.

Which is better, a rebate or special financing? When you have the option to choose between low-APR financing and a rebate, you’re really choosing how to use the same amount of money. If you take the rebate, you’re reducing the vehicle price upfront. If you take the low APR, you’re reducing the APR over the term of your loan.

It’s almost always better to take the rebate because you get the money now. Buying down the APR means you’ll have to keep the car for the full loan term in order to capture all the value; many people don’t keep the car for the full loan term.

Leasing from Mazda

If you like to have a new car every few years, leasing a car, turning it in and leasing again is usually easier on your wallet than buying, trading it in and buying again. Leasing could also help you get into a car you otherwise couldn’t afford to buy. If you’re unsure whether to lease or buy, you can check out this guide, and read up on the different types of leases.

As with most manufacturers, Mazda offers a range of options. You can lease a Mazda from 24 to 60 months with 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year. Mileage and wear and tear are limited. If you exceed those limits, you can be charged for it.

When your lease is over, you have three options: Purchase the vehicle you’ve been leasing, turn it in or replace it by leasing or purchasing or leasing another Mazda. If your lease is nearing an end, definitely check to see if there are any rebates or special incentives going on for lessees. For more information, you could read this guide on how a lease buyout works.

Alternative options for Mazda financing

Whatever you do, don’t apply to just one lender when looking for Mazda financing. It doesn’t hurt your credit to apply to multiple lenders within a 14-day window any more than it does to apply to one lender. Consider a few lenders and compare offers to see which is the best fit for you. You may want the one with the lowest monthly payment or the one with the lowest APR. Potential lenders include your bank, your credit union or online lender.

More about Mazda

The Japan-based company began in 1931. The name Mazda is a reference to both the founder — Jujiro Matsuda — and a god — Ahura Mazda, a god of light.

“The engineers at Mazda do things that no others do,” Tavarez said. “They put a high compression, 13:1 engine with headers in their cars. And headers were made for race cars, they’re noisy, but Mazda made them silent.”

The company is focused on making vehicles that are “exciting to drive” as well as eco-friendly, fitting for a company named in part after a nature deity. It won a plethora of awards recently, including four 2018 models — the CX-3, CX-5, CX-9, and Mazda3 — that received Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The EPA named Mazda the most fuel-efficient automaker in the U.S. for the fifth year running.

Its U.S. market share has not been large, but it plans to change this with a $1.6 billion auto manufacturing plant it’s building with Toyota, due to open in Alabama in 2021.