In late Oct. (in CA) I was offered and took 8.99% for 60 months with a low 700 score (a bit extended for the moment :sarc: ).
The finance guy was informed and honest and, in general, the dealer treated me pretty well. He let me know that I could, in fact, pay off the loan immediatly w/ no penalties but that they would appreciate me making three payments so that the $1000 rebate wouldn't get charged to them by Mazda. Not a big deal for me to do, and I very much appreciated their frankness and honesty, esp. after dealing w/ the dealers out here in Vegas. So I'll make the tres payments, refi, and move on.
...and for comparison's sake, please try to post/edit in the month you were offered your rate, as rates do change no matter what your score is, and a rate w/ out a date is basically useless for this thread. Thanks!