A while back, some people were asking about the possibility of adding yellow leather seat inserts to a yellow car, similar to the yellow pre-production car. Well, someone just sent me pictures of a yellow car at a DFW area dealership showroom with yellow leather inserts.

Yellow Leather Seats - 1 (http://home.att.net/~mazdarx8/100-0012_IMG.JPG)
Yellow Leather Seats - 2 (http://home.att.net/~mazdarx8/100-0011_IMG.JPG)
Yellow Leather Seats - 3 (http://home.att.net/~mazdarx8/100-0010_IMG.JPG)
Yellow Leather Seats - 4 (http://home.att.net/~mazdarx8/100-0009_IMG.JPG)

Due to advertising rules though, I can't put the contact information of the dealership in a public post.

---jps

looks custom with those yellow threads

2 things missing from a custom job:
ribbed material on the side of the seat for more grip and support.
the hard backing on the back of the 2 front seats.

Originally posted by M-ster
2 things missing from a custom job:
ripped material on the side of the seat for more grip and support.
Hm... I don't really miss the ribbed (ripped? hope not :D) vinyl-like material on the bolsters... many sport cars that come with leather seats don't have that either and they still provide great grip. Support has nothing to do with the ribbed surface.
the hard backing on the back of the 2 front seats.
Exactly why is this so important? I think the seats look much better if the seat backs are also leather or at least perfectly matching vinyl (like the inserts on the door panels). IMO Mazda does the hard seat backs to save money, not because it is any better. But I might be wrong of course... :)

For the record, I'm just about to start the custom leather project with my car - but it might slip into January due to time constraints. When I'm done, I'll post some pictures of course :D

doesn't look smooth and tight...looks all wrinkled up and loose...colors are very nice but i'd be afraid they would rip being so loose

Yeah, what he said...

Originally posted by Tamas
(ripped? hope not :D) RIBBED, sorry wrong spelling.

Exactly why is this so important? I think the seats look much better if the seat backs are also leather or at least perfectly matching vinyl (like the inserts on the door panels). IMO Mazda does the hard seat backs to save money, not because it is any better. But I might be wrong of course... :)

I'm a sucker for the hard backing. I personally like it alot. I don't think Mazda did that to save money, I'm sure the hard backing would cost alot more than the leather and I'm sure it's just for aesthetic rather than practical reason.

This is the combo that the car was meant for, imho, although my preference would be to have a slightly paler yellow for the interior. This example has a darker yellow, and more importantly the hue is different than the paint. The leather is more orange-y while the paint leans more towards a lemony yellow. Still pretty sharp, though!

The following example is better (e-bay auction ends tomorrow so don't know how long these pics will be available). A lighter yellow that is closer to the paint hue.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6316&item=2446416291#lg

Neither of these have had the steering wheel done. I wonder how hard that is going to be.

And, of course, you need a yellow shift knob! :D

The minor gathering in the leather doesn't bother me. This is leather and shouldn't have the "perfect" look of vinyl. The gathers give it a luxurious appearance I think and they'll probably even out some after use. I don't think it's bad for durability in fact probably the opposite as they allow some give in the fabric instead of concentrating the stresses on the stitching.

If I remember the rigid seat back moldings were chosen to make the seats as thin as possible to allow additional leg room for the rear-seat passengers. I don't think they could have been removed.

I talked to a dealer last spring and mentioned that I would prefer to have yellow/black leather in a yellow 8, and he said it would be no problem. They said they do all their own leather, and claimed it wouldn't cost anymore than the actual leather option (although I am not sure what is is by itself since Mazda likes to force heated seats and a sunroofs on people). I am not sure how typical that is, but I bet most dealers can get it done. I am willing to bet most of them can match or better factory quality as well.

Although, this doesn't look nearly as tasteful as the prototype which I wanted to copy.

http://www.velocityphotos.com/images/full/2002/s2002042901/mz2003rx85105.jpg

All this, remembering that the "leather seating surfaces" option is leather only on the centre panels of the seats. That is, the front and side bolsters are still vinyl (and seatback, if it has one).

BTW, this is not Mazda "cheaping out". It's normal for most auto manufacturers.

What do you guys think of that car on ebay? I am going to check it out at the dealer tomorrow night. Wheels obviously have to go. I am not sure about the appearance package on yellow too. Side skirts ending halfway down the car is too noticeable with such a light color, but maybe it will look better in person.

I have been pretty much stuck on yellow, but I looked at one at a dealer near work today, and the gaps between the body panels seem excessive. It is especially noticeable between the hood and front fenders, and around the back door.

However, if the rumors about yellow going out production are true, then it make me see over such things.

That ebay RX-8 only has 300 miles on it, yet the starting bid was $16K. Seems kinda fishy to ask for half of what the car is worth. Right now it's up to $23K. Still 10K less than its true value (considering the extra work done on it).

Yeah, but it has a reserve price, and the auction ended yesterday anyway. That just means no one bid over $23k. The reserve is probably set over $30k. I'll ask tonight and see what they say.

Probably more than I am willing to pay anyway. If I get an 8 I want under MSRP and 0%. Not sure how realistic that is, but that's my terms right now.

Although I heard of a guy here in Pheonix that won an Ebay auction on an Evo for 26k or so because they didn't set the reserve price high enough or forgot to set it. They refused to sell the car to him for five less than MSRP, and claimed they already sold it to another dealer.

The guy threatened to get a lawyer, and after a few days of complaints, he got the car for $26k. A pretty damn good deal.

your sig is funny