Hey all you guys here in the Washington, NW, or anybody else willing or wanting to answer...I was just wondering since I have been reading this Mazda factory fire story do you think I will have such a big problem finding the 8 I want next May?? The reason I ask this is because I am getting one for my birthday next year which is May 25th and I am a little worried that I won't be able to get one because I read on this page there will be some shortages in March 05' http://rotarynews.com/node/view/483 . I am waiting that long to save a good enough down payment. I know it's not that necessary but I want to for my tax money to come and I thought that would make a great birthday present for me. What are your guys thoughts on this????

Others may have inside information; I certainly don't. You're right to be a bit concerned, but here are a couple of thoughts.

I bought my RX-8 in November and the dealer still had a number of 2004's in stock with 2005's already arriving. From what I could tell, that dealer wasn't alone. In fact, there are a number of 2004's, I believe still sitting on dealer lots around the Northwest. Thus, I doubt that there will be a major supply/demand imbalance by next May even if there is a significant shortfall in '05 production.

One clue may be what happens to the $1500 rebate on '04's after 1/03/05. If it's continued, I suspect it means that Mazda doesn't expect to have supply problems. If it ends, it suggests that dealers feel they can get premium prices on the '04's due to a shortage of '05's.

If you're concerned, you might speak to a dealer about putting down a token deposit, say $500, on a car to be purchased in May. Most dealers will treat it as refundable if you change your mind but will hold your place in the queue when cars are available.

Finally, you may find that some flexibility in options/colors/etc may be useful if a shortage does, indeed, develop. I suspect you'll be in a stronger position to get a dealer working for you if you aren't rigid in terms of exactly the car you want.

Don't know if that helps, but it may give you some ideas.

P.S. I believe you're in Oregon, aren't you? From what I've seen the supply of RX-8's in the Puget Sound area is considerably greater than in Oregon. (That's just my impression.) If you're willing to deal with a dealer up here, you may find more flexibility. The number of dealers in the Seattle area makes them eager for business. In my experience, both Lee Johnson Chevrolet/Mazda in Kirkland and University Mazda in Seattle are good places to deal with. I was much less impressed by Sound Mazda in Renton and Lynnwood Mazda in Lynnwood. (But that's based on very limited experience with the latter two.)

that's awesome I will really remember those 2 places when I go into buying one. I hope you are right. I was really wanting to get a 04 to begin with because they will be a bit cheaper. I want to avoid getting one in oregon cause I don't want to have to pay the sales tax out of pocket when i get the car up where I live which is the capital..Olympia, WA . on your idea on the rebates sometimes they dont continue after that time with older models. I say that because I have seen it with other cars. So do you still think that? thanks so much for your thoughts!!!Mucho appreciated!

I purchased my '04 last month from Fugate in Enumclaw. Since I live in Mill Creek, this was quite out of the way for me but I wanted to do business with a reputable dealer (several autocrossers in our region have purchased their Mazda's there). I would definately go back there when I buy my next Mazda - Randall is the salesman.

On a sour note, my car was located at Vancouver Mazda (I was looking specifically for a '04 Red base) so they had to "bargin" to purchase/trade. Vancouver did everything they could to be difficult and it acutally took a couple of days for them to agree to sell it. When the my car finally was able to come up to Enumclaw it was in terrible shape! Fugate replaced a few parts on my car that were damaged, but I could not believe that Vancouver would let the car go in that condition. I would NEVER suggest anyone go to Vancouver Mazda.

I don't think the fire will significantly impact the availability of the 8 by next May. It will be a small hiccup but the existing inventory will cover it. At most the car with the options you want may not be a the closest dealer and they will have to trade for it. Keep saving up and savor the anticipation. Keep taking test drives every month or so to keep it at fever pitch.

BTW, my birthday is May 25th too. Welcome to the club. An shiny new RX-8 sounds like a perfect birthday gift. You should search the forum for feedback about dealers. I recall someone having issues with the dealer in Olympia. I got good service from John at University Mazda in Seattle.

Good luck and keep dreaming about the 8.

Yea I bought both of My 8s from John Keirnan at University Mazda...they are pretty straight forward...they even helped me get a rebate from Mazda that no one really knew about...something about coupons from the Rev It Up tour.

Pretty good folks up there....plus they are the oldest Mazda dealer in the State (maybe Country I can't remember for sure). They don't want to lose the very good reputation that they have.

yeah the fire wont destroy the supply/demand for the RX8. you dont see a ton of 8's out there so most likely u will find a good one on a lot still. get a nice pearly white one with the RX8club.com sticker on it!

i would love to get a white pearl one and I seriously thought about it and well...I already have a exsisting white 93' Mazda Protoge and wanted something else. My husband has a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse already and if I can't find the blue one or green one that I like then I might go with silver. Hey BLUE87SPORT !!! do you know where the Olympia thread info is at cause I was thinkin of goin there since it's only like 5 miles down the road from my house. Plus they have 2 blue ones there that I have test driven before but not sure if they will still be there or not by that time. Thank you to the rest of you guys for the other dealership recommendations cause that will really help when i go to get mine.
So how does the whole dealer buy or trade thing work from dealer to dealer? Do they call their own dealers or to any mazda dealeror any dealer for that matter that has what I want??? Just curious?

A forum member named Krazie8 had a bad experience with a dealer in Olympia. You can search for his threads to get the full story. Go to the User/Control Panel and look for users, find his name and look at his posts.

The following quote is from the Negative Dealer thread:

MADZA LINC MERC- NEGATIVE

Located in the Olympia Capital Auto Mall

My car has been in the shop for over 3 weeks now for 6th gear going out.
they got the transmission for it, and told me it would be done the following day, as i told them i needed it then, they called me up and told me "well i dont think we will be able to get to it today" i still told them i need it for the weekend, they refused to work on it the next day "sat" or sun, but assured me it would be out the door monday.

i got a phone call monday with them telling me they again would not be able to get to it, i asked how long it would take to put the transmission in, they told me 4 hours...so ive been without a car for over 3 weeks now, they told me they didnt even have a rental they could lend me, but they could get me "a good deal" on one...

the worst part about this whole ordeal is they said it wasnt warrentied, and id have to pay for the new transmission ($2600 +$1300 for labor and tax. today was the last straw, i will not pick my car up tomarrow, and I intend to do something about this bad expirience.

thanks for the quote and will look up the thread

So how does the whole dealer buy or trade thing work from dealer to dealer? Do they call their own dealers or to any mazda dealeror any dealer for that matter that has what I want??? Just curious? Do they charge you for getting a car from a different lot or how does that work???

From what I understand, your dealer calls the other dealer who has the car you want and they arrange a swap or transfer. I dont' know if there's money involved between dealers or if just moving inventory is the motivation for the other dealer

You can search inventory for the options you want at the mazdausa.com web site. If the car you want is at another dealer, you can finalize your deal with the local guy and he worries about getting the car there. Unless the other dealer has an offer pending on the car, it shouldn't be a problem. Your dealer will be happy to make it happen since that means $$$ for him.

So how does the whole dealer buy or trade thing work from dealer to dealer? Do they call their own dealers or to any mazda dealeror any dealer for that matter that has what I want??? Just curious? Do they charge you for getting a car from a different lot or how does that work???Dealers have access to one another's inventory through an internet connection. It's similar to the AutoTrader website but more up-to-date and detailed. Trading cars typically doesn't involve a cash outlay from one dealer to another and I've never heard of a dealer charging a customer for the service. (In some cases, a dealer providing the car may have conditions, such as acceptance of another vehicle that would otherwise be difficult to sell, but that is relatively rare, at least for most models.)

Typically, it's a simple deal and benefits each dealer since each pays "flooring" (at least) on cars in his inventory. If he can eliminate a car, especially one he's unlikely to sell at a retail price, he benefits. Most dealers are cooperative since they may find themselves with a need to get/trade away a car in the future.

However, it can be complicated if you go to more than one dealer seeking a car. Say you go to Dealer A and show interest in a car on his lot and then go to Dealer B and ask for the same car at a better price. Dealer A may refuse to transfer the vehicle in the expectation you'll purchase from him.

For this reason, it's best not to be extremely specific about a particular car until you're ready to deal with a particular dealer at a particular price. At that point reach agreement on the color/options you want and leave it to the dealer to find it. Any dealer would prefer to sell a car in his inventory, so resist the temptation to fall in love with a particular car, thus limiting your bargaining power. (This is one reason that dealers typically ask you to specify the color/options you are looking for when you test drive a car. They want lock you into a particular car as soon as possible in the sales cycle.)

there will be a shortage of new cars coming to the dealers lots. i think allocations are being cut in half or worse. so there wont be as much choice on the lots. and i dont think you will be seeing much dealing going on until inventories climb back up. there wont be any RX-8s made in January/early feb for delivery to the lots in March/early april. what they have now is what they have to sell until mid april - early may.

ZOOM44~ are you saying that around April May I should be seeing more 05's slowly coming in?? To not be too picky?? You think there will not be many 04's still on the lots??? I don't see to many around in the state of washington.

JSH1120~ Thanks for all your info found it very useful and am putting them down for my notes when I got to buy my car next May. So basically I want to come to a dealer and kind have a general idea on what I want and then tell the salesman???? I know I can't be too picky but I want a nordic green one or blue one that is automatic and if possible which is not a must or anything a GT package too! I would get manual but my husband does not know how and plus I am not that good enough either but I do know how. I suppose I would with time...I have another question...can you buy some special stuff at a dealership and also and non dealership that is Mazda??? Let's say I want to add a spoiler for the one I get at a non Mazda dealer like Mitsubuishi dealer or something, can they special order and so I can have it under my financing with my vehicle loan??? Or do non Mazda dealers not do that??? Special circumstances??? I know that Mazda dealers do that to their own cars if you want something that is an accessory like that item I mentioned they can tack that on with financing and install it once it comes in. If the one I end up getting does not have one I want to order one and not have to pay extra out of my pocket for one is all plus a couple of other things...

Those are nice colors. May I strongly recommend that you go for the manual tranny? It is not a difficult car to drive, and you (or someone you know) should be able to teach your husband how to drive it fairly easily. The automatic is cool with the buttons on the steering wheel and all, but it would probably be about as fast as that '93 protege you've got now.

As far as adding on to your car, when you've decided that you want to do business with dealer A or B or C, try to find a car with the options you want. If you can't get one exactly the way you want, then ask the dealer to add them to the car. They will be happy to do it, and most likely will be able to add it into your purchase price (so you can use your loan). The will only install Mazda parts though, so a spoiler, the appearance package, accents, etc. will be ok. But they won't do anything with non mazda parts...like aftermarket performance equipment. Your going to have to buy those on your own.

so why do you strongly recommend the manual tranny other than the fun factor? I've read alot of people have alot of problems with them

im sure u can still find some 04's. check with university mazda! milam mazda in puyallup has a mix of 04/05's.

A lot of people will tell you it ain't a sports car if it has an automatic in it. In the case of the RX-8, I agree with this sentiment. Running through the gears, executing a perfect heel and toe downshift in this car is nirvana. And I'm not talking about the band. :)

A major part of the fun factor with this car is how the engine revs. The manual tranny cars rev to 9K rpms. The auto only revs to 7500. The manual cars also have a third intake port. That results in the manual cars having about 40 more horsepower. If you look around the forums at people that bought an 8 with the auto trans, a lot of them are not satisfied with the performance.

Please think long and hard about getting the 6 speed. You won't be disappointed.

ironmedic~ I won't be getting one till May 05' do you think they will have alot of 04/05 in?

I'm another May 25th baby. :D

I recommend you stay far away from Milam in Puyallup...they are shady. Yes, the added 40 horsepower, and the fun factor are the biggest pull for the manual tranny. I haven't read many problems with the manual, and it is a really easy manual to drive in my opinion....please think about it, I don't want you to be disapointed with your purchase :).

what did Milam in Puyallup do???

I bought a 2003 Mazda Protege5 from them in early '03, we then bought an '03 Jeep Liberty from them. Then I went and preordered an 8 from them....after buying esentially 3 cars from them, they proceded to jerk me around, and lie to me about when my 8 was coming in, when I ordered it they said that it would be here in 8 weeks...8 weeks later Igot the email from Mazda saying "Thanks for ordering an 8, your car will begin production soon." I went into Milam with this email, and they said "No it's on it's way right now it's on the ship we have a Winning Blue on it's way here right now!" So, using a trick I learned from the forum, I went and viewed Milams current inventory, and there projected inventory...it was true....they had a Winning blue on it's way to thier dealership...it was an automatic...I ordered a manual...not my car. I called them on it....and they tried some other BS excuse so I got my deposit back from them and drove up to University and bought a winning blue six speed off of thier showroom floor.

A couple months later Mazda bought the car back from me because of the HP issues, I waited about a year and through happenstace, found myself back at Milams lot, where they had a couple used 8s sitting there. I got bit by the bug again and decided I'd look into getting another one...so here comes the manager saying "I can get you into this brand new 8 exactly the color and options you want for $$$" and offered me an outstanding price. So I said ok, make it work...they called me back a couple hours later with yet another BS excuse..."We couldn't access Mazda Credit's website to get the rates...um lets try a different bank with higher interest" When I asked "Why doesn't your finance guy know the Mazda rates?" They said...ohh nobody really uses them, no one in the whole state could tell you that off the top of thier head." So I called University again and sure enough...."Ohh yea the website is up...here is the rate" So I got the car I wanted from University once again.

Milam is one of those dealerships that promises the moon, but can never pay up.

STAY AWAY

thanks for the info I will remember that. They tried to burn you not only once but twice =(

Yea, after I had bought 2 cars from them!

so is there anything I can use to practice on a manual tranny like a controller or something for a game system or even computer or anything that could help me out. I ask this is cause I don't have a friend that drives a manual anything so....

To practice driving a manual transmission:

Step 1: Find a car dealer.
Step 2: Test drive a manual car
Step3: Go to Step 1.

yup...let the dealer worry about the clutch...instead of worrying about a friends clutch!

When I was 15, my grandfather showed up at our place above Monroe with his beat-up Toyota SR5 P/U. The car was born the same year I was, and had a manual tranny. In the 22 years and 500K miles he put on it, he only changed the clutch once. Any way, he shows up one day and says "Kris, we're going for a drive, and throws me the keys." So I get in, never having driven anything with a stick (backing an astro van out of the drive way was about my limit at that point) and procede to stall the engine. My gradfather's response was to have me rev the hell out of the engine and drop the clutch. Damn, what an experience for your first time behind the wheel. Needless to say, I've never had a problem with manual transmissions since. Tires, yes. Tranny's, no. The key is confidence. If you're afraid of stalling the car, you will. If you're absolutely certain that your going to pull away strong and smooth, you will.

Get the 6 speed, it's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it.

Kris is right...your not going to hurt this car by reving the sh*t out of it. If that is what you need to do to make sure you don't stall it...so be it. It's not a big deal. Like I said before, this is a really easy manual to drive, it's forgiving.

I promise that you will not regret getting the manual. On the other hand, if you get the auto...you very well may wind up regretting it...I'd hate for you to regret buying a car!

Just ask Ironmedic....he wishes he had bought a manual instead of the auto. (He'll claim he had to for his wife...yea right! LOL)

After careful consideration I believe we will be looking into a sport package one on a automatic...I know I know it is totally not the same but I am thinking of my husband also and this way we can have both. I am not big on the whole HP difference I think the AT supplies enough for me maybe not for my husband but like I said he doesn't know how to drive a MT and I am not good enough to teach him either. I am more about the smooth ride and drive, the looks, comfort, ect...When I first test drove it, I felt like I was on cloud 9 and still was when I got done. That is when I knew I had to have this car. Either way it's a big step up from my current car a 1993 Mazda Protoge. I know this car is a sport car which means it was meant to be driven MT style but I know I will love it either way I can get it! I would like to thank you all for your input.

hey just had another quick question...I was driving around in my current car a 93' Mazda Protoge and my windows tend to fog up fast when the heater and windows are up. I usually have to crack my drivers side window a inch so it will keep the windows free and clear of fog. Do you guys get the same problems in your 8??? It's not that big of a deal but it does get annoying in the dead of winter and its sooo cold. =(

oh my other second question has to do with the Phat Noise system.. does anybody know when those will be out to be as an extra add on for the 8. I know it's been discussed but couldn't find anything on when they will be able to be purchased for the 8. I would really love to get one with mine in May. Any info would help thanks~!

hey just had another quick question...I was driving around in my current car a 93' Mazda Protoge and my windows tend to fog up fast when the heater and windows are up. I usually have to crack my drivers side window a inch so it will keep the windows free and clear of fog. Do you guys get the same problems in your 8??? It's not that big of a deal but it does get annoying in the dead of winter and its sooo cold. =(

My windows don't fog do bad. The problem is the cool moist air. The easy solution is to turn on the AC...it'll clear up in about 10 seconds with the AC on.

So it does happen when you drive?? Does it do that as the car warms up or when you have been driving around for a while? Do you do the AC thing during the winter?? Does that fix it for a long time or do you have to keep turning it on sparatically during a trip?

Every car does it....heck even my wifes brand new BMW does it. it will always come back, but the AC thing works so well that it really is nothing just to hit that button for a few seconds.

I personally like to leave the heater split between defrost and my feet. Just a personal preference, I still get warmed, but the fog never comes back either.

Doesanyone know anything about car stereo's? I just wanted to see if my amp and speaker set up is tranferable to an rx-8? I have 2 10" Rockford Fosgate subwoofers and a 300 watt Jenson amp which I am currently using in my car right now. I have done some research and looked at other peoples set up but I guess I am not understanding too well. I don't know too much on car stereos. I had car toys set up my current one 4 years ago. anyways...is it do able with the bose system, 6 disc deck, and basic deck that comes stock???? I just want to cover my options here.... sorry if it's been asked out

There are lots of posts in the Audio/Interior section of the forum describing how they added amps/subs to the 8 audio system. Most of them seem to tap into the rear speakers, add a line level converter to connect to the amp. It seems to be possible with both the stock and Bose systems.

I looked at some searches and found not a whole lot of info there. What words would you suggest. I have tried audio, bose, amps, subs....

I tried a seach of the Audio section with the keywords "line level" and got a ton of threads discussing how to add an amp/sub setup. Its about a weeks worth of reading but there's lots of very good information from folks that know a whole lot more than I do. :)