Hey everyone!

I'm anticipating picking up my new 04 RX-8 this saturday, and I'd like to thank many of you for helping me out with pricing and overall information about the car. It helped tons arming myself with knowledge about the car, and this is the place for it!

My new questions for everyone are:

1. When i pick up the car, what should i check for right off the bat, and maybe check before i sign anything. IE. recalls or problems people have been having with new 04s. I understand recalls are done to any car on the lot, but i want to make sure.

2. A quick reference on issues of the car like quirks this car might have that wouldnt be listed in the manual, especially starting with a car that has less than 10 miles on it, and driving it 150 miles to get it home. There are TONS of issues listed on this site, and I've read many, but i'm sure there are some i've missed. Maybe if someone could just post issues and i can search them. The DOs and DONTs.

3. This isnt a question...but as soon as i get it I'll post some pics and hopefully become a full blooded member of the RX8club!:-) Thanks for all the help guys and looking foward to getting to know more about the car and the people who drive them!

Picking up the car:

Go over EVERY inch with a fine tooth comb looking for scratches, dents, imperfections, etc. Check each wheel - mine had two wheels that needed replacement - both had been curbed. Open each door, make sure it closes perfectly and with the same effort. Look across the paint for waves, dents, etc.

Issues/Quirks:
- Warmup/shutdown/flood prevention - know it, live it and it won't be an issue for you.
- Read about common noises, etc. so you don't freak (such as, the gearbox makes plenty of noise. It's normal).
- Driving home: Stop once or twice and try to vary your speed somewhat during the drive - you don't have to drive everyone crazy, but I also wouldn't set the cruise at 75 and not click off it until you exit the highway either.

Just plain enjoy it! It's a car - it's not a jewel. Although it is a jem of a car!

Stew

during break in mazda recommends to vary your speed and rpm. so dont cruise at a steady either on the way home. also dont exceed 7k rpm for the first 500 miles.

Theres not a lot to it Stew and Zoom covered it. ENJOY the car!

I will say one thing to not do........Post in a week your asking why your gas mileage sucks! :) j/k

hey thanks guys! I'll keep all these things in mind. And yes I've read enough to know what the real numbers are for gas mileage. I'm anticipating a little better than most though because most of my driving is on the highway.

Hooray! Post #400 for me!

Anyway...

I agree with Stew--go over the car one good time. On the exterior, especially check the paint. My friend just purchased a brand new black Tahoe, and the swirl marks on it are so pronounced. Don't take a car that has been poorly detailed by the dealer! If you really want to get nit-picky, you could check for orange peel and refuse it if the paint isn't perfect (someone here posted that they'd done that with their 8).

Also, I still don't know how many of us do it (and how necessary it really is), but I always punch the gas to 3000-4000 rpms before shutting off the engine. Remember to do that in order to avoid flooding (along with making sure you warm up your 8 properly).

The only other thing I recommend is to get a good radar detector--In due time, you're gonna need it! :D

PS. To get best gas mileage, keep your RPMs below 3750 :)