Just wanted to say that I have been won over by the RX-8 and plan on buying one! :p

I have owned in the past:

'89 Mustang GT 5.0 Auto ("notch back")
'95 Camaro Z28 Manual

[got tired of spending half my life at the dealer's service department]

'96 BMW 328is Sport Manual
'00 BMW 328i Sport Manual
'03 BMW M3
'02 Impreza WRX Wagon

Other cars I looked at: G35 (both sedan and coupe). BMW 330i Performance Package.

The G35 was nice, but the sedan was a bit boring to drive, terminal understeer. The horrible rear headroom of the coupe makes the whole rear seat useless for adults. The G35 handles nicely, but it's a heavy and big car and it feels like it. And the suspension was setup to be "kind and gentle," not as good as a BMW 3 series IMO.

The BMW 330i PP was my favorite to be honest, but $40,000 plus, out of my price range. And the 325i is too expensive for the what you get, not great value.

The RX-8 is the only car I've seen so far in my price range that is light, well balanced, decently equipped, well built, practical and seemingly tons of fun to drive.

I did put down a deposit, but it's refundable until I actually get some seat time in the RX-8, but it sounds like it's just my thing.

Welcome.
It's worth trawling through the media section for movies and images if you haven't done so already. It seems like we've been here forever now and we've accumulated quite a resource.

Congrats on your conversion and welcome to the forum.:)

Thank You

And the media section has tons of cool stuff!

Great forum!

Welcome aboard.

Have you got an idea when your RX-8 will be arriving?

Originally posted by rxeightr
Welcome aboard.

Have you got an idea when your RX-8 will be arriving?

Not yet, just went Thursday to put down the deposit. Saleperson said he SHOULD know late in the week, assuming he can't find "my" car already on these shores, I expect a longinsh wait.

I'm getting the Titanium Gray 6MT with sport package. That would seem to me to be a common config. Of course I'm also assuming that the cars coming first aren't already sold to customers.

Originally posted by RomanoM

Of course I'm also assuming that the cars coming first aren't already sold to customers.

Supposedly, the cars that already "ported" are all pre-orders and all SHOULD be spoken for. However the secondly east-coast boat sailing right now should be filled with the dealer's allocations and chances are there are some that are not yet reserved by a deposit. Being in NY, there should be quite a few dealerships around. Hell, even Philly, Baltimore or DC isn't that far from you. Call around and I'm sure you can find one that is still available.

Welcome to the Forum, Romano! :D

When people compare the RX 8 to sports cars such as BMW's and the new G35, price is not a very hot topic. But for the money, I think the RX 8 is the quickest and most livable car in the market, not to mention the excellent styling that is the best (in my opinion) in quite a while. You have made an excellent choice. I hope more consumers will help in reviving the Mazda spirit.

Congrats on your new purchase and welcome to the forum! It's always nice to see new members. :cool:

Welcome - I look forward to hearing your opinion on driving the 8. Your list of prior cars are a mix of torquey and well-handling machines, would like to hear how you feel about the 8's powerband and suspension.

blizz81, I thought the same thing. After you break in the car, make sure you hit the redline daily. :) That should be where the fun is.

Originally posted by Rich
blizz81, I thought the same thing. After you break in the car, make sure you hit the redline daily. :) That should be where the fun is.

But of course! :p :D

BTW - of all the cars I've owned the E36 BMW ('96 328is) was the best. Nimble, quick handling with a torquey and responsive engine. And it was quite a bit lighter than the E46.

Finally get to test drive a car tomorrow:D :D :D

I too am new and owned similar cars '96 328is and more recently 01 Millenia S. Interestingly enough I encountered the Mazda underdog perception factor when I got the Millenia S a fantastic car (just not nearly as sporty as the RX-8) BMW has a following that more recently waxed with the 007 Bond movies (96 - 01) and they have been riding that wave. I beleive that when people see the quality of Mazda and the RX-8 that it will sway many. Consider the cost of a similarly equipped 330i to the RX and the price it would be. My insurance is lower and my bimmer was NOT without problems. The RX-8 is a great car and hopefully we will find it to be a positive ownership experience.