I just wanted to post this question for a friend of mine that is interested (thanks to me :D ) in getting an 8 later this year or early next... he was wondering if he went into a dealer to pre-order, if he could negotiate the car price down like he would be able to do with a car that was on the lot... He is a first time new car buyer (same here) and wanted to see if someone can shed some light.. thanks

Now is not the time to try to negotiate anything with these boneheads....

I would wait for atleast a month.. Besides, you can't preorder, you can only reserve.

3 months is supposed to be the magic number when prices go DOWN and negotiation actually becomes a useful enterprise

For what it is worth, here is email I received from my Northern California dealer today:
[Start message]
Marina Mazda of Capitola, the no mark-up Mazda Elite Dealership is
proud to announce that Mazda Japan has made a decision. Due to the
excitement and demand of the new 2004 Mazda Rx-8 in the American Market,
Mazda will be shifting some current allocations from other world markets
to satisfy the U.S. demand. This means all un manufactured Rx-8
pre-orders and any orders placed before July 24th will receive there Rx-8
between mid-Aug and mid-Sept.
Congratulations to recent RX-8 order placements. For a $1000
refundable deposit you can order a RX-8 exactly the way you want. Don't
miss out on the Emotion of Motion. THE ROTARY IS BACK, ZOOM! ZOOM!

Thank you,
Zion Rowan
Internet Sales Consultant
Marina Motor Company
831-278-0132 cell
831-475-3500 office
[End message]

So you can still pre-order a custom car and expect to receive it by the end of September.

Man! I hope this is true!