i've decided to keep my car...in fact, i believe i'm getting an even better deal now than before this whole HP fiasco...here are some reasons:

- i don't see the point in selling the car back and buying it again as Mazda will take the car back and not allow the dealers to resell it from their lot...now to save money, i'd have to purchase another used RX-8 that someone else sold back...why would i want a used one? sure i'd save money but i don't know where that car has been...my RX-8 is now MY RX-8

- i could save money on miles but i only really have 550 miles on it...i could put more miles on it for the next month then sell it back for a brand new one but then i'd have to break it in all over again...and what's to say i'll get my exact car with the DVD and app package again?

- i've already added tints, the MP3 player, changed the foglights, clear corner lights, etc. other than the tints, i can remove everything but it's just a pain and i did it all myself...i saved a few hundred bucks right there already...(unless, of course, i pay myself for labor...)...uninstalling and resintalling all this crap is just a pain and i don't want to go through it again...

- numbers or not, the car drives, accelerates, handles, looks, feels, sounds, smells just GREAT to me...i'm happy with it...so what if the numbers are off? really...i was happy with it before i saw the real numbers and i'm still happy with it after the real numbers...

- if i sold the car back, the new one i get will not come with $500 off and free service for the next 4 years...and what are the chances the car will in fact be sold for less than MSRP any time soon? it's still a very hot car and i don't predict too much will happen to the price until next year once demand dies down...

now dont' get me wrong, i WANT the car that Mazda advertised...and yes i'm very disappointed and perhaps will NEVER buy another Mazda again after this...but when it comes down to it, it was a great deal buying this car and an even BETTER deal now that i get $500 and free service for the life of the warranty

EDIT: btw i just noticed after making this thread compactaddict's thread on why he's selling his car...this thread is in NO WAY meant to demean that one as i didn't even know it was there in the first place...everyone will have their opinions on this recent controversy so to each his own...

Well put - these are pretty much the same reasons I am keeping my car. I already have vested time and money improving my car (8 hours of claybar and Zaino, $400 window tinting, two weeks of going crazy trying to stay below 6000rpm during break-in etc). I do not want to return MY immaculate RX-8 to get someone else's used and abused vehicle, or wait for a new 2004 vehicle with exactly my desired specs to come in (NAV cars with spoiler and accents are rare).

When I heard about the buyback my first question to the sales manager was - what time frame is it good for. If Mazda let me keep my car for a year and still offered the buyback then absolutely I would return my car in August 2004 and immediately buy a 2005 model with many minor issues fixed/improved (AC, CD-changer, entry lights, perhaps even HP and fuel economy fixed etc).

Sadly the buyback is only good for a month, not a year, so the thought of returning MY car to buy ANOTHER 2004 RX-8 with the same flaws seemed crazy. Mazda are offering me $1500 to keep a car I know the history off and am happy with - if I bought another car I would lose that $1500 incentive but PERHAPS get that new car $1k-$2k below MSRP - not a worthwhile risk in my situation.

However if I was one of those people who get abysmal fuel economy (13mpg), or lose power over 6000rpm, or the check enigine or low oil light keeps coming on then I would swap the car for a new one. I am lucky so far that none of those things have hapened to me (finger crossed - only 910 miles so far).

I am of course very pissed off that Mazda allowed this to happen at all - they had two cars driving 15k miles around the USA whilst all our cars were at port. Why did nobody dyno them before of after their 3 week test drive? I would still have bought the car if it had been publicised as 228hp (realistic) from the beginning, and Mazda wouldn't have to 'bribe' everyone now to keep the car...

I've had my 8 for 30 days and I love it. I will keep it and I plan on putting many mods on it to help it look better and drive faster

Very well put. I really love my car...


Vince