kors-jan

I bought my RX8 this past January and since then have been reading daily the RX8Club website. I’m very interested to learn more about other owners’ cars and their experiences. Often in the website Meets and Drives are advertised. Seems like a lot of fun to meet new people and a great opportunity to learn new things about our cars. I did some searching on the Club website and can’t find a Meet scheduled for Michigan in 2007. I do event planning as part of my job. I’m interested to explore the idea of setting up a Meet and Drive for RX8 owners in Michigan (and maybe include NW Ohio and Northern Indiana owners as invited guests, too).

I'm kinda new to this website, so my post may not be all it could be. Please be patient with me. Anyway, here’s some preliminary ideas I have. If you live in Michigan, please respond to all the requested information below. And, reply to the other thread I will start about compiling a current Michigan list of RX8 owners.

If I pull together a Meet and Drive, it will be held in the Ann Arbor area (to make it easy for me to prep the event utilizing my local contacts). One possible date is Saturday, August 18. This Saturday is the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise in the Metro Detroit area. We could Meet in the morning and early afternoon hours in Ann Arbor and then afterwards -- for those who are interested -- head on over to cruise Woodward Avenue together as a group later in the day or evening.

1. Please respond to the poll question. This is simply a preliminary question to see if people are interested in coming August 18th -- or if another date is preferred.

2. If August 18 doesn’t work for you, does Saturday, September 8 work better as an alternate date? Please reply with your thoughts. I'll read everyone's comments and compile a consensus and add a new post to this thread.

3. Suggestions and Ideas: What would you like to have included in a Meet and Drive? Here are some ideas I have. Please reply and add to this list your ideas. We may not be able to do them all, but certainly want to do the best ideas and try to include what’s possible.

• If not go to the Woodward Dream Cruise, Drive instead a spirited 34 mile round trip from Ann Arbor to Hell, MI on a scenic, winding back road.
• Door Prizes: possibly items like Zaino products, digital tire pressure gauges, or I-pod with integration kit. We’ll see what we can get for donations.
• Free give-away items for all drivers. For example: RX8 Club decals, product samples, discount coupons, log book (to keep track of awful gas mileage), etc.
• Photos: taken of entire group and each car with driver. (My daughter is a graphic design major in college. Maybe I can entice her to take photos and do the graphics?)
• Presentations and Demonstrations. For example: paintless dent repair, DIY paint chip repair, modifications (by different owners), etc.
• Meet T-shirt (again, maybe my daughter can do the graphics?).
• Discussion with Mazda rep.
• Discussions with invited product reps, for example: tint, tires, local Mazda Service Dept, etc.
• Schedule some open time (1-2 hours) for the public and press to come and view everyone’s cars. Time to show off a bit and entice new owners.

• Got any more ideas or suggestions to the above thoughts? Or something else?

4. If you might be interested in helping plan and host the event, let me know. Subscribe to this thread, too, so you can keep informed easily.

sleddog_racer

I love the idea of a 'cruise' no matter where we go; I don't necessarily need any 'freebies'---they won't infulence my committment level at all although they are always nice to get--- but discussions with product reps or MAZDA rep would be great as would demos on paint chip repair, dent repair, etc. Of course a group pic and t-shirt are obligatory and I for one don't mind paying for that. If I were around more I could help but lately I travel 5 days out of 7 (yes, sometimes weekends too) so I don't want to promise something I can't deliver. Let's go!

Rotaryspeed18

I'm up for it...

Paint and chip repairs are always good thing to learn.

If there will be anyone there looking to buy a new RX8 I can get some X-Plan Pins for a discount off the cost of the car before tax. I can even recomend a dealer and salesman. Only applies to a new car purchase and I have a very limited amount of pins. So this could be used as a raffel type prize.

Kors-jan: I have to look into the total amount of pins I get for x-plan, if this sounds like a good idea let me know and I will look into it further.

PhreakdOut

Rotaryspeed18, thanks for digging up this thread!! Nice to see someone knows how to use the search button! LOL.

I was avoiding the 18th because of the Dream Cruise. However, this would work out well.

Suggestion:

I'll setup the Holly Run (per the Ferrari Owner's Club Directions) and we can do the dream cruise later. One of the members on MIRotaryClub.net has access to a place to park for the cruise. I can check to see if they have space for RX8Club members. They were talking about BBQ'ing there. It would be good for our group to show good hospitality by providing some food and drinks in exchange for parking places.

Please Post up if you're interested in
1) The A2 to Holly, MI run

2) Woodward Dream Cruise (and possible BBQ with Michigan Rotary Club members if they have space.) Otherwise, we can meet and cruise it anyway.

MI_FamilyMan

First off, I would like to give you guys credit for keeping the Michigan RX-8 enthusiasm alive. I love my car as well, but for a variety of reasons it always ends up being my last priority!
However, please keep things going and don't get discouraged by the sometimes weak response. I'm sure everyone is still out there trying to keep up on things. I hope one of these days I will find enough freedom in my schedule to attend one of the events. Take care!

kors-jan

Hey, Your family -- "MI_FamilyMan" -- is far more important than your RX8, which after all is nothing more than a wonderful pile of metal, leather, rubber fluids, etc. A famous man once said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" I love my RX8, but it's down the list of my priorities. (The wife of a friend of mine died giving birth yesterday (first child), for example, to put things in perspective). Hope to meet ya sometime. Kors-jan

MI_FamilyMan

My gosh Kors-Jan, I am so sorry to hear about your friend's wife. That is so unfair. I hope that your friend has the support he needs during such a tragic event.
I understand what that's all about, having had both my children born 3 months ahead of time......
Thanks for understanding and hopefully we will be able to meet up someday, thanks to our cars. Take good care.

kors-jan

Yeah, that's a hard one to understand. Docs couldn't stop the bleeding. She saw the baby, talked to her husband, and later died. Sounds like you and your wife had some difficult times too with pregnancy. I would assume since you are "Mi_Familyman" that you have your priorities in line. Looking forward to meeting you and hearing the stories sometime. Take care, Kors-jan

Jungleagent

I would like to do a meet and drive. Is it to late in the year to do a meet and drive?