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They have been making changes to the car, so if you buy a new 04 now, it's different than the first batch that came out. Just make sure to check the create date on the door jam.
They've tweaked build procedures for many things, in addition to newer version of the ECU, Nav software, etc. Most of the changes can be retroactively done to preexisting cars too.
The 2005 version isn't going to have much different than the new 2004's, so you should only wait if you think the 2005 will help you with resale value.
Originally posted by dondatdad Would it be too risky to buy the first generation car?
The '05 will still be the first generation car. You probably mean the first model year of a new generation car...
And even if that's what you meant, we're probably the wrong group to ask, since every one of us here that owns an RX-8 owns the first model year!
How badly do YOU want the car? There will be NO significant changes (not even any minor changes) between the '04 and '05 RX-8s. Is having the newer model year important to you? Do you want to be driving it this summer, or are you willing to wait until late September to be driving a new RX-8? Those are questions that only YOU can answer.
Regards,
Gordon
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Life is too short to drive boring cars!
___________________________________ 2004 Ti Gray RX-8 - Canadian GT, 6 speed, no moonroof, delivered July 22, 2003 1996 Miata leather package, soon to be faster than the RX-8...
2002 Audi allroad wagon - 2.7 twin turbo, 6 speed manual trans
I would wait for the 05s. Mazda may fix all the small issues that are in the 04s. If they don't, then you can probably get an even better deal on a leftover 04 since there seem to be a ton of them sitting on dealer lots.
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2004 RX8 Titanium 6MT GT
MS Springs/Shocks
Thanks for your input! Yes, I did mean first model year, not first generation. I was mostly concerned about technical glitches I read about ( such as flooding...) that hopefully will be fixed next year. Also, is yellow discontinued in '05? What about red and white? Thanks and pardon my ignorance on the RX-8, I am a novice at this.
If I was willing to wait till the '05s came out, I would wait and then buy a new '04 at a great price. I've had mine since Oct. and have no problems - seems to be the norm.
I think they lose the yellow and are bringing out a white in '05.
I was eager to get this car from the day it was released, but had vowed not to get a first year run. (I had many issues with my old '93 FD RX-7 and it was a torrid love/hate relationship.) However, a couple of things changed my mind. After following this forum for more than a year (I was lurking before I signed up in June '03), I believe all the issues thus far have been minor and the majority, if not all of them, are now fixed.
So if you buy let's say a March/April or later build '04 car, it's actually like a second year production run. Remember this car went on sale in April '03 in Japan, so it has already been out for over a year.
As others have stated, for sure you'll get a better deal on the '04 vs. '05. On the other hand, the '04 will have automatic depreciation vs. the '05.
But what really forced the issue for me was color choice, I WANTED YELLOW! Frankly, if yellow was confirmed as an '05 color choice, I would have waited for the '05. Having said that, I've had my car for two weeks now and it's a flawless gem! I just can't drive it enough!!!
Originally posted by dondatdad I was mostly concerned about technical glitches I read about ( such as flooding...) that hopefully will be fixed next year. Also, is yellow discontinued in '05? What about red and white? Thanks and pardon my ignorance on the RX-8, I am a novice at this.
The technical glitches are already fixed - the flooding issue, which was rare to start with and required specific circumstances (cold start, shut off within 2 minutes) to occur anyway, was fixed with the M PCM flash, released in April. There will be no difference in technical specs from the current 04s to the 05s.
Yellow is discontinued for 05. White is introduced for 05.
Regards,
Gordon
__________________
Life is too short to drive boring cars!
___________________________________ 2004 Ti Gray RX-8 - Canadian GT, 6 speed, no moonroof, delivered July 22, 2003 1996 Miata leather package, soon to be faster than the RX-8...
2002 Audi allroad wagon - 2.7 twin turbo, 6 speed manual trans
First cars off the boat, I would consider 1st gen 8. Now probably most of the major bugs have been worked out. If you plan on flipping the car inside of 3-4 years, then you are better to get an '05. If you are leasing, maybe better ot get '05 - the residuals will be higher and bring down payments. But then again, rates are edging back up and will probably nullify much of the effect of an increased resid.
Otherwise as others on this thread have indicated, get a killer deal on a late manufacture '04. You didn't indicate where you are from, but here in canada, Mazda was running a special lease rate for June and the residual values had not been decreased yet. Also, there was no security deposit required under that program. Heck I practically got the car for free.....NOT!
I had a trade-in as well, so if I waited for the '05, my trade would have been worth that much less if I would have waited. Mechanically, there is said to be no difference in the '05. Just some changes to the remote keys and color palette. I would hazard a guess that Mazda is contemplating the return of the RX7 to be performance leader rather than play around with the 8 for now.
Your real question should be: Should you get the 8 or wait around and hope Mazda produces a killer RX7?
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