Before I ask any questions, I just want you all to now that I have tried to search using the search feature in the forum.. and no luck, or answers to my questions. so please please help me out here and be patient.

Okay, so...

I'm planning on purchasing a new 8 around April. My real question is... would I be better of GT?? I understant that the major differences between the two model are the leather trim/upholstery, heated and adjustable seats.

Does the GS come with DSC/TC? If not, would I be better off with the GT?

I will be driving the car daily, in the snow as well...

should I get the GS or the GT?

(Keep in mind that I am young and that money does come into play)

Thanks alot for your help.

 

Murray16,

The GS does not have DSC/TCS.

To nicely summarize the differences pick up a brochure at a dealership: this gives a pretty good comparison of the two models.

Personally I think when you are paying 36 grand for a vehicle what's an extra 3K... but that's just me. The GS is still a pretty well-equipped vehicle.

 

I agree with 73JPS. What's $3K when you are already in for $36?
Also, if you don't want to go to the dealership to get a brochure, you can also see a decent comparison chart on Mazda's website.

It really comes down to: Is leather interior, DSC/TCS and HID headlights worth $3K to you?
Personally, I hate leather interiors, so I wasn't too crazy about the GT package, but I love my moonroof, so I had to order a GT in order to be able to get the roof.

 

Yeah, so if you want a moonroof... it's more like a $4000 upgrade if you were originally considering the GS. Murray16, you're probably a young punk that's gonna rev his engine at me at the stop light... don't try it j/k Listen, you're probably gonna finance the car, so that $3000 spread out over 4 - 5 years is chump change. After considering all this... you're gonna want the accessories too... this thing is a money maker for Mazda
:p

 

I think the GT package is well worth it. If you can afford to have it, definitely get it if you ask me. The real kicker here is the Nav system. $3000 !!! seems like a lot of money indeed ! but at the same timeeveryone who had gotten it, absolutely love it.....and it does seems to be quite useful .... hmmm

 

Sure the NAV would be "nice to have", but if money is tight, I'm sure you can do without. But you never had one, you would never miss it

 

I found that the extra features included in the GT package were well worth the extra $3K, IMHO. I don't have the moonroof, and don't really miss it - then again, if I could have got a car with it, I would have!

Regarding snow driving - there are many threads around here, but it's worth repeating - the stock OEM summer tires are completely useless in snow. Dangerous, and treacherous. Make sure to budget for $1500 - $2000 for a separate set of wheels and winter tires. That is ESSENTIAL. You can't get around in an RX-8 without winter tires - you'll bend it if you try. (Read the winter tire threads in this section especially, and in the Tires and Wheels section, for more details.)

Regards,
Gordon

 

Good point Gord, and it is worth noting the amount one has to spend on the tire package is getting up towards 2/3 the amount of the upgrade cost from GS to GT. So, Murray, I guess I would suggest buying the GT in the spring, and saving the tire package money throughout the summer so you can get those in the fall :D

Also, a couple of things I love about the GT that I never would have thought so important: the AWESOME auto dimming mirror, and the power driver's seat. Also, you can't beat the smell of leather...

PS... save $700 US for Canzommer's mod...

 

Okay, so I'm going to take your advice and go with the GT model. And thanks for the reminder with the snow tires. I currently run two sets of tires on my cureent car, a 1990 toyota celica. I am a firm believer of snow tires being a must on any car in the winter.

Thanks again for your advice... and I'll keep you guys updated on my progress.

P.S. - CrackerJax - I am a young punk lol... however, the celica that I am driving now is completely stock bodied.... the engine has a little work. I hate the speed-boy racer look. My 8 will be left looking fairly stock looking. oh, and I'm not a revver.

P.P.S - Canzoomer's mod???

 

We have so much to teach you.

Short form: piggyback computer that tunes the air/fuel on your factory ECU to allow the car to make the power it should (or Mazda claims it already does.)

There are TONS of threads about it.. in fact, there is a forum for it in the Vendors section of the site.


P.S. As for the snow tires comment... there are 3 RX-8s in my neighbourhood...not only is mine the only one being stored for the winter, but the other two are both running factory rims and tires. They are crazy.

 

I assume that they are not driven on the road if there is any snow on the ground... just too dangerous.

 

You'd think.
One of the couples, that owns one I've talked to a few times. (they own the Tim Horton's around the corner from my house, so I see the car frequently.) I mentioned the tires thing to them, and it looks like they only drive the car on dry days... (RX-8 is hers and I think they just car-pool in his truck on bad days.)

As for the 3rd one... a yellow GS... nope... drives it every day. I saw it with a nice layer of snow on it at the shopping center the other day.
Thankfully, Halifax doesn't really get all that much snow, or these people would be dead by now.

 

Budget $500 for Scotch "Stonguard" film installation too. Rock chips are a major drag!
Product has been recently re-named by 3M to "Scothguard Paint Protection Film"

http://cms.3m.com/cms/US/en/2-168/clelFFC/view.jhtml

Ming shops install the complete kit, factory diecut, bumber, 12" up the hood, fenders, and front of mirrors for $500 Canadian.

Don't worry about the lack of block heater. I park my car outside, and I have had NO troubles starting it. So far down to -30 with no issues.

 

A GS in the snow? Now THAT'S retarded!

 

okay.. awesome guys...
I went to my local dealership today and explain my situation to their rx-8 "specialist"... I use that term loosly because it turned out that I knew much more about the car than he did. I got the brochure.

I'm still up in the air about things right now. However, I am leaning towards the GT. I guess I'll have to see whats available in the spring.

So I'm keeping in mind the:
$2000 for snow tires
$700 for canzoomer's mod (thanks guys -- and canzoomer- I did lots of reading and thank goodness for you!)
$500 for scotchguard (thanks again canzoomer)

Thanks again for your help guys.


Oh.. and BTW, Wing, I've never actually driven a car with Traction Control and Stability Control.... so if I go with the GS, I won't even know what I'm missing. (And they arent necessary for the snow)

 

It really comes down to a question of "Is the GT pack worth the extra?"

When I started pricing out the two, I wanted a 'base,' clothseats, no nav, no leather, no decor at all, just the hi-power engine & limited slip.

Then MazCan announced the pricing in two packages, with the GT being $2800 more than the other.

Going by usual option package prices, the GT is certainly 'worth it', dollar for dollar. (Usual prices/other vehicles)
-4 leather seats (heated both sides, power drivers) $1500
-Xenon lowbeams (usually $1000)
-Other stuff, Stability control(?), Homelink mirror ($450)

Leather - never liked, had in my last Acura, hard, cold, nasty.
The '8 has soft, heated, COLORED, leather, a must have to finish the 'look'.

Xenon, never driven with it, big deal, annoying blue lights.
I will never buy another car that doesn't have xenon lights! They truly amazed me! Fantastic visibility, razor sharp cut-off, and peripheral vision WAY into the ditches/around corners, really wide.
I have upgraded 100 watt hi-beams, but I could have saved my money, the xenons overpower them in 90% of situations!

The other stuff - the stability control is quite nice, as soon a I feel the rear end start to swing - a few clicks from the DSC at the rear, and I am going dead straight again. More than a few owners now have the bad habit of going into corners too 'hot', and letting the DSC put them back on the rails! The Homelink mirror is a nice piece of kit - it is 'auto-dimming' another first for me, very nice on the highway. It also works as a garage door opener, up to three different codes. Also just about impossible to retro-fit if you don't opt for it at sale time. (I read a lot of posts about "can I get it aftermarket?")

So, my bottom line, the GT package IS worth every penny of the $2800, but you won't be TOO disapointed with the other, it is just not the same car.
.
.
.
doc

 

I agree with everything Doctorr wrote! :D

Whoops - that's Scotchcal - it's a clear vinyl film that goes on the nose of the car, also called a clear bra. It's sold in pre-cut kits by places like www.stoneguard.com and www.xpel.com . I got mine installed at a Calgary XPel dealer, and am also a huge fan of it!

Regards,
Gordon

 

I just thought I'd post my agreement with everything from Canzoomer, Doc and Gord. I love my GT, the leather seats are absolutely gorgeous, the Xenons are amazing and you'll love the DSC the first time it saves you from being a bit too generous with the throttle in slippery conditions. The price of the GT package is a bargain as far as I'm concerned. The clear 3M bra is a must as well, automotive paint just doesn't seem to hold up that well to rock chips these days, especially in the colder conditions we have, and the RX-8 has a pretty big front profile with a lot of paint that'll get hit with rocks.

I found it funny in some of the earlier threads when everyone was discussing the need for actual winter tires how some people that live in colder climates said they couldn't afford to buy an extra set of rims and tires and that they'd just make do with the stock tires.....what??? Some people were upset that the SPORTS CAR they bought came with summer high performance tires instead of all seasons.If you're spending over $40k on a car and you can't afford another $1500 for something that'll save your life you just might be over-extending your finances a bit. This just made me laugh. :D

 

Yeah.. I'm convinced.

Thanks again you guys. I'm definately pushing for the GT model for sure now. I guess it'll all come down to the day when I'm actually purchasing the car. I do know for sire it'll be an 8. I love everything about the car... it really is incredible.

BTW, I was looking at a titanium grey 8 in my local dealership's showroom. I noticed the hard clear plastic guards around the wheel-well rockerpanels. Are these what you guys are talking about?? Or is the scotchcal vinyl another idea that you guys found works best? And I didn't really look at the nose... but I don't hink it was there.. (I may of just answered my own question... but I need some confirmation.)

 

The stuff Mazda put on is similar to the Scotchgard film.
Worth the money to protect your paint.

I own the GT, and agree with the other comments.
The value alone makes it too good to pass.
I too would not be happy without the HID headlights.
They are amazing.

The rearview mirror, seats, leather, and so on are also excellent.

Seriously, if you can afford it get the GT.
The resale value should be a lot higher later on.

 

Okay.. then I haveta agree that the scotchcal is a definte investment. So, I know what I need and know what I want... now I just wait until I'm ready to buy.

Thanks again.

BTW, I don't want to make any plugs on this forum... but I run a very small custom t-shirt business (on the side). I wont go on continuing to advertise. But if theres anybody interested in having some shirts made... just let me know.

 

If you post your email address on a message then people can take you up on that offer!

 

lol.. sorry bout that

it is: Joseph_Murray_16@hotmail.com