RenesisMsa

Hi All,

On the last tank, I got a 12.5l/100 km, I was very surprised but maybe it is due to the fact that I mainly did highway (320 km highway and 80 km city).

Cheers
RenesisMsa

Eric

RenesisMSA,

I think you broke a record!!!

I never did better (besides the first two times) than 6-7 km to the liter.
Did you drive at various speed or a constant speed ?

Last weekend, after a couple of weeks hard labour, I washed my 8. Found a bad scratch on one of my alloys. Could something like that be repaired ???

I have got also some little damages on the hood, form little stones I guess. I wonder if those can be made less visable.

In two weeks my 8 is going to the dealer and the brake claws are being painted. Also I will get, on both sides, stainless steel plates in exactly the shape of the ones that are mounted at Mazda.
So, not the lower ones (which can be replaced by a Mazda item) but the higher ones which Mazda has no alternative for.
Once mounted I will try to post a pic.

Regards to all of you.

Eric

RenesisMsa

Hi Eric,

I was driving between 115 km/h and 160 Km/h. But most of the time I was around 130 km/h. I hope to have again this consumption level, let's wait and see.

For your wheel, I am not sure that it can be repaired. I know that there exist some products (cream based) to protect and make re-shine the wheels but can probably not do a lot against a big scratch.
For the hood, I suggest you to buy the re-touch pencil from Mazda, if you do it yourself very carefully you should be able to get a good result (I just advice you to try first not on the car to see the size of the little color drop you need to have and see how it dries up - most of the time it deflates a lot so you need to put a significant amount of paint that will in fact when drying reduce a lot and so be flat with the original paint of the car). One more advice, try to do it when it is not too warm otherwise it will dry up too fastly and the result will be less good.

Yes pics, it is a good idea.

Rgds
RenesisMsa

TheChimiste

Good job RenesisMSA !
Real record !
I've never been under 14-15L/100km even with highways.

Eric, for your brake claws (you mean calipers ?),
I've contact my dealer and the importator in Belgium
about oxydation of the calipers that look ugly now...
The importator give me the opportunity to make an appointment
with a mazda inspector to find an good answer to that problem....

I think this problem will happend to all of you...

IKnowNot'ing

Hi Caecil,

I'd be happy to contribute to this BeNeLux thread.
I started the French speaking thread because I suspected a few French speaking Belgian visitors were a bit put off by this Dutch only thread and therefore remained silent.
Now that things are mainly back to English, I will visit this thread again time to time. By the way, I can't see anything wrong with your English!
And good luck waiting for your RX8.

Caecil

Thanks all for your kind reply. IKnowNot'ing, that was what i was affraid for, turns out that my French reading is sufficient enough to feel when I've messed up! It's realy nice of you to say that you can't see anything wrong with my English, but that is because I avoid writing a lot of words.

I visited Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) a week ago. Fuelprice over there: 0,58 Euro p/l. No worries there about fuelconsumption!! Would be great to drive a RX-8 over that nice curved roads, but watch out for the wild goats!

Spoke to my dealer last friday. According to his list, my 8 should arrive first of May (saturday?), but could be 3 weeks earlyer of 3 weeks later. Great information! Now I really know what all you guys had to go through.

Still searching for a good insurance. I know it all depends on individual situations, but a lot of (the cheaper companies) don't want to take the risk for this car because of the price or the amount of bhp! According to the dealer there could be problems after upgrading the cars' original alarm to a "class 3" system (only in Holland ?) while most insurancecompanys want a class 3 system or higher.
How are your experiences?

Eric

Hi Ceacil,

It is nice your car is due to arrive. I hope for you it will be 3 weeks earlier.

About insurance I can tell you that I have met know troubles at all. I think it depends on your historie and age. But it has, to my opinion, in the Netherlands, nothing to do with BHP or price. It could be that the smaller company's try to avoid risks, but the more known could not give you any problems.

I took a classe III alarm, but it was not a must. The classe II alarm that is on the car is not SCM certified in the Netherlands.
Taking an upgrade gives sometimes discount on insurance premium.

Have a nice day.

Eric

Caecil

Hi Eric,

My history and age are not the problem (maximum bonus now). It´s just that my current company (and two others I asked for information) only want to insure cars with a maximum of E45.000. About the bhp, that is what one insurance-salesman told me, also to my very big surprise. Wouldn´t believe him at first, but he assured me it was the truth.
I do have an offer via Autopalace Den Haag (with "Mazda polis")but, as a true Dutch, I want the best insurance for the lowest price! So i´m still searching.

Was your classe III alarm installed by your dealer or a specialized company?

Grts,
Caecil

Eric

Hi Ceacil,

Look on the internet for a good offer for your insurance.
Perhaps at www.independer.nl
My 8 is insured at Centraal Beheer. A reliable company and a very resonable price.

The alarmsystem was mounted by my dealer. I must say, they did a perfect job.

I believe you live in Beverwijk. I have got family in Haarlem, so, ones you have your car, we could arrange something and go, perhaps, to Bloemendaal to make some nice pics. Maybe some other owners could join.

Greetings,

Eric

Caecil

Hi Eric,

Thanks for sharing, but I already visited that side several times.
I will however phone your company.

Used my lunchbreak to visit the Mazda dealer in Alkmaar. They´ve got a red one (upgrade) overthere and I had to see (again) if I made the right choice. They sold a black HP and a red SP. I told the dealer about the link to this forum on the mazda.nl site and he assured me to pass it on to the new owners!

Looking forward to a meeting. But if you visit Haarlem earlyer, please let me know. A Titanium RX-8 must make a great picture next to a Thundergrey MX-6!

Caecil

Eric

Hi All,

Seems that a local Mazda dealer in my hometown gives a discount up to 6000 euro's on two 8ths in his stock. Sales of the 8 are going very slow in Holland, even under expectations.
People don not know whta they miss .......

Ceacil, did you had any luck in finding the wright insurance yet?
The idea of meeting with your MX6 seems to be a good one. Let's make an appointment ....

Heard nothing from my friend Patrick for a while. Hope things are going ok in Belgium with you and the family.

Enjoy your easterholidays and hope to have a meeting of some kind soon.

Corrie & Eric

Patrick

Hi all, I'm back,

Not that I was away, but I had a busy time at shool and home.
I mounted the self-made door-sils and finishers for the exhaust. I will take some pictures and post them.

Now I am in the finishing fase of shaping my spoiler; should be painted and mounted by my dealer.

In Belgium, Eric, we see the same slow sales. I thing many people doesn't know the car and its engine.
So, our forum while go slow also. I read on the web that for Belgium (in january) there were a 100 cars sold, so they will be delivered from end next month. We must still be a bit patient. Let us keep the forum alive (and kicking ?).

This evening we're leaving for the coast; time to read a lot and take the pictures.

So long guys
Glad there are some new names on this forum

Stephanie and Patrick

Caecil

If that is true, I ordered mine to early! Ouch, that realy hurts.
Do you know which dealer and what 8ths (colour, SP/HP)?

IKnowNot'ing

I've a lot of discounted RX8 in Germany too. Check on www.mobile.de . I don't know why.

Caecil

Yes, that hurts also. In Germany prices are much lower already for the new ones, 33.200 Euro in Germany vs. 49.900 in Holland for the HP's. Maybe discounts over there because of more competition? There are some new models of German cars coming up. I've read that Mazda had some big improvement in salefigures last year in Holland (new 6 and 3), but i've no idea if that is the same in Germany.

Eric

Hi all,

Do you know what really haerts ..... having a ditch in your 8.
Not a big one, but a ditch. I know what the cause is, and yes, it was a very clumsy occasion, but I HAVE A DITCH IN MY 8.

As my car is going to the dealer next thursday, for mounting the plates and painting the calipers, I will ask them if they can repair the ditch without painting. It seems to be a new technic for minor damages.

I just washed my 8 at the office to give her a little treat, so she must feel ok for the coming easter holidays.

All the best to you and keep your car ditchless ....


Eric

IKnowNot'ing

49.900 for the High Power!! Are you sure it's not in Gulden? Here in Belgium, it's around 36-37.000Eur I think. A Low Power is 32.900 (and I got 8% discount).

Caecil

No i'm afraid not. Check out www.mazda.nl, mazda.de etc. You got the discount because you knew your dealer (brother of a freind, if my memory serves me well)?

IKnowNot'ing

God! I can't hide from you, can I? Actually, it's "a friend of my brother". And yes, it helped a lot. I however asked for a quotation from another dealer, he offered me 5% (3% base + 2% fleet as I have a VAT number) although Mazda advise not to discount them at all.

I don't understand such a price difference between 2 Benelux countries. Please NL buyers, come and buy them in Belgium!

EDIT : I just had a look on Mazda.nl. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! 40 grands for the base low power!!! It's under 30 grands here in Belgium. Is there 2 different Euro currency in Europe or what!? Ceacil, how much did you pay for yours???

Caecil

I'm sorry, don't know what VAT means.

About buying in Belgium, that won't help much. There's another tax that Dutch buyers will have to pay for new cars (I believe it's called BPM but i'm not sure), and then it will be almost the same amount of money. Plus of course the trouble of finding a dealer in Belgium, who is willing to sell and go to all the trouble.

Same diffrence in prices for Nissan 350 Z, Audi TT, and so on. Yes it is a shame.
A while ago i've read somewhere that prices of cars are one of the lowest in Europe, but al the cars I can think of are more expensive over here.

You already know what I payed, but maybe you just won't believe it, so here it comes again: 51.757 Euro, only to get a red one (red costs more than black or yellow) and "afleveringskosten": full fuel, wax.
Now you may also understand why I still drive a 9 year old car, I had to work very hard and save every cent (gulden and euro) to get a "dreamcar".

IKnowNot'ing

Caecil,

VAT = BTW.

We have a Registration Tax to pay in Belgium, on top of the selling price. It's about 2250 Eur for the Low Power and 4500 Eur for the High Power.

Wat betekent BPM in het Nederlands?

I've heard too that cars were cheaper in NL. Maybe the tax you mentionned is for Dutch buyers only and does not apply to exports.

I certainly believe you. And I'll never complain any more about our Belgian Registration Tax!!

Caecil

IKnowNo'ing, I hope you want to read the following in Dutch, i've copied the following from the official Dutch Tax site and I find it to hard to translate in English.

"Belasting van personenauto's en motorrijwielen
Voor iedere personenauto die in Nederland wordt geregistreerd, moet belasting betaald worden. Deze belasting heet BPM: Belasting van personenauto's en motorrijwielen.
Als u in Nederland een nieuwe personenauto of een nieuw motorrijwiel koopt, dan wordt de aangifte van BPM via de officiële importeur verzorgd.

Ook de aangifte van overige kosten, zoals Douanerechten en BTW, worden dan via de importeur verzorgd.

Als u zelf een personenauto of motorrijwiel uit het buitenland haalt, als u een bestelauto ombouwt tot personenauto of als u in Nederland rijdt met een personenauto of motorrijwiel met een buitenlands kenteken, moet u zelf aangifte doen van doen van BPM"

In short: it's an extra tax.

Now you know a little bit more

IKnowNot'ing

Thanks Caecil,

Interesting. It's an extra tax indeed, like the one we have in Belgium. Ours is less costly apparently and also, it must be paid directly to the tax office upon registration of the car, not to the imorter/dealer.
It's about time that all taxes be harmonised in EU !
I've heard that our Belgian Registration Tax should disappear around 2006. They will probably find something else to compensate.

And have a good Easter weekend.

Eric

There's another thing.
For foreign buyers, cars are very cheap in the Netherlands.

Car manufactureres give a lot of discount on their cars when selling them in Holland. That is because of the high taxes.
They have to do so, if they want to sell cars here.
Buying, as a foreigner here in the Netherlands, gives you two benefits.
1. No VAT
2. No BPM
So cars are often much cheaper than in their homecountries.

Eric

Patrick

Eric,

I do also have a little ditch I received on a parking place. It is so small I just noticed it cleaning the car. I was furios but the ditch is nameless so... if yours is repaired, could you tell me how they did it and by wich means or technic; it could help me.

How is it going now with the sales ?

Yes, Eric, perhaps we bought to early but I couldn't wait any longer, I had to switch cars.

regards,

Stephanie and Patrick

note : trough the forum someone from Gent contacted me yesterday with some questions about our 8