First of all I have to thank all of you for the wonderful input on this forum to help me make the correct decision. I have formerly owned 2 rxs and think that they are wonderful cars. Due to all of your inputs I decided to cancel my PreOrder because it either needs to wait for one more production year or be bought second hand at 20,000 to 23,000 dollars. I called my dealer at Lakewood mazda and spoke to the internet manager and he said that the $1000.00 dollar deposit was not refundable. We'll see about that. As a replacement I bought a 330i 2001 bmw with 26,000 miles for 29,900.00 dollars. It has lots of room and a very impressive motor that has more than enough horsepower for me, 0-6o is 6.1. I am sure that i made the right choice but will miss the Rotary. I still plan to buy a RX-8 but not for about a year and definatly not from Lakewood mazda. If any one out there is debating on getting out of there RX-8 I would highly reccomend test driving the newer version of the 330i

Good Luck to you all and thanks for the great input in trying to help me make my Decision


Brian K. Weicker

 

I don't know why you cancelled it and went with a car that, when I drove it... was much less fun to drive but hey...

to each his own.

 

I used to own a 2000 BMW 328i (which I bought used) with the Sport package and 5-spd manual. Man, that was a great car! The 2001 has 30 more horsepower (220 vs. 190), but I loved that car. It just wasn't practical for me at that point in my life. I traded it in for a 2002 Nissan Frontier pickup...everyone thought I was crazy. I haven't missed the BMW as much as I thought I would, because I get so much utility out of my truck.

 

Well, the 330i is a great choice.

I also had a '00 328i Sport 5MT (orient blue/black) and it's a great car. The 330i is even better. The sport package is needed for the most fun.

I'm getting the RX-8 over another BMW, but both are great choices and people should buy what fits them best.

Congrats!

 

Wow, what a coincidence -- mine was also Orient Blue/black!

 

Mine ended up at Park Ave BMW in Maywood, NJ it had about 30,000 miles on it with most options except the Nav and parking assist.

last 6 of VIN: G17465

Small world! Orient Blue was a nice color for that car.

 

'twasn't the same one then -- mine had leather, power seats, HIDs, and the Sports package...no other options. And I bought it in Charlottesville, VA and traded it in Roanoke, VA.

 

I'm not sure at all you made the "right choice."

You will be missing out on the joy of the rotary and I see nothing that will be gained by either waiting another year or going used except perhaps if you want to wait for your financial situation to improve.

But to each their own; if you feel the 330i is the car for you odds are you would have been unhappy with the 8 anyway as the 330i drives nothing like the 8 does, for better or for worse...

 

I would NEVER buy a first year car if I could avoid it, so good for you. I did it once and swore I would never do it again, but the RX-8 is too tempting and my current lease is over...

Just imagine getting the same car next year but with more equipment and all teething issues sorted out for $2000 less (i.e. at invoice) and with better lease rates to boot.

A personal example: my first year IS300 costs me $500 per month to lease - the same car a year later was $399 per month, and included vastly improved materials thoughout (the biggest difference), VSC, curtain airbags, full leather option, NAV option, 5MT option for less money instead of only 5AT, better paint quality, better tires, and more standard features.

 

I too was totally against buying a first model year car. I'm breaking my rule for an 8 for two reasons. First, car is a perfect combination of features I want (mainly 4 seater sports car), and second I've recently learned about how manufacturers cost out their products. Mazda will most likely do everything it can to keep the cost of the 8 constant for the next several model years. this will be in spite of the costs of materials rising with inflation. Car manufacturers cost out sometimes by better engineering, but other times by cheapening the vehicle. For example, I owned both a 1996 and a 1999 voyager. The 96 had a courtesy light under the hood and a light that lit the ashtray slightly at night so smokers could see it. Both these two lights were not in the 99 model, and yes both were the same trim line. So while I'm taking a chance that I may have some problems in my 2004 8 that is cleared up in the 2005 model, if you wait to buy the 2005 model you're taking the chance of paying the same price for a car with less features or other cost out measures, thinner padding, cheaper carpeting etc. In the end, no matter what you do you're taking chances that you made the wrong choice. I can't tell you how many times I've chosen the wrong check out lane at a store.

 

Also, I believe it's been on sale in Japan for over a year now, so it's not really a first model year car. It's just the first US model year (and the rest of the world).

 

On sale in Japan for over a year

I believe they were released in April in Japan - like four months ago. But they did make a few manufacturing changes after the initial Japanese production run.