claude4

Hi all,

Have been addicted to this site and have learned much from you all. Tanks.

I am seeing the manager of a Mazda dealer near me today (Country Mazda in Huntington, L.I. NY) and will probably put a deposit down on a Titanium 6MT, GT with side strakes, Black/Chaparral interior, floor mats and mud guards fore and aft.

He claims that cars coming into the USA this year are limited in quantity and that each dealer has certain guaranteed allotments that they can count on getting. In this dealers case, he claims to have 4 available for delivery n November. He is holding one of those for me to have configrued the way I want ot.

Today I am going to see the RX8 for the first time, see if I "fit in it".

If I like what I see, I will place a "refundable" deposit as I will have to wait until another test drive car comes in to see if I like the way it handles in regular day-to-day traffic. If I don't, the deposit would be refunded.

Is there any truth to the allotment quota being so low? or am I being sold ????


Either way, wish me luck as from what I have read and learnt so far, this car pushes all my buttons. My main concern os how quick will the car be getting off the mark from a red light withiout having to rev it like a teenager trying to be a hot shot.

Thanks,

Claude H.

Racer X-8

I believe it. Mine got 4 so far. I think 4 more are coming in 2nd (end of July) & about 4 more in 3rd (end of Aug - 1 is MINE!!!)...

You won't have to rev it much higher than normal if you don't want to. (I'm not gonna confuse you with numbers, I think you know what I mean without them.) (This car is not meant for stoplight racing.)

jtimbck2

My belief is that your dealer is being truthful as far as allotments up to the end of the year.

Come January/February, however, production will have ramped up to the point where almost any dealer you go to will have plenty of RX-8's in stock for you to choose from. That is, if Mazda can resolve their port-to-dealer delivery problems.

RobDickinson

Production IS limited.

The UK gets 2000 in the first year with 1000+ ordered already (delivery starts in november).

Were actualy quite upset people are walking into dealers in the US and getting a car right then, before us Euro-pre-orders are.

TreknMazda

For the pre-order program there were limits on how many cars each dealer could order. Ranged from 1 to 24 or so depending on dealer's size, location or some other Mazda measure. Most dealers ordered the maximum allowed even if they did not have pre-order buyers for them. That means there will be cars for sale at some dealers way before November. For example, my dealer in Northern Virginia is receiving 12-15 cars in August and only 4 (last time I checked) are sold. I think I may have sold two more when I was there Tuesday night and let some folks look at my RX-8.

I kind of doubt there is an allotment scheme for future orders since Mazda wants to produce/sell 12,000 by the end of the year. Budaman (our forum dealer rep:D )could chime in about now with what restrictions or order deadlines, if any, have been placed on dealers ordering RX-8s. My opinion is your dealer only ordered four cars by choice. November seems about right for delivery of a new order. Your dealer sounds like he is treating you fair with the refundable deposit and all. If you have other dealers near you, you might find another RX-8 to test drive. Good Luck!

claude4

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

I feel, not having met this guy, that he is being honest. Just thought I'd ask anyway.

I am surprised that it will take to November though, if the dealership had placed "unsold" pre-orders.

Should I repsond back to U all with the results of 2days visit?

Thanks,

Claude H.

rx8racer

Claude,
My dealer has the Titanium 6sp grand touring with red/black interior in stock and for sale if you are interested. It was my car and I switched colors. It is at Park Mazda in Akron Ohio. If you call them, ask for Erin. Tell him you are calling about the RX-8 Mike cancelled. You should be able to get it below sticker. I did.

Mike

RX8Lover

I have my car preordered at Country Mazda too in huntignton. Which person are you dealing with? My guys said the second allocation of cars (which my preorder is in) will be here at the end of August.

Gord96BRG

We're upset in Canada too - Mazda Canada is only being allowed 700 RX-8s for the first year, and over 2000 deposits have been placed!!! I lucked into buying mine from a small-town dealer where the person who had the only deposit on an RX-8 wanted an automatic, and the one RX-8 that dealer is getting this year was a manual.

It's pretty bizarre - I don't follow why Mazda isn't producing more Canadian and UK spec cars. In Canada, Mazda has about double the market share that they do in the US (for example, they sell 6% of the Canadian new cars whereas they have 3% of the new car market in the US (numbers for illustrative purposes only)), yet they aren't interested in meeting the obvious demand here for more RX-8s?? Sigh.

Regards,
Gordon

budaman

The ordering and allocation process is a bit complicated so I'll try to simplify it and give you the Readers Digest version. Up to this point, Mazda has decided how many RX8's they can build. Each of the Regions get an allotment based on Region sales. Each dealers allocation is based of their total carline sales since there is no sales history on the RX8 yet. The larger the dealer, the more cars they are able to order. For example, we sell the most cars in the Gulf Region. So far there have been 6 allocations and we've earned 12,20,24,13, 18 and 20. On the ordered units, we can go in and change models, colors etc. until it has been assigned an actual build date. So, the only orders we can change now are the Aug and Sept. build cars. The others we can only change the dreaded PORT INSTALLED OPTIONS. This is where it gets tricky for the consumer. If they want a car a certain way and are not willing to make concessions, unless the dealer has that car already built, they would have to change a future order which means the customer will have to wait until Sept/Oct for Aug build cars and Oct/Nov for Sept build cars, or keep checking other dealers to see if they have the exact car they want coming in. Now, if your flexible on a few options etc, a larger dealer in your area probably has a car coming in that you would be able to get much quicker.

Racer X-8

Yeah, OK, but how can I get one in Richard Petty blue?:p





edit:

| | | | Errrr...Herrrrrr,I get it! But you meant Pontiac, didn't ya?
VVVVV

budaman

You'd probably have to order a Chrysler product for that!

claude4

Hi all,

I ordered from Bruce Martin at Country Mazda in Huntington, NY

Titanium, Black/Chaparral GT, 6MT with side strakes, front/rear accents, mud guards all around at MSRP. Delivery of Oct/Nov.

Also asked him to make a call and request for auto climate control (It couldn't hurt to ask although I know the answer ;( ).

Nice guy, seemed knowledgeable and is one of the few sales reps I have dealt with that I didn't feel the need to wash my hands after talking to him (No offense to ALL you good sales people out there).

BTW: I will test drive the RX8 next week or so. I liked the look of the silver/black one in the show room.

Bose system sounded so-so for the few minutes I tried it.
High window sills, good space in rear seats, larger than expected trunk (God forbit, when I get a flat though).

I'm thinking of having a detailer paint a couple of thin red/blue stripes along the length of the side of the car (thin ones along the upper curvatures). Have to ask Bruce if he knows of someone.

About 34K including taxes and charges.

Claude H.

RX8Lover

i have been dealing with Bruce too! He's a great guy, and doesn't seem like the typical "salesman". We was pretty honest when it come to the price, saying he was more about selling by the quantity, not by upping the price like some dealers (Smithtown Mazda being one of them).

He told me there's a silver one on the floor if I want to look at it.

claude4

RX8Lover,

Go for it!

All those finger prints you see are mine on that silver car in the show room

Curious, I was feeling under the front wheel well and noticed that it was made of thin plastic, unlike the rear wheel well which seems to have that thick, rough undercoating. Strange no?

Don't know who you are, but if you do go see the car ask to play a CD in it and tell me what you think. I tried my copy of Santana and was not impressed.

Perhaps a little Led Zeppelin!

Claude H.

RX8Lover

I've heard that the stereo isn't anything special, but I will ask to try it out. Did you talk to Bruce about the spare tire? I have read that some people are getting their dealer to throw in the spare, since getting only a tire repair kit on a 30,000 car is ridiculous.

claude4

Actually, I need the trunk space and getting a spare tire "hung", as it would be, in the trunk would really cripple any useable space that there is in the trunk, which isn't small at all from what I saw (as longf as there isn't a spare in it). So: No I didn't ask.

Bu as I stated earlier: "God forbit when I get a flat tire, What am I gonna do?"

Claude H.

BTW: do you have your RX8 or when do you expect delivery?

ggreen29

I got the spare and was pleased at how much room was still available. Of course your luggage may vary, but I'd recommend getting a view of a car with a spare first to see if it'll work for you.

RX8Lover

mine is set to arrive week 4 of august. i have an eclispe now with 18" rims and got 3 flats in the past 6 months commuting on the LIE (all the construction is killing my wheels). I really can't risk being stranded with a flat.

9 times out of ten, when you get a flat on an 18" tire, it is on the sidewall, which can't be repaired, and the fix-a-flat thingie is to iffy in my book. I would rather sacrafice trunk space for peace of mind.

grogiefrog

Luckily I have never had a flat tire over the years (I have always bought good tires). I have had several nails, but it never caused an immediate flat. But, I would as well get the spare. I could just see it, driving down a country road where the cell phone doesn't work... POP!

RX-8 Zoomster

I'll jump on this "hi-jacked" thread and comment on the tire issue.

Honestly, I don't know what the big deal is not having a spare. If I got a flat, I have two options. 1) use the 4 year road side assistance and have them come out and give me a tow. I considered that the same as AAA which worked for me on my other cars. 2) Use the patch kit, and drive it home myself.

I guess to some, having the comfort of carrying a spare is worth it. Again to me, it's no big deal since I have the roadside assistance and patch kit.

To rescue this "hi-jacking":
I can't answer better than Budaman. He knows the scoop on the allocations. And in regards to your dealership, Buda, man that is a lot of allocations. My dealer is only getting in about 5-6 per month, and he's in Tampa.

BillK

If you only drive in urban areas, this is no problem.

If you drive in the West, where cell phone coverage may be limited, and even if you do reach AAA, it may be three hours or more for AAA to reach you and tow you to the nearest town (where you will have to stay for the three to four days it will take to have a tire that would fit shipped in), it's an all-around bad deal. The patch kit also won't work if you have a flat due to anything bigger in diameter than a nail or if the puncture is in your sidewall.

So yes, it can be a big deal, it just depends on where you live and drive.

Even if you do live in an urban area, think of how long it would take to get towed if you lose a tire on the highway half way between Los Angeles and Las Vegas...

RX-8 Zoomster

You are right that depending on where you live you MAY want to consider carrying a spare. And you can justify it by taken everything to the worst case scenario. The law of averages say it won't be that bad.

Like I said, I'm not worrying. The law of averages say that I won't have a serious blowout. My cell covers the entire US (roaming). Plus, if it happens I wouldn't mind waiting around for the wrecker. And who says you HAVE to put on the same make of tire. If you were in dire straights, I would slap some cheapy tire on. And it ain't hard to find some manufacturer of an 18" tire. I elected to not having the spare so I can have more room in the trunk plus having that balanced 50/50 weight ratio. I wasn't willing to pay the extra cash when Mazda offered the options of roadside assistance + patch kit.

To each their own.

BillK

I would say that but in my experience when you have to change a tire it's usually due to a sidewall puncture; if it's a screw or something else that can be fixed with the sealant you usually lose air slowly enough that you can make it home before the tire goes flat.

Also, around here "out of cell phone range" isn't that far out of the way; I can drive about 25 miles west of where I am now and cell phones just won't work (mountain valleys are bad that way.)

Finally, if you call a tire store in someplace like Rock Springs, WY (small but right off a major freeway, I-80), you may or may not be surprised by the availability of an in-stock 18" tire that would fit the RX-8's wheels...

chinx

hmm... are the tires run-flats? or did the guy at the dealer lie to me today?