Checked out the first RX-8 in CT...some thoughts
 

Now that they are getting delivered, I started calling around to see if any dealers in CT had received any yet....

Modern Mazda in Thomaston, CT received a Silver/Black letaher with GT Package preorder. They said I could come check it out. I raced up there after work...

First, the silver looked amazing. I am not usually a fan of silver, but it looked great! The car had the spoiler on it, which also looked much better than in the pictures.

The interior seems much improved over the pre prod model I saw at the NY Auto show. I have an Audi A4 so I am pretty particular about interiors, and the RX-8 is very respectable in this area! The seats were a delight, ergonomics were excellent, materials were very good!

The car looks smaller than I expected, and looks even more impressive in person than in pictures. Overall, the lines of the car were gorgous!!!

One thing that disturbed me a little bit was the amount of orange peel on the paint job. It was very noticeable and covering the majority of the car. If anyone doesn't know what orange peel is, check out the 350z boards where there have been many complaints about it. Hopefully this won't be a problem like with the Z's.

Overall, now after seeing the car and fiddling with it (although still not being able to drive one!) I am hooked!!! I really think Mazda has nailed this one, and I still haven't even driven it yet!! :D

Can you give a quick explanation about what "orange peel" is in this context? Thanks.

"Orange peel" is when the paint is not smooth and resembles the texture of an orange peel.

If you look at the paint and notice a bumpy, textured effect on the paint that looks like the surface of an orange, that is orange peel.

Basically, instead of looking glass smooth, it has a bumpy, textured look. It is only usually visable from close up.

Most manufacturers have some orange peel in their paint, lets just hope its not a major problem like it is with the new Z.

My red didn't show orange peel on it but orange peel is getting to be very common in factory paintjobs for some reason. I have looked at BMWs, Audis, Mecedes, Porsche all of which had a fair amount of orange peel in the paint. Seems like perhaps they are spraying the paint thicker now and it is causing more orange peel.

Perhaps it's because they're compensating for the easily damaged water based paint by spraying it thicker too quickly. Pure guesswork.

No Lensman, I did read a while back in Thecarconnection.com that auto manufacturers have to contend with ever tightening Japanese EPA standards for less volitile paints to be used. These new formulations do not always produce the best finish.

Matt,

I bought my first car at Modern Motors (now Modern Mazda, I guess) back in 1977. It was a 1974 RX4 coupe with 4-speed, rear louvres, speakers built-in to the back seat, and a mirror strip that ran across the top of the windshield that spelled out "MAZDA". That was a great car! Anyway, the guy I bought the car from is still working there - Steve V. My brother-in-law now works there. If I didn't live in San Diego, I'd be over there, asking him to let me test-drive the 8.

I went on to buy another Mazda from Steve, an RX3 wagon, and then picked up an RX3 coupe from a different dealership. After I arrived in CA, I bought another RX3 coupe, but donated it to charity 5 years ago. Although I still have a Mazda, I really miss those rotary engines - nothing like them in any other car.

Dave

That's awesome!!! This was my first experience with Modern Motors, and they seem really great. The 2 salesmen that met me were very friendly, although neither of them were Steve unfortunately. When I am ready to buy the RX-8, I think I will definitely go to them. They seem to be the best Mazda dealer in CT.