Drove an RX8 - WOW - buying questions..help
 

I posted here about a month ago...asking questions about the RX8.

Well I had the chance to test drive one yesterday. The test drive road was very twisty...perfect for a sports car. I must say I was blown away by how FUN the RX8 was to drive.

I currently drive a 4 door sports sedan with 350+hp and over 300lbs of torque. The RX8 didn't even come close to my car in terms of raw power, torque, - acceleration wise it was kind of "slow"....but in terms of the overall "fun" I had behind the wheel...wow. It reminded me a lot of my dad's boxster in terms of handling...

The dealer I looked at had two that interested me. One was a crystal white pearl touring model. it had the appearance package... looked very sharp. that white will look great with tinted windows!

they also had a stormy blue mica with sand leather. so it's the grand touring... 6 speed, with nav too. it was loaded... i think MSRP on this one was somethign like 34k. the MSRP on the touring was 31k? they seemed pretty close in price.

do the heated/power seats in the GT add much weight? in a car with power/weight like th eRX8...if you add 100 lbs...you're gonna get even slower... ho wmuch weight do the power/heated seats add versus the seats in the touring model?

is the crystal white or stormy blue color more rare or unique? th eRX8 is a unique enough car..but i wondred if either color was more "sought after". i liked the white exterior/black interior of the crystal white..very contrasting...sporty looking.

the blue with sand leather though had a more upscale look...very classy. i know it's totally subjective.

maybe any of you with pictures...or links to pis of the cars can add them.

i still can't get over how fun the 8 was. I was honestly expecting to be underwhelmed and disappointed. i kind of was in terms of power...it has some nice pull in the upper revs...and it was fun to wind it up to 9k....but by no means is the car going to win any drag races. but when the road got twisty..the car's turn in was so crisp.and it took the corners nice and flat... i guess part of it is that i have a 3700 lb sedan..and despite being AWD...it's heavy. a 3000 lb RWD car wtih the balance of an RX8 just carves through turns.

i had a big smile on my face when i got done with the test drive. and a car hasn't done that to me for a while. especially not one that costs under $35k!! :)

You like the Mazda service department?

get the white, and put some NOS in it, then youll be at 350+HP!!!

no, but seriously, I would go white in a heartbeat.... and your speaking to a guy who owns a black one.

Dont get me wrong my black is awsome, black car, black tint, black wheels. Its Super Stealth, but white is just Crisp and more unique.

Wait till you start dropping some money into mods, your smile will grow and grow.
this is just your starter kit. in this car, mods DO make a diffrence.

are you looking to auto-x or why the concern about shedding the weight? there is a thread with each piece of the 8 and how much it weighs but i'm too lazy to track it down. also, there is a multimedia forum that has calling all .... with each color so you can look at pics there. as for color choices it's all subjective. i love my NG but i know it's not everyone's sought after color. my sister has a SS and she would kill for the pearl but if i were in your shoes i'd go for the stormy blue mica.

i vote for the blue

I would be tossed for the colors. typically I would vote for the blue, but personal preference would keep my away from the blue/sand combo. black and white is always good. Since you like the blue/sand combo I would go for that one.

Colors come and go. They renamed the white this year. Get what looks good to you. I have a white, and I would NEVER get chrome wheels, but on a blue I would. It is all personal preference.

And I still cant get over how fun my car is. I still get that same smile on my face every time I drive it.

Seriosly, ask around and find out the reputation of the service department from the dealer. Also, since you have been driving a car with more HP and Torque, you might want to consider if that will become a issue in the long run and if you will miss that.

As long as you have a good service center, it sounds like a good match. I cant help you decide on color though.

i'd go for the white, it just looks so much better on the RX8. Unfortunately it waswnt offered when i got mine so i went with the red. I'm not sure if thre is such a thing as a sought after color just a matter of preference. but i'm sure all will agree that no matter what color you get, it'll drive the same way, unless of course you get the shinka package. Good luck

I vote white, the lighter shades of color RX-8 bring out the lines and bulging fenders more so than the Darker shades. Although i have to say the dark blue and tan interior is very classy like.

Power seat probably adds a 100 lbs or so in the car, but i mean what are you plannin to do with the car? Race, track? or daily driver?? In any event, the 8 isn't a drag racer, i'm sure you already knew that. But is great handler...and if you plan on taking it to some kind of race event then i would opt without the leather and power seat for the lighter weight advantage and cloth seats seem to grip better.

I had the same experince after test driving an RX-8. After so many reviews and hearsay about the car being and this and that, i felt it was more than adequate for daily driving and suprised at how smooth engine was. Driving is believing :). Get an RX-8!

I own a winning blue, but if i didnt i'd get the white, it just looks so freakin good.

white is sex

White is for cop cars and ambulances, not sports cars.

i vote for stormy blue mica, because that's a brand new color in US for '07 model year :D:

plus I LOOOOVE that shade of blue

+1 on white

It's a drivers car for sure, not for stats jockey or bench racer types. Been a year and a half, still love driving it. Oh, and silver rules, doesn't go out of style.

Is you were shocked at how much better a 3000 pound car handles than a 3700 pound car, go have a spin in a Lotus Elise for 10-15 mins.

Glad to see some people who are used to gobs of torque on their cars starting to understand that HP doesn't always equal driving pleasure!

amen.

\

Agreed but I think if the 8 had about 30 more WHP it would be much more popular.

A car is a combination of many factors. However, I dont think many people would buy a Ferrari if it only had 120 hp.

go with the white, the dealer told me when i got mine it is more of a exclusive "color" lol but i dont know much about that, but i dont see much whites around compare to the blues; )

i want to keep price3 down. the white is a touring with just the apearance package on it.

the blue one has leather, nav, it's a Grand touring..so MSRP is a few grand more... if I lease it..not a huge difference in payment..but some. maybe $50/month...

i almost debated about going with the white one and ordering a MS flywheel adn having the dealer put it in and finance that... ???

can you do that?

Get Phantom Blue ;)

You should be able to get a GT model (with most options except Nav - appearance package, splash guards, rotor emblem) for $31K if you haggle enough..AND..if you have good credit history..otherwise, you will be paying full MSRP..

Don't get limited to what is on the lot. If they want your business, they will find it and ship it to you. If the dealer isn't willing, try to find another dealer close to your area..you are in control..walk out if they are dicking with you..

white is nice.. but. go for the blue.. rare color... ull turn more heads.

one dealer had a fully loaded GT that had an MSRP of around 33k and they offered to sell it at 31k...

I figure i can get any of these dealers to come off MSRP by a couple grand. if I found a touring that i liked... i did find one..that white one..it had the body kit ... and the MSRP was 31k..so invoice was probably 28-29...i could get them down to taht.

on a lease...if i can knock the selling price down a couple grand, that may knock my m onthly down by about $50. not a lot..but it all counts.