shazusa

Well I broke down and got the thing. I bought a Mazda RX-8 yesterday. It is Black with the Sport package, which has everything you need, but nothing that weighs the car down. You can see the specifications at:
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/disp...ehicleCode=RX8
...if you are so inclined.

Chris, my wife, and I drove from Peoria, Arizona to Hesperia, California yesterday. We left at around 8:00 AM. We had people lined up to watch Adam (my son) after school. Ideally we wanted one of us back by 6:40 PM to pick him up, but we had two other people on backup if we didn't get back--both of whom it was incoveniencing, since they had other things going on. It was pouring down rain the whole day. Unfortunately we waited too long to replace the tires on our van, and by the time we had gotten to Banning, California, I could no longer reliably control the thing! We drove into town and waited two hours at a Goodyear tire place while they replaced our tires. My bad! About 7 miles before we arrived to the seller's house we saw a backup on the highway that extended for many miles. There was fog and there were jack-knifed trailers and crashes with fatalities. We thought that there was no way we were going to go back home that way--and we were already late!

We finally arrived to the seller's house at around 3:30 PM (we planned between 12:00 and 1:00). The seller had the car immaculately detailed--complete with beams of light shining from clouds and angelic voices singing--OK, I made that up. The car looked perfect. I took it for a test drive with Chris in the passenger seat (she declined to drive because she wanted to get home) and it was awesome--the thing goes where you want it to go with very little effort even in demanding situations. I have to say that reverse is difficult to find, but I am getting the hang of it. Also, I have to stiff-arm sixth gear. It feels natural to go from fifth to fourth, and a little effort pushing outward takes care of it. Steering is quick and accurate. The suspension is firm and sporty. With the 18" wheels and low-profile tires, the thing grips the road very well without leaving you feeling like you're teetering on the edge on an abyss.

The seller and I went to the notary public to notarize a signature. The notary there said he was the only notary there today and he was with a woman for two hours! The seller said that he had called earlier and the woman said it was OK for him to notarize our signature. Finally at around maybe 4:45 PM or so we left for home.

The ride home for me was quite easy. It was pouring down rain and the other vehicles were spraying water around. The trucks were asserting their positions unsafely on a number of occasions. The RX-8 handled unexpected situations with relative ease, with a tickle of the brake pedal here, and a slight steering correction there. On the highway, there was never a need to leave 6th gear. The car revs at around (a very rotary-smooth) 4,000 RPM at 65 MPH, but still has another zippy 4,500 to go before redline. Rotary engines just feel so different from reciprocating piston engines. Chris was driving the van and at least one semi truck almost ran her over when he decided to cut her off. From my vantage point, it looked as if Chris made a well-executed maneuver to brake and stay out of the way. She later reported that she started sliding and almost lost control! Thank you, Yahweh, for your physical laws and your divine protection! She was pretty scared about that. I offered to let her take the RX-8 the rest of the way home, because it would have made that situation seem simple. For her, not knowing the car, she declined and just said let's get home.

We finally got home at 10:20. I got to bed at around 11:30. So I'm still a little tired today. I am also a little wired, though, with excitement! :-) I am still busy with finishing up with registration and insurance, so it will be a little bit before the whole transaction is complete!

I am no longer a wannabe! Woohoo! :D :D :D :D

RX-Hachi

Congrats and welcome! I have the sports package too. I chose it over the Touring or GT because it weighs a little less without the moon roof, bose, and all those other options. To me, less = more (speed).

MedicineMan

Congratulations. The car is just awesome. I know how you feel. I closed my deal at 7pm, Tuesday and did not sleep a wink the whole night due to the sheer excitement. I should have just sat in the car all night. 300 miles later and an Ambien last night, I feel much more rested but still exhilerated everytime I get in my Winning Blue RX8. Enjoy your new car (like you need me to tell you that )

-jd

Tayninh

You bought it from a private party and not a dealer then? Glad to see another happy RX owner.

red_rx8_red_int

Great post! And Congrats. Over a year after I took delivery and I still love this car!

truemagellen

best decision of your life!

hotpot

Welcome to the board shaz.
It's funny that you only reach 65 mph at 4000 rpm in 6th gear. At 4000 rpm I reach +75 mph on a level road.

RXE16T

Welcome aboard!

shazusa

Yeah, you know, after I posted that, I thought that maybe I had been wrong. I was! :o I actually go about 80 at 4,000--it's about 3,250 at 65! My bad! Chalk it up to newbie-ism.

shazusa

So you got yours Wednesday also?? Cool. I will remember you as the guy who got his RX-8 the same day I did.

Winning Blue is a good color!. It would be my second choice, next to black!

shazusa

Yes, I got it from a private party. Let me tell you, there's is a lot to do when you buy a car whose former owner has a lien on the title and you have to pay off his financial institution, get the title transferred to yours, and the Motor Vehicle Division is scratching its head saying "where is the title?"

shazusa

Yes, I did that as well. ...And I have been to the track before and that moon roof is not compatible with someone who is 6' 2" with a helmet. My first track day with the new car is Nov 7. I can't wait!! :D

shazusa

You'll notice that I have been on the board for a couple of months now. That's because you guys are the best source of information out there.

I was researching sports cars for a while. I test drove the RX-8 first. I test drove the 350Z on the same day afterward. I liked the RX-8 better. It wasn't faster, but so much else was better. I tried to test drive the STi. No dealership would let me test it.

I was hooked on the RX-8 since the test drive. Soon afterward I joined this friendly community and get information on a lot of stuff that helped me with my decision. Thank you all!

Now I wish the weather would clear up so I can was the thing! This is Phoenix for crying out loud. The poor thing shouldn't have to look like it does!

SpinninAgain!

Welcome oh ex-wannabe! I was gonna call you on the 4000rpm/60mph/6th gear thing but hey, it's already raining on you.

Good story, enjoy!

VooDoo

Welcome to the club and forum! Great decision to buy the 8

Rupes

Nice read. Congrats on your car.

-Rupes

MedicineMan

[So you got yours Wednesday also?? Cool. I will remember you as the guy who got his RX-8 the same day I did. Winning Blue is a good color!. It would be my second choice, next to black!]
Actually, got it on Tuesday. My last 5 cars have been black and I did not want another one ANYTHING BUT BLACK!! BTW, Yahweh is awesome!!!!!!