Pork Chop

Nissan seems to have had some success with their 350Z pre-orders (~7000). They offered the pre-order starting in January and after 7 months, the cars are finally about to arrive later this month.

I think a pre-order is a great idea. It sidesteps the dreaded dealer markups that plague every new release. You also get to order the car exactly the way you want it, rather than choosing from what's available in the dealer stock (true, you could custom order one, but there's a wait for that).

Do you think the pre-order is a good idea? More importantly, would you be willing to pre-order a car, without ever seeing it, sitting in it, or even test driving it?

I think I would be willing to pre-order one, but only if the specs are known at the time of pre-order. Nissan was a little vague with the 350Z's hp and weight. They estimated "280+ hp" but never even listed a weight. Yet, they still managed to get that many pre-orders without being clear on the specs!

block911

Id' have to actually see the car and test drive it. The hawaian dude in the Road and Track video looked like he had to struggle to get into the back seat with the back door open.

zoom44

yeah but remember he didn't even fold the driver seat or move it forward.

boowana

Where do I sign? I hope Mazda sees this and offers apre-order program. They should be able to do this by October if my calculations are close. A list of options and colors along with a "not to exceed' rice list will work for me.:p

RXRX

yeah..if i could pre-order a rx-8 right now..i wouldn't hesitate

mg93r1

A pre-order would be sweet, but I doubt Mazda would do it.

Is there a waiting list at least, or something of the sort. I'm not all about paying a dealer mark-up, but I've been waiting for a couple years now :D

ZoomZoom

Does anyone know why the US dealers and not taking pre-orders? I pre-ordered mine back in April and I have heard of others pre-ordering earlier than that.

Rich

Did you pre-order (set price, select options, etc.) or provide a deposit to get on a dealer list? They're two totally different things.

BlueAdept

A pre-order program could give them bad press if they can't keep up with demand.

It could take them a while to ramp up production.. remember they've never made the rotary in huge numbers.

Pork Chop

BlueAdept, you're right about the production lag, but then again, a pre-order probably wont sell that many cars (only 7000 in Nissans case, out of the expected 30000 annual sales).

The major problem with a pre-order would be the lack of "regular" cars that are available for the rest of the buying public. If all the production efforts are aimed at the pre-orders, every car that comes into the dealer lot gets immediately sent off to that customer, leaving the dealer with nothing to draw in the rest of the buying public.

Futhermore, if you're the customer who was interested in the Z, but wanted to wait till it came out, how soon before he can test-drive one of these things?

I wonder how Nissan will solve this problem. The pre-orders are being delivered in a 3 month period, beginning right now (a few people have reported that their cars have arrived yesterday). Will the dealers have any cars on the lot? They'll probably have just a handful, which will undoubtedly be marked up.

On the other side of the coin, a pre-order system really does reward the true enthusiasts, by letting them be the first ones to get the car, without having the hassle of fighting over the first few allocations on the dealer lot.

ZoomZoom

Yes I did pre-order, but what that means is that I have already paid $500.00 (refundable) and I will pay MSRP when the car is available. I will be able to pick my options once they are finalized some time in October or November.

The dealer is expecting a total of 3 cars next year and they have pre-sold them all last April. I doesn’t sound like this dealer is going to draw anyone into the dealership because they will not have a rx8 sitting in the showroom for sale.

Rich

I wouldn't consider that a pre-order, but it's purely a semantic argument, I suppose. If, however, you are choosing to use that definition of pre-order, then U.S. dealers are taking pre-orders as well.

houstonRX8

Hey Porkchop!

I actually pre-ordered the Nissan 350. In houston, we were all invited to a breakfast to privately view, sit in, and hear all about the car. So some of the vagueness was taken away and cleared up. I hope that Mazda would do the same. Just thought I'd drop some info to you.

HousonRX8

danielk015

iTrader: (1)

I would definitely be interested in a presale rx-8... have u guys heard how many cars wil hit the US, and about what month of 2003... hope the mark up is not high, that is why i would pre order

Quick_lude

Unfortunately for me I don't have that kind of money available to tie up if the car is a lemon or I don't like something about it.. So I'd rather wait until I can see it, drive it and smell it. :D Plus it will be nice to get all the specs finalized..

danielk015

iTrader: (1)

I agree that waiting might be a good thing.. but i am sold on the rx-8 and can not believe that it will be nothing sort of a great car. .. but do you guys know when it will hit the states and how many cars will be built this year??? thanks

Rich

Published reports seem to be around the May timeframe. Dealers have said everything from late this year to over a year from now.

soon2brx8

Whats up everybody! First post! I currently have a 99 monte carlo and cant wait to get my hands on one of these rx-8s! If they started taking preorders I would be right there in line. I have no idea when they start taking orders or when they will be available, I just know that is the next one in the driveway!:D

Hercules

Go to a dealer and talk to them. Get it in WRITING!

GOFAST

I got on the waiting list 6 months ago, but there was a deposit. I hope this car is going to be everything we want it to be and more. They never told me a set date and seem as if they keep pushing the car back. Only thing that really dissapoited me was the fact that they did not keep the EVOLV body style. It was almost enough for me to refund my deposit. After i thought about it i am hoping that the EVOLV kit will be available soon after its release date. Also I think it would be a good idea if they had a private meeting for the ones waiting for the car; to get in and sit and HEAR it. 'Side note the Navigation would be the best thing.....for instance when i get it im going to be driving it alot, and it would be a nice touch!