bassy

I took for a test drive a 2004 RX-8 GT with a 6-spd today. When I stopped at traffic lights, I saw the shifter vibrating a lot when I put it in neutral. I pointed that out to the salesman. He then told me to blip the throttle while he held the shifter still. The vibration just went away. He said that the tranny caused the vibration, but it's normal. Is it really normal? The car has 22,2XX on the odometer. I have an Eclipse with 83,5XX miles, but my shifter never vibrates like how the RX-8 does.

Comments please?

Thanks!

Carrera26

Mine does the exact same thing, very normal.

expo1

some vibration at idle is normal. I have it for 91,000 miles and things are still fine.

CarAndDriver

You could always try a different 8. Try driving a new one.

Mine shifter vibrates but not terribly. If you change out the fluids to Royal Purple it might help.

Crazy Rx-8 Driver

you are pretty much sitting right on the damn thing, it's normal

Go48

There have been problems with motor mount failures, so if the shifter vibrates REALLY hard, that would likely be the problem. Check out this service bulltein:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com...21-06-1559.pdf

bassy

Phewwwsss...Thanks for the assurance, guys!!

I was worried, but I loved the car so much after the test drive that I decided to get it!

The RX-8 got a few nicks, dings, and scratches here and there, but nothing major. It's a Silver '04 GT with Nav and 22,2XX miles. It's listed for $19,363. I traded in my '97 Eclipse GS-T 5-spd with 835XX miles. My Eclipse has a bunch of mods (audio, suspension, brakes, intake, interior) etc. Those mods cost me anywhere from $8K-$10K. But the body structure of my Eclipse is pretty beat up because it's been hit and repainted before.

Anyway, with my Eclipse as a trade-in, I got the RX-8 for $17,500 OTD.

Here's to hoping that the RX-8 will last me a long while. I've had the Eclipse for 9 years, so...

Oh, one more thing, the build date on this RX-8 was in 05/03. Can I just go to any Mazda dealership and ask them to check for recall service and whatnot? Do I need to do anything to keep my newly acquired RX-8 in tip-top shape?

I guess I'll be a regular here from now on...

bassy

How hard is "REALLY hard"? I only know that the shifter in my Eclipse barely vibrates, if at all. It does stop vibrating totally when I blipped the gas, though.

expo1

Mine is a 5/2003 also and it has been great. I think that batch was the first to make it to the US and I don't really think too many 5/03 owners had major issues. About the only thing that effected all of the 5/03 was the oil pan TSB. I would ask the dealer to give you a list of all the work done on the car and if all the recalls were done.

bassy

Thanks, expo1!

Aseras

the only time my shifter ( or the car idle for that matter ) is when the A/C is on and I've got crappy gas ( like i was cheap and put 87 in ). If i'm running good gas ( and the fuel trim and advance isn't retarded from a prior tank ) I never have idle issues.
Mine's a 9/03 2004 rx8 LY as well.

Socr8tes

The Eclipse is front wheel drive. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the shifter plugs *directly* into the transmission like it does on the 8. Front wheel drive cars tend to utilize a linkage from the shifter to the transmission. This isolates the shifter a little better from drivetrain vibrations... which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.

CarAndDriver

Pics please.

DarkBrew

Yes. Pics please.

bassy

I'm now officially an RX-8 owner!

The RX-8 that I first looked at had some "issues," according to the salesman. I was going to pick it up this past Monday night, but since the dealership didn't think it was worth their time and money to fix whatever was wrong with it before handing the key over to me. So, the deal was basically off.

I was pretty bummed out. I started searching for another RX-8. I then came across an Arctic Blue 2005 TSX with 25,XXX miles, a silver 2004 BMW 325Ci with 32,XXX miles, a bright red 2004 Audi A4 3.0 Quattro with 32,XXX, AND a Galaxy Gray 2004 RX-8 with 8,500! Yes, just 8,500 miles! I actually had pretty good deals with both the TSX and BMW 325Ci and was pretty sure that I was gonna go with the TSX. But then I decided to go check out the RX-8 before coming in to write a check for the TSX.

So I took the RX-8 out for a test drive. Well, you all know the happy ending...

This RX-8 doesn't have the Nav like the other one was. But that wasn't terribly important. It wasn't a deal breaker. It's a GT model with 6-speed.

Everyone at my workplace loved the car. They all had nothing but nice compliments. I'm so happy.

I'll try to snap a few pictures and put them up here later.

bassy

So before driving the car off, I had to deal with the F&I guy. He showed me a bunch of add-ons, etc. One of them looked kind of "practical" in an economic sense to me. It's the 72-month, 100,000-mile extended warranty, which costs $1,895.

I had to debate with myself whether it was needed or worth it. In the end, I gave in and decided to get it.

Now, I'm having second thoughts again. Do you guys think I should get the extended warranty, considering that this car only has 8,500 miles? I can just cancel the extended warranty anytime.

Please give me some advice. Thanks.

DarkBrew

Generally you'll not benefit from it but, like insurance, it may make you feel more secure and, like insurance, is full of small print. Personally I'd take the money and put it in the bank for any future repairs.

astrozoom

An easy, quick way to get an idea if there are recalls still out on your particle car is sign up as an owner at mazdausa.com. If you put your VIN in, it should list if there are outstanding recalls. By the way, congrats and welcome to the family!

Huskyfan23

Congrats! Same exact car I have (2004 Titanium Grey RX-8 GT w/o Nav). Gotta tell you, you're gonna get stared at! In my opinion, besides Black the Titanium Grey is by far and away the best color.

Looking forward to seeing pictures! My GT has a Red/Black interior and the appearance package. How about yours? (just want to see exactly how similar our cars are).

Huskyfan23

An extended warranty is absolutely the right move, especially with an 8. Is it bumper to bumper or just powertrain?

I'm at 55,000 miles, and I need to add mine on soon. Seeing as how my car has been in to the shop like 5 times in the past 6 months, I refuse to be without some sort of warranty on my car.

Carrera26

Go to the Mazda dealer and have them run your VIN, and they will hand you a printout with all the warranty details along with the sell date, which is when your warranty actually begins. My car was built in early 2004, but sold 08/04, so that's when the warranty period actually starts. They will also be able to tell you all the recalls and TSB info on the car.

Congrats on the new purchase! I've just had mine 2 weeks and am still finding new things to appreciate about it.

RX8ED

the vibration of the shifter... i love it.. its like a finishing touch with a cherry on top

04RX8man

It's fine mine has done that since day one. Just get the thing and enjoy driving it. good luck man

TomAssBender

I've heard this before, that our shifter is "directly" connected to the transmission. Can anyone clarify what this means and also explain a little more what other, "normal" shifters are connected to? A link to a previous thread or outside website would also work. Thanks

expo1

These photos are not the best but here goes. Our 8 has as a front engine / rear drive configuration with the transmission right behind the engine. The shifter is directly on top of the trans so vibrations are transmitted right up the shifter.
On a front wheel drive car the trans is to the left / right of the engine. The shifter connects to the trans by means of a cable or linkage. Vibrations are less because the shifter is not directly connected to the trans.