nicce12

Hi all!

Singed the dotted line last week and bought a brand new 2004 Rx-8 - my first new car ever! =D

I tricked my wife to a Mazda dealer that had a Velocity Red Mica on display, then I read the forum thread about the little things that are nice with the Rx-8 and fell completely for the car, so we booked a test drive on a used silver/Black interior Rx-8 - we loved the car, did not love the colour and interior as much as the red w. Black/Red interior, and my wife stated that if we are going to spend a gigazillion on a car we should go for a new car rather then a used car! (We sold my beloved 91 miata last year when we got our daughter, Felicia Viktoria Galadriel and we have been using my mom's old -89 SAAB 9000CD since then. The SAAB has 260000 Km on the odo meter so far(about 162500 miles) and cost of the last 6 months of repairs has been more expensive per month then what the cost for the new Rx-8 will be per month - lately it has started to randomly flash the CEL and either die or get a idle RPM of 1800...)

Sooo, we got a rather good deal on a new 2004 - the used silver was about 43100$ with 2 years of warrenty, winter tyres and a trailer hitch + 10000 miles on the road, the new 2004 cost 47100$ including one year longer warranty and the same options.
(Yes, sounds like a really bad deal, but we live in Sweden - the VAT is 25% and the Swedish Krona is strong vs the $ - there are only 2 options available in Sweden: 6 speed manual, hi-power engine with leather interior - with or w/o navi,. A 2005 has 51300$ as list price + winter tyres and trailer hitch would add 1900$... (still a lot cheaper then a BMW 330 or Jag X-type 3.0 tough))

Anyway, the dealer called today and gave me the registration number and estimated that the car would be ready around 15th of April. Sitting on the bus home from work I was contemplating the wiseness of buying the Rx-8, increasing our debt etc etc when I caught a movement in the corner of my eye that made some obscure part of my reptile brain go <BING!> I turned my head and did not believe my eyes - a Velocity Red Mica Rx-8 just overtook the bus and gleamed in the sun light as is speed away! Mind you, that latest stats are a total of 115 Rx-8s sold in here in Sweden (make that 116 now ;-) and I have never ever seen an Rx-8 outside of a car dealer before! (I live in the capital, Stockholm, and you can frequently see Ferrari's, Lotus Elise's and heaps of Porsche's etc. but no Rx-8ths)

So, I concluded that this can only be a sign from the Big Guy and felt a lot more relaxed! What do you think???

Cheers, Niclas

(and thanks for a great forum!)

Apophis

You're gonna love it!

PaulieWalnuts

Yes, it's a sign and it's letting you know you made the right choice to buy one

G8rboy

It's fate... no reason to fight it! :D

Chodapopp

The used one had a trailer hitch??

wcs

iTrader: (2)

yeah what he said

That's exactly what I thought when I read that. .... trailer hitch?

Do us all a favour and remove it ASAP

ahhhh.. I shutter at the thought of an RX8 pulling a trailer


...... ok I need to go to my happy place now ........

G8rboy

Some people install those receiver-style hitches for carrying their bikes with specially designed racks ... and since we're talking about Europe, that makes even more sense.

Glyphon

i doubt this was the reasoning, but another use for the hitch on an 8...tire trailer for autocross. :D

i don't have a hitch on mine, nor will i ever, but it is a possible use for it.

nicce12

Hehe, the trailer hitch... :D

Yes, it is a optional Mazda accessory - I will use it to transport my wifes bicyckle when she works late and I pick her up (the so called W.A.F. (Wife Acceptance Factor) in play here)... Luckily it is a removable thingy and, at least in the pictures I saw at the dealer, the mounting is undetectable and the acctual hitch looks like a "V" to avoid interference with the plastic ...stuff... under the bumper. It looked a bit close to the ground so I hope that it will not make contact with speed bumps etc... Will post pics when I get the car (If I have time I might go to the dealer when they install it and take some pics of that process - and make sure they do not start cutting pices with a chainsaw to make it fit...)

markd

Alright!! It leaves a warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside to know that people actually listen to us and take what we say into serious consideration. Who'd have thunk? :p

Nicce12, you will have fun with your car and it will still be practical, even with the new addition to your family. If you can deal with the cold-weather nuances of the 8, you should be in store for some good times ahead. Too bad gas/petrol prices are on the rise because you're going to want to drive her everywhere...

Have fun with your new ride and welcome to the Club!!

JM1FE

Yes, a hitch. He has the European-style hitch that we can't get in the US. A forum member designed a hitch, but never followed through with making them. I struggled with a vendor to finally get a US-style receiver hitch. See posts 93, 94 and 95 in this thread for pics: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/custom-hitch-30917/

BlueFrenzy

Good luck with the car! That's awesome WAF ... LMAO! So with or without Nav?

juikster

How about a front end power winch and monster lift kit....oh yeh.

nicce12

Oh dang - you are on to me - want I really want is a SUV so I will have the dealer to install a power winch and raise the suspension abit for me... :D

Aseras

funny as i was driving home last night we talked about putting some 44's on the 8 and going mudding with it. that lasted about a minute and we came to our senses..

nicce12

Thanks! No Nav, it was kind of pricey so we might go for a portable one (just waiting for my wifes next conference in US, GPS units are 3 times more expensive in Sweden then in the States... )

RenoIV

The two reds were a sign:

1. restistance is futile, you must have this car :p

2. change your order to red :D ..... silver is cursed

Welcome to the Cult!