fenderlover

anyoen out there just purchase the sport package. i'm thinking i can get that and use the money i save on sparco's new stiched seats + stiched back seats for only 1k
is the moonroof and audio worth 1600 bucks i'm gonna be replacing the audio. does it come with audio w/o the touring package?

L8APEX

what is your plan for the car. do you plan to track it. if so, the sport package is a good idea, the sunroof takes up valuable headroom. you get the same suspension that the touring model gets, so that is a plus. but if you are really going to track the car, half the suspension ends up not being up to par, and gets replaced.

or are you looking to turn it into some sort of showcar, since you are going to replace the seats and audio, it is a logical guess IMO. then you might like to have the sunroof, but maybe not, personal taste really. the audio system is nice, but i dont like to make my eardrums bleed from too much bass, or rattle the rear view mirror of the poor guy next to me trying to listen to his music. if you like lots of bass, then the audio needs a tweaking too.

or you might want to leave it stock. then, get the extra bits, the seats really are some of the best i have sat in for a sports car, and do a good job on the track as well.

it all depends on where you want to end up in your car.

Astral

moonroof is your preference. tall people will appreciate the headroom. bose, IMO, is not worth whatever portion of 1600 bucks, even if it's only $800. who knows, you may like it (and plenty of people here like it). if you will be replacing the audio, then it's easier to do so in a non-bose system (fewer speakers, no amps to remove), and you don't have the bose logos everywhere.

IMO, the sport package is one of the best choices for this car, i'd recommend going for it. that, or load it the heck up to GT and appearance pkg and nav and all that

the seats are excellent, IMO, plus they have the side airbags, so i would save your money for other things (like better audio).

fenderlover

so if i only get the sport package will i get the side audio? also ithe only thing i like about the sport is that it saves 1600 for no bose, moon, or homelink day night mirrors. what are those mirrors anyway.

+ if i don't do GT i save 3000 dollars which i can use to get the new sparco stitched seats + matching back seats for 1200 i see that as 1800 savings.


if you only get the sport package is there a radio or sound system?

and is a moon roof and Day/night mirrors worth 1600 bucks

and what are day/night mirrors

fenderlover

i just think if i dont' get any options. and get a bare rx8 i can make it my own with the 4500 some odd dollars i save.

Astral

you can't get bose on the side.

if you get sport package, you get the stock sound system. the stock sound system aint half bad, it has good midbass for rock and such (not enough bass for drum'n'bass or some really low bass stuff). the stock sound system also sounds kinda dull, but you may not care or hear it (depends on what you listen to).

basically, bose option really only upgrades the speakers. the head unit is the same, except for the "Audiopilot" feature that automatically adjusts volume based on external noise.

i strongly recommend the sport package. xenons are nice, but DSC/TSC is especially nice. get DSC for safety. IMO the sport package is money will spent. (plus you get fogs)

day/night mirrors are automatically adjusting mirrors that have a light sensor. if you have bright lights behind you, it dims the mirror automatically. homelink allows you to program garage openers and such in your mirror, so you can open garage doors from the mirror buttons.

Astral

Also, if I were looking for a used RX-8, I would skip over the bare ones and prefer ones with at least the Sport package due to DSC/TSC. So I imagine that the Sport package RX-8s hold their value better and are easier to sell than the base ones (but I could be full of ****).

swoope

iTrader: (5)

also the base has no lsd.

beers

StrokerAce

Incorrect. Unless you are talking about the automatic which almost no one here cares about.

fenderlover

but w/o ano packages there is still a sound system just not as good?

swoope

iTrader: (5)

oops, had to pull out the 04 sales lit to be sure. i was sure that is one of the reasons i got the sport.

o well, thx

beers

Astral

yes

OdinGuru

I actually owned an 8 with a Touring Package for about 4 months before Mazda bought it back and I got one with a Sport Package instead (which I've had for about 2 years now). The differences between these two setups are:
- moonroof
- Bose audio
- auto-dimming mirror

The moonroof I'm glad to be rid of. I'm 6'1" and I REALY appreciate the extra headroom (especialy when I've got a helmet at the track). Besides the moonroof in the 8 is much further back than what I had in a previous car, so I couldn't really see out of it easily anyway.

Since I had both cars, I've spent a fair amount of time with both the Bose and the base audio systems. I feel that the Bose system is DEFINATELY NOT worth the upgrade cost. In some ways it is marginaly better than the base system (a bit more low end), but in some ways it's worse (terribly muddy high end). The base system turned out to much better than I would have thought. It has all the same locations, but smaller drivers. Also while I disabled the Audio Pilot in the Bose system (which mucks with dynamic range for different frequencies), the stock system has a an automatic level control that varries volume with speed that I like a LOT more. Especialy if you are concidering custom audio work I'd avoid the Bose setup (the bose amps will only complicated wiring).

The only feature from the Touring package I miss a bit is the auto-dimming mirror. It's nice to have when a SUV is right behind you. Unfortunately a better mirror does not come close to justifing the $1600 price difference.

On the other hand I've been EXREAMELY happy with the Sport Package. I do a lot of night driving, and the Xenons are excellent (they put out a LOT more light than the base halogens). The fog/driving lights are basicly ornamental (you can barely see the difference turning them on and off because the main Xenons are always on). The DSC is also a GREAT feature. It's very well done in that it doesn't get in your way under spirited driving untill you really start to push it. You can roll on the throtle in a turn to rotate the car in a controlled manner without tripping the system, but it kicks in immediatly with any sudden rotation. I only turn it off at the track and on a few streches of road I'm very familiar with. Especialy since this is my first RWD car, there have been a number of occasions where I did something stupid that I was VERY glad the DSC helped me manage.

Bottom line is that I found the Sport Package to be well worth it, but the upgrade to the Touring Package to be a VERY poor value for me.

- David

JeRKy 8 Owner

Actually, I have listened to both audio systems (Bose vs stock)...and the Bose is not as good as the regular sound system in my opinion. Many other members share this view ...a lot of the Bose owners deny it since they paid more for what they thought was a better sound system when in fact it really isn't for many.

I have a Sports Package RX-8 that came with the navigation system and rotary accents (Sports Package w/nav isn't very common). Not that the nav is anything special...more like a showoff accessory for me. I would have liked a moonroof but I don't mind not having one because I think the car's roof looks so much better without the abruption in the middle of it. I don't really care about the dimming/homelink mirror. The deal I got I had to take what was there anyway. So that about does it for Touring Package.

As for Grand Touring, another thing that is nice about Sports Package is you get a manual driver's seat. I know that sounds weird because most people like having power seat controls, but only the driver's side gets them (which is dumb in my opinion). Also if it's raining outside and you have to get passengers/groceries into the rear cabin, it's takes a lot longer to push the driver's seat forward with the slow power controls than without them.

The only other thing you're missing by not having Grand Touring is leather seats (which you can easily get aftermarket), and seat heaters, but I live in Florida so those are pointless for me anyway.

Go with Sports Package. Same great suspension and save your *** disc stability controls as the higher packages...that's all you really need.

fenderlover

another plus to the sports package is i can buy sparco's new complete leather seat set front seats and back for $220 leather and everything. i can even get 4pt harness.

thanks for the input guys .

L8APEX

2 things to think about hwen replacing the seats.

-you loose an airbag
-you cant drive around using your 4 point harness. in most jurisdictions, that is now against the law. and good luck getting out of a ticket, while sitting there strpped in like speed racer.

fenderlover

safety is outlawed?

msrecant

Unfortunately I got the GT package (hey, it was a pre-order, I didn't know). My bottom line is:

- The moonroof steals headroom and adds weight.

- The leather package is actually just some leather "trim" and faux-leather (whatever that is) on the doors.

- The stock Potenzas are sufficiently loud that you will probably not be able to "hear" the difference between the stock and Bose sound systems.

So I ended up paying $1,600 for a really nice rear-view mirror with Homelink (both of which I love).

Tirminyl

I looked at an awesome priced Sport package this weekend but now wouldn't be a good time to buy for me. My idea would be sport package w/nav (very useful to me), dsc/tsc, xenon, appearance pkg. I do wish the cloth seats were better looking. Looks cheap. My MSP cloth seats look better.

L8APEX

it is not considered a safety device for normal highway use. your OEM seatbelt takes care of that. And it creates difficulty for emergency personnel in the event that you are entrapped in your vehicle.

tlniec

Really? I actually think the cloth seats are nicer-looking than the leather (no offense to leather owners). My dealership had a heck of a time finding me a car with the options I wanted, but no leather, per my request.

ezrider55

I got the sport pkg and have been very happy with it. A rear spoiler blocks most of the light from SUV's. If you track the RX8 you will like the cloth seats.

L8APEX

yep, i got the only one that i could find after looking at 4 dealers inventory. I am no fan of leather. I really like the cloth seats.

strokercharged95gt

I think the cloth seats make the car look cheap thats why I sprung for the GT model.