Forget the sunroof, The car looks better without one.

 

im not a big fan of the VR... i mean, its a nice color and all, but i wouldnt get it unless i HAD too

Winning Blue is the first choice, then the White

 

i tend to agree on when its on the black 8s, cant even see the sunroof then, so it just looks like bumps on the roofline.

 

I live in Manitoba and drive the car year round. There is no way I would want this car without a sunroof. Our summer is so short I want to get the most out of it I possibly can, and that includes driving with the sunroof open any and every chance I get.


If you are really in love with the blue (got it, absolutely love it :D ) and want a sunroof, wait. The car is great but if you're always thinking down the road "this car is great, but I still wish it would have ...." it will take away some of the fun.

 

I have a VR with just the Sports option which doesn't include the Sunroof. My experience with past vehicles is that I would use the sun roof very rarely after the "newness" of the car wore off. I specifically didn't like the way the RX-8 sunroof sticks up like an air brake off the top of the car. I would have prefered a slide into the roof design. Of course you can still let sun into the car, if that is your thing, without opening the sunroof by pulling the sun shade back. I am not a sun worshiper so it was an easy choice for me. The Sport package had everything I wanted at a price I couldn't pass up. I'd say though that if you are not absolutely certain that you don't want a sun roof you should definately get one.

 

I live in San Diego, and the only time my sunroof is closed is when it's raining. Cold weather, hot weather - it's open. I love it. My previous car had one, and I wouldn't have a car without one unless, of course, I had a convertible.

 

Doesn't it come standard on the GT package?

 

Well I have fairly long arms also so I tend to have the seat back further probably than most here. I prefer driving in the reclined position as opposed to more upright.

 

nemesis, its not standard on the GT in Canada. its one of the very few options you have to specify

 

I own a Shinka and am 6'2". It is a pretty tight fit.

 

I'd go for color over the sun/moon roof. The main reason I chose not to go with the sun roof was to have a lighter car. The glass and motor adds weight.

 

i would go color over roof but it has to be a gt .i just got luck and mine is blue with a sunroof .how often do i use it not very muchbut when i need it it's their.

 

I would have prefered my (leftover '04) rx-8 to not have had a sunroof, but the deal was too good to pass up. I use the sunroof on occasion but would rather have had the extra headroom. If it's a nice day, I'm top down in the Miata anyway.

 

thats without a roof though, right? ive been told you cant get the sunroof for a shinka...

as for autocross/track stuff, i dont plan on using my car for that, except maybe to get there to watch, so the helmet thing isnt a worry :D

 

I was born and raised in Chicago and had cars with sunroofs. The summers can be extremely humid and the winters very harsh. I very seldom used my sunroof. Since living in Florida I use it constantly. Had I still been living in Illinois when I bought my 8 I would've gotten one without the sunroof.

 

I'm always amazed at the 6'3" or 6'5" folks who have no problems fitting with the sunroof. And now we've got 6-footers with *helmets*. Well, everyone's different, I guess

I'm 5'10 and while my skull was not pressed against the roof, I had maybe 1/8" remaining. So even rolling gently over a speed bump would have bumped my head. I opted for the Sport package and very happy with it. The actual headroom difference is 1.5 inches for the front seat. Not much difference in the back.

I do agree the car looks better with the solid roof. I'll also agree with another poster -- one of the neat things about a moonroof is seeing the rain on it, for some reason.

 

Remarkable. As I said, I have a sunroof. I did nothing special to get it.

Krankor
05 Shinka 6MT

 

Here's a thing I used to like about my MX-6's sunroof, that, alas, I can't enjoy on my 8 because, like I said, it's too far behind me.

Occasionally I'd be stuck in a traffic jam that was completely not moving at all, so I'd actually stand up and put my head out through the roof, Dino-style, to see what was the matter up ahead.

Got stuck not that long ago in a major jam on the Merritt Parkway in my 8, and totally couldn't do it (maybe if I'd been willing to stand on the seat). But again, people with the seat further back will have a different experience.

 

I'm a little hurt that you say the VR isn't that great. I think of all the colors, my VR gets complimented the most! Just the other day a neighbor asks me, "Wow, I never noticed all the sparkles in your paint before. Is that an aftermarket paint job?" I replied, "Nope, it's stock, it came that way," with a big *** smile on my face. :D

In regards to the sunroof dilemma, I'd say get it over color - if you really want it. I've had my now for almost a year (our anniversary is this coming Sunday ) and I still use it, even though the "newness" of the car has slightly worn off. If the temp here is 91 or below, it's window weather to me and that means at least once a day (usually mornings during the summer) I use it. I can't describe the feeling it gives you... like, you're free and you don't have a care in the world, oh hey turn that up, good song is on the radio, oh watch out for that idiot over there who's not watching out for you, all while the wind is blowing your hair in your face and everyone else is looking at you to see who is driving this totally hot VR car.... oh yea, I'd get it.

 

SUNROOF or bust!

=)

 

As far as i understand from a tuners point of view a sunroof/moonroof also ads alot of weight up top which isn't very good for performance. Glass is very heavy, for example the ZO6 Model Corvettes use thinner glass as way of saving weight so having a sunroof/moonroof definately adds a considerable amout of weight.

 

Powered moonroof is standard on a US Shinka. Comes with the Touring package.

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/pdf/..._specs_RX8.pdf

Edit:

Only thing that is NOT available on a Shinka is the NAV as far as I know.

 

VR is a nice color, but its not for me is what i meant to say

 

maybe its a Canadian thing.... I read it somewhere that roof and NAV arent available on them... but you cant even look up the specs on Mazda Canada, it's not listed at all. Although I admit I could be wrong.

Did you know there's only be 90 of them sold in Canada? I've seen one on a dealers lot, that's it... I was told that if that's what I really wanted that I should get it as they were very hard to get around here (by a different dealer)

 

I have a blue with moonroof, which I do use most of the summer; however, if it came down to a choice between the moonroof and colour, I would choose the colour. The first impression is the colour - and the blue is fantastic!