Hi,

I'm looking at getting a car for my school as I am going to be a future Naval Officer. I found a 2011 Rx-8 R3 for 29,995. What would be a good offer for me to give to this private seller? I also was wondering if it was worth getting the R3 or the Grand Touring trim.

 

You can get a new one for about 27-28k plus tax from dealerships. Grand touring has luxury features and r3 has performance features. Whatever is more important to you.

 

I know someone will pop in this thread and mention of getting a 2010 MY because of the additional savings... So I suppose I'll pick your brains about it first, lol!

As far as I've heard, new '10 R3's are still out there, and can be had with the greater rebates and incentives. I don't think there are any changes from the '10/'11, so it may be wiser to pull the trigger on the '10... Unless you have a dealer who is going to be super-aggressive with the '11 pricing for you... Perhaps the dealer you mentioned of? Make sure you're not tricked into a high finance rate.

I agree with the above poster in that the R3 will be the more sportier/edgier version compared to the GT. My pick: Undoubtedly the R3. Of course, I'm not biased!

 

I may be getting off-topic but has anyone of car driving competency done an A/B comparison of Series II Grand Touring versus R3 ? Would love to see a write up on this. thanks....oh - and they are both incredible machines. yah der eh ?

 

The closest I've gotten to that was by test driving an R3 and then a 40th Anniversary Edition.


You could say the 40th AE has the luxuries of a Grand Touring (moonroof, heated seats, etc.) with many other unique features like Cosmo red interior, different alloy wheels and more importantly; a suspension set up which is similar to the R3 (foam injected cross-members, revised suspension geometry, etc.).

Because of that, to me, both the R3 and 40th AE "felt" similar in regards to handling. However, I am not sure other Grand Touring models share the same suspension set up with the R3.

In other words, if you are looking for a Grand Touring that feels similar to an R3, then I would look for a used 40th AE instead of other Grand Touring models.

Hope this helps.

 

Pistonhater you are correct. I own a 40th anniversary edition (1 have owned seven rotary Mazdas since 1973). The suspension mods on the 40th anniversary edition are similar to the R3s (that is one factor why I bought it), plus you get the luxuries of the grand touring (including sunroof). The newer (post 2008) grand touring models DONT have the suspension upgrades of the R3 and the 40th anniversary edition, so that is a factor. There are still a few 40th anniversary models available around the country. It is a great combo of luxury and better handling. I also have driven the R3 and my 40th anniversary edition back to back , and they handle similar, and they handle better than the 2009-2011 grand touring models.

If you decide to get the R3, I have seen 2010 R3s, with very low mileage, for around $26-27,000. Shop around on the internet. Don't pay $29,000 !!! There were no changes in the R3 between 2010 and 2011, so don't pay more, just to eat the depreciation later.