Mazda RX-8 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Karen_S

Did you get a good deal on your RX-8?

graphicguy

Around the Southen Ohio area, dealers do not have stock. Some are holding out 1 demo usnit for propective purchasers to drive, but nothing you can buy and drive off their lot. Therefore, every RX8 that a customer wants to buy is "ordered".

Once I decided to buy the RX8, I pitted 3 local dealers to bid on selling me one. Two said MSRP only and one tried to get $2K over MSRP, but quickly bid MSRP once I told them I was looking at their competition.

So, did I get a good deal? IF you want the car today, then the answer is "yes" since MSRP is the going rate.

Getting the RX8 6-speed for an MSRP of $31,100.

When comparing the closest competitors, like the Nissan 350Z or Infiniti G35, the RX8 is still about $4K less expensive when compared similarly. So, from that standpoint, it was a bargain.

By the way, the dealer I bought mine from also threw in free oil changes for the entire time I own the car.

As an aside, my dealer is already sold out of his entier '03 allocation and is taking orders for delivery next year. So, for at least the next 6 months or so, I doubt there will be any discounting.

I bought mine (after 3 seperate test drives of a demo unit) about 3 weeks ago and expect it to be delivered by the end of August/first of September.

rx8zoomster

I definately think so. I expected this car to be a hot seller and anticipating that, I pre-ordered on 1/20 at MSRP from Ferman Mazda in Tampa. With all my port options, my car came in at $34,600 without tax & license.

I see quite of few dealers now charging up to $5000 over MSRP for the cars they already received. I'm glad I got mine right at MSRP.

Graphicguy is right. If you can shop around, and get this car at MSRP, you got yourself a deal. You won't find this car selling for less than MSRP until next year.

Here is a link to pictures of my car. http://web.tampabay.rr.com/mbarto/images/My_RX-8/

graphicguy

gotta question.....believe it or not, I can't remember if the A/C was on when I test drove mine or not (too busy grinning, I suppose). How's the A/C work? If it works well in FLA, I know it'll work well in Ohio.

rx8zoomster

Since I'm here in Qatar right now, I personally can't answer that. However, I did ask my wife about it earlier, when some people felt that it is an issue. She found no problem with it. It cooled fine. Seemed powerful enough for her. She also commented that with the tinting, the AC cools the car faster than before.

rxgreat

i paid MSRP for mine. grand touring, appearance pkg, spoiler and spare tire pkg, etc. zoomster i think i recall you saying you didnt opt for the spare tire pkg not only because of the price but because it would affect the 50/50 ratio. what about passengers wouldn't they affect the ratio too and by a bigger margin? i have no desire for the spare tire either but i'm only picking what comes in from the port and i was told the spare tire pkg is not removable other than the tire itself.

rorr

...and trying to find one in stock, try Roger Beasley Mazda in Austin. They've got 4 dealerships in the area. They list 16 in inventory at their main store, 9 at their south store, and 11 at their Georgetown store. Apparantly their Bastrop store got shafted. I have NO IDEA what they are going for but with that many units on the ground, I doubt they are going for much, if any, over MSRP.

himiler

Free oil changes for life? Nice, but what's the frequency -- as stipulated in the service chart, or every 3mos./3K miles?

graphicguy

I don't think the dealer is putting out all that much for oil changes.

"Severe" intervals are every 5,000 miles.

"Normal" intervals are 7,500 miles.

So, If I keep it for 100K miles, which is what I normally keep my cars for, and I use the "severe" schedule (which the service manager recommended) then I'm looking at 20 oil changes for my ownership time.

If I pay $20 (which is being conservative) for every oil change and I do 20 oil changes, then I've saved $400. They also kicked in free tire rotations every 5,000 miles. If I put rotations at $10 per (again, conservative), that's another $200 I saved.

Better than a "stick in the eye" as they say around here.

himiler

You might be doing better than you think. My Honda dealer charges a cool $30 to rotate the tires, even if they've already pulled the wheels to service the brakes (well...duh!), and an online coupon gets you a $24.95 oil&filter swap. For me, it would work out to $1,100 saved, and keep in mind that there would be tax on top (another $80).

Around here, it's "sure beats a sharp stick in the eye." Love those colloquialisms!

rx8zoomster

True, passengers would effect the ratio to a bigger margin, but I figured why add more, by getting the spare tire kit. Bigger factors for me not getting it was it taking up space, the added OVERALL weight, and cost.

The important thing is that you got a car, even though you didn't plan on getting the spare tire kit originally. You probably won't notice the ratio being thrown off by the spare, unless you are driving it hard (cornering).

The spare tire kit is available for those that feel comfortable having a spare, rather than totally rely on the patch kit & roadside assistance. If someone feels more "at peace" by getting that option, then its a wise buy for them.

graphicguy

himiler....you're right....the oil changes and tire rotations would probably cost more than I stated. $25 seems to be the going rate for oil changes and $20 seems to be the going rate for tire rotations (both using coupons). Figure in tax and the savings will be somewhere around a grand, as you stated. Now that I look at it, that's a pretty good savings. Figure the dealer's cost on all of that is somewhere around $600. They just bought a lot of "good will" for that $600. Of course, they are still making $2K on the car. That's probably the reason the dealer is only offeing it to RX8 buyers. It's also probably the reason they've sold more RX8s in my 'burg than any other Mazda dealer in the state (of OH). They are all sold out of their allotment for this year and are now taking orders for next year.

I can't even remember the last time I had a flat tire...it has to be over 20 years ago, so the issue of no spare wasn't a "biggy" to me. I'd rather have the trunk room and deal with the "inflata-flat" stuff, if it ever happens. Moreover, with the roadside assistance offered as part of the warranty, it shouldn't be an issue for at least 50,000 miles, in which case, I'll need new tires anyway.

graphicguy

Well, what started out as a "car hunt" about 2 months ago finally came to fruition last night.

My dealer called me last night to tell me that the mica red RX8 I ordered was scheduled to hit their store over Labor Day weekend. We started talking about colors because they only had the Red Mica and the Titanium to see when I ordered mine. While "small talking" with the Sales Manager, he said that they just got their August orders in and that the Red, Titanium and "Winning Blue" were his favorite colors. I told him that it was hard to tell from the brochure how the blue would look. Manager said if I wanted to look, to stop by "in the next couple of hours because it's being delivered tonight".

Since the dealer is within 20 minutes from where I live, I decided to check it out.

Got to the dealership and it was sitting right in front, polished, prepped, gleaming, waiting to be delivered. Started talking to the guy standing next to it as I pulled up. He ended up being the guy who ordered it and was just waiting for his financing paperwork to be completed. I told him that I had ordered the red, but liked to blue more since I had seen it in person. After a bit more "chit chat", the Sales Manager came out to get the guy. About 5 minutes later, I see the same guy rushing out of the dealership to his (old) car and drive away. Right behind him was his sales person saying "well, that sucked". Curiosity got the best of me and I asked the sales guy what happened. He said the guy coudln't get financed through the dealership and stormed out. Sales manager comes out, looks at me oggling the car and tells me "this one's available if you want it".

The color is stunning and since I now prefer the blue over the red, I tell him I like the car but I didn't want the NAV system. Sales Manager says "if you really want this color, let me see what I can do". He goes back in the dealership, comes back a couple of minutes later and says "I'll split the dealer cost of the Nav system with you if you take it tonite" (about $1,800). That means I spend about $900 more for the car than the one I originally ordered, but also received about a $900 discount from MSRP.

I don't think I could find a car more fun to drive for $32K (all loaded up).

If I could ever figure out how to post pictures here, I'd show it.

jaquino

Congratulations on your purchase graphicguy, that is one sweet deal! Most people would be happy just to get MSRP, and to get $900 off of MSRP is simply awesome.

I dont know how you would be able to post pictures here, so I cant help you with that. Hopefully some of the more knowledgeable folks around here can help you.

Again congrats, and happy driving!

graphicguy

I think there was more to the story.

I'm not privy to how the sales people and their managers get paid, but I got the impression that it would not have been a good thing to remove the winning blue RX8 from their sold list.

Apparently, the "original buyer" had told the dealership he had financing taken care of. When he came in and asked the dealership to do the financing, things got a little "hairy" since the guy couldn't get financed. He was probably turned down by all the other sources he supposedly had.

I think the sales manager saw an opportunity to turn "lemons into lemonande" and I was in the right place at the right time. Sales manager seemed like he wanted to keep the unit as sold more than he needed to get MSRP for it. By the time I had decided to buy the blue, the dealership was getting ready to close. So the opportunity to "re-sell" the vehicle the same day was gone. The sales person and the slaes manager stayed an hour and a half after closing so I could run home and get my check book.

As it was, the dealer still made a nice profit and didn't have to remove the unit from his "sold" list.

I also think it was important to the dealership to continue their practice of only dealing with pre-sold RX8s as opposed to having stock. The only one they have (outside of customer ordered vehicles) is the one their General Manager drives and the dealership uses for demo drives. From that one demo unit, they then sell units that they pick and choose from whatever is hitting the port to fit what the customers want.

I asked the Sales Manager what he was going to do with the one I originally ordered. He said he'd add it to his sheet of units potential customers to order from. He also said that since it was red mica, he'd have it sold before the weekend was over.

Another customer was taking delivery of a green one while I was there. I was curious about that color, too. It's more of a "greyish" green. I didn't like it, but I can see its appeal.

Sometimes I get lucky....not often, but sometimes!

blh7068

Absolutely, there was a narrow opportunity for the dealer to make a quick recovery by offering that one to you. He already knew you curious about that specific color, plus it was late so the motivation was in place. It sounds like you got a very good deal. Isn't great when the ball bounces your way for a change!

Here in OK...still waiting to see a RX-8.

GRRR!!!

odycee

The local dealer offer me $30,350+fees but MSRP is $30,780. Is it hidden FEE added up to be same as MSRP or the dealer trying to make me think I save $430 off MSRP?

graphicguy

blh....Yeah, it does feel good to have things go my way every once in a while.

I'm surprised that there aren't any around in OK. My understanding was Mazda had the national roll-out the 3rd week of July and that all of the first shipment of units, in all areas, had ertr delivered. Hang in there. These are special machines. The wait is worth it.

odycee...hard to tell what the dealer is doing. What kind of fees are these? IF they are charging $450 for transfer of tags, then I'd be suspect (considering my dealer charged me all of $30 to transfer my tags and that included the state transfer fee).

Still, MSRP is the going rate on the RX8 currently.

rxgreat

to post a picture if you have an ISP you probably have some web storage space to upload files and pictures to. if not may sites offer free web space. then you just put an HTML tag in the body of the post like this img src="http://url-picture" enclosed in the < > characters. replace url-picture with a link to your ISP web space. im dying to see pictures of your new car in winning blue. good luck with it.

blh7068

I checked the local mazda dealers website, and according to the online inventory they had 6-7 in stock. I drive by the dealer yesterday(sunday-they were closed) and I only see one- Black 6 speed...fully loaded w/a MSRP of 33xxx. It was tagged- So I think it was the demo.

Unless these other cars were hidden somewhere...the dealer would only list cars that are on their lot, and not ones that they waiting on, correct?

Neat looking car! Can't wait to drive one.

graphicguy

Only a guess because I'm sure each dealer is different, but the ones they show in the "check inventory" sections list what cars have been delivered, not sold. If the dealer doesn't update their database with what's been sold and what's available, then the delivered units will be shown as available, even though they aren't.

My dealer takes about a week to update their "check inventory" sections. All of their units are pre-sold, so even though they show inventory, they don't have any available for purchase "off the lot".

My dealer now has two demo units. They said the Mazda urges them not to sell the demo units as they will be the only ones they get for a period of time. I don't know what that time frame is....maybe 3 months???????

I would think if your dealer has stock of the RX8 that they'd want to display them prominently in order to sell them. If not, then they probably either already delivered them, or have them in some sort of storage area awaiting delivery.

Sounds like the one you saw is totally loaded up with GT package and NAV....that's about the only way to get one to $33K+.

I'll look for some storage with my ISP. Thanks for the tip.

If you drive an RX8 and you're in the market for a car, my bet is you'll be an owner.

mschutz

my dealer has the 8 going for 31,100 for the 6 speed with everything but the navig package. plus tags title and taxes. Is this good?? what is the tire package??

rxgreat

if you can get it fully loaded except nav for 31,100 thats a good price. im not sure that includes the appearance package or rear spoiler though.

rx8zoomster

What you describe (price) sounds like the grand touring package right at MSRP. Has leather, premium stereo (Bose) and moonroof. Look on the Mazda website, and price one out and you'll see that price (MSRP) matches what I described. The nav costs an extra $2000.

So you got to decide if that is good since you are paying MSRP.

That's what I got mine for MSRP, $33100 (including NAV), and I condsidered that good. The appearance package and spoiler is extra, which I added as port options.
 
The tire package, includes mounted spare tire (emergency size spare, not full). It is mounted in the upper portion in the back of the trunk.

rx8zoomster

The appearance package and spoiler are extra cost options, and is not included in the Sport, Touring or Grand Touring base packages.

rxgreat

as i said in a previous post i was going to put a deposit on an rx-8 with grand touring pkg, rear spoiler, appearance pkg and spare tire pkg. i told the salesman i would need a loaner since i sold my car on ebay. he said no problem. i went in to close the deal and the subject of the loaner came up again. he said he'd have to ask his boss. he came back and said no loaner someone wrecked one and wont pay for the damages. i said no deal then and left. the next day he calls back and says it was a misunderstanding and when a loaner comes in i can have it but he didnt know when. well a couple of weeks went by and the car i wanted had not been sold yet. i called and asked again about a loaner and they kept saying none have come in yet. i put a deposit anyway on it last week but havent signed the PO yet. still no loaner. i realize they dont care now because i have put a deposit down and they have said it's non-refundable in the event i want to back out. any legal wizzes out there? what are my options? also the same car i want has come in without the appearance pkg or spoiler. he said they can put those on at a later date but it would be aftermarket. not even installed by the dealership. would it be just as good as factory? the car i want is not due in until early september.

logic1

If the agreement that led you to place the down payment included the loaner until your car is available, then the dealer has breached the agreement by not providing the loaner. If the dealer breached the agreement, the dealer has to give the down payment back. This argument may be compromised if you have the other details in writing but not the loaner.

In some states, dealers have to return downpayments within a certain number of days no matter what the contract says. In Illinois it is 3 days. You should check at your local library for your state's law.

I would not take the dealer add ons if I ordered the components from the factory.

rxgreat

thanks. all agreements have been verbal. the salesman says when one comes in he'll let me know. the sales manager says he has to talk to the owner. i never signed any agreement or purchase order. but i did let them put the $1000 deposit on my credit card. they seem to think they can still not refund my money i guess because they told me that up front. i called tonight and asked if i could rent a car from rent-a-wreck for $100 a week and have them reimburse me. again the answer was no. "then we'd have to do that for everybody". this dealership will give no quarter. i dont think i was clear in my previous post about the cars in question. the one i ordered is not due until early september. there is another car on the lot exactly the same except it has no rear spoiler or appearance pkg. it would solve the problem of having to wait but the options i want would be done by a body shop. i dont like that idea. and of course the sales manager is saying he does great work, etc.

logic1

If the entire agreement is oral, then insist the dealer either come through with the loaner or refund the $1,000.00. The dealer has just as much an obligation to do what it promised as you do to pay the down payment.

If you want to play hardball, you can get your credit card company involved as well.

I agree with your concern about the dealer added options. But this is without me knowing the dealer or the kind of work the dealer does. It is a possible way out of the dispute.

rxgreat

i know thats why i told her i didnt think they were included for that price. the dealer told her it includes everything but nav which isnt true. there are other options she can get. i didnt want her to think she was getting a fully loaded car for $31100 because its not fully loaded.

The appearance package and spoiler are extra cost options, and is not included in the Sport, Touring or Grand Touring base packages.

graphicguy

Well....the relationship the dealer has with you has not started out well. I would let the dealer know this in a "matter-of-fact" way....tell them you are disappointed in them and expected more.

That said, tell them what you will do if things can't be resolved (either your down payment refunded or they deliver on the loaner). It's difficult for me to believe they don't have a loaner car. They have numerous cars on their lot and I'm certain their management team has access to cars that they use for personal transportation.

Whether someone else wrecked a loaner is irrelevent to your deal and has absolutely nothing to do with you. Why the salesman told you this and expected that you would even care is a little "slimy" sounding to me.

Don't talk anymore to the salesman or the sales manager. Only communicate with the General Manager or owner (if possible). Set up an appointment to meet face-to-face with either of them. Lay out the facts of the deal you had with the sales person.

If they still don't budge, repeat your statement that you're disappointed in the dealership and probably should terminate it if they don't stick to their "verbal" agreement.

Past that, you can go to small claims court and the Better Business Bureau to retrieve your deposit.

Regarding aftermarket accessories....I'd stay away from them. I get the sneaky suspicion that this dealer would do a lot of finger pointing if something goes wrong with any of the after market parts.

Mazda makes it a point over and over again in the owners manual that they don't recommend any after market parts for the car.

At $31,100, you are looking at a totally loaded RX8 from the factory with no NAV. Any of the other options you are looking at are port installed options.

Again, don't this had gone past the sales person and the sales manager. Deal with, at least, the General Manager.

rxgreat

good advice. im sure they have a loaner to give me too. but they dont want to give me a loaner to use for 4 weeks. a couple days maybe but not 4 weeks. i really want this car. i like everything about it. if i go to another dealer i'll have to start the whole process again. but i dont want to be without out a car for 4 weeks either. i need to talk to the GM or owner. these other characters are blowing smoke.

graphicguy

I know it's a pain, but really, I wouldn't want to have any more discussions with your current dealer. I'd go to another dealer. Tell them of your plight. I doubt it, but see if they can get your deposit back from the previous dealer.

In all honesty, I doubt any dealer will give you a loaner for 4 weeks and the sales person committing to that as part of the deal was irrisponsible on his/her part. Let the General Manager know of the salesperson's promise. I'm sure someone's butt will get chewed.

That doesn't help you, however.

I'm not a lawyer, nor do I claim to have any legal background, but I think there are laws that protects the consumer regarding non-refundable types of deposits (unless it was for some sort of "custom" car...which the RX8 is not).

Totally understand about your enthusiasm regarding the car, however. It truly is special. That said, the first rule when buying any car is "don't fall in love with it". That only clouds your vision when you're dealing. Plus, it lets the dealer know he has the "upper hand" in negotiations.

Good luck...let us know how it turns out.

maxius

Hi I am thinking about getting RX-8 but it would be my all year round car. I live in NJ so we get snow here in the winter. Anyone knows it the RX-8 is bad in the snow since it is RWD even with the 50/50 weight distribution. I have a 2001 Mustang which really sucks in the snow even with the traction control. Thanks Max

rxgreat

i live in NJ too. the rx-8 has summer tires, is pretty light and has very little ground clearance. any snowfall over 6 inches is going to give this car trouble. but i'll take my chances. last winter was brutal and i made it through it with a 1997 eclipse GSX. it had all wheel drive which helped. i had a 1988 MR2 which was the worst ever in snow. if it snows i usually call into work and say i'll be in tomorrow anyway so i wont be driving it much in the snow.

graphicguy

Mazda did some winter testing in Japan in the snow. Although the results were sketchy, they found it would go in the snow. I think any RWD car would go in the snow with Trac control and Vehicle Stability. How well it does, will be more of a function of the tires.

I plan on getting some winter tires, however. Last winter, at least in southern OH where I live, was an anomaly. Usually, we get a couple of "dustings" of snow. I think the RX8 would be fine in that situation.

What's more promising is the fact that it has rained hard around here the past couple of weeks. The RX8 still stuck like glue to the road. Hopefully, that will be a preview of how it will do in snow.

maxius

I know what you mean about the summer tires & winter tires. I guess I would just have to get winter tires then if I though it. I know what you mean by 6in of snow not too many sports car FWD or not are not going to do good in snow. I was also thinking about getting 350Z, G35, Audi TT, Accord coupe V6, Celica. Winter time seems to be my biggest problem. Problem is that my wife wants me to get a FWD car which isn't as fun as the RWD. The RX-8 seem to have everything I need in once car for the price. Funny that works out with cars since I had a 1995 Neon with nothing in it which I think drove better in the snow than my 2000 Neon which is loaded with ABS & traction control. Max

rxgreat

well i finally pick up my loaner today. i called the GM thursday and he said he'd get me a loaner. i wore them down. the salesman said the car im getting is known as the barney mobile so i guess its a purple thing but at least i have wheels until my car comes in. the loaner is a protege.

odycee

I just went to a dealer and test drove the RX8. The salesperson was a young man so he told me go ahead take it to my limit. On 5 gear, I was doing 95MPH but felt like 85MPH- so fast and smooth.

After the fun drive, the sales manager who can make the decision on pricing offered me $500 of the MSRP. I didn't want the color so he ordered me a silver with Touring and Appearance package priced #30,350 (MSRP $30850)+ tax.

The larger than expected trunk space surprised me a bit. The Bose sounds really great. The seat is really comfortable. The passenger side legroom is narrower due to the heat shield under the car for the cat converter.

Anyone getting better price than $450 under MSRP?

rxgreat

at this point anything under MSRP is doing something.

rx8zoomster

I agree with rxgreat. Anything under MSRP is a great deal.

You were wise to choose the appearance package. It's make a big difference in giving it that "meaner" look. You definately won't be disappointed when you receive you car.

graphicguy

Congrats.....after you're done with the "barneymobile", you're going to love the RX8

odycee

Anyone notice the blind spot when changing to the left lane?

RXZoomster - the appearance package makes the 8 looks mean with nice touches.

odycee

What's your average MPG around town and highway driving ?

rx8zoomster

There is a larger blind spot then some of the other vehicles I've driven, however it doesn't seem to be a problem. Make sure you have your mirrors adjusted like this, and you shouldn't have as big a problem.

http://www.ibiblio.org/rdu/rearview.html

Thanks for the compliment on my car. The appearance does give the car a more aggressive stance.

rx8zoomster

I can't give you much detail on MPG's yet. My car is still break-in mileage (<600 miles) so we haven't rev'ed it higher than 4500 RPM's.

So far we have gotten 20 MPG in all city driving.

I should be able to let you know today or tomorrow on the hwy MPG, since my wife should be returning from a 270mi. round trip with almost all hwy mileage.

I you drive it conservatively, with not to many excessive redline shifts, you should get the EPA rating of 20 city / 24 highway.

graphicguy

I'm not so gentle with mine during break-in. I don't know whether I'm limiting my long term durability or not, but the Mazda Master Tech at my dealership said he would not do a bunch of redlining, nor lug it along at low RPMS (his definition is anything under 5K RPM as "low revs") the entire break-in either. The tech's feeling (been a rotary technician for over 10 years) is to give the engine a vast variety of revs and driving conditions, while throwing in some higher revs to get everything "seated" well for the first 500-600 miles.

While I haven't had mine above 7K RPMs, I have hit the number a half dozen times. Owners manual only says that break in should stay away from full throttle revs and hard breaking for 600 miles.

I'm on my 5th fill-up.

1st tank (partial) I got 15 MPG almost entirely city driving.
2nd fill-up I got 17 MPG almost entirely city driving.
3rd fill-up I got 20 MPG is mixed driving (about 50/50).
4th fill-up I got 24 MPG in almost all highway driving.

So mine, after putting a few miles on it, is getting exactly what the sticker says....18 MPG city, 24 MPG highway.

sarahmazda

I'm a salesperson in Minneapolis. It's difficult to present a loaner vehicle for insurance purposes. Most insurance companies do not allow dealers to give "loaners" out.

However, if there are special circumstances, such as a person who has sold his or her vehicle and needs transportation. In this situation, we would have our client complete a "test drive" form out, releasing us from any obigation if the loaner is wrecked.

You present a very clear case. Your salesperson promised you a loaner vehicle in order to earn your business. He most likely was not authorized to make such a promise and was reprimanded when he presented this to his sales manager.

However, what remains clear is that a deal is a deal, verbal agreement or not.

I agree with many postings on this site; present your case to the owner or general manager.

Inform he or she or the verbal agreement between you and your salesperson. After all, you are not trying to be unreasonable--you just need a car!

I would advise you to not be rude or confrontational. This will get you nowhere.

Regarding your deposit, I've worked here for six years and have NEVER kept any deposits. I'd rather sell a vehicle and earn a customer, not a deposit.

They won't keep it. Trust me. They would much rather sell a car!

If you don't get anywhere with this dealer, call your credit card company, get the deposit situation resolved. Take your business elsewhere.

revdrluv

They were a little vague about exactly how to set up those mirrors. The way I do it really eliminates your blind spot. When set up correctly, as soon as a passing car leaves sight of your rear-view it will enter sight of your side mirror. As soon as it leaves sight of your side mirror, it will enter your peripheral vision. I posted this on Edmunds a long time ago, but here it is for those who didn't catch that.

The way you do it is get in your car and have the seat set up the way you like it (athough this probably won't work if you drive with your seat all the way back like a "gangsta").

Then press your head against the drivers side window and adjust your drivers side mirror so you can just see the rear of the car in the inside corner.

Then lean over so you head is in the approximate center of the car. Adjust the passenger side mirror so again you can just see the rear of the car in the inside corner.

You might look like a fool while doing this, but try it for a while and I think you will find it really works.

Oh and about the car... i want one! I think this is the prettiest car to come out of Japan in ages.

rx8zoomster

I don't know if you use this similiar technique, but this is what I use. Works very well for me.

http://www.ibiblio.org/rdu/rearview.html

I believe I posted this once before, but I don't remember.

mrmojo7

I picked mine up 3 days ago. I had ordered it in Jan, and got $500 off MSRP at the time. When I went to pick it up, I was informed of the horsepower discrepancy, and will be sent a $500 debit card from Mazda in exchange for signing a waiver. Now the bad news- when I ordered it, I asked, and was told that it had a 6 CD changer. When I 1st saw the options booklet, I again asked, and was reassured that there was a changer. Of course, there is not. It's a $500+ option. (Hmm, coincidence???) I'm still negotiating with the dealer as to what they'll charge me for swapping one out of an incoming vehicle. My feeling is that my cost should be zero, since I ordered in good faith. Any thoughts?

By the way, I love the car!