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i think i'm gonna go for the rotary accents and the cd changer for sure. i've debated on the strakes (they do look good), but, WOW, they are pricey!! I have decided to pass on the front air dam and the side skirting - i think i like the "sleeker" look without them. other than these, i'm pretty much done adding.
dwynne - saw a new s2000 in the honda showroom with a sticker of 33K. i wasn't aware that you could touch a new one for that price range. red/black - my colors!! but, i think i have enough payments ahead of me as it is!!
ps, i saw an e-bay auction for a yellow 04 8 and they said that only 1000 yellows were made. i've always wondered where you can find that kind of info? anyone know?
I don't care much for the "appearance kit" - and I REALLY don't like the nearly $1,000 it costs from the factory.
The rotary accents look OK, and I am on not that big on the strakes.
But this is why they have so many options - to make everyone happy :-)
At one time dealers were getting MSRP or over for the S2000, now you can get a new 05 for just over dealer cost - and some dealers have 04s sitting on the lot (a mini version of the 8, but with fewer cars). So it is as good a time as any to buy one.
The factory would be the only place that tracks the numbers by color - and I don't know that they have published that info. You might try calling Mazda customer service and see if someone could look that info up. I would be curious as the the colors popularity as well.
Dennis
I have heard of folks getting as much as $1,000 off of invoice less the $4,000 in discounts (used to be rebates). Most are paying a bit more, like maybe $500 off. Of course, the dealers now give you the car quote then hit you with a large "doc fee" to get some of it back.
If your dealer has lots of 04s I would think they would be more motovated to move them. You should be able to get a new 05 for close to invoice now, and they have/had a $2,000 LEASE incentive on them. With "only" $4,000 off of invoice the 05 is not that much more - and is a better deal if you are going to lease a car.
Too dad Mazda removed the 04s from the inventory search on their web page - makes it a LOT harder to find a leftover car like you want and get a good deal on it.
Dennis
I guess you could raise your offer to invoice - hold back - $4,000 and see what they say? Tell them they may not be making money, but they get a nearly two year old car off the lot.
If you don't have a trade, then why not try it? Also - where are you located? Perhaps there are other dealers around that are more motivated? If you don't mind travelling to get a car, I am sure you can find one. Of course, at some point having the hassle of having to get a discount car cancels out the savings.
Dennis
dennis, agree with you on the appearance package price and although i think the strakes look good, i don't think i can make myself pay the kind of prices i've seen for them. had mixed emotions about the spoiler. i got used to seeing my car without it and, even though i like it with one, i could have lived without it too. that s2000 may have been an 04, i didn't even think to look at that. i was surprised at the room in it - she would have been a real competitor for my money had i spotted it prior to buying the 8!! but, no regrets on the 8, i just miss my convertible at times!!
Lisa
In the past I have tried to get dealers to do something similar without any success. There is probably a broker who could do this for you for a fee, but it would probably wipe out most of the savings.
Dennis
I have solicited quotes through 5 dealers in the Atlanta area.
Lease Compare
But I will tell you - the 8 is not a good leasing car. Even with a 36/36k lease the residual is less than 50% - which is VERY poor. The G35 is close to 60% as is the S2000.
Lower residual = higher payments.
Last month Mazda Credit had a $2,000 lease incentive (to dealers, I think) to make the lease deals a little sweeter.
If you look on CarsDirect and put in an Atlanta area ZIP code you should be able to get no haggle quote for $100 UNDER invoice.
I think I know which Atlanta dealer is the CarsDirect one - or at least one of them.
Dennis
We pay 9.25% sales tax, but 2.25% is local and has a cap on the first $3,200 of a major purchase. So in effect the sales tax on cars is $80 on the first $3,200 and 7% on the whole thing.
Saving 8.25% of $17,500 is over $1,400 - so you DO want to trade that car in :-)
Dennis
Dealer A: $420, inc. dealer installed moonroof and tax. My response: your ad last month had $279 (no moonroof and no tax). His response: there were special incentives from Mazda last month
Dealer B: $370 with $500 down, no moonroof or tax. My response: your current ad in the paper says $299. His response: that's for one car only.
I would not have a car with a "Dealer installed moonroof" - don't like them and in the 8 there is a cross-member across the back of the roof that might be "in the way" and was cut.
Be sure to get at lease the sports pack car - it has the most goodies for the extra money and nice stuff like: HID headlights, stability control, traction control, etc.
There was a $2,000 dealer incentive for leases last month - but I was hoping Mazda renewed it. They seem to have LOTS of cars to sell so I think they would have?
Dennis
Dennis
I would only worry about flooding if you don't have the latest flash on your car's CPU and if you start it, run it for about 20-30 seconds, and then shut it down cold.
The deal you are describing is AWESOME! I got a good deal on my "leftover" '04 back in November. (Invoice, minus the at the time $1500 rebate, plus they paid me about $1000 more for my trade than it was worth "wholesale" )
I think the flood problem can happen even with the latest (N?) flash, it is just something you have to be aware of and use the "rev it up" before you shut it off method if you can't warm it up.
You should be getting better mileage the worse gas you run, but I want all the performance in the car (and usually more) so I would run the expensive stuff...
Dennis
I have had no flooding problems and my trip to work is very short (2 or 3 mins). I usually take a trip around the block before parking to warm it up a little better (also delays the agony of checking in to work a couple minutes early).
Just checked my oil and will need to be adding soon (before my oil change). What kind of oil do you rotary veterans recommend?
Kudos for checking the oil on a new car - most folks do not and for sure on the rotary you have to. Some non-rotary engines will use some oil during break in but so many folks never check the oil level "it is a new car, why should I?".
As to the oil, anything other than synthetic - as long as the viscosity and SAE service match what the owner's manual calls for. Note: for the record I have never owned a rotary engine car
Dennis
I can't imagine why anyone would ignore such a strongly worded warning from a manufacturer....this isnt an Escort. I would guess they have a very good reason for making such strong statements..oh btw: Mazda does not own any gas stations, lol
Residual is $11895 which is low and of course, this makes lease payments higher. On the other hand, as I see it, whether you buy or lease, you end up paying for the high depreciation of the RX8. If the depreciation is as bad as expected, trade in on a purchased car will be low. If depreciation is not as bad as expected, I can always buy the car at the end of the lease for the residual.
Mazda Finance money factor was high (0.0032) although residual was higher and acquisition fee was lower. On balance, the monthly payments thru Mazda would have been higher.
Additionally,
The deal I am getting on a new 2004 Silver
Invoice: $27891
Selling Price: $22500
6-spd, Sports Package, Appearence Package
Is it a good deal (financing at 5.7%)?
I am fully satisfied with the deal that I got, since I contacted all five major dealers in the Atlanta area and generally, nobody seems to be selling the base car below $23,500 (invoice of course is about $24000). The only way that I see to get a lower payment would be to wait for lower interest rates or other incentive from Mazda. As far as financing vs lease, it should arguably work out the same. It's roughly the same payment for a 3.5 year lease and a 6 year loan. After a 3.5 year lease, you own nothing. But after paying on a loan for 3.5 year, you probably also own nothing (say you sold the car and paid off the loan at that point). It's just that I feel more comfortable with leases; I've leased my last 7 cars without any problems: never went over mileage and never owed any wear and tear on the car.
To vroom7:
I got my 2005 car at Rick Case Mazda in Duluth, GA. I hadn't seen any 2004 RX8s in Atlanta although I hadn't specifically been looking. Therefore, I don't have any comparison for 2004 cars, although the deal you're describing sounds reasonable given what others have said about a $4000 dealer "close out incentive" for 04 models.
Other comment: although we complain about the poor residual on RX8s, I didn't find any lower monthly payments when shopping for a Mustang coupe V6 or a Nissan 350Z (anything with auto). I was quoted about $425 per month for these.
I should apologize to grantlu - i'm not the car-dealing guru, but I looked at leasing an 05, buying a used 04 and buying a new 04. The lease numbers were just not pretty on this car and I really don't like worrying about mileage every time you wantonly drive the car. And, you will want to wantonly drive this car. As audio8q said, you'll love it!!
Shout to all;
Just to get a general idea, what colors do people like? My choice is between Silver, Green, Red and (maybe) Black.
At this point I am so confused I feel I need a vacation!
I test drove a silver and think that is very sharp in the brochure photos. Red would have been my choice had i started looking at 05's - love that metallic shine in the red, but I traded a red car that I'd had for 4 years. I admire black but do not want to maintain one. I owned a black car for 9 months and that was enough for me. I'm not a big green fan, but when i was shopping for my 8 there were certain times and in certain lights, that I had to look at the sticker to see if some of the cars were nordic green or black - almost impossible to see. I think the white ones look pretty good too.
Good luck!!
As a general comment, it seems to me that color is a more important factor to women than it is to men
I have added a spoiler to mine and just this past week i ordered the front and rear rotary accents along with the 6 disc changer. That's about all the accessories i'm interested in for it. I do like the fender strakes but think the price is way too high. As of tomorrow, I've had it one month!!
advantage of was $4,500 below invoice on a new red 2004 GT. That was at
Paolozzi Car World in Marcy, NY (about 45 minutes from Syracuse). They had three or four other new RX-8's to pick from. Also, try checking for a new RX-8 at www.autotrader.com. Dealers have been listing new 2004 RX-8's there too! Good luck!
I would use the Mazda dealer locator and start hunting dealers and call/visit their web site to see what they have in stock. If they have an 04 that is suitable, then see if they are ready to deal on it.
Dennis
If you want to trek out to WV, I can hook you up with my dealer. Haven't been on the lot for a while, but a couple of weeks ago, I'm guessing they still had 10 or more 04's. A red one is particularly nice with about all the options at an MSRP of $34,750. They priced this one to me for $26K - I can't remember exactly, but it was in that range.
Hey, off the subject somewhat, but I have always thought that autotrader needs to set up a "Wanted" section. Let us saps who are always car shopping list what we're looking for. Private sellers and dealers could cruise these listings to see if someone is out there looking for his/her car. Let's face it, if you're a very big used car dealer (I guess I'm mainly talking used cars here), you can't list everything you have on the lot and inventory changes so much!! Sorry for the sidetrack!!
I have been looking on their lately, and no new 04s have been listed for a while.
One thing to keep in mind about fleabay motors, a lot of the auctions never reach the end. Someone calls or e-mails the dealer with an offer and bam they sell it to them (not through fleabay). So if you see something on there interesting, don't sit around waiting for the auction to end to see what the price does.
A wanted section would be nice, but you know those hose-head car salesfolks would be contacting you trying to sell you an SUV when you posted you wanted an RX-8
Dennis
Still cruising for that rx8? and still slumming in the BMW?
Pretty soon Mazda will have to start offering money to move the 05 8s out before the 06 models arrive (assuming they don't drop the car for poor sales, which I would doubt).
I did the big, powerful VS light, nimble thing with convertibles a couple of years ago when I sold my C5 'vette convertible and got the S2000. I am thinking the same direction with the "sedan" - get rid of the very powerful sedan for the much less powerful, but nimble RX-8. Awesome power is great, but is just not as much fun (to me) as a quick, sharp handling car. I have learned this the hard way, I guess....
Dennis
2004 Automatic with Touring Package
MSRP: $26805
Selling Price:$22500
Invoice date: Aug 2003
Anyone see any issues/red flags?
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My 2004 price list shows MSRP for the 04 AT as $25,180 . Sports pack for AT is $1,800 and touring pack for AT is $3,500. So $26,895 for the car + touring pack does not add up.
If this car really is an AT w/touring it would be more like:
$25,180 + $3,500 + $520 = $29,200
Invoice would be $23,274 + $3,011 + $520 = $26,805 dealer cost.
Take away the $4k Mazda buy down and you have $22,805. If the price you show ($22,500) includes destination and any dealer/doc fees then that is a decent price - if this is an AT w/touring. Most dealers with left over 04s are going a little lower, however.
Dennis