the 40th anni version of Rx-8 is pretty much the same as the earlier special edition. having body reinforcement at certain places, front member is filled, and slightly wider shocks.

the only difference between the 2 (40th and other Shinka aka Sports Prestige Limited) is the rear shocks, the way they mount it is slightly different. does it work? who knows, Blistein seems to have better shocks than Tokico.

other than the mounts and a few stuff, the rest of the rear is exactly the same. it's still good, but meh, nothing special about it.

the "40th" name is special tho, cuz that "badge" sells for like 150 bux. EACH.

Mazda should of name the 09+ model a 08, cuz 08 does not have ANY of the 09+ update, especially the whole drivetrain update.

 

Make it 5 I just bought a 40th AV 2 weeks ago with 39,000 miles.

 

Note for all 40th Anniversary Edition Owners,

One very low mileage one went for $42,250 USD at MS Classic Cars Auction in 2021: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2008-mazda-rx-8-8/

State Farm Insurance is now the majority owner of Hagerty Classic Car Insurance. My State Farm Agent just ran it by their Hagerty underwriters and my 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 is now insured as a classic car by State Farm for a full value of $50,000 USD with no depreciation. And as a classic car now, my insurance premium was cut in half. It is garaged and isn't my daily driver, as I own other cars.

FYI, my 40th Anniversary Edition (bought new in 2008) came with the Mazda body kit with front spoiler, side skirts and rear wing, and has less than 15,000 miles on its second engine. (I got the free under-warranty reman engine from Mazda after 65,000 miles on the original engine).

Some of the mods on mine:
Mazdaspeed Cold Air intake;
Second-gen BHR high performance Ignition coils and wires;
Series Two fuel pump
Performance CAT and midpipe from Rotary Performance of Garland, Texas
Koyo hyper-v-core radiator upgrade, and closed aluminum cooling system upgrade from Pettit Racing with Racing Beat hoses.
Cooling fan low temp control kit
Mazmart Re-medy upgraded water pump, and low temp thermostat
Upgraded starter
BHR reinforced clutch pedal
Rotary Performance low temp oil cooler thermostats.
All recalls done, and a few other things on the mechanical side.

Some other stuff:
Aluminum Fender strakes
Mazda factory RX8 Sirius-XM Radio kit
Mazda RX8 spare tire kit
Continental High Performance Tires

Your 40th Anniversary Edition may be your daily driver and may or may not qualify for Classic Car Insurance, but it is worth a look. Beats having it only worth a 15-year depreciated value.

Cheers and best to all fellow 40th Anniversary Edition owners

 

Worth checking it out you 40th Anniversary owners, Cheers

 

WOW! I've held onto my 07 Grand touring 6 speed auto because I sorted all the bugs out. It still only has 38k miles, but had the BHR ign and fuel pump put on early approx 20k miles. Also, after several track days, I put on a Bilstein B12 kit, and ditched the rear sway bar. With the alignment on rear pulled to less neg camber, and 2 psi more in rear, it feels perfect balance and can charge over speed bumps with approx 5-6 inch clearance.

Main thing that has saved the engine is an auto trans cooler that takes 14 degrees f out of the trans and engine.
Also, it barely sips oil which is why I Always used the best premix in gas 1/2 oz per gallon filled.

I'm old enough that I'll die before car, and hoping to let it go to its best friend during this age of electric nonsense.

It can get 27 mpg on a nice 70 mph road with no AC.

I'd take the $39k I've spent on it from a auction.
I geared it down approx 6% with 215/40r18 Michelin PSS summer tires, and it gets to it's redline of 117 pretty quick. Computer geek could code out the shut off. I use Scan guage for real corrected MPH

 

Your car sounds very nice.

The rarity of the 2008 40th Anniversary Edition with only 1000 total made in these USA specs does helps its collectability and classic car value, like other special editions.

Cheers and enjoy your fun car, and pass it on to someone deserving.

 

Yeah, that low mileage 40th deserves at least what it got. I'd like to hold mine and dream with it occasionally as I keep it alive, but I'd be really lucky to ever get half that. I 'm very happy about the RX8club helping me learn to adjust parts to perfect the car. I've really never had any trouble or issues with it., and it's had little sun or rain.

 

Congrats on snagging that fine 40th edition! Good luck with that. Sounds like you've got a winner on your hands. Question about the classic car status though. I was doing some research and it appears that depending on the state and the car, some states say 10 years, some say 20 - 25. For insurance companies Allstate and an another both say for insurance purposes they consider anything between 20 to 40-45 years as classic and thus treat them differently. It's pretty confusing, so any light you can shed would be appreciated. (PS Turning 68 in 3 weeks ;-) )

The reason I ask is I'm an original owner of a 2005 AT Titanium Grey in excellent condition with 64K on it, garaged since birth, maybe gets about 4K a year on it, is currently undergoing a "reconditioning" with new bumper covers front and back along with some ratty ground effects and then a full on color correction with a ceramic coating on top of that to make it shine, shine, shine like new. All the metal is perfect. The internals are all mostly original OEM and the car runs perfectly. The only "mods" are a K&N intake, BHR coils and wires and plugs, StopTech slotted rotors and stainless steel brake lines with ceramic pads. aftermarket rims to round the kit off, ( due to pot holes here in NYC Ive ruined about 8 standard rims so that's why I'm running aftermarket 18 spoke rally wheels , which look stunning BTW) But everything else inside and out is bone stock and if not original to the car, replaced as needed due to wear and failure ( radiator, Air Pump, Cat Con, right side passenger dash panel, windshield due to crack from extremely cold winter, both rear tail lights, one due to biker delivery guy hitting it with his lock chain as he sped past, the other due some bonehead when he was parking and got me good, 2 batteries, new engine harness, new tranny and thanks to Mazda's warranty upgrade offer, a new engine with about 15-20K on it ( there's a story behind why I took their offer.) . I'm running original sized rubber all around and recently installed new all factory spec suspension on all four corners, so she rides, drives, and handles like the day she came out of the showroom.

I don't drive it hard, but "spiritedly" especially outside the city up in the mountains on weekends, but I don't baby it either. I spend $$ and don't scrimp when something needs to be repaired or maintained and treat this as my "baby". I've owned some pretty cool cars in my time such as a 59 Buick Invicta, 66 Impala, and a 65 Plymouth Satellite 2 Door Hardtop with a Hemi which was fast and a blast to drive in a straight line, but none of those, and I do mean not one, has ever given me the pleasure and constant thrill I get whenever I jump behind the wheel whether for some canyon carving or a daily drive to Manhattan, windows down, audio blasting and cruising around. To say I love this car is an understatement. I still to this day, get heads turning and people telling me what a great looking car I have and asking what it is. And I'm talking everybody from kids , to men and women of all ages. How many times do you get out of your car, lock it, walk about 15 to 20 feet before turning around to admire your own car again and feel the same way as when you bought it? Like EVERY time for me! LOL

Anyway thanks for sharing your experience and listening to mine. I look forward to your thoughts and info on the insurance thing as I'm paying top dollar with Geico for Max coverage and if I can save on declaring classic status with same coverage I will do that . PS . as soon as I'm done with the re-con I will post some new photos. The most recent was last year getting under body cleaned after a snowy salty winter, the second is 2019 at local diner at night , a bit stylized with camera effects, but pretty nonetheless. PS: All the billet grill crap is gone and back to stock. ( it was a "phase" lol ) and the gas cover is back to stock too. The strakes are staying, I still like em :-)

Last winter cleanup .

Pre -Covid lockdown, night time, post car wash.

 

I called Geico several years ago when I thought car was only worth $10k. If I carport it and rarely drive, I have little exposure. I cut comp and col and now pay maybe $400/year. for liability. Total storage and maintenance per year is approx $1200. I keep third parties away from life as much as possible.

 

It looks great. I know potholes from living in both NYC and Philly. Tried to keep my RXs out of them , some Philly potholes bent my aluminum wheels on my Mazdaspeed3 GT. Insurance covered their total replacement. If you look closely at my shot of my 2008 40th Anniversary Edition alongside my 2008 Mazadspeed3 GT in my driveway back in 2008 (both bought new in 2008) you may notice the moonroof in my Mazdaspeed3 GT. Well they did NOT come with any moonroof option for the Mazdaspeed3 GT. I had my Mazda dealer have a Mazda 3 moonroof installed in my Mazdaspeed3 GT as a condition of sale. They did a great job, it worked great and never leaked. So I likely was the only Mazdaspeed3 GT owner in the USA driving around with a Mazda moonroof in mine.

One of the reasons Hagerty's and its owners now State Farm ok'd classic car status for my 2008 40th Anniversary Edition and agreed to insure it for $50K with no depreciation , and one of the reasons that other one got $42K at auction by MS Classic Cars back in 2021 ,was the rarity of the special 40th Anniversary Edition with only 1000 made in the USA specs. Other RX8s aren't so rare, even the Shinka models were produced in larger numbers than the 40th Anniversary Editions.

When the insurance company underwriters say your car is a classic car, it IS a classic car. When Classic Car auctions say your car is a classic car and sell it as such, then it IS a classic car. You dont need to register it as a classic car with the state, unless you want classic car plates. And my State Farm insurance premiums for full coverage on my 2008 40th Anniversary Edition went down by 50%. dropped to their classic car rates with no depreciation, really.

Cheers and all the best to you and your baby.

 

Hagerty is literally automotive propaganda for the masses and is merely an inflated appraisal. There is no shortage of markets which are artificially inflated for the sake of investors, profit, etc.

Imo, the buyer who purchased that 40th for $42k usd was smoking crack and I don't foresee many people willing spend that kind of money for a vehicle with an original msrp of $30k usd.

99% of Japanese cars aren't special (limited editions included) and I find it odd how enthusiasts are now trying to equate them to P cars (or greater) which are not only built to a higher spec in a lab like facility but have the entry level price point to back the engineering, manufacturing / paint processes, storage / shipping, etc you're paying for; literally no Japanese car has ever been produced in such a way (please feel free to chime in if I'm mistaken). We can then extended into the service sector where German dealer / independent repair is in a different universe compared to Japanese repair shops. It's like comparing organic food to GMO but unfortunately that's over a lot of people's heads these days.

That's just my quick take on it.

 

Not sure anyone in this thread was asking you for a quick take, and I am pretty sure you are the one who paid $45k for a new mazda 3 turbo which in my opinion is even more wild. A lot of posters like to be negative for no apparent reason.

 

BOY, are you having a bad day, such negativity!!!

I know many classic car owners here in Texas that have their babies, American ,Japanese and European classics, insured by Hagerty and other Classic Car Insurers. Just the reality. My State Farm agent submitted my 40th Anniversary Edition to Hagerty Underwriters and they heavily researched it, and did check and see what these models were bringing at auction, and they thoroughly inspected my car and all the upgrades and after taking a month to do their due diligence, they agreed to insure it as a classic car for $50,000 with no deductible.

So it really doesn't matter at all if you think the value is justified or not, Hagerty and State Farm think it is justified, and they are the ones insuring the car, and they are the only ones that matter here, NOT you and what you think, sorry.

Have your angry rant,, but I have the car now officially accepted and insured as a classic car for $50,000 USD. And my full coverage insurance premiums were cut in half !!

Cheers and best to you.

 

Not a bad day or angry rant, just my opinion on the subject. You've literally made the same post like 5 times in the past week. Yikes, because I don't ascribe to your beliefs I'm a hater. Most members on here have incredibly thin skin and it's a sad world when one is so insecure about an object they possess.

But congrats to you and your insurance policy, that's really something to celebrate. Anyone who has minimal knowledge of the insurance industry is fully aware of inflated appraisals. I actually collect historic instruments which possess real intrinsic value as opposed to some silly / cheaply made vehicle. Take time to understand what years of culture and hand made craftsmanship produce, then get back to me.

And let's not forget this is a public forum where we are all free to respectfully speak our minds. Cheers to you!

 

You are still having a tough time it seems. Hey I am 71 years old, and I have never been insecure about anything I have owned, especially cars and motorcycles I have owned. FYI, I have owned seven rotary Mazdas since 1970's, one RX3, two RX4, all three generations of RX7 with two of them race-modified by Racing Beat and worth more than my 40th Anniversary Edition RX8. I have driven more than a million rotary miles on street and track ,and have these cars for the fun they give me, not for their monetary value. And I have owned more expensive cars from Porsche in my lifetime, and was a team photographer for Porsche Motorsport's Legendary driver Al Holbert ,five time IMSA Champ, five time Daytona Rolex 24 hr. race winner, three time Le Mans 24 hr. race winner. I have decades of car and motorsports knowledge and experience , so I know a thing or two about what I speak about here.

As a career Worldwide Award Winning photojournalist who has reported and covered war, and also as a longtime Professor of Photography at a state university who has taught hundreds of students, there is nothing anyone can say in this forum that really can faze me more than the realities of what is really important in life. IMHO, you will get your points across better, and people will respect your opinions more if you dont confuse a public forum for a place to rant your childish putdowns. The RX8club isn't intended for that .

I administrate and moderate several worldwide Facebook groups and in those friendly public and private groups we dont tolerate people very long with attitudes like yours. Find something helpful, constructive, supportive and respectful to contribute to posts here, or just move on your way without any of your snarky and silly comments. You are an example of what is often disagreeable in interactions on social media.

Cheers and best to you.

 

Glad to hear you can handle someone else's opinion, what a world we live in these days.

Now imo, introducing and then bragging about your accolades is immature, which is a typical boomer move if I'm being completely honest and probably something someone should have shared with you long ago because you sound pretentious AF. Not sure how praising your career comes into play here or driving 1 million miles...

And yes you very much seem like the type to be an administrator / mod on FB. I've never used social media for many reasons and I imagine it's because of archetypes such as yourself. But that's the beauty of free will / speech imo. You're either open minded / tolerant or ignorant / prejudice. It's not dramatic of me to assert that a disposable $30k Japanese vehicle should never increase in value regardless of what societal trends / fickle markets project. Imo it's worth considering all the 'covid money' people were 'able to save' who are literally feeding into inflation by these types spending practices gaslight by places like Hagerty. Regular cars (let's say sub $100k) aren't investments and will eventually rot somewhere. How many 100, 80 or even 60 year old cars do you see? When you get beyond 60 year old, there is next to none. The reality is that vehicles are a commodity meant to be fully used and pass (junkyard) in old their age just as we do (cemetery) and that sounds just about the most natural and fulfilling experience one can have to me.

Here's an except of the basic philosophy of consumerism that I've share with others before.
Value
the usefulness or desirability of good or service, how much you love it, or what it is “worth to me.” Value is not a number, but often we can compare the values of two things, especially if they are similar in use. Intuitively we see value as being intrinsic and stable over time, but analysis shows it must be somewhat dependent on individual preferences and social context. This stability of value stands in contrast to the fluctuations of market prices, and even when the price is stable, it may seem out of line with our perception of the value.

Cost (price)
The amount of money required to purchase something (a good or a service.) Cost is from the purchaser's viewpoint, so it can have a negative connotation (ie: cost is bad).

Worth
An expected selling price of some form of property, an appraisal. When we talk about worth, we are taking the viewpoint of the owner, and speculating about a possible sale, or what it might cost to replace our property. Worth is a long-term perspective. As with value, we think of worth as being stable across market price fluctuations, and so as somewhat intrinsic in the thing. We tend to imagine an ideal buyer, one who values the property as least as much as we do. If sale prices refuse to align with our expectation, we may have to adjust our idea of worth, but we can do this without having to change our judgment of value, what it is “worth to me."

 

gwilliams6, Hello fellow Boomer, I'm 71, too, but it seems we're haters if we are are still breathing, and I see a kettle calling pot black.