Hi guys,

I found a few '05 titanium grey RX-8s in Maryland with the Touring package, rear spoiler, NAV, 6-disc changer... and they all have cassette players installed. The dealership is over an hour away from me, so I haven't seen the cars yet - nor have I seen any RX-8 in person with a cassette player installed. Where does this thing fit into the dashboard? And does it replace something else there? All the pictures I've seen on Mazda's site and even Trussville's are really small and I can't get a good look.

I don't really want the cassette player (even though Satellite radio would sound a little better through it), and I was hoping the dealer could remove it and/or replace it with something like the mp3 player. Would this be feasible? I'm just not sure how it's integrated.

By the way, the dealer is asking $29,699 for these cars. I really wanted the GT package, but I'm willing to compromise if I can get Titanium grey with the navigation like these have. What should I try to get them down to?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

the cassette goes in the space below the volume **** (orange lit up in the middle) and above the a/c button.

and as for if that's a fair price, go to edmunds.com and see how that price compares to invoice and msrp with all the options installed.

and you can't get them to change out the cassette for mp3 player. the mp3 cd player goes in the spot above the volume ****, which is where the 6 cd indash player goes.

oh, and 05's have the option of satellite radio, so if you go that route, you won't need the cd player at all. just check to make sure that the radio installed in the car has a "sat" or "satellite" button. that is required for the satellite radio. if it doesn't make them change it out for free, since it is supposed to be there anyways.

 

Ahh, I see now! Thank you very much.

The price they're asking is below invoice by a few hundred bucks. Pretty good if you ask me, but then again, I might be able to get them even lower since they have 3 of the same car and the '06s will be coming out soon.

Thanks again!

 

On The Stock Head unit which Mazda uses in the RX8, You can add an optional Cassette player, Minidisc player, or Satellite Radio Option in the lower (unused) half of the inner black circle (Below the volume ****). It's a module that plugs into a vacant spot in the existing head unit.

http://accessories.mazdausa.com/acce...Components.jpg

The MP3 option is actually a different head unit (although it looks almost identical to the stock HU). I opted to add the MP3 stereo aftermarket. ...and when I picked up my car, I was handed the original head-unit in a box. The MP3 HU still has the option of adding a cassette, minidisc or satellite radio.

Their are, As far as I know, only 3 things from Mazda which are made for that spot. ...So unless you want to add the minidisc or satellite radio options, then their would be no need to remove the cassette player. Just consider it a bonus.

Curiously enough, the Satellite Radio is not listed as an option for 2004, but minidisc is. Minidisc is not listed as an option for 2005, but satellite radio is. As far as I know, both model years use the same HU. So why not offer both options for both model years. ...Oh well, Mazda works in mysterious ways.

 

actually, 04 and 05 rx-8's headunits have different firmware AFAIK, to handle different hardware plug-ins, namely the satellite radio module.

 

and i have the cassette player, and i really do enjoy using it, because with a simple cassette adapter, though not aesthetically pleasing (damn wire hanging out of the cassette slot), I can pretty much plug ANYTHING that makes audio into the car's sound system

sometimes old technologies still have its place :o

 

Thanks for the good info guys. I use XM Satellite radio right now, so I'd planned to just transport my reciever into the RX-8. Kinda wish I'd gone with Sirius now, but I do like XM. It's just that I could have the integrated unit in the RX-8 instead with Sirius.

I could always switch providers though.

 

Out of curiosity, does anyone know if the firmware of the MP3 HU will accept the satellite radio option? If not, is it upgrade-able?

I have no immediate plans to upgrade, just curious what my options are.