350zj

Here is a link to a Mazda dealer about an hour from downtown Chicago (about 10 miles from Wisconsin, but still a chicago burb) The dealership itself is in a pretty crappy town... They have 21 laying around on the lot.. Whoever was complaining about it being hard to find a blue one has a valid point....no blues.... if all the lots in Chicago. the dealers will have to start dropping price.

http://nitra.mazdadealer.com/rosen/e...Search_1.chtml

graphicguy

Most that have dealer stock are still selling at MSRP. They don't stay on the lot very long.

Even the one place someone mentioned selling them for below MSRP on EBAY....after calling them, they only had one available under MSRP and it had 500 miles on it (they used it as their dealer demo). In other words they only had one at the discounted price.

Voodookhan

This man speaks the troof! You do not have to pay mark-up for this (or any) car. I originally went online for my car, and wound up buying through the dealer for 2k below MSRP. I got the car that I wanted with the packages that I wanted (plus the CD changer, cargo net, spolier, etc. for free).

Just tell the dealerships that you won't do business with anyone doing mark-ups (SF Bay Area is notorious for retarded mark-ups and add-ons) and if they are trying to shlep you a car with a bunch of crap you don't want, then tell them you don't want it and go back to the original internet deal. Eventually, they will give you the extra crap for free or give up and give you the internet deal. Either way you win.

I highly recommend walking into the dealship with a print out of exactly what you want and how much you'll pay in hand. And don't let them quote monthly payments to you, tell them to give you the FULL purchase price when you're negotiating.

- VoodooKhan

Tresch

The dealer here in Des Moines keeps about 8-10 of them on the lot, but I always see them rotating out. They seem to actually be moving them fairly well, it's just that they got a lot in the FIRST place that makes it look like overstock. THIS IS NOT a limited production car like the STI or EVO. They're making LOTS of them. You'll also notice the dealer might have 30 mazda 6s on the lot! Does this mean they're not selling? Not really, it just means it's more of a high volume car. I think this is what mazda is shooting for. They want to make the 8 more mainstream than any of the previous rotary cars. NOT like the rx-7 ever was.

-Tresch

graphicguy

tresch...you're right....Mazda doesn't want this to be a limited availability car. Dealers are turning their stock over quickly. I think that's why there isn't much in the way of discounting going on....they sell them quickly.

Regarding add-ons and addtional dealer markup over MSRP is absurd. I won't do business with those dealers.

klegg

Well, I called them, and not as good as it looks.

The cars are base 6 speeds, no options at all, no sun, no radio upgrad. The deal is only offered for two secific cars, and they would not confirm if they are still avalable.

They do have a good number of upgraded cars, but said they are moving well. would not say they would deal on the other cars.

So, I guess this is still a grey area, as to what type of discounts are going to be out there for a optioned car.

Tronics

My speculation is, Mazda/Ford will not offically lower MSRP, or offer any rebates this early after release. I want the rotary to do well, but with the $30k price tag and a skeptical consumer market, I doubt any real serious rotarty movement will take place unless Mazda decided to lower the price.

TybeeRX-8

This guy? is as dishonest as they come. He is untruthful and one should not believe anything he reports and/or posts on this forum. He does not own a Skyline either! Check out info for yourself. No discounting is being offered where I live.

jimbo_gixxer

my .02 cents...

Mazda has not done a media blitz (YET) on the RX-8. No PrimeTime Commercials or radio ads or full page ads in the daily papers... most of the advertising was low-key unless you subscribed to the Auto trade mags. Once this car gets more media attention in daily advertising i think you will see demand jump for this car. I had seen more Mazda 6 commercials in the few times i watched TV than the RX-8. but then again i don't watch much TV =P

But I agree, I see many RX-8s on American (California-specifically) lots and it doesnt seem like there is high demand. Before i bought mine i found 20+ at the Menlo Mazda Dealer in late September. Great selection but they still did NOT have the configuration i wanted. But they did find the options i wanted and delivered with minimal wait time. I love California for the selection and availability and Menlo Mazda for delivering without a 6+ month wait like all the other dealers were threatening...

My guess is that the folks at MAZDA wanted to measure the intensity of demand (ie - how many consumers are willing to pre-order, pay at MSRP, or above MSRP, etc...) before spending $Millions$ in advertising on the RX-8. then hit the American public with the saturation of advertising. When i signed my purchase papers at the dealer the Sales Manager walked in and stamped "INTERNET" on my purchase order documents. At the time i did not think much of it. I was too enthusiastic about my new toy. But now, I realize that this was to identify and track how many purchases were attributable to the "INTERNET" as there was no (NO) wide spread easily obtainable marketing material on the RX-8 in late September. If it were not for this particular forum, I would not have been as comfortable purchasing the RX-8 as it is a very new model.

cheers,
jimbo

TybeeRX-8

Well, I haven't seen anything yet that would qualify as a "blitz", but I am seeing more commericals on tv for the 8 in the past week. Bear in mind that the Miata still sells several thousand cars annually with no advertising! But, I suspect the ads will pickup more in the near future.

John415

I agree with jimbo on the fact that I haven't any commericals about the 8. I saw 2, in the same commerical break, at 4pm. Not prime time. I think if they lower, or offer lower than MSRP prices then they will sell better. When I test drove one, they have 4 sitting on the lot, with 1 in the show room, and the guy said they had 2 in the back fresh off the truck. The demand isn't the problem. I have an 83 rx7, that I paid $400 for. I love it. But the people that want one of these cars just can't afford ir. But will die trying to get one, like I will. If they advertise to the non-rotary community, ie America, then they will sell better.

John

Ike

I see a lot of 8 commercials, Speed and Espn play them all the time and they are on quite often during football on major networks. In addition I can hardly go to a car website anymore without getting the RX-8 popup add.

Ike

graphicguy

TyBee....I agree....this guy will say anything to devalue the RX8...usually it's a half truth or out and out wrong. You know what they say about half truths....you never know which half you get.

ptiemann

same where I bought mine.. a (2003) Mazda 6 marked down from ~$21700 to $17200

That dealership is around the corner from my house so I pass there all the time and I don't see much going on there.

Let's face it, the economy is bad and people might be reasonable, buy either a 2-year old used car or just hang on to their existing vehicle.

Skyline Maniac

Dishonest as they come? So I guess I fabricated that pdf link and lied about any possibility of discounts on the RX-8 along with several other forum members. Also, you and klegg better refresh your knowledge about the Nissan Skyline before getting your **** laughed off on the forum.

btw: klegg~ no need to sweat, apology accepted. Under $25k for base 6MT and CD player thrown in, I think that's a pretty good deal. Obviously if you do the math, under $25k for 6MT with $2400+ off means what? That's right - bare bone model. What were you expecting anyways?

klegg

You do not get it....It is a bait and switch to get you on the lot.

They would not confirm that the cars were still there, only that it was for the 2 vins listed in the add..That is the point.

There will be markdowns someday, Just not yet.

That was actually what this was about..

rx7 rage

I hope this car won't be a failure.

graphicguy

No worries.....it's already a success!

vibec

Isn't it funny that humans by nature are like sheep.

who cares if the demand is down. I dont want to be driving a car that everyone else drives.

To be honest, if i was worried about resale etc etc. I would have bought a 3 series BMW or a C class Mercedes (rock solid resale in Australia) but what would be the point of that.

I wanted to buy something different.

If people are worried about the rotary engine etc, they should just stay away and buy something safe (not necessarily not sporty but just conventional).

I love driving this car (my first rotary) and after 500km i find that i am loving it more and more and will forget about the cost in a few more weeks.

But I guess humans are like sheep, we dont want to stick out and do something different. If 90% of the rest of humanity do not agree with our decisions, then there must be something wrong....

ptiemann

um.. I think that the opposite is the case. Everyone believes that he/she is special. My ex once said it would be terrible if she would have to learn she was average.

Often, that's how advertising works. They tell you if you buy XYZ then you are special. The masses ..do this.. buy XYZ .. means prestige

I don't watch TV but I bought the RX-8 for the unconventional rotary engine and the reverse opening doors. Afterwards I learned that some Saturn has those doors too. Man was I disappointed :-|

jimbo_gixxer

back to the point of the thread -- is demand down? and/or will the MSRP be lowered?

no and no...


i think that Mazda wants to sell 30,000 of these units worldwide, which is a modest goal. consider that the BMW 3-series sold over 110,000 units last year.

why did i purchase this car?
1) unique looks
2) rotary engine (incredible power for 1.3 litre)
3) ergonomics
4) 4 seater

I considered the Mustang SVT Cobra/Saleen, BMW 330/M3, Lex IS300, Audi TT/S4, WRX STI, Lancer EVO but these cars failed my selection criteria in one way or another. the RX-8 passed or exceeded all of my expectations!!!

I'm actually glad there are few RX8 cars on the road today. but can't wait til the tuners and aftermarket goodies come out for this vehicle...which won't happen until demand goes up.

Ike

It's actually 30K in the US and 60k worldwide yearly, with Mazda aiming for 18K by the end of this year, it's not looking like they are even going to come close if it's short of 6k after 10 weeks. 12 weeks left and they have to sell twice what they have already with winter approaching and the 3k or so pre-sold cars no longer boosting the numbers. Who knows, maybe now that they are advertising pretty often they will get a big boost in sales.

Ike

renotse

IkeWRX,

I only have one thing to say to you.

http://www.wrxforum.com

oh....and don't let the door hit you in the *** on the way out!

graphicguy

I doubt very seriously that Mazda is unhappy with the way the 8 is selling.

Last I checked, they sold almost 7,000 8s through August, with little advertising in a couple of trade rags. Since the car has only been on sale for a couple of months, that's great.

They only have to sell 11,000 for the next 4 months...and media is just kicking in.

My dealer said sales have picked up dramatically since the commercials have started. He's selling everyone of them he can get his hands on. He said he wishes he could get more of them. Average time an 8 stays at the dealership once it's unloaded from the truck is 48 hours.

He said people don't want the cheap base models either.

jimbo_gixxer

IKE - thanks for clarifying. even if they don't come close, it's interesting that the US is in a depressed world-wide economy and the RX-8 has sold the number of units we report in this thread. if you look at the anecdotal numbers we post here the gross income generated for Mazda are impressive.

the numbers are staggering...

30,000 units @ $26,000 (base only) = $780,000,000 USD
18,000 units @ $26,000 (base only) = $468,000,000 USD

if what Ike states is more or less accurate:
6,000 units @ $26,000 (base only) = $156,000,000 USD (conservatively)

versus GraphicGuys numbers above...
8,000 units @ $26,000 (base only) = $208,000,000 USD

the RX-8 market is worth a $1 BILLION USD to MAZDA +/- 5%...
outstanding for a company i would never have considered without the 8...