fugg

Well, it's time guys... I decided to drive over to the Mazda dealership and throw my hard earned cash down to purchase a Touring or a Grand Touring '07 RX-8.

First stop was some dealership in Tampa, FL. They only had one more '07 Touring edition available (not really interested in Sport) and it was an automatic. Only stayed for a couple minutes there.

Onward to another dealership near Tampa, FL. They had a funky blue colored Touring available with Mazdaspeed wheels and an appearance package. I test drove it (my first drive in a RX-8), and had mixed feelings about it.

First of all, I think I put the 8 on the pedestal. I kept reading about how it had nimble cornering abilities, etc, I expected too much out of it. Granted it DOES corner like a S.O.B, I just thought it would have been more go-kart-like that it was. I loved the sound of the engine, and the location/height of the shifter. One thing that DID screw me up was the 6 speed. I come from a 5-spd Civic, so the extra gear really had me screwed up. (In fact, I don't think I even put it on 6th in fear of hitting the reverse)

The location of the RPM gauge (along with the fact that the red-line is 9k) REALLY screwed with my mind. I wasn't used to seeing the RPM gauge all the way down there (kind of hard to explain) and the fact that the redline is 9k.

After taking it for a spin, me and the dealer talked numbers. The car had over 1,200 miles on it due to being the "demo" car. And there was NO WAY IN HELL I was paying over $2,000 for those super cool Mazdaspeed rims. Final price out the door ended up being a little over $27,000. WTFBYEBYE.

So I went over to another stealership a couple miles away. They only had one more '07 Touring available; the showroom one. Color was red, basic Touring edition.

No appearance package either... I for one can't tell the difference that or just a regular Touring/GT. Sadly, no spoiler.... I'm going to do some research on this and I think I'm going to have to buy an OEM one.

Anyways, it was clean; hardly any miles. (Kept in a showroom) I couldn't test drive it though, because it was in the store. <--- I hope this is normal. I feel kind of wary about buying a vehicle without test driving it.... Even if it's new.

Final price out the door ended up being $25,800. I hope I got the good end here... I keep getting these nagging thoughts...

But yeah. I pick up the car next week after I get my cashiers check ready. (Banks were closed) I'll have more details then.

One thing that I REALLY DONT UNDERSTAND is the fact that in Florida, you MUST have FULL COVERAGE insurance after you purchase the vehicle and drive it off the lot. You can't drive away with it if you just have liability. I mean... wth?

But yeah... Suggestions, comments, flames, WELCOME!

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

you have to have full coverage to finance, thats a rule anywhere even in the middle of nowhere Iowa. is that 25800 with the rebate? TEST DRIVE IT. its a law to test drive a vehicle before you buy it, at least in iowa. trust me, being new is irrelavant! Remember that the car was on a transport and a trucker had to drive it on and off. You never know, its a slim chance something is wrong, but if theyre denying you a test drive than I wouldnt buy that vehicle.

fugg

^ yeah... But the fact is, I'm paying it in cash all up front. No financing, no nothing.

Yep... thats $25,800 with the rebate. I'll drive it before I "officially" give them the money come Monday. (I put $500 down on it today though) It might be too late to back out on the deal...

kennethp

Congrats on your prospective purchase. If your paying through a bank full coverage is required for the life of the loan. If you are paying cash; then you can just have the low end state required stuff. If I was putting up 25k in cash I would invest in full coverage for at least the first year. Just don't buy your insurance from the dealer. I call my broker from the dealer and have them add the new car. Then they fax the proof of insurance to the dealer. Good luck and be safe.

kennethp

According to Florida law you have three days after you take possession of the vehicle to back out of the deal. It's called a cooling off period.

chetrickerman

if you are paying cash, you shouldnt need full coverage unless you have financing. if you finance with them, or a bank, you NEED full coverage, otherwise, if you crash it, they dont get their money back.
but thats bullsh*t that you cant test drive it. if you cant, dont buy the car, cause they either have something to hide about the car, or has something to hide about the dealer. they should only need to copy your DL and you are good to go on the test drive. walk in, tell them you want to test drive it, or you are walking out.

Mazurfer

Correct....you have three days after possession. Good that you thought to tell them you want a test drive before you give them the cash. I can see that they might not want to pull it off the showroom during a busy
Saturday.
As far as spoiler, look aroound on here and see which you like. I'm really liking the lip spoilers now, but now sure on a VR.

Congrats....and read all the stickies.

Where abouts in Florida....or are you the one that posted a few days ago that is in Ft. Myers??

fugg

"Congrats on your prospective purchase. If your paying through a bank full coverage is required for the life of the loan. If you are paying cash; then you can just have the low end state required stuff. If I was putting up 25k in cash I would invest in full coverage for at least the first year. Just don't buy your insurance from the dealer. I call my broker from the dealer and have them add the new car. Then they fax the proof of insurance to the dealer. Good luck and be safe."

Thanks. My money's coming from a bank (even though I'm not taking out a loan or financing), through a cashiers checks, so I guess I can't have the "low end insurance". These guys claimed they didn't offer any insurance on the cars. Up to the buyer to get that taken car of.

According to Florida law you have three days after you take possession of the vehicle to back out of the deal. It's called a cooling off period.

Nice! Sort of a "buyer's guarantee" thing I guess. I love Florida.

if you are paying cash, you shouldnt need full coverage unless you have financing. if you finance with them, or a bank, you NEED full coverage, otherwise, if you crash it, they dont get their money back.
but thats bullsh*t that you cant test drive it. if you cant, dont buy the car, cause they either have something to hide about the car, or has something to hide about the dealer. they should only need to copy your DL and you are good to go on the test drive. walk in, tell them you want to test drive it, or you are walking out.

Well, like I said. I am paying cash, but technically, using my bank. I don't think I should walk into the dealership with $25,800 in cash... Hm... Maybe I should have test-drove it.

Correct....you have three days after possession. Good that you thought to tell them you want a test drive before you give them the cash. I can see that they might not want to pull it off the showroom during a busy
Saturday.
As far as spoiler, look aroound on here and see which you like. I'm really liking the lip spoilers now, but now sure on a VR.

Congrats....and read all the stickies.

Where abouts in Florida....or are you the one that posted a few days ago that is in Ft. Myers??

Thanks again. I will go there on Monday with the cash and request a test-drive before I hand over the remaining $$$ over to them. Better safe than sorry. I just hope I can get my damn $500 deposit back if it doesn't check out... I'm in Tampa, FL, near ABC's, Winghouse, etc.

Again, thanks for the heads-up guys! I owe you one! Keep 'em coming!

On a seperate note, how do you guys think I made out on the $25,800 part? I feel like I paid more than I should have...

snipaz2420

there is a lockout so that you cant accidently do that. in the 8 you have to push the shifter down as if you were putting the shifter through the bottom of the car and then pull it into reverse. so dont be afraid next time

Mazurfer

You'll get the money back if you change your mind or don't like it, don't worry about that. On price....not bad, you'll get a million different opinios...and we don't know all the options you got, so if you're happy...then don't look back. Ahhhhhh....Tampa town, went to school there and lived on Fletcher up near USF.......many. many moons ago!

fugg

there is a lockout so that you cant accidently do that. in the 8 you have to push the shifter down as if you were putting the shifter through the bottom of the car and then pull it into reverse. so dont be afraid next time

Yeah... I'll have to see whats up with that feature.

You'll get the money back if you change your mind or don't like it, don't worry about that. On price....not bad, you'll get a million different opinios...and we don't know all the options you got, so if you're happy...then don't look back. Ahhhhhh....Tampa town, went to school there and lived on Fletcher up near USF.......many. many moons ago!

Thats a good relief. The only OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT I got on the sticker is.... *FANFARE* a spare tire kit. WOO!

I just love Tampa. I come from California, and too me, Tampa feel just like home. I'm about a 15 min from USF... great location!

chetrickerman

hmm, thats weird that you need full coverage then. but yes, you definitely need to test drive it.

Zephyrzone

The price sounds fair. I paid $27,900 for my GT Manual, plus some options in August and that included a rebate. The sticker was $32,200. Look at Edmunds.com under new car pricing and see what the invoice is. Don't forget to check options like your spare tire kit, that thing is worth over $300. I think the price difference between the Touring and GT is about $2k. Sounds like you did fine. But it doesn't really matter. If you can afford it and you like the car then do what Mazsurf said and don't look back.

When I bought mine there were only 3 on the East Coast that would work for me. I had a specific 8 in mind- GT, 6spd Manual, VR with Red/Black interior. By the time I had decided to buy it, the other 2 had been sold so mine was driven down from PA (I live near Washington DC). I didn't have a chance to test drive it and they put 250 miles on the odo in transport. I got a good deal and it was exactly what I wanted so I wasn't upset. I didn't test drive it before I signed which wasn't very smart. Turns out the vehicle was fine, no problems. Didn't need to test drive it, but still I should have. Legally you don't owe any money if you don't "take delivery" of the car. Which means you can still test drive it and get your $500 back if you don't want it. I would recommend driving it before signing. If there are any issues, ask the dealer to fix them before you buy or put in writing that they will after you buy it.

pdxhak

iTrader: (2)

If you are buying a $25k car with cash then why would you be worried about having full coverage insurance? You never know what will happen to your car. Hit and run? Liability insurance will not cover it. Hit by an uninsured driver? Liability will not cover your losses either.

Congrats on your purchase!

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

Congrats!

I found insurance to be remarkably affordable for this car- surprisingly so. Of course, being the right age helps too. Also go with a $750 deductable instead of the more common $500. That will keep the premium down as well.

Welcome to the fold!

ken-x8

I have usually not test driven the car that I actually bought. When I'm car shopping, on my first visit I'll test drive whatever demo they have. Then it's a matter of buying the one that I want, some time later. Often from a different dealer than where I got the test drive.

On the cashier's check business...when paying cash, I find it more fun to write a personal check. Then when I get my bank statement I look at the routing to see how quickly they ran to the bank with it.

Besides that, it's just fun to write a check for 25 grand every now and then. Some day I'd like to walk in with a wad of cash, but the dealer would report the cash deal to the feds.

If the cashier's check is your money, make sure the dealer knows the car is not financed. A friend once bought a car with a cashier's check - his own money - and the dealer put the bank's name on the title. Dealer said they had no way of changing it, and the bank refused to release the lien because they had nothing to do with it.

Ken

kennethp

Totally agree, I like writing personal checks better. Most dealers won't release the car until a personal check clears if your a first time customer. Fraud is pretty big issue in Florida. Dealer probably told him they need a cashiers check to release the car the same day. We have always bought Ford or Toyota so we deal with two sales people almost exclusively. Not a Ford fan, but my wifes dad retired from there so we get good discounts. We have a Corolla for commuting. I think the Ford
discount extends to Mazda products. Sweet for me!

Mazurfer

It does extend to Mazda......I know that for sure!
Win for you!

valpac

iTrader: (2)

Congrats on your new car. I think you are making a mistake not fully insuring your purchase. Unless of course you have another 28 grand in the bank to buy another one.

joebennz

Congrats on the new car and good luck with it. May your first mod be a short throw shifter LOL

TimzSI

congrats and all, but when you say a funny looking blue, I hope you don't mean phantom blue.

insurance, full coverage just makes sense. I think even if I wasn't carrying a note through my credit union, I would still want it.

SideOfBacon

I too hope if he says funny blue that he doesnt mean phantom blue. I had to go with an 04 with the budget I had and wasnt available for the 04. Had to go with WB. LOVE the PB.

Munkus

Congrats in advance! Here in California there is no cooling off period. Once you drive off the lot, you're stuck with the car. Luckily I'm happily stuck with my stormy blue mica RX-8 GT. Just hit 4000 miles and I keep falling in love with it again every time I drive it. And ditto what everyone else says. Full insurance coverage is the way to go. If you want to save a little money on the monthly premium, just increase your deductible.

Kane

iTrader: (1)

Congrats dude - Phantom Blue sucks huh? I see how it is...