Like a recent poster, I am the new owner of an 04 Yellow RX-8. Unlike most of the people on this forum who are moving from RX-8s to economy cars, I drove a Saturn Ion for the last 4 years. While it has been a reliable and economical car, over the last year I have found myself hating it to the point where I can't stand it. I commute on the highway to work and the ride was too rough. I haven't listened to the radio in it for 2 years because the road noise was so bad. The power train was bullet-proof, and I couldn't stand the thought of driving it until it died 6 or 8 years down the road. I also felt modding it was essentially a waste of money.

After a lot of searching and debating, I settled on the RX-8. I wanted something 1) sporty 2) unique 3) affordable 4) with a manual transmission 5) safe and 6) had room for our upcoming family member. The 8 met all my criteria. I looked at a couple on this forum - unfortunately I couldn't swing one particular deal due to vicinity issues.

So I'm now the proud owner of a yellow RX-8, Sport Edition with Performance Package & spoiler. Also the car came with a Greddy exhaust (love it!).

I've never driven a manual before and spent about an hour learning last night before I took it out on the road. This car is more fun than I ever expected. The engine, the revs, the sound, the handling . . . you all know this already. On the highway it is smoother riding (!) than the ion, and *much* quieter.

I don't want to ramble, but I'm thrilled with the car and hopeful that I will be a happy owner for a long time!

-Mateo319

 

Congrats on the car. Great color choice. Now get out there and drive...

 

This car is addicting. I got up early for work this morning just to get in the car.

 

Yep, after more than 2 and a half years, I still look for excuses to drive...

 

Good choice, Now all you need is the MazdaSpeed body kit, Some black wheels, and some tints, and you will have a sweet looking ride.

And then...



























A TURBO!!

 

Congratulations! I don't see too many yellows so yours is unique!

I agree, black wheels, clear corners and tint will make a world of difference. Really happy to hear you already have an exhaust. Good luck and enjoy the hell out of it.

 

Yep, I'm already thinking about all that. Thinking about these wheels:

 

Congrats! Welcome to the club!

 

Welcome!

 

damn that GM reliability!



congrats on the rx8!

 

welcome to the cult!!! errr....."club".
Yellow is quite a color choice; take pride in knowing that 04 was the ONLY year yellow was offered. (in usual mazda sports car fashion)

Enjoy the car, read up on some of the sticky threads, and let us know if we can help in any way.

 

Cool, welcome.

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome to the club

 

Yeah, the lack of road noise in the RX8 has really impressed me. When I was first thinking about getting one, I thought "sports car + high-revving engine = loud on freeway".

I was totally wrong, though. The RX8 seems to have great noise isolation, which helps make it seem more like an upscale grand-tourer than a cheap-and-cheerful sports car.

Oh, and welcome to the club!

 

My neighbor has an Ion. He offered to trade it to me for my 8. Sure. I test drove an Ion Redline before I got the 8 and it was the only current car at the time I had driven to which I could compare the 8. No comparison. The only thing I liked about it was the responsive throttle because of its supercharger. I also did not care for those stupid gauges in the center of the dash. If you think driving should be more than just getting from A to B economically then you will love the change. Welcome.

 

POST PICS OF THE ION rofl

 

10. Saturn ION - The lame duck ION waddles off the field of battle without achieving any glory whatsoever. From its Frankensteinian proportions and ditchwater dull detailing, to misaligned panel gaps visible from low earth orbit, to a Playskool-inspired dash made of recycled plastic swords, to engines so coarse they might as well been stickered “for agricultural use only,” the ION was a born loser. If only Saturn has followed its own advice to “re-think American.” - SM

 

Welcome to your new addiction. Let the modding begin.

 

Nice color choice. The only other 8 in my town is yellow. Damn sexy. Ive never seen a LY until I moved to Cali 5 months ago. Be careful when you start modding if road noise is important to you. Mine is lowered, CAI, and a midpipe and cruisin at 70-80 mph can get noisy in these mountains. Thats why I have some aftermarket stereo equipment

 

That Ion power train will never die. The ecotec is a beast. And that was a big part of my hatred of that car. Reliability, should in fact, have it's limits with a car of that level of blandness.

It is weird having a metal car again . . . never thought I'd say that!

 

Thanks much for this post and for everyone else who's welcomed me! My wife was acctually very much in favor of the yellow once we got past the "why I need to get a sports car" barrier. She said if you are going to get a sports car, don't get it in grey or silver (and she doesn't even know about the curse of the silvers), go all the way. Not a problem for me!

 

Yep, you are right - it has a bit of GT-ness to it. It has been fantastic on the highway - as I said, *much* quieter than my previous car. The only caveat is that I'm rolling in 5th gear. Why? The exhaust gets really loud between 3k-4k RPM, and between 4k-5k it drops down to complete silence. So, 68mph at 4k RPM - not sure what impact this will have on mpg, but I'm sure I'll find out. Anyone else have experience like this with the Greddy?

 

Truth be told, were the ION a manual, I might not have switched. It was so cheap - I got it for something like 9k new off the lot in 2004 when I didn't even know how to negotiate. But 4 years of an econobox was more than enough for me. As for the center gauges, they weren't so bad IMHO. It's definitely an acquired taste, though.

Fact is, the 8 outperforms the ION so well in every single driving category, I'm completely ok with the increased fuel bill. Small price to pay.

 

Never one to disappoint fans of the satty. Rolling on 17" rims, yo.