tripwire

They have a titanium metallic RX-8 at the Atlanta auto show going on now! (www.ajcautoshow.com for directions and show times). It's absolutely stunning. I told them that I did a pre-order so they let me sit in it!!! I started freaking out and got cotton mouth! And I forgot all of the questions I had wanted to ask - of course. I won't be able to sleep for 3 weeks. It was so much more than I had imagined. It fit like a glove.

I asked about the 6-disc CD changer and they said that it came standard with the GT performance package - and it was equiped in the car at the show.

I asked about the delivery date and they told me May-June! MazdaNO told me June-July-August.

The leather in the car was all smooth - not the "ribbed" kind I keep seeing in pictures.

And there were no little headlight washers on the car either - I had kept seeing pictures of those.

They gave me the key to turn it on (and told me not to start it) - but it didn't do anything as the battery was disconnected and they were reluctant to hook it up. they kept going on and on about how cool the cluster display looks with the blue lights and stuff.

It was so cool! If you're in the Atlanta area - check it out!

tripwire

oh yeah... and I asked if it played MP3s and they told me it did.

Of course they didn't "show" me that it did - so I'm feelin' pretty good about the sound system. They wouldn't stop talking about how great it sounded.

Puppy1

European spec only.

P00Man

GOOD, im freking glad
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Launch box

pmacwill

I was excited about the delivery date and cd players until you added this. Now I'm a bit skeptical.
maybe they meant cd-rs? I feel like they'll say anything at autoshows to make you happy.

pelucidor

I doubt the Mazda people at the shows know any more than the dealers - i.e. not always correct. In Houston I asked the Mazda rep when the next RX-7 was coming out - he had no knowledge of it at all. Of course I told him that the engineers in Japan were quite far along with it, and were waiting for success with the RX-8 before bringing it out in a year or three.

However I will try to believe the news about the 6 disk CD changer and the non-ribbed leather as I'm an eternal optimist.

justinm2

tripwire, what day did you go to the show?

tripwire

yesterday (Friday, March 14)

rxeightr

I'm in Alabama, but I won't be able to make it over to Atlanta to see the RX-8.

tripwire, can you give us some idea of what made it look so much better in person? The color......body lines......??

justinm2

I went to the dealer pre-party on tuesday, they let me crawl all through the car, but wouldn't let me have the key to open the trunk. did you get a chance to see the trunk? overall i was amazed with the car. the car looks so big in the pictures, but in person was acutally quite small. the lines were beutiful, the interior was great. i can't wait for it to arrive.

tripwire

I though you would never ask... my wife wants me to shut up about it already. So apologies in advance if I start babbling...

I wasn't expecting the RX-8 to be at the auto show as my dealer said it most likely would not be there and the program guide online didn't say anything about it being there either. Just the mazda 6.

I walked around for a bit and came up behind the Mazda section and there was this enormous stage that I could only see the back of. I walked around the stage and there it was, a shining beauty, silky smooth and agressively sexy - the RX-8. Titanium Grey Metallic - the color I ordered.

I felt my heart skip a beat and my blood pressure went way up - which is really exciting (I've been waiting for a new car for over 10 years now). I've been driving a 93' Mustang (4-banger) since high school. The RX-8 was really sleek and low to the ground and just the right length. The body of the car was not what I was expecting. It was much better.

The color was amazing! If you're getting Titanium you couldn't possibly have regrets - this is a beautiful color. Right in between silver and black - leaning towards the darker side if you ask me, however the lighting conditions really change the contrast of the car considerably. It's just great.

And I'm sorry, but the web just doesn't do it any justice I have a Sony Flat Panel display at home and a thinkpad with a TFT display of course and you just can't possibly imagine how misleading most of these pictures are, especially when all of the images I have been seeing are no more than 1 foot in width and height.

And anytime I'm near a PC I bring up the images on the web to show friends and stuff and it's just not the same. Of course everything is better in real life, but I'm really surprised that Mazda didn't have brochures and posters and stuff of the RX-8 (BEFORE) doing the pre-order, even if there was a *subject to change disclaimer.

They only had the really long skinny brochure at the autoshow they were giving out - the same ones my dealer had to give me a few months ago.

The only other car that cought my eye like the RX-8 was the Lotus Elise(?) - that is a sexy car.

This car is sexy! Yet agressive. I think I was shocked at first because I've just been seeing pictures of it on the web and then there it was right in front of me and I could touch it. The lines are smooth and the curves reflect light so nicely, the rotary emblem in the hood looks really sweet. This car is just b@d@$$ - hands down - I could not find a thing wrong with it aesthetically. And as I haven't driven it I can't comment on that, but if it drives anything like it looks - OMG!

I sat in the back and a 6' guy got in front of me and I had sufficient leg room. The front drivers seat would not adjust forward so I could get in back [w/a fully opened freestyle door which I wanted to see as I have little kiddie car seats to put in there on very rare occasions] as the drivers seat is electronically driven (I'm imagining this is only on the options packages w/electro seats) and the battery was disconnected for security/safety reasons. Even though the drivers seat was positioned pretty far back I had no problems getting in and the guy up front traded seats with me and he didn't have a problem either.

I'm hoping the seats can be programmed for different drivers. I have 3 program slots in my wife's Explorer and depending on who's keychain is used to unlock the vehicle depends on who's program is activated and the seat adjusts respectively. I forgot to ask about that - so if anyone goes, please inquire.

I asked them to open the trunk and they did. It's plenty spacious for groceries or luggage - I wouldn't be taking it to Home Depot or anything.

The trunk drops down a bit - there is somewhat of a pit inside the center of it.

I got in the drivers seat - and the feel was extrordinary - it sounds strange and all, because I'm talking about a car, but it just felt awesome. I'm about 5'7" 140lbs. And there was plenty of room for me to maneuer around in. The seat just kind of grabbed you like a glove - it's sorta curved in all the right places. And I really liked the smoothed leather. I didn't notice any perforations in the seats for the heated seat option. But then again I was so amazed with the car I started to forget to ask the questions I had wanted to ask and I forgot to check out the little details I was curious about. Now I'm kicking myself.

The interor was kind of beat up - you could tell that it was a temporary RX-8 -- there was electical tape all over the electronics for some reason. And the stereo looked really slick.

I wish I had taken more time in the car, and I wish I could go back a second time to cover all of the things I wanted to cover and to really inspect - I was just in shock. I couldn't stop talking about that car - the guys I was with were lik "Shut up alreay". It was really exciting and I don't know how I'm going to make it for 3 months.

rxeightr

Trip,
Thanks so much for your additional comments. You've got me excited all over again. I guess it might be a good thing I wasn't able to head over to Atlanta, as I would be all messed up like you are now......and be all the more anxious than I already am.:p