In another thread, a few folks said they'd heard the RX-8's might be in for a price increase of $2,000-3,000 in January or for the 2005 models.

Is there any hard evidence of this? I was planning on saving money over the next year and then getting an RX-8 next year. But if the price is going to go up, that won't make too much sense for me.

Thanks for any input you can give me!

 

Very good question! I think this car is underpriced anyway.

 

Seems like speculation to me. Raise the price and it begins to look worse against it's closest competitors. Put a stronger/faster renesis and I don't think anybody would complain on the price.

 

I seriously doubt it. I don't have any proof to back that up but consider the following:

• Mazda knows this car needs to be available to as many people as possible
• It needs to stay competitive (less expensive) than the Z and S2000 let alone the new sporty cars that will be released in the next year or two
• High prices were a major contribution to the demise of the FD

Unless production costs increase, Mazda's not going to raise prices just to line their pocket books. Too much is riding on the success of this car....

 

Maybe he's referring to the repeated speculation of a sharp increase in dealer markup once the initial shipments are sold.

 

Yes, that's probably what I"m talking about. And I'm a she, but that's no big deal

Does anyone know what this speculation is based on? Thanks.

 

Perhaps the weakness of the dollar against the yen has necessitated the price increase?

 

My Sales manager is taking heat from his GM on selling the cars for sticker, he isn't allowed to sell anymore at sticker other than his preorder cars to the original customer that ordered. He totally hates it and is throwing accesories or wheels on the cars and just inflating the prices to try and justify the markup. Now that I have mine it would nice if prices go up because it will help my resale value but it sure would suck for all you guys that were gonna wait a little while.

 

In Ontario dealers can't up the price over MSRP. They can play with trading values though. In the Canada forum someone has complained to Mazda about a dealer trying to do this.

There are so many factors involved in pricing the car that it is way too early to speculate on the prices for next year. Yes they will likely go up due to inflation but so will all other cars. We will have to wait and see.

 

I called 3 dealerships before I put down a deposit on my car. Only one mentioned a "markup" and the other two said that if I bought from a dealer who was marking up the car past sticker I was getting screwed. Bottom line...find a good dealer....if they mention a markup start walking out the door and I guarantee they will come off with, "now wait a minute let me see what I can do about that."

 

I'm sure Mazda will want this car to be (stay?) competitive with the competition. They're not gonna do that by sitting still. (Turbo? That would be da bomb!)

Also, I think the 2004 is underpriced - and for an obvious reason, and that reason won't last very long if at all.

Add those 2 points together and waddaya get?

Be prepared for that $2-3k markup for 2005 models.

 

Come on guys - what's the last car you can think of that had a factory backed 1-2K markup after it was first introduced (not just a freshening - but an all new car). Now think about what this car means for Mazda - and that markup isn't going to affect the bottom line like a $300 markup on proteges or a hike on the 6 would. The 8 is too low volume for a really big increase on a car that means too much to the future of Mazda sports cars.

 

Weakness of the yen against the dollar is what you meant, right? :p

Yes, it's a low volume car now because it's brand new, but Mazda has stated several times that this will be a mid to high volume car after production gets rolling, so a small increase in price may make a big difference in a year or two, but they're not going to raise it just of the sake of raising it (especially not by $2-3k). With cars like the 350Z putting out more torque and more HP for $2-3k more, it wouldn't be a good idea (not everybody has the fantastic styling taste that we RX-8 admirers do. Performance numbers mean everything to some people)

It would be, but it's going to have to be done aftermarket. They're not going to turbocharge this car from the factory. If they increase HP and torque, there are plenty of other means for doing so. So don't look for price increases as a result of a turbo either. But you do make a good point that any price increases will likely be a result of performance increases.

 

Sorry about that -- it's very easy to assume the male gender on this forum (since the ratio is probably 98% male!)

The speculation is probably based on: the fact that many dealers are already marking up RX-8's (and it seems many people are willingly paying whatever they ask); the belief that there will be a lag in shipments of RX-8's between about November 2003 and February 2004 while Mazda is gearing up production (this will *not* be a limited production car!); and the history dealers have of marking up all hot new cars (such as the S2000, 350Z, Mini Cooper S, etc.).

 

I hope they don't because the price is part of the reason that I want to get this car next spring. If they do raise the price by say $3K Canadian without any additional enhancements I will be forced to look elsewhere.

 

Well, most likely a turbo won't be standard. Perhaps an option though. And with an option like that, who won't be going with it? Kind of like, for most buyers, the MT and (not so much) GT options for this year. Just gotta have it,,, would just be a wannabe without it,,,ya know?...

 

You guys all crack me up ... acting like you have some great insight. Even I don't have a clue what's next for the car. Quit speculating. Start doing some mods and then we'll have something to talk about.

 

We ARE speculating. Wasn't trying to act like anything. What's up with you? Ants got in your oatmeal?
BTW, I need the 8 first before I can do any mods. Cheez!

 

Just that I think it's funny ... that's all. Everybody saying things like they're fact. That's really been 99% of the traffic on this forum since the day it was started.

I'm just looking forward to the time when it's less speculation, and more real world. Like modification results, track times, club meeting, etc.

 

Well, I just spoke to a sales guy at Brown Mazda in Alexandria, VA and he said that they plan to start marking up the cars starting in the next few weeks. He said I'd need to go ahead and order the car before then if I didn't want to deal with a markup. He didn't say how much the markup would be.

I seriously doubt I'll buy from this dealership. If I can't find one that will sell the car for MSRP (or even slightly below), I may just have to wait longer than I'd like, or forget it all together.

 

This price hike is due to the weakness of the dollar vs. the yen ... not some Mazda driven direction.

 

Definitely sounds like he is just trying to get you lock in for an order. Sounds more like a Sale tactic to me.

 

BOOST, careful what you say there buddy, somebody is going to misunderstand that. To clarify: there is no price hike. Some dealers have chosen to markup their cars. This happened with the Miata, it happened like CRAZY with the S2000 and it happened with the Z. If people are willing to pay it and Mazda is not going to crack down on them for doing it, the dealerships will continue to get whatever they can for the cars. Not all dealerships are doing this though and it's not going to last beyond when there are cars sitting on the lots. It's economics at it's most basic level: suppy vs. demand.

Oh, and by the way, the yen is weaker than the dollar, not the other way around....

 

You think people can objectively agree on modification results, dynos, and track times?

If I can't get a low-options m/t 8 for $28,5k new when the time comes, probably next summer, then a big part of the draw of the product goes out the window, and I look elsewhere. Sad that it'd come to that.

 

S-Plan!