I was at the Dealership the other day to look at the Mazda6 and saw that they had a 2004 RX8 loaded with only 15k miles on it for $25,000. This is relatively identical to the loaded Mazda6 that I was looking at (I get an employee purchase discount from my job)

This car is going to primarily be a commuting car about 45 interstate miles each way, and I only commute 3 days a week. My primary concern was the different in fuel economy. Its clear that the 6 has the RX8 beat on this. But, it RX8 looks so much more appealing.

So what would you guys do?

2004 loaded RX8 (auto) or a 2005 loaded Mazda6?

 

Mazda 6. I have both and i wouldn't pay 25K for a car with 15K miles on it.

 

I wouldn't describe 15,000m as "only."

 

Hate to say it, but neither.

A "loaded" used 04 RX-8 auto might fetch 20 grand on a real good day

Loaded 05 6 wouldn't inspire me to get out of the very low 20's, depending on options.

The difference in fuel economy for your commute is about 2 gallons or 5 bucks a week.

If I were you, I'd look into a leftover 04 RX-8. They can still be had at great deals. Realistically look at 7 to 8 grand off sticker.

My 2¢

 

A friend just Friday purchased a new '04 6speed w/GT package, wing and appearance package for just over $25K. So you should be able to make a similar deal for a "new" '04, not a used '04 with that many miles on it.

 

Hrm, can someone shoot me some links for RX8's going in the low 20's. I have not seen any of them at the various places that I have checked (I live in Dover, Delaware). W/ 15,000 miles on it and in excellent condition, what should be a price that I should ask for? The dealer does not have any more new 04's.

NADA shows the estimated retail price at $25,875. I have a '98 Honda Civic EX that I will be trading in (NADA trade value is around $6500). So that puts it below 20, but now i'm definetely concerned about getting hit with too high a price.

I will be going in to work for a couple of hours tonight, so I will be getting the special pricing for the 05 RX8's and compare.

 

1. That price is insane for a used '04 with that many miles. People have been paying less than that for new, leftover '04's with several hundred miles on them or less. The auto should even be much less, as it is substantially slower than the 6 speed and has less used-car market appeal.

2. These are 2 very different cars - do you want a RWD sportscar, or a front wheel drive sedan? Price shouldn't be the priority in the decision nearly as much as what you want to drive for the next X years.

 

If you can deal with the gas mileage, oil consumption (not a lot but you need to keep an eye on it) and that you have to let the engine fully warm up before turning it off (cutting of cold may cause flooding), then you can at least consider the RX-8.

If any of these issue give you heartburn then go with the Mazda 6.

 

Heres the link to the exact car sitting on the dealers lot..

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/id...r_id=179632924

 

You didn't mention if the 6 was an i or an s, but we have a 6-speed 2004 RX-8 (mine) and a 5-speed 2005 Mazda 6s (6 cylinder - wife's).

I just want to clear this up - my wife's 6 averages about 17-18 mpg on her weekly commute, and my 8 averages 17-18 mpg on my weekly commute. We both drive a mix of highway and city streets, about 75% - 25% (we work within three blocks of each other).

Unless you drive ALL freeway, they are the same - regardless of what Mazda says. If you were talking about the 4 cylinder (i) model of the 6, then I have NO idea.

Pics of both at the link in my signature.

 

Don't forget that the 04 Rx8 has a 4 speed auto, while the 05 6s has a new 6spd Aisin Warner auto. Its supposedly getting another 2-3 mpg higher then the old 5spd overheating Jatco transmissions in the 03/04 6s's.

 

I owned both and the 6s was not that much better in gas mileage.

 

You didn't own a 2005 6s ATX...which has a new 6spd Automatic, and a revised PCM.

 

I'd take a 6 (if it has the V-6) over an AT 8. But a MT 8 is a whole different story...

 

If you're seriously considering the RX-8, I suggest you consider a new '04 and take advantage of the cash back incentives. Using the financing rebates, the college grad rebate and the gerber rebate, i was able to get ~7200 off from MSRP.........and mine had 27 miles on it . Definitely better than a used 8 with "only" 15k miles.

 

Well, my brief but informative venture in to the RX8 scene has come to an end. I test drove the 2004 RX8 today and did not like it at all. The drivers seat was way too closed in for my liking. Driving was nice, but acceleration was very lacking, it took a few seconds to really kick in and it jerked more than I would like. Then to top it off, the guy put 15,000 miles on it while smoking in it.

I test drove a 2005 Mazda6 5door sport package... I was hooked. Then the dealer said he had one 2004 left over that had the same configuration. I got the car w/ employee pricing for $26,980 - $4500 (trade) - $3500 in incentives and college grad discount = $18980. I didn't put anything down and added tax/tags, and still got the whole thing for under $20k, including the addition of 100k mile protection since I will be commuting.

So i'm off the Mazda6 forums. Thanks to everyone for the replies and good luck with your 8's.

 

Sounds like you made the smart decision. The rx8 is much funner when it is not in the automatic configuation(and smoked in). Good luck with your Mazda 6.

 

Doh! You got the 04 with the Jatco 5spd You were so close to getting the brand new 6spd ATX in the 05's.

Make sure to install a transmission cooler ASAP on the 04 6s...the jatco hits over 240F in normal driving conditions...fluid is brown and smells burnt by 20k miles.



Guess which blot is from a 2004 Mazda 6s ATX with only 20k on the car =/.