RotorMotor

Anybody up for a gathering in San Diego? I figure we should give it a few weeks so everybody can get their cars broken in and ready to tear up some twisties. Maybe on a Saturday towards the end of July - start of August? What do you guys think?

8_wannabe

Do it! I went from a wannabe to a first-run groupie so I should have my car by then. Let's head for the hills, like the long way to Julian or Mt Polamar! It'll give a chance to stress my nav system! What part of town you in?

DisneyDestroyer

Heck yeah, sounds good to me!

Let's plan it for first few weeks of August - give us the opportunity to get them broken in...

Lex

That's great and all, but maybe everyone should wait till the cars start being delivered first. There might be more delays

8_wannabe

Wait!? Heck, I'll do the 8 rally in my old honda minivan if I hafta! jk, but let's keep our fingers crossed that we're days away from delivery.

RotorMotor

Yeah, we won't set a final date yet.... I just wanted to make sure that there was enough interest that we could get a fun, head-turning, OMG-WTF-are-all-those-bad-***-cars group together. :D I work in Carmel Valley and live in La Mesa. I'm up for just about anything, but I'd say let's meet somewhere central (Mission Valley?) and cruise up to the mountains. Maybe stop for lunch in Julian or something and just get to know our fellow, local RX-8 owners....

8_wannabe

That would be way cool. I hope we can recruit a few more locals.

DisneyDestroyer

I know there's a few other people anticipating 8 ownership from the San Diego area (who are on these boards), perhaps they don't read this forum. Mayhaps we could risk the wrath of the Mods by creating a thread in a more prominent forum, even if it gets moved relatively quickly it should be on the front page for a few days.

RotorMotor

I think I know most of the San Diegans that post here. If they don't find this thread, I'll PM them....

norats

I'm in, but will wait for my 8 first....
norats

8_wannabe

Any guess as to how many San Diego owners there are in the first shipment or two?

RacerX7FB

Cool...Ill show up with my 7 My bro should have his 8 next month

RotorMotor

Probably about 10 or 12... That post here at least.

8_wannabe

Cool; I can see it now. Maybe a half-dozen 8's plus a 7 or two cruising through Julian. We could raise a few eyebrows. Looking forward to it!

RotorMotor

Tentative Date: Sunday, July 27
I know we're all anxious for our first little outing. I want to make sure that everybody has their cars and is ready before finalizing a date, but I've also got a number of trips coming up soon, so if we can nail down a date now, that'd be fantastic.

7/27 may be a little to aggressive. I don't know. I plan on having my car fully broken in by then. Is anybody NOT expecting to have their car by then? For those who aren't you're still more than welcome to come along. I know I'll have at least 2 extra seats :D and would be more than happy to chauffer any of my future club co-members. If nothing else it would give you the opportunity to feel the car before yours arrives. Respond and let me know what you guys think....

8_wannabe

I'm up for it, and no the 27th isn't too early. It'll be hard to wait that long but you're right we need to let everyone get their car first. I'll be able to take 1-2 with me if they're still lacking cars. We gotta meet somewhere prominent so those non-rotary slugs can drool while we assemble before the ride. See ya there! :D

edit It's not my call, but i'd say 7 owners are welcome, too. They seem to be opening up their clubs to us as well.

RotorMotor

Oh, absolutely! It's not anybody's call! Anyone who wants to come along can. I would just like to get to know my fellow rotary enthusiasts, so as far as I'm concerened, whether you're planning to buy the car or not, as long as it interests you, by all means, cruise along.

I've been trying to track down all of the SD owners, but the members search function doesn't let you search by location (so I've been going through and looking at each member individually, DOH!) When you see Barb today, mention the gathering to her. She can inform lots of ppl. She posts on this forum too, but I don't know if she'll see this or not...

RM

8_wannabe

Thanks for clarifying. I've never done this before so I wasn't too clear on rally-etiquette. I've never been an "enthusiast" before, per se, driving honda's etc. just cuz they're reliable. The 8 is making me an enthusiast so I'm really looking forward to getting together with the rest of you.

RotorMotor

So far I've found the following SD members:
8_wannabe
DisneyDestroyer
Lex
norats
RacerX7FB
mostron8
N20SA22C

If you are or know an SD member not listed here, please reply with their user names. The more the merrier... :p

DisneyDestroyer

mp5, I believe, is in the SD area.

AutoStrada

I am on the fence about the 8 but I would be down to meet with a group. I "tentatively" have my name on an RX8, through some good hook ups. I would also love to take a bunch of photos (burgeoning hobby). I live in SD as well! How bout a meet at Dave and Busters?

8_wannabe

Dave and Busters is a great meeting place. Probably the highest density of drooling staggering car fans you'd find anywhere, and I mean that in a nice way.

Came home in my Velocity Red GT just now. Got some great pix plus my son was shooting video from the right seat as we took the long way home from Escondido. What I mean by the long way home was Escondido to La Jolla via Barona. Awesome roads, and he shot some great video with Nirvana playing and my running commentary on car performance. If we find time to do some editing (he's busy with summer school chemisty) we'll find an FTP site to upload it for your enjoyment.

Some idle observations, much of which you'll see elsewhere on this web but I gotta make my contribution:

1) That turbine-sounding whine really kicks in above 5500 rpm. It motivates you to keep the revs high just to hear it. It is soooo cool. I tend to run at 4000 rpm from prior cars and I know I should go higher. BTW, my dealer said there are no rpm restrictions while breaking in the car. Still, I barely made it to 6000.

2) No concern about shutting the front door then slamming the rear door on it. If you shut the front door first, it simply won't latch. It bounces back and its very obvious it didn't shut by sound, look and feel. If you still slam the rear door on it, the plush interior bolster of the rear door impacts the front door and the impact is very cushioned. No worries there.

3) I found the red LED display under the nav screen easy to read and comprehend, even in direct sunlight. Lots of data posted there depending on what you're doing (climate control, sound system, etc.)

4) As alleged before, the A/C system might be slightly underpowered, but I've found this to be true on most cars since they abandoned freon. It was 82 degrees outside and I was comfortable as long as the vents were blowing directly on me. The circular vents rotate 360; better than any I've ever seen you can point them anywhere and get comfortable.

5) I haven't driven stick in about 8 years. After I got out of the parking lot it took me about 3 blocks to get comfortable. If you see the video from my ride home I was able to drive aggressively immediately afterwards. I know I will improve with practice but I had no problems. It is not as short throw as the RSX which I test drove. That car was ridiculously easy to shift; the 8 takes a little effort but to me that is part of the charm of stick. The pedals and left foot rest are incredibly comfortable.

6) Somehow I missed this in all the noise, but the moonroof doesn't retract into the roof. It tilts up and back, totally exposed in the wind up on top of the roof. Kinda weird, but it gives you more headroom. I'm sure pix of this abound; I just never noticed.

7) I got the $500 college grad rebate. Not a discount, but they said they'll send me a check in a few weeks for my masters degree two years ago. So, all told I came in below MSRP. Sales rep and sr sales rep said the 8 didn't qualify; the manager said it did and I didn't have to argue my case. Thnx to whoever posted that thread before.

Anything else I might post is widely reported by others. Except my sh*t-eatin' grin all the way home. It was so fun. And, hey... there is a Red GT no nav sitting unsold at Cush, there since yesterday. Jump on it, lads!

rx7 rage

san diego here..i have a 94 rx7 fd3s...i know quite a few fd guys that would come. =)

Toadman

8_wannabe, you are required to post that video here. :D

Remember the SocalRX club's annual beach bbq is coming up on Aug 16 at Bolsa Chica beach also. Highly recommended...

8_wannabe

We'll plan on the video over the weekend. My kid is the master editor and he has a chemistry test to study for. I'm the mean ol' dad who made him take summer school while buying myself a sportscar.

I am totally planning on the Bolsa chica thing. hey, do we want to meet somewhere in SD county and convoy up together? They have a web site where we're supposed to RSVP. Plus, we're setting up a rally to Julian on the 27th (I told Barb at Cush so she can pass the word around) plus someone is talking about a meet. I will make every event till I get my fill which'll take awhile.