Got rid of the RX-8 after ~7 years.

[amdhunter]

Can't believe it's been that long to tell you guys the truth. I had a lot of stuff queue'd up for March. I needed: Oil Change, 4 new tires, I just changed the 02 sensor - I wanted to fix all the little dings I had around the car...etc. After everything I would have been about $1500 out of pocket.

My wife also hated my car - she said her back hurts from the Recaro seats, it was too low, and she literally vomited a few times because the constant changing of gears made her get motion sickness. She also said the car was stuffy.

So, I said F it and headed to Mazda to look at a CX-3. Long story short - it's very small inside for an SUV and I hated it and bought a 2016 Mazda 3 Touring instead, with the "Popular Package", Bose audio and Navigation. Drove it out of the dealership with 3 miles on it.

It's not the fanciest looking car out there, but it's nice AND I HAVE TRUNK SPACE FINALLY.

And here is the last picture of my RX-8. Not bad looking for an 8 year old car.

 

[slag]

what did you get for trade in?

 

[amdhunter]

Mazda gave me the highest price at $5500 + $750 for Loyalty bonus ($6250.) Toyota offered $3200, and Subaru $4500.

They also gave me about $1700 in rebates for taking the 2016 model. Also, got the Popular Package, Bose and Navigation included...and yeah, I know I could have bought the SD card on eBay for about $100, but they sold it to me for $200.

I think I got a great deal. I guess it pays to buy a car at the very end of the month.

 

[slag]

Sounds like you got a great deal.

 

[yhelothar]

I love the look of the Mazda3. The Kodo design is absolutely gorgeous. It doesn't look like an economy car at all!

 

[amdhunter]

I'm totally in love with it. I was thinking about putting a little bit of tint on it, and changing the wheels whenever the stock wheels break down beyond usability. That would probably be about 2-3 years down the line though. The interior, even though is black cloth, is absolutely fantastic. The technology is nice as well - my emails, whatsapp messages, and text all show on screen and the odometer, tach and other parts of the dash is super tidy and pleasant to the eye.

Only problem I am having is that it is definitely a challenge driving an automatic after driving a stick for so many years, but I'm getting the hang of it. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be to get adjusted - for example I feather the gas still...and I am afraid I'll jam on the brake with my left foot because I am trying to reach for a clutch pedal...lol

 

[Zivic]

seing that pic side by side I literally cringed you traded that 8 in for that kind of money... How many miles? driven in winter? 6 grandish is like 2003 150k miles 350z money

 

[Crono]

Congrats!

Former Mazda3 (sedan, 2014) owner here. Love Mazdas. The 3 is a blast to throw into corners, and it gets impressive mpg to boot.

I liked the RX-8 in theory, they just didn't get the Wankel/rotary engine right, so it's not a car I considered for more than a second due to reliability concerns. Still a cool car, though.

Good buy Soul Red is the nicest shade of red outside of crazy expensive brands like Ferrari, and it does keep clean looking for a lot longer than black.
(Side note: soul red uses like three different paint layers to get that effect, and it's a major pain to touch up and match correctly f you get scratches to it... ask me how I know )

 

[DaTT]

Congrats on your new ride!

 

[agent00f]

Congrats!

Former Mazda3 (sedan, 2014) owner here. Love Mazdas. The 3 is a blast to throw into corners, and it gets impressive mpg to boot.

I liked the RX-8 in theory, they just didn't get the Wankel/rotary engine right, so it's not a car I considered for more than a second due to reliability concerns. Still a cool car, though.

Good buy Soul Red is the nicest shade of red outside of crazy expensive brands like Ferrari, and it does keep clean looking for a lot longer than black.
(Side note: soul red uses like three different paint layers to get that effect, and it's a major pain to touch up and match correctly f you get scratches to it... ask me how I know )

Rx-8's can be ridiculously underpriced for what they are (semipractical miata hardtop) if you can find a good one, and 2nd gen's fix most of the seal oiling weak link.

The OP's R3 is one of closest you can get to a legit racey car out of the box for anywhere near that price point, esp for how daily drivable they are. The bilstiens it comes with aren't even too overdamped by current ridiculous german standards.

 

[Crono]

Just noticed the license plate :awe:

EDIT: forgot we no longer have Miata face

 

[zerocool84]

Now you get to drive a car that you don't have to worry about flooding anymore!!!

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Man that RX8 still looks good. What a shame Mazda never made another one. It must have been tough losing it. I guess after all those years it must feel good sitting in something comfortable.

 

[Yuriman]

I think the 3 is a pretty sharp looking car, nice choice.

 

[NutBucket]

I hope someone at the dealership understood your plates.

 

[DaTT]

I hope someone at the dealership understood your plates.

I don't. Please explain.

 

[NutBucket]

http://m.wardsauto.com/news-analysis/mazda-13l-renesis-rotary