I recall posts from some of the regulars who said they got a lot of looks and compliments from men while driving around.

Although a few have said their wife likes to drive the car, would you agree that the 8 is more of a guy car and too aggressive looking and too much of a driver's car for women? Or are women just too cool or uninterested to rubber neck?

Is the 8 too cute to attract the Vette women and too aggressive/sporty to attract the Jetta/Beemer/Cabriolet women?

Appreciate any comments on this topic.

I was told by the sales manager when I looked at the car that Mazda was trying to appeal more to females with their new models. This is from a dealer so who knows if there is any validity to it... I think it's a car that's very appealing to the female crowd, and I've even heard some people mention that they think it's a chick car. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a chick car, but I've seen it mentioned on other sites more than a few times, so take that as you wish. I think it has the lines and the looks that the female crowd will appreciate. If I expounded on that further I think I would upset a lot of people and anger some women for throwing stereotypes around. So I'll just leave it at that :p

Ike

I'm a woman and I love my RX-8! Everyone, both male and female, love the car, but guys seem to be more likely to say something about it. But I have caught some females doing double-takes while I drive by.

By the way, kids love the car, too. Every little kid I've driven by will stare/and or point with big smiles. It's so cute.

my wife's freind Diane was looking for a new car. once she saw mine she fell in love with and after driving it she went and bought one. i think it appeals to both men and women. and don't mention "Formula Women" to the UK boys :o ;)

uh, I am not sure this thread will not end up in a flame war, but a beetle is a girls car. The wrx is a chick car (Just kidding Ike).

The 8 is a guys car, I would think. 99% of the 3-5 people a day I have to show the car to are male. From my experience , in general, woman prefer auto to stick, but mazda has said they expect to sell far more sticks then autos, which makes me doubt they made a decision to aim it at women. Now, I do think women will be attracted to the, dare I say, sensuous, curves of the 8.

Hmmmm, I think I will go rub my fenders now!!!

We keep getting compliments from women and men, and I love my car. But it's geared towards men officially, according to Mazda.

Ours is drivien (mostly) by a great-grandma. She loves her car, and I do too when I get to drive it. She fell in love with the looks at an auto show last January.

Originally posted by klegg
uh, I am not sure this thread will not end up in a flame war, but a beetle is a girls car. The wrx is a chick car (Just kidding Ike).

The 8 is a guys car, I would think. 99% of the 3-5 people a day I have to show the car to are male. From my experience , in general, woman prefer auto to stick, but mazda has said they expect to sell far more sticks then autos, which makes me doubt they made a decision to aim it at women. Now, I do think women will be attracted to the, dare I say, sensuous, curves of the 8.

Hmmmm, I think I will go rub my fenders now!!!

About the WRX, I would strongly disagree. The WRX is a car for whoever wants performance and safety, without the looks. Ike, you know I don't mean any offense here, and probably you'll agree with me. WRX's, are one of the most innexpressive cars esthetically, as well as one of the best performing & safe (save Volvo...and a few others) vechicles out there. It will attract, therefore, anyone who is looking for those attibutes.

A Beetle is a chicks car, bland performance, and...yes...cute.

The RX8: I don't think its targeted towards a particular gender. I've seen men and women driving it (my wife included....OH!..BTW, if you ever want to take an adrenaline filled ride...give me a buzz...she'll make you piss in your pants..)
I won't call the design bland, simply because it is NOT. Its shocking at first...then you become more familiarized with it, and doesn't seem to be so extreme. I would say the 8 is not geared towards any gender in particular (or in between... :D )

Originally posted by jd62
Ours is drivien (mostly) by a great-grandma. She loves her car, and I do too when I get to drive it. She fell in love with the looks at an auto show last January.
jd, you were at the Dallas Auto Show ?

What did you think about the guy presenting the 8??..

Originally posted by RX8-TX


About the WRX, I would strongly disagree. The WRX is a car for whoever wants performance and safety, without the looks. Ike, you know I don't mean any offense here, and probably you'll agree with me. WRX's, are one of the most innexpressive cars esthetically, as well as one of the best performing & safe (save Volvo...and a few others) vechicles out there. It will attract, therefore, anyone who is looking for those attibutes.



Uhh, I thought I made it plain that I was JOKING!! That may be why I said "just joking IKE" !

Originally posted by klegg


Uhh, I thought I made it plain that I was JOKING!! That may be why I said "just joking IKE" !

I know, but I just wanted to put some thought to it....no harm, no foul.. :cool:

Originally posted by RX8-TX

jd, you were at the Dallas Auto Show ?

What did you think about the guy presenting the 8??..

No it was in Fort Worth. A lovely lady presented it.

Originally posted by jd62


No it was in Fort Worth. A lovely lady presented it.

Lucky you!...here we got a blonde dude...needless to say it was demeaning.

For the car I meant!

I love the car. I think it's sexy but also aggressive. I think I'd lose my lunch if someone said it was "cute." However, I could see where women wouldn't fawn all over it at the gas station or at work. Also, the fact that most guys would go with the MT over the AT would also be a factor.

I asked because of all the posts mentioning men complimenting but not many women. I took a friend and his gf to see the car and while he was oohing and ahhing, she didn't seem that moved.

I noticed posts indicating long waiting periods after ordering. Are these all in Canada? I'm in Los Angeles and the dealers all have ten or more. I got the feeling that they weren't flying off the lots, but the two dealers I stopped at wouldn't budge off of msrp. Also, no mention of HP issue and gave me literature with 250 hp rating. I'm close to buying but not close enough to bargain hard nor probe a little into why salesperson handed me promotional material with the 250 HP rating.

Originally posted by starbucks
Also, no mention of HP issue and gave me literature with 250 hp rating. I'm close to buying but not close enough to bargain hard nor probe a little into why salesperson handed me promotional material with the 250 HP rating.

I guess you might want to look at the window sticker for the specs (brochures and promotional literature are usually printed and received in ridiculously large quantities, and nobody wants to dump them.)

About the pricing, I doubt many dealers will go below MSRP anytime soon. It happens with everysingle new car...and it makes a lot of sense to them. FOr the fisrt 6-8 months of a new model, they stick to MSRP, filling their archs with 'some' extra profit. You will surely find dealers going below MSRP in places were sales are not expected to be to high...or were there are many dealers surrouning the area. It wont matter how many cars they have in their lots, until the NEW year model arrives.

My 2 cents

I've had some girls look twice but mostly men want to know and talk about the rotary

I think in general most girls don't care much about cars, and certainly value things differently than guys do, such as cute cars. Those would be the stereotypes that have some validity but are certainly not the rule.

My girlfriend for instance only likes Saabs and older Jags, other than that she liked my Maxima only because she thought it was fast and handled well (which it doesn't). The cool thing about her is ever since she drove my Talon TSI she won't drive autos. She'll prettymuch buy whatever car I tell her to, because it just isn't that important to her, and I think that's pretty common. Most likely I'll be directing her towards the Saab 9-2 when it comes out and I'll trade the WRX in for something new since the 9-2 will basicly be the same car. She'll get her saab, and I'll still have prettymuch the same car to play with when I feel like it. Though I'll probably be trading in the WRX for an STi, Evo, or Legacy B4, or maybe some other new model so I doubt I'll be driving it much :)


On a side note, I've seen two RX-8s on the streets and both were driven by women...

Ike

I LOVE THIS CAR!!! I am a 38 year old woman, one son and I think this is the hottest, sexiest car around next to the G35......sexy for a man and a woman! I think this car can appeal to both sexes. :D

My wife only likes SUVs and she has her Durango SLT and so it was my turn for a new car. As I was looking for my new car I dragged her to the EVO and STI and 350Z dealers.


When she finally saw the RX8 (because no dealer had one), her response was "I like this one what is it called, again?" Then she said "I know its your car, but I want to learn to drive it."

I think maybe she likes it too damn much.:(

I've had maybe 50 strangers come up and talk to me about my '8. About half knew what the 8 was, half had never heard of it but liked the style. 100 percent of these strangers were male. Those with females in tow, the women hung back while their guys pawed all over the car. I admire those women who have or drive the 8 and it should appeal to both sexes, but I've seen overwhelmingly male interest.

FWIW, I have had a constant stream of drooling men turning their heads, asking me all about my 8, even while stopped at intersections. Not one woman.

Flipside: I suppose that societally, women are less "encouraged" to faun over cars and such -- society says that's a "boy thing."

Though there are clearly some women posters here who love the car. But far too many of them call it "cute." Call me misogynistic, but that just makes me quease. :)

Still, to me, it definitely seems a boy car, IMHO.

I noticed most of you from CA are the ones posting that men are the only ones attracted to your RX-8.

Here in AL, I get almost equal looks from women, yet most who comment are men.

Seems when a women comments, the significant other gets a little miffed at her interest in talking to me about the car ;)

I'm a woman, I've wanted an RX-8 since I read they were coming (I missed my old RX-7!), and this car is most certainly NOT "cute". My other car is a cute, dare-I-say-it, "chick car". (The Miata really isn't a chick car, but that's another thread for another forum! :D) The 8 is lean, muscular, and curvy in all the right places, and is sexy-fast without being stoopid-fast; it handles like a dream and literally has head-turning looks. All that, and a back seat too! It's unique and different, which has always appealed to me.

That said, nearly 100% of the dozens of strangers who've come up to ogle my car are men... mostly young men in their teens and twenties. The few women who've commented on it just like the color, with all the pretty sparkles.

Culturally it's just not ingrained in most women to admire cars, with the possible exception of noting them as an indication of a potential mate's wealth status. ;) So guys, if you bought this car as a chick magnet, don't be holding your breath. :p

Originally posted by Aratinga
The few women who've commented on it just like the color, with all the pretty sparkles.

Heh..."pretty sparkles". :) (Mine's also red.) I stand corrected: I do have one female friend who made just that comment.

BTW, I like the "pretty sparkles" too -- they're the reason I opted for red when I saw the colors all lined up next to each other. My previous #1 choice (Titanium) looked like grey primer coat compared to the red!

If you want some paint trivia: the red is a 3-stage paint: one coat of gold metallic, one coat of transparent red, and a final clear coat on top. Unfortunately, I had to find this out because I've already had a panel repainted to heal a nasty door ding (obviously inflicted by a clueless SUV passenger, given its location) inflicted just 4 days after I got my 8. $1600. That hurt.

Have no opinion whether the car appeals to males more than females other than the fact that most who post here are males, but that's not scientific.

I get comments from both genders. Had the car going on two months and it still turns heads, gets comments when refueling and parked.

Speaking of trying to appeal to a market....anyone remember when Nissan was pushing their tag line "Dogs love trucks"?

Now why would they want to try to sell a vehicle to a dog or dog lover only?

Aratinga said it best.

I love the RX8, but then again, I also love the WRX and STI.

I'm not exactly the most "typical" girl either.
The RX8 isn't cute. Sexy is more like it.

If you're driving in your 8 in N. Dallas, and a girl in a White 93 Miata waves or gives you the thumbs up, it's probably me.

Originally posted by bluesunlion
Aratinga said it best.

I love the RX8, but then again, I also love the WRX and STI.

I'm not exactly the most "typical" girl either.
The RX8 isn't cute. Sexy is more like it.

If you're driving in your 8 in N. Dallas, and a girl in a White 93 Miata waves or gives you the thumbs up, it's probably me.

You'll be waiving a lot: 2 V.Reds (one's mine), 1 Lightining Yellow, 1 Titanium Gray, 1 Wining Blue all in the North Dallas area...

I think i've seen both reds (It was probably you!) and the Titanium. Haven't see the yellow or blue in person yet.

If I make eye contact, I usually wave. I wish I could afford to be waving from an RX8 myself, but other bills take precedence when your spouse has been out of work for 9 months.

RE: all these "cute" comments. The car has always struck me as muscular or poised to pounce like a cat, but not cute. So I was appalled by the first RX-8 TV commercial I saw yesterday during football. I just glanced up at the end didn't see the whole thing, but some guy was in his garage hugging his car and damned if it wasn't hugging him back, embracing him with the two driver side doors. I barely made it to the john in time to puke. If Mazda is gonna push this cutesie view of the car, (1) That may be enough to make me return it, having once been "cool" driving this car I don't care to become a laughing stock (2) They're catering to the wrong audience and really misjudging the appeal of this car. Did anyone see that sickening ad? What did u think? Are other tv ads use the same sickly-cutesy approach?

I have had my 8 for almost two months and still havent seen any 8's on the road

I saw the commercial last night, too.....I am female and yes it was a little too cute......hmmm....appealing to the female viewers?? During football...does not make sense. It was cute but I see how you'd want it more portrayed as a bad ass car that can really move you! That car is bad ass.....not cute!!! The teasing was ok before the actual commercial but let's see this car kick some butt! Zoom, Zoom!

I know it appeals to women as well. I was at work and went on break to go get some grub at the local sandwich place when two very sexy ladies of asian descent began asking if they could sit in it, see what its like, how much it costs, etc. I had to go as fast as i could or i may have had a new gf soon after that they were super hott.

So yes it definately does attract the women. It may send out an aura like look at me. Ive gotten more girls to approach me in this car than my RSX tho.

Not sure if its a good thing that people say its a "chick car"....chick car as far as ill be checked out while driving it is fine but not to sure about chick car as far as many female owners as male owners...................a chick car is a vw beetle,cabriolet,even the 1st and 2nd gen mistubishi eclipses, seems like the newer ones appeal to guys a little more...............I feel the same way, I dont like "cute", more like bad ass, hot, or phat...........

Ya, the commercial is cutsy, the one with the guy looking at the car and then he hugs it while the car hugs him back, but its funny as heck.

bumper

I have had so many comments on my car, every where I go. As far as chick car, the most glowing reviews have been from ladies at work and around town. They have just raved about it. Just yesterday I was picking up some dry cleaning and a classy, middle aged woman was eyeing the car and as I drove away she looked at me and said"Nice car". I simply said "Thanks"

When I talk about the car to guy friends or strangers they are definitely more interested or intriqued by the "technical" aspects and the Rotary engine. Since I have become well schooled on the 8 through this website I can wax eloquently about the car with the male 8 admirers.

Originally posted by RX-GR8
bumper

On a roll, aren't ya?

Originally posted by Elara
On a roll, aren't ya?

it's good to bring back old threds once in awhile. newbies get to see the old threads and post.