Wonder if anyone here have experience in both cars. Can't really decide on which one to get. I know both are great drivers car in terms of handling, but one of my bigger concerns is the lack of torque of the rotary engine. And I also intend to track the car quite often :-)

TIA,
Pete

I know the z4 is more but I think its a better buy IMO
why dont you test drive them

I believe he is talking about a used M Coupe... It's an odd comparison but the M wins in the performance department in all areas and the RX-8 in practicality.

well they also made Z3 hardtop coupes. i think that's what he's talking about, not the M coupe. right?

so it's b/t a used Z3 coupe and new RX-8? i like the M coupe, not so much the regular Z3 coupe, which is probably slow :D and people might tell you your car looks like a shoe. RX-8 would be way more practical, and probably cheaper to maintain. the RX-8 would also have better driving dynamics and more fun to drive. remember, the Z3s were built off the E30 3-series, which is 2 generations ago, the old boxy 3-series from the 80s. the Z3s looked nice, but the underpinnings weren't all that advanced. engines were ok i guess w/ those bmw inline-6s. if memory serves, none of the Z3 coupes came w/ the 4-cylinder? if you want to modify then aftermarkets parts are probably cheaper for the mazda. as far as torque goes, i'm fine w/ it. you might lose out a bit of speed pick up on the straights if you track...that is if you leave it stock :D handling around the turns and curves and autocross i'd say the RX-8 is superior. plus the RX-8 is cooler than the z3 coupe. given the choice, i'd take the RX-8 always :)

Originally posted by pete325is
Wonder if anyone here have experience in both car . Can't really decide on which one to get.
TIA,
Pete

RX8 and Z3... I has a Z3 for 2 days as my wedding cars Link (http://www.step-hen.com/wedding/)... it is a nice soft top but I would no way buy it as my car. It is too soft in steering and have roll even having a low gravity. Tail happy even in 60kmh corner :(. Soft top is rough and not well insulated. Another A$10000 I rather get the Z4 3.0L :D even 2.5L will be better.

M3 coupe is much better on paper ... like the way it looks. Never driven it.

B4 I order my 8. I have test drove many cars in the range. S2000, WRX Sti. Z4. 350Z. S3. 147 GTA. Holden Monaro. Yet to test the VERY AUSTRALIAN cars like the HSV or FPV... not interested anyway :) :D

HEHE

I have been in an M coupe. (the 240 hp model, the latest one has 315hp) and its very fast and handles/brakes extremely well. Its comfy for 2 but cargo space is limited. its a small car but an excellent one. I would take a 330 Z3 coupe or an M but not the 2.5 Over an RX8. The mazda is way more convenient for daily use though

Just to clarify, since BMW's choice of model names was very confusing!

The Z3 Roadster is the convertible everyone's familiar with. It was offered with two different inline-6 engines each year it was sold (a 2.3 liter and a 2.8 liter). They also made a Z3 Coupe (the sort of weird-shaped car that people either love or hate -- I'm in the former category, I love it!). I believe the Z3 Coupe was only available with the lower-powered engine, and they dropped it after a couple of years.

Then there's the M Roadster (the M-Power souped up version of the Z3 Roadster), and the M Coupe (ditto). This is not to be confused with the M3 Coupe, which is the larger M-Power car based on the 3-series. (And of course there was also a convertible/cabriolet version of the M3 Coupe).

And not to further be confused with it's replacement, the Z4

The one with BIG sunroof! :D

BMW M Roadster

And its mean streaked brother....the M Coupe...

For more info, go to www.bmwinfo.com

Which should not be confused with the Z3 Roadster....not even close.

The Z3 COUPE came with 2 engines,
the 2.8L I6, 3.0L I6 225hp, with manual or auto tranny.

the M COUPE came with the E36 M3 3.2L I6 240hp 5 speed manual and then on the last year of prod with a slightly detuned version of the high revving E46 M3 3.2L I6, with 315 hp on the Mcoupe (333hp onj the M3), 6 speed manual.

Maybe he's talking about the regular Z3 coupe, but I think those cars are pretty damn rare and he'll have an easier time finding a M Coupe, which could be had for cheaper used than a RX-8. To make it short and sweet M Coupe good, Z4 pretty good, Z3 not as good :p The 225 hp Z3 coupe would probably be about the same straigtline as the RX-8 with more torque, but unless you're getting the M version I'd give the nod to the RX-8. Keep in mind I've only driven the car in roadster form.

Ike

Originally posted by IkeWRX
Maybe he's talking about the regular Z3 coupe, but I think those cars are pretty damn rare and he'll have an easier time finding a M Coupe, which could be had for cheaper used than a RX-8. To make it short and sweet M Coupe good, Z4 pretty good, Z3 not as good :p The 225 hp Z3 coupe would probably be about the same straigtline as the RX-8 with more torque, but unless you're getting the M version I'd give the nod to the RX-8. Keep in mind I've only driven the car in roadster form.

Ike

Kelly Blue Book has the 2000 M Coupe with 53K miles in good shape for over $26K

http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.urr?kbb.TX;084101;TX113&75080;cpe&40;BMW;2000%20M&4;BM; B3&

I love the car and its looks...but I don't know what would I do if I could find one. Its still a steep price for a 3 year old car, and it depreciated pretty darn fast even being a limited production car (I don't know how many were built, but it wasn't THAT much popular.) With this, I am not implying that the RX8 will depreciate any more gracefuly than the Bimmer (it'll most likely be a lot worse) but its still an used BMW for 26 grand (If only I had enough money.)

And then you have to pay to fix it... In the long run you're talking more money most likely (if the renesis proves reliable) they're neat cars and i looked at one that would have been the same price as my WRX but the RWD in the midwest, high repair cost, used vs. new scared me away. Yet another car I'll be happy to admire in someone elses driveway.

if u can get a good price on a used Z3 coupe go for it.. Simply the fact u know a Z3 coupe exist i give u respest... most peopel are like Z3 - Convertible only!! BLAH!! .. like i said u got the $$$ for the coupe..

otherwise the 8 is a great car ive yet to find a complain well cept tha the RX-8 door sill came loose... but 3M and $5 should be able to fix it.

I drove the Z4 a couple of days before I bought the RX-8. I've always loved BMWs for the way they handle. The Z4 was no exception, and the low end torque and power is impressive. The two cars are, however, very different. Sitting in the Z4 is like being inserted into this massive power plant, with a huge hood in front of you. It wants to go, really go. But like most BMWs, it goes deceptively fast. The RX-8, on the other hand, is more magical (IMHO). The engine is really small, but an engineering marvel. The cockpit is great, but not at all cramped. And then there's the driving expirience. For me the question came down to: Do I want to feel like I am doing 40 mph when actually doing 110 in a BMW, or do I want to feel like I am doing 110 mph when actually doing 40 in an RX-8?

For the sake of myself and other drivers out there, I went with the magic over the brute force. Don't get me wrong, the Z4 is a great car, and if I did more long distance driving than city driving, I might have been pushed the other way. The RX-8 is very good in the city for a spots car, has the extra room inside vs. 2 seaters in it's class, and provides a great driving expirience.

zoom zoom

Alan Graeff
2004 Black RX-8 GT (Blk/Red Interior)
Nav System (a must if you are a gadget freak, even if you know where you are going)

Thanks for all your valuable input. I think I need to test drive the Z3 3.0 coupe to see how it stacks up against the RX-8, only if I can find one in my area :-) I probably won't go for the M coupe as I believe the engine has overpowered the chassis. It'll be like trying to tame a wild horse!

I know the RX-8 would be a more practical car for everyday driving. But I'm single and as I said before I do intend to track the car quite often during the season, so track performance would be a priority. RX-8 sort of reminds me of the Acura Type-R which needs to wind all the way up in order to get the juice flowing. And it always lose out on track out due to its torque deficiency. One needs to know how to carry lots of speed through the corners in driving these cars.


Cheers,
Pete

Originally posted by pete325is
Thanks for all your valuable input. I think I need to test drive the Z3 3.0 coupe to see how it stacks up against the RX-8, only if I can find one in my area :-) I probably won't go for the M coupe as I believe the engine has overpowered the chassis. It'll be like trying to tame a wild horse!

That's probably wise...I've seen the M Coupe described as a "runaway go-cart"! I also *seriously* considered a used Z3 Coupe (because I felt the M Coupe would have been too much power for me to handle) before I bought the RX-8. I gave up on it in part because of the difficulty of finding a good used one even remotely close to where I live.

Somebody show me a picture (image or link to an image) of a Z3 coupe. The only coupe built on the Z3 platform was the M coupe wasn't it?

here're pictures of the **non-M** Z3 coupes

they were rare, i'll give you that. not too many people bought them. note everything is idential to **non-M** Z3 models, including the front air dam, the side grill, etc.

Originally posted by chinx
they were rare, i'll give you that. not too many people bought them. note everything is idential to **non-M** Z3 models, including the front air dam, the side grill, etc.

Tires on the M version as waaaaay fatter than the std. Z3's
That's what will give an M away.

There was an M coupe at my auto-x yesterday, I can post a link to the results with his times if you're interested he was having some issues. When you say you will be tracking it are you talking auto-x or larger more wide open tracks?

>Somebody show me a picture (image or link to an image) of a Z3 >coupe. The only coupe built on the Z3 platform was the M coupe >wasn't it?
Imagine its like a Honda Civic hatchback on steroid :p And no, there are Z3 coupes based on the standard 2.8 or 3.0 litre engine instead of the M power plant. The 3.0 engine had 225 hp but somewhere like 215 lb/ft at 3500 rpm!

>When you say you will be tracking it are you talking auto-x or >larger more wide open tracks?
I mostly go track driving at places like Watkins Glen, Pocono, Summit Point and Mid-Ohio in the US. I will go auto-x too, but only occasionally.


Cheers,
Pete

I dont like the way the m z3 roadster looks
looks unbalanced IMO

from what I've seen, build quality on the Z3s were pretty horrible. my uncle's z3 is pretty much falling apart (1997 model), with less than 60k miles mostly freeway easy driving.