Hello everyone,
I am a newbie at this forum, but I do know bout cars. I am currently trying to decide between two cars. One is, of course the Mazda RX 8, which i think kicks major***.The other, which I also think is awesome is the MINI Cooper S with the JOhn Cooper Works Package. I have hears about some problems from some of the people on this forum, but I dont think every RX 8 is like that. I really am in a deadlock. I simply can't choose! As far as I see it, the MINI is more agile that the 8, but not by much. The MINI's styling is really cool, but so is the RX 8's. The only thing is that the MINI is severly underpowered, and I LOVE rotaries. So I was hoping u gys could tell me some advantages apart from those I've stated.

P.S., I did test drive the car, and I loved it. Although the engine could have been louder and the ride harsher.

personally I dont care for the mini
however, I have never drove one

I'm happy with the 8
you are right, not everyone is having problems with their rx8

ewwww....FWD....no thanks.

Nothing wrong with FWD if it's light weight, good examples would be the Integra (RSX) and Mini. The RX has a youthful aggressive stance, while the Mini is 'Cute.' The handling of the mini is quicker and lighter than the RX, but the 8 offers more comfort and stability.

What I'm wondering is, when pushed to the limits, will the Cooper beat the RX 8, or will they be even? ALso, I'm curious about all the talk of the gas mileage going around. It seems every rx8 owner averages 13 miles per gallon. Even if that improves aboue 5000 miles, it's still a serious drawback. Has Mazda fixed it for 2004?

I don't think the Mini can compete with the BMW M3 or the 350Z on a road course like the rx-8 can.

Check out this video for more info.
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15149

Originally posted by Lets Rotor
...I'm curious about all the talk of the gas mileage going around. It seems every rx8 owner averages 13 miles per gallon...

Let's see, I've been through three tanks of gas that I have checked for mileage (one could not be checked due to the trip odometer being reset when working on electrical stuff) I got 18.9, 22.2, and 17.5 MPG. This is including the break-in period, so I'd say that NOT everyone is getting 13 MPG.

Originally posted by Lets Rotor
Hello everyone,
...P.S., I did test drive the car, and I loved it. Although the engine could have been louder and the ride harsher.

It's easy to make an engine louder and a suspension system harsher.

Originally posted by Lets Rotor
ALso, I'm curious about all the talk of the gas mileage going around. It seems every rx8 owner averages 13 miles per gallon.

If you've read all the talk of gas mileage on here, then you'd well know that plenty of us are getting much better mileage than that - there's a few vocal posters who are only getting around 13, nobody tries to hide that, but far more of us are getting in the 16-20+ mpg, depending on conditions.

Re RX-8 vs. MINI Cooper - why are you starting a brand new thread on that topic, when a thread discussing exactly those two in comparison was started only 2 days ago in this forum section - right here - RX-8 vs. MINI Cooper S (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15063) ?

Regards,
Gordon

Gord96BRG,I realized there was another thread a few seconds after I posted this one. Sorry!