It is some 3 months since I preordered my RX8, having read the great reviews, 250bhp, much improved economy, superb styling and to be a highly sort after model. even had the autoexpress review from last year, and the booklet feauring the yellow rx8 from mazda uk, quoting the bhp etc. The only part i did n't like was that it looked a bit like a vauxhall tigra on the side view, but the rest was excellent

Have read the forum regularly with its up and downs, clinging on for good news, but there has been none.

18-24mpg (TT, 200SX, Accord type R) all do in the late 20's - 30mpg
0-60 in 6.4 from 5.9 (225 TT by the way is 6.1 (0-60) not 7.1 as in earlier thread,

The worse i've read is in this months what car, with a feature actually on the rx8, regards depreciation, saying your be able to buy a one year old next year for 12.5, which proportionally means the hipower will lose around 8.5k if not more.

Also mazda are now advertising the rx8 preorders in mags like autocar as the take up has been very poor, unlike the 350z which sold out in 10 minutes, the rx8 preorder has yet to reach this in 3 months, which if true will leave mazda with a car no-one will buy and residuals will dive even further.

I admire all the people who hang in there, but for me its far too high risk now, and to be fair i have waited 3 months before cancelling.

I've ordered a VX220 at 19k, completely different i admit, but twice sportscar of the year in what car, 5k off list, 0-60 in 5.6 and 33mpg. Plus free palmer sport day in one of their vx turbos, not your own car ! With the other 4k i can buy a mondeo for the practicality i wanted from the rx8 plus a true sportscar.

I wish you all the best in getting your new cars, its still is a great car, and if it was the same as advertised 3 months ago with good residuals id still get one, but unfortunately those times have long gone IMO

That's fine, you do what is right for you, but here's my mantra (repeat after me):

A car is not an investment.
A car is not an investment.
A car is not an investment.

Ok I'm going to plead clueless here. What in the world is a VX220?
I can understand your reservations. To me an audi TT looks like some squished version of the vw bug though. Not very appealing to me. The S2000 is pure roadster, not very practial for me. I test drove a few cars before deciding on the rx8. Audi 1.8T quattro, loved the interior, ride and handling but audi needs to work on their styling, it's a very plain car. BMW 330i I LOVED that car but at $42k w/ options not a realistic purchase plus it's still a sedan and not all that sporty. If you want gas milage sure go with a prius or insight. The RX-8 isn't about gas milage. It's about fun, performance and just having something a little different from every tom, dick and harry around the corner.

IMO, I think a lot of people post messages like this, after buying a different vehicle to justifiy there purchase.
Because
#1 they got tired of waiting.
#2 they went car shopping and fell in love with something else, because it was there and tangible.
#3 the car isn't in their price range.

But this is my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.

Well my first thought was WTF is a VX220? A quick internet search gave me some quick info. I don't blame you for your decision. Obviously you were looking for more of a sports car than what the RX-8 was intended for. If a car like that was availbale in North America, and I was in a similar position - I'd do the same.

Regarding the RX-8 downfalls, I doubt many of the passionites are here looking for a car to own for only a couple of years, so depreciation is not much of an issue. I don't know if you've driven an FD RX-7, but there certainly is a lot of emotion in motion and I think many of us on this forum are looking for a part of that in a more practical package. We're looking for a car to be the reason for our hobby, not an aspect of it. Honestly, 0-60 in 6.4, whatever! Really, how often does one hammer a car hard enough in traffic to actually get those numbers - especially if you're sensive to fuel efficiency concerns. Heck, I wouldn't bet pink slips against a common Nissan Alitma V6 even. Rather than raw power, the performance of this car is oriented to handling dynamics (slap some decent springs on the car, then let the comparos see some numbers), and driver interaction. Much like the Acura NSX and Honda S2000, there's much more to a vehicle than raw acceleration.

As for the mileage, yes it really does suck. That's always been my biggest grudge against this car. For a 2004 vehicle, those numbers are almost embarrasing. Thank god for a corporate gas card, otherwise I wouldn't be writing to you from this forum right now.

Originally posted by jtimbck2
That's fine, you do what is right for you, but here's my mantra (repeat after me):

A car is not an investment.
A car is not an investment.
A car is not an investment.

exactly my thought as well. you know cars depreciate drastically in the first year even. do no tthink of them as an investment unless the are some much sought after antique that you are going to rehab to like new.


A car is not an investment.
A car is not an investment.
A car is not an investment.

i think it is intersting that somebody would buy or not buy a car because of a few car magazines. the car has not even been released yet, nobody here has driven one yet. i ordered one early because i liked the looks, i am going to drive it before i buy it. if i dont like it at least it is because i got my opinion from actually driving the car. i also recomend everybody drives the car first to make sure they like the way it handles, they way it drives etc. has anybody ever bought a car without driving it?? jmo.

That VX220 is a pretty sweet looking car. What color did you get? That mandarin looks pretty wild. It's an interesting car and you seem to have gotten a good deal. They seem to only be making 3000 in 3 years. I guess demand is low since they're cutting deals. Looks like a blast to drive. Enjoy it.

RotaryStalker

Originally posted by ibfubar2000
.... nobody here has driven one yet.

JSG, EastMoon, Yuhki, Rotarynews.com and Bern to name a few. also the guys that got to drive them around in (i think) miami(south beach?), plus the one member who got to drive around the block in Cali;)

oh and there is the member and his wife who got to ride thru the auto x at a rev it up with a proffesional driver at the wheel. (i've got that vid somewhere:D )

edit: oh and the vx220 is a sweet ride. those fenders look awfully familiar somehow

http://www.vx220london.com/

Hey, very nice! it looks nice and if your figures are correct, i'd definitely buy one too for that price...show us some pictures!

wow, the turbo goes 0-60 in 4.7secs...

it is a nice car though..,. heres a pic if anybody is interested:

Originally posted by zoom44


JSG, EastMoon, Yuhki, Rotarynews.com and Bern to name a few. also the guys that got to drive them around in (i think) miami(south beach?), plus the one member who got to drive around the block in Cali;)

oh and there is the member and his wife who got to ride thru the auto x at a rev it up with a proffesional driver at the wheel. (i've got that vid somewhere:D )

well thats just not fair. I WANT TO DRIVE ONE!!!!!!

is the vx220 available in the states?? it looks like it is only in london.

Isn't that just a rebadged Opel Speedster. I might not get one if that or the Lotus Elise were available in the US.

A car is not an investment.
A car is not an investment.
A car is not an investment.

El carro no estas investiture
El carro no estas investiture
El carro no estas investiture

:)

Originally posted by Superfan
Isn't that just a rebadged Opel Speedster. I might not get one if that or the Lotus Elise were available in the US.


The Vauxhall VX220 (Vauxhall is the UK name for Opel) is a rebadged Lotus Elise. They are made side by side on the Lotus production line. The difference is that the Elise sacrifices all comforts to lose weight and gain speed whereas the VX220 sacrifices speed for comfort. Having said that the latest VX220 has a better engine than the Elise and is therefore quicker. The reason you can't buy one in the US is emissions control, same as the Elise. In the UK Vauxhall is primarily known for cheap family and rep cars and they have a very bad image. That is slowly changing.

plus don't come with a radio as standard.

The federal Elise "should" be coming into the U.S. at the end of 2004. It's rumored to have a Toyota engine to pass emissions. It's going to gain some weight for safety reasons. But it's speculated enough to still be under 5.0 seconds for 0-60. MSRP is $38,500.

I could have sworn I read somewhere that they're thinking about rebadging the Speedster/VX220 for the U.S.? I don't remember which company though.

My fault posted this on the U.S forum by accident, sorry ! Obviously fuel consumption is of less concern in the US, as is the reduced UK BHP for RX8's

VX220 is similar to a lotus elise and is slighty heavier due to safety features eg Airbag, ABS etc. The VX Turbo is 200bhp with weight of just over 900kgs 0-100 in 12 seconds. Arguablly the best handling sportscar in the UK, and for £25K is performance baragain of the year. One UK mag road tested it against the Ferrari 360, to which it fared pretty well.

Each to their own I suppose and maybe I did want more of a true sportscar, rather than the better all rounder of the rx8. Howver if the UK RX8 was US spec i'd probably still get it, rather than our watered down version.

See here for VX220 site

http://buypower.vauxhall.co.uk/microsites/vx220Turbo/intro.jhtml

I have already mentioned the possibility of a VX220 a few weeks ago. After driving one at MotorDriveLive, I was totally blown away.

The performance figures are true and the turbo I drove will do 60MPH in 4.7 sec. Add to this a top speed of 151MPH and 0-100 is 12.6Sec and we are talking about one seriously fast car.

That is not all, the feel you get throught the unassisted steering is amazing and the car feels light and nimble.

I actually went to a Vauxhall dealer on Wednesday and came very close to buying one. I decided that I needed to think about it some more and not write the 8 off just yet.

I think it basically comes down to style, comfort and practicality versus performance and handling.

If I did go for one though, it would have to be the turbo! :)

Shahpor

My fault posted this on the U.S forum by accident, sorry ! Obviously fuel consumption is of less concern in the US, as is the reduced UK BHP for RX8's

VX220 is similar to a lotus elise and is slighty heavier due to safety features eg Airbag, ABS etc. The VX Turbo is 200bhp with weight of just over 900kgs 0-100 in 12 seconds. Arguablly the best handling sportscar in the UK, and for £25K is performance baragain of the year. One UK mag road tested it against the Ferrari 360, to which it fared pretty well.

Each to their own I suppose and maybe I did want more of a true sportscar, rather than the better all rounder of the rx8. Howver if the UK RX8 was US spec i'd probably still get it, rather than our watered down version.

Fot those interested See here for VX220 site

http://buypower.vauxhall.co.uk/microsites/vx220Turbo/intro.jhtml

VX220 a Vauxhall-Well I must confess that I know nothing about this car. It looks great, reminds me of the elise.

I took a quick look on the internet and see that it appears to be a Britiish car with a General Motors engine. Don't mind the British part but give me a motor from Japan anytime. Even a rotary. Just my opinion, I would rather gamble on a new model from Japan with a little bit of Ford in it than a Euro car with anything from GM. Just my opinion, good luck with your new car.:)

Originally posted by Y&Y


El carro no estas investiture
El carro no estas investiture
El carro no estas investiture

:)

El que no compra un RX-8 no tiene huevos
El que no compra un RX-8 no tiene huevos
El que no compra un RX-8 no tiene huevos

LOL
________
NYMPHETS (http://www.vaporshop.com)

Originally posted by commentator
VX220 a Vauxhall-Well I must confess that I know nothing about this car. It looks great, reminds me of the elise.

I took a quick look on the internet and see that it appears to be a Britiish car with a General Motors engine. Don't mind the British part but give me a motor from Japan anytime. Even a rotary. Just my opinion, I would rather gamble on a new model from Japan with a little bit of Ford in it than a Euro car with anything from GM. Just my opinion, good luck with your new car.:) From what I've read there is no Ford in this Mazda. It was designed in Japan and built there. The way it should be! :cool:

Originally posted by commentator
VX220 a Vauxhall-Well I must confess that I know nothing about this car. It looks great, reminds me of the elise.

I took a quick look on the internet and see that it appears to be a Britiish car with a General Motors engine. Don't mind the British part but give me a motor from Japan anytime. Even a rotary. Just my opinion, I would rather gamble on a new model from Japan with a little bit of Ford in it than a Euro car with anything from GM. Just my opinion, good luck with your new car.:)


As stated before the VX220 is a lotus elise in all but name (and styling).

Whats more is that the Elise uses an engine from rover (k series 1.8) the VX220 uses a motor from GM.

But the GM motor was designed for them by Lotus....

I'd have an Elise in no time if I could make do with a 2 seater. 100% pure sportscar (and I hate the vx220 styling).

The VX220 turbo is a handfull tho, least 6 were writen off by journo's at its launch day....

Too bad you can't sit four people in it, or put a baby in the back. I would love to have the elise as a third, take to the track and play on the weekends toy car.
You got great performance for the buck, but the turbo has the performance I wan't.

Originally posted by zoom44


... those fenders look awfully familiar somehow

what do you guys think? similar?

errrr......no.

Not quite sure what it is you are trying to point out, but I am not seeing any similarities.

Maybe it is just me though....

Shahpor

if i could just find 2 bloody pictures from the same angle in the same size it might be easier. the fenders everyone, i am talking about the bulge and angle of the fenders.

and btw i think i prefer the looks of the vx over the lotus.

Yes I can see what your saying regards the fenders, the arced angle of the front wing and light look similar, though the light cluster is angled on the VX.

Some prefer the VX looks to the elise. Rob was somewhat incorrect in VX / Elise comparison, the 2 cars only share 10% of components. The turbo has even less. It has a far torquier more powerful engine, different gearbox, longer wheelbase, roof etc. Its mainly the superb suspecnsion components they share in common. I can see what Mitchy saw in the car

But they are both built at Hethel where Lotus is based. Some were written off by Journalists, mainly due to the wet track and the manix speed manouvers the VXT is capable off. A couple of Mainstream magazines in the UK Whatcar and EVO have voted it car of the year twice, with 5 star awards.

Unfortunately because vauxhall is mainly known for bland company cars, People carriers and son on, many people did n't buy Vx's due to snob value and the "Lotus" badge. It was their loss though, as the Vx has continued to win all the top accolades for roadster's. I've currently got a RX8 on order but can see the attraction of the VX, though somewhat more impractical

Now that is one sexy, funky car with power & performance specs to make it real, right. I love it!. Like the RX-8, if it test drives well, I just might would want to buy one. Too bad they're not available stateside.

I mean, I haven't gotten down to the nit pickin' details, but from the cover, it looks sharp . Super price too! Wow;)

Good I don't want it like the nissan 350Z selling like hot cakes.
I would love it if I was the only one that have an rx-8 in my town, but I doubt it. I've seen 2 many 350z, their almost like a rsx you see them almost everywhere now.

How's this? (Photoshop Elements 2.0)

I guess it comes from low hood (bonnet?) lines, blending with fenders that still must accomodate tires. Gotta blend it somehow, and both to me are excellently done. The VX is more dramatic due to a lower bonnet line, and that's because it's a mid-engine, right? Actually, the RX-8 is about the same height, it just protrudes from the fenderline more - it's longer. Both are reeeel nice looking to me.

excellent Quantum! i thought for awhile i would be the only one to see it. an i agree with you Racer they are both very nice!