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Re-appreciating the RX-8

Old 10-02-2008, 10:18 PM
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Re-appreciating the RX-8

When I first got the 8 I was delighted. Such a pleasure to drive it, quicker and more agile than anything I had ever driven.

After 6 months or so, the feeling wears off.

Lately though for one reason or another I banned myself from driving the RX-8 for three weeks and instead drove my mothers Toyota RAV4....yuck. The car is an automatic, and so nonresponsive that I can actually rev the engine by flooring it in any gear 2nd or higher, because by the time it stops juggling gears the car has been revving for a few seconds already...

After those three weeks I stepped back into the 8...and after driving the rav, it feels amazing. Its so much faster, so responsive, so agreeable, so much more fun to drive than the rav.

Its only after you drive a normal car for a while that you realize how amazing the RX-8 really is. Don't take it for granted.
Old 10-03-2008, 01:13 AM
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Same here

Feeling the same way everytime I drive my family's or friends' cars. Even if other cars are sports cars, nothing so far feels better than driving the 8.
Old 10-03-2008, 01:21 AM
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Similar thing happened to me today. Though I never really lost interest, it slopes down at times... but new mods tend to bring it back. So I got my midpipe in today, and couldnt for the life of me get some bolts off, so my friend is bringing his jack stands over tomorrow for better access. Well, I didnt need the car tonight or anytime too early tomorrow so I didnt bolt everything back completely. I only needed to move it off the ramps... The sound of an unrestricted rotary is awesome. Too bad I cant always drive around like that
Old 10-03-2008, 01:35 AM
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You'll always come back to the 8. Even when I drive the Z and the S2000 (not mine), I still prefer the ride and smooth power of the 8. (not to mention my AccessPort)
Old 10-03-2008, 01:42 AM
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This is so true. Ever since I got the old BMW I've been using it to go to school since it actually wastes less gas than my 8, even though its got an I6 engine. But its also one of the funner cars I've driven. I think that thing handles great because of all the suspension work, but when I get into the 8 I just feel like...
Old 10-03-2008, 03:52 AM
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I visited my famliy in chile about 3 months ago, my dad owns a fiat doblo, a 56HP diesel piece of crap that is slow as all hell and the seats are like sitting in a victorian armchair.

I got back to the states and got into my 8 and the feeling was just... WOW... how that seat hugs you, how nice it is to rev up, how nice it handles.. I love it (never really got the blues with the car tho)
Old 10-03-2008, 03:59 AM
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i drive a lot of cars, ranging from g35's to evo's... sure the power is there, the luxury and so on, but regardless... when i get in my 8 at the end of the day, i love it each and every time
Old 10-03-2008, 09:48 AM
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I FINALLY get to drive mine today after like 2 months!!!!

If you feel your car got boring dont drive it for even just a few days and I guarantee you will miss it very quickly!

Got to go fill up and have some fun for a while!
Old 10-03-2008, 11:58 AM
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I know what you mean. A few weeks ago I traveled to Philly with my friend in her 07 Civic EX with an AT. It's a decent car and I'm sure we saved a butt load of money on gas, but driving for ten hours in it was so frickin' boring! When I got home I literally hugged my 8.
Old 10-03-2008, 01:39 PM
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^and the 8 can hug you back unlike any other car
Old 10-03-2008, 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by EdwardsB
I FINALLY get to drive mine today after like 2 months!!!!
If you feel your car got boring dont drive it for even just a few days and I guarantee you will miss it very quickly!
Got to go fill up and have some fun for a while!
I know what you mean
if you are away from your car for a while, even looking at some pics of it can drown a bit of the sadness

but once you actually get it, smell the smells, feel the vibrations, and finally drive,
it feels like "getting intimate" after being non-active for a couple months.

or it even feels like a smoker taking a puff after a 14 hour flight.

i am not a smoker, but maybe we are addicted to our cars ?
Old 10-03-2008, 11:40 PM
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This is the truth underneath it all.

Get back into rx8 after hiatus. What your mind, what your body tell you is, "This don't feel like a car".

So many "high performance--fancy" car out there, feel just like your dad's 1982 corolla when you sit down. They feel like "car".

In rx8, you sit down, then "feel like you could take on the whole empire yourself" like luke skywalker did / said.

I don't care if you think I'm deluded. Look at all those "rx8 slow" folks, they are truly deluded.
Old 10-04-2008, 12:33 AM
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During the week when the car is dirty inside and out I get a little bored with it because its a daily driver. But as soon as I wash, wax, vacuum, armor all the interior and shine the tires I fall in love with it again. I get the same effect when adding accessories and doing maintenance
Old 10-04-2008, 12:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Soapflake
During the week when the car is dirty inside and out I get a little bored with it because its a daily driver. But as soon as I wash, wax, vacuum, armor all the interior and shine the tires I fall in love with it again. I get the same effect when adding accessories and doing maintenance
Werd. I just got rims/tires/springs plus a fresh 3-hour wax job (my elbow still hurts) and I love this car more than when I bought it
Old 10-04-2008, 04:33 AM
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I've been driving a diesel Peugeot 206 for the last month....I can't wait to get home and drive something with some power.

Driving 180K/hr on the Autobahn in the "toaster" was pure hell...........
Old 10-04-2008, 07:07 PM
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yeah the 8 always makes me smile until i get to the pump sometimes but usually don't think abut it
Old 10-04-2008, 10:49 PM
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Going weeks without my 8 because the wheels/tires were stolen is hell. I'm appreciating my car more than ever because I don't have it. I'm going to need a cigarette after I get the car back. It was even worse than normal because my buddy drove his 8 down from Rhode Island. I am driving around a fully restored custom Porsche 944 Turbo, but I cannot wait to get my Shinka back.
Old 10-05-2008, 03:12 AM
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Every word is true.

I almost bought an '06 BMW 330i with 27k miles on it yesterday for 22k in mint shape - one owner (original owner) car, absolutely cherry, no accidents, dents.

I couldn't pull the trigger.

Make no mistake; the 330i is a fantastic car. But it just honestly was boring as hell to drive compared to my 8.

Maybe I'm just a fanbois now. I'm not sure what has happened to me.
Old 10-05-2008, 05:59 PM
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Heh... my wife and I were commuting together these days. So we drive her Mazda6 GT wagon as it is AT therefore easier during rush hour traffic. One day we were overtaken by a white RX-8. I thought to myself "What a nice looking car". Then my wife quipped "Hey we have one of those too." That realization of having such a fantastic car gave me the fuzzies.
Old 10-05-2008, 06:35 PM
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I put a turbo on mine. Love it more than when I first bought it last year.
Old 10-05-2008, 07:21 PM
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You really want to appreciate the 8 take it to the track.

Once you take a turn at a ridiculous speed and the 8 still hangs on and feels it like it could hang on at even more speed the smile never leaves your face.

I have always loved my 8 and thought it was a fantastic car. But after going around the track in it, I love that car more than I ever thought possible. It is simply a fantastic car in all ways. A true drivers car.

And the sound of a bunch of 8's going around the track something of beauty.

Last edited by mdr; 10-05-2008 at 07:23 PM.
Old 10-11-2008, 10:56 AM
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Ive only had my 8 a week, and driving to to and from work all week and not being able to actually play with the car, driving through drab and boring old guelph, i was feeling like im paying alot for that...anyways, thismorning i woke up, the sun came up and i decided to go for a drive. i know some nice scenic/fun roads not too far away so i went for a spin and god damn, it doesnt seem expensive at all anymore. lol. turns that warn of 40km/h, i take at 80+ no problem, and that felt slow! the sound...the scenery, what a blast, i regret nothing! haha.

also saw another VR 8 on my drive out near joans basline, gave him a wave. anyone on here?

Greg
Old 10-14-2008, 09:30 AM
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At work I park mine in the farthest lot from the building, right next to the end of the walkway, which happily shifts to the right just at the end. So I get to spend ~3 minutes staring at my car every day as I walk to it after work. And the markers flash in greeting as the doors unlock.

I'm always giddy as hell by the time I get to it. The smile never fails

I'm also probably not the only one that does a double-take when they catch the reflection of their 8 in a shop window as they drive by.
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