fstfd3spower

Hi, im new to this board.. .. ..


Im about to trade my audi in for a new car.. Considering Rx8 or 350Z..

How you guys like your rx8? I would really love to get an rx8 (since i already own rx7) and i like the looks of 8 better than Z.

But i heard few horror stories about rx8.. heat problems, engine problems and such...

Please give me your honest opinion on ur ride...


thank you so much.

noahprtlnd

I've had my RX-8 for 2 months and 2,000 miles, and no problems whatsoever so far. Only con I see is the 15 mpg I've been getting. Some say the gas mileage gets better as more miles are put on the car...
I considered the 350Z as well, but in the end there really wasn't any contest in my mind - with the 8 you get a useable back seat, a unique butter-smooth engine, a beatiful interior, and a relatively rare automobile. Unless you can afford the convertible roadster and have no use for a back seat or storage space, I'd definitely go with the 8.

fstfd3spower

that is why i want rx8.. back seats, and high reving ROTARY .

but then i hear all these crazy rumors about engine blowining, bla bla bla.... scares me to get ione.

markfw

Engine blowing ??? I have been on this forum for a few months, and I don;t read every post, but I can't remember reading about blowing engines. Its under warranty anyway, so who cares ?

I love my 8. Not only does it look way better than the 350z, but will outhandle it easily.

noahprtlnd

Well, I think there's been like 6 people with blown engines - with a brand new car model with a brand new engine, I don't know that that's such a big #. Of course Mazda replaced all the blown engines, and any problems you may have during warranty would be covered.
With a forum such as this, one has to realize that people that have had problems are going to be vocal about it, and these comments are the ones that are going to stand out - the vast vast majority of people on this forum have not had problems with their cars. The fact is, you usually just don't hear about problems people have with their cars because they're not posted on forums, or you don't visit the forums for a car you're not interested in...personally, I wouldn't (and didn't) worry about scattered anecdotal reports of mechanical problems.

zthang

I guess i'll chime in here about the Z...

I love my Z. Not only does it look way better than the RX-8, but will out accellerate it easily. :D

RX8-TX

Its hard to resist when someone says something negative about your own property...::p

Jag

Have a look at this thread, it'll give you a good idea of how the majority of RX-8 owners love their cars:

The Little Things

brothervoodoo

Sure, there have been some instances of lost engines but not because they "blew up". A sign of engine failure has something to do with a coolant leak. I don't know the exact detail as to the issue, please do a search and get that information. This has not by any means been a gigantic problem but it has effected some cars, maybe 50-100 out of all the 8's on the road. Your going to hear problems more readily as a form of information exchange on this board, but the issue is not an endemic problem with this car.

Now, if you want more raw power and straight line performance, go with the Zed...

If you want the rotary, four doors, four seats, new styling and a car that can hold it's own on an autox course, go with the 8..

Sanguine_Dark

fstfd3spower,

I was in the same position as you are. Actually I went to buy a Z and found out I couldn't get one in brickyard red...and I was driving past a mazda dealership and thought...hmmmm. So I stopped and now I own an RX. I have driven both and still do often drive the Z (my best friend has one and we trade out on occassion.) IMO the Z is faster up to about 60ish and then it evens out with the 8 (me and my friend testing out our cars). The 8 rides and handles better. The Z is rather abusive to the driver when driving for longer periods. I like the lines and looks of both cars. I mean seriously people...they are both great looking and fast. They both stand out in any parking lot. I love my 8 but I would never knock the Z. Of course the back seats were also nice for my two toddlers to ride in. Just my thoughts.

J

jdmlover79

if you looking for good looking and performance then go for z but if you looking for more room, good looking, smoothness, rareness (i don't see many rx-8 yet on the street) and girls ^^ (i saw a lot of girls looking at rx-8 when i was test driving one) then rx-8 is better.

this is my opinion ^^

still w8ting

i'm in the same boat...looking at both the Z and the 8. test drove both the other day. i drove the Z first. Its aggressive lines and straight line power almost sold me, but a little nagging voice inside my head (sounded strangely like my fiance) told me to check out the 8 before doing something i regretted.

i'm not knocking on the Z because it's an incredible car, which does what it sets out to do very well, but once i drove the 8, there was no question in my mind which car i would see myself loving 5 years down the road just as much as the day i bought it.

the interior of the 8 blew away the Z's and the 8 is much more fun (and comfortable) to drive around a busy city (Dallas). i have to admit that the straight line acceleration wasn't as much fun as when i laid the pedal to the metal in the Z, but as soon as i reached third or had to turn the steering wheel, the 8 had me sold.

as soon as i graduate from law school in may, i'm laying the trusty corolla to rest and getting a black 8. i wonder if that'll be a distraction from studying for the bar....

takahashi

Z wears you out when you drive. Nothing is a hard core as my Integra DC 2 Type R before this one. The Z roadster is better. Just add Brembo and a few mods that is

P.S. buy the track ver. ie. with Brembo and sports suspension - I driven both - the touring version is a bad ride. You will be scared by the engine - 206kW with less suspension made me very nervous.

I am still happy with my 8 = it is just a classier and better looking car IMO

canzoomer

There have been some ( mine for instance) that blew engines.
But then there were quite a few 350Z's with blown engines too.

And now Nissan has recalled ALL their cars with that 6 cylinder engine, 350X, G35, Maxima, trucks, you name it.

Internal sensor failure in the engine can cause fires.

They are swapping out the engines, but I hear they then rebuild them and put them back into the pool for exchanges.

Can you imagine getting somebodies ratted out engine with 50,000 miles to replace the engine from your car with only 5,000 on it?

Shocking!

zoomzooomp5

I had my 8 since september. I have exactly 6000 mile on it now. The only problem I had was my rear left brake was squeeking and I took it in to have it fix. No problem with it anymore. My brother has a black 350z and it is a very great looking care. In fact I had my heart set on getting a 350z ever since I found out that Nissan was bring it back. When it first came out. I went to test drive the car but the Nissan guys wouldn't let me drive it unless I was going to buy it. Man I was so disappointed. So, I decided to check out the evo 8. It was the same with those guys. I always had the 8 in the back of my mine, so when it came out I went to check it out. I wasn't expecting to test drive the car, I just wanted to see it up close. When I got to Westcot Mazda and saw the car in person. I was really impress with it. I love the interior of the car much better than the z and evo. The styling was better than the z and way better than the evo. And to my surprise, the saleman aske me if I want to test drive the car. I was really stunn and very excited. Of cours I said "Yes!" First the 8 ride was smoth and it corner effortlessly compare to my Mazda protege 5 which I had at the time. And I often autoX with the p5.It was fast but kinda sniky fast. Befor u know it your doing 90mph. And the back seat were just as spacious as my p5 wagon. I later drove my brother z. The is faster off the line than my 8 the steering needed more force to turn it. It wasn't as smoth as the 8. The ride was choppier in the Z, it kinda reminded me of my old 240sx. Which was severly moded. I couldn't live with that bouncing on a daily basis. As far as attention goes, the 8 get alot more looks. The 8 is the second Mazda I have own in the last 3 years and I am very satisfied with it.

zthang

Very true...its hard to let opinionated comments slide. I probably shouldnt have been so sarcastic. Anyways, I'm just going to have to give up on this thread just like most other threads that include the Z. There are just too many comments to reply to. My advice to you...get the RX-8. You obviously came to this board b/c youre more interested in it. I just think you needed the motivation and support of other 8 owners. If you had asked the same question on the Z board, everyone would be telling you to get the Z, but for totally different reasons. Good luck deciding.

cwerdna

I've not heard of any 350Zs w/light or no mods requiring any engine replacements (the guy running insane amounts of NOS (>300 shot) on stock internals doesn't count). I've seen VERY few people on maxima.org that ever needed replacements of the 3.5L VQ engine (I can only think of one).

I've counted 8 unique RX-8 owners on this board so far who've needed engine replacements. Six are in the US. That's a little troubling considering there have been 10,267 RX-8s sold in the US vs. 47,857 350Zs.

As for Nissan recalls, it's the crankshaft position sensor. As for fires, that's a bunch of BS. I don't know where you got your info from. The result is not a fire. See http://www.cars.com/news/stories/103...y&aff=national and http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...intVersion=YES . BTW, it does NOT affect all cars w/the 3.5L VQ V6. Notice only 171 Zs are affected. I spoke to my dealer about the recall since my 02 Maxima might be affected and they mention only certain VINs are affected, not all.

Who you are referring to about swapping out engines and putting them in a pool for exchanges? Nissan or Mazda?

Back to the original thread, I have an 04 350Z (in addition to the Max) and I'll chime in. I'm not a fan of the RX-8's styling (two extra doors look funny) but I will say that the 8 is more practical and the 8 interior is hands down better than than Z.

I'm sure most people on here will say get the 8, and on the Z boards, people will tell you to get a Z.

canzoomer

The recall affects ALL 350Z sold, worldwide.
Not to mention all Infiniti and Nissan car with that engine.

Hmm, let's see some more facts:
http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/031031/241/ecqu4.html

" issan is to recall 2.5 million vehicles worldwide.

Nissan [NSANY] has announced that it has committed Y15-16 billion ($136-146 million) this year to cover the cost of recalling 2.56 million cars sold in Japan and abroad [Bdue to engine problems. The Nissan brand, which has become known for reliability over the years, could be jeopardized.[/B]"

Edmunds:
"Major Nissan Recall Affects 700,000 U.S. Cars
Date Posted 11-06-2003

The second-largest recall in Japanese history affects more than 2.5 million Nissan vehicles, the company said last week. Nissan says the recall affects about 700,000 vehicles sold in North America, including the 350Z coupe and roadster and the Altima sedan. The recall was spurred by complaints that a defective sensor in the engine could cause a short circuit and lead to the engine stopping. The affected vehicles were built from 1998 to 2003."

The actual recall wording:
Recall Alert: INFINITI G35, INFINITI I35, INFINITI M45, INFINITI Q45, NISSAN 350Z, NISSAN ALTIMA, NISSAN MAXIMA, NISSAN SENTRA
Owner Notification Date: Dec 02, 2003
Number of Units Potentially Affected: 630000
Component Description: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
NHTSA Campaign Number: 03V455000 Schedule an Appointment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description of Recall Campaign: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS.
THIS COULD CAUSE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" WARNING LIGHT TO COME ON, CREATE A NO START CONDITION, CAUSE REDUCED ENGINE POWER, OR CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS NEW CAMPAIGN. THE REPLACEMENT SENSORS USED IN THAT CAMPAIGN ARE ALSO AFFECTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING DECEMBER 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.

The crank position sensor is internal to the engine.
NOT an hours job.
It is also the SECOND attempt to fix this same problem!

cwerdna

No, according to http://www.cars.com/news/stories/103...y&aff=national it only affects 171 350Zs. It's the same recall. Yes, I know about the 2.5 million figure, I read the many stories on it. Also, if it affected ALL 350Zs, wouldn't the 2004 350Z be affected? If so, how come no 2004 Nissans come up at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...callsearch.cfm ?


As for second attempt, yes, on certain cars. There was no prior recall for 02+ Maximas on the crankshaft position sensor nor any prior recall on 350Zs.

Elara

Well, there's no recalls at all on the 8 so far.....

Bigcat44

I need to throw my .02 in on this one as I traded in my 02 Maxima for my 8 and I also tested a 350z for a while before I made my decision. First about the recalls, there were I believe 5 total on the Maxima alone. I never had any problems with my Max that wasn't caused by my mods. (Greddy SP Exhaust, Warpspeed Y-pipes, Underdrive pulley, Injen CAI). In the 350 I didn't like the 2 seats or the interior. Oh fyi my 350 tester was a track model so no sunroof but it had the Brembros and the light wheels. I didn't like the looks compared to the 8 and with performance, while the Z car has more hp I didn't notice the difference with the 8. And as a maxima owner I can tell you the horsepower is not as rated on the maxima. The owners were attempting to get their money back do to false ads stating that hp was 255 or 265 when dynos were showing 215-220. There was a suit on -going with that and also with Nissan do to the paint chipping off the nose of the car when it was brand new. So Nissan has their problems just like Mazda. Back to the Z car, I didn't like the feel of the car to me. I previously owned a 93 300ZX TT and loved that car but this one just didn't work for me.

Rotor_Rev

my suggestion... figure out what's most important to you and give both cars a test drive.

one of my friends has been gushing about getting a 350z for a while now and has had his mind dead set on getting one. he was EXTREMELY excited recently as he was going to make the trip to the dealer. the next day, i saw him very upset. why? he had test driven the Z and said he was disappointed. he didn't like the handling at all and said it didn't feel like 287hp. he wants to try driving my 8 next. i'm not sure how he'll like it, but the point is just start test driving different cars and i'm sure once you figure out what aspects of a car are important to you the choice will be clear.

Ike

17% drivetrain lose being common that's a really dumb attempted lawsuit.

I think Voodoo summed it up rather well as to which car is best for you. However some people will lead you to believe the 350Z is some straightline drag car that can't handle. It handles rather well but not quite as well as the 8. The Z will out accelerate the 8 and it should be noticable to most people, even though some have reported them feeling similar. They're different cars and it all depends on what you're looking for in a car.

Bigcat44

Yeah I think that maybe I was expecting more accel feel and didn't feel it though I will say this. I loved the VQ engine as it was very easy to work on and mod and the one thing I don't like about my 8 being a meck-a-neck by trade is that I don't understand the concept of the rotary and might not be able to fix it if something were to go wrong! I also am really wanting to test drive an STi and an Evo since our last (bashing) though I see you are fighting the same fight with others concerning the s2000 v 8 thread! :D

ciccone376

some of you guys are funny.

I have driven an S2000, 350Z Track Model, and an RX8 6spd with GT package.

If you cannot see the difference in power delivery and speed between the S2K, 350Z and Rx8, you should not be driving.

the S2K and Rx8 are closer in power and straigh line feel, mainly due to their high RPM low toruq motors.

the Z is almost the exact opposite...it has tons of low end torque and its RPM is more normal.

The S2K and RX8 are like Exacto knives, they are delicate and both very sharp (with the S2K being the sharpest but also requiring lots of concentration). the Z is like a very fine Swiss Army knife. Its a little larger, feels more robust and will do what the Exacto knife does, but in a different way.

I could see myself driving a Z or RX8 every day, I can't say the same for an S2K (dailt driver with 20 mile commute).

I've been looking at both the RX8 and Z for some time now and its a toss up every time I go back to the pro's/cons. However more and more the 8 seems to have teething problems that just don't appeal to me.

In any case, both cars a sports car and they bring different feelings to the table.

Ciccone