Buy RX8?
 

Hi

Im new to the Rx8 Forum., and have been thinking about buying a RX8.

But looking at the posts about the Horsepower ratings and Bad Gas mileage., and people wanting to give the car back to Mazda. I am having second thoughs. Can anybody convince me to buy this car.

My second choice is the Nissan 350Z, better MPG & HP.

P.S. I had a RX7 in 1979 and liked it alot. It was less powerfull than the RX8 but back then they didnt overate the car like they did with the 2004 model.

Steve

Well i'm having trouble as well. It seems i like the 350Z power and styling but i like the RX8 spacious and handling been thinking for MONTHS!!! but still can't decide which one to get :(

Same boat here.. The only thing is.. IF there is a factory version with more power coming I'd glady wait and pay the extra. Some on here say to buy it and do hop ups. But that is not my thing.. I'll leave that to the builders and take the warranty.

I drove one though. I liked it alot.

Have yet to drive the G-35. Probably do that this weekend.

Don't forget, Steve, that on open forums such as this, you are going to see ALOT more negative comments and concerns than anything else. Not only because people are going to be most vocal when they are having problems, but also because people will come to places like this for advice on how something can be fixed.

That's not to say that there aren't concerns. Look through them, take the complaints/concerns for what they are worth, and decide whether they bother you or not. Just don't judge how reliable the car is by the number of negative vs. positive posts.

Also remember that a relatively small percentage of owners will also register at a site like this, needless to say participate regularly.

---jps

Just test drive all the cars you are considering and pick the one that suits you best. There is no perfect car - every car is a bunch of compromises. I thought the compromises for the RX-8 suited my needs perfectly: great styling, high revving, 4-doors/4-seats in small/light body, great handling, lovely interior, more than sufficient power, phenomemal brakes/steering/transmission etc. The bad points (lower than expected hp, weird AC behaviour for many, poor fuel economy for many, etc) are talked about out of all proportion, and I am sure there will be other issues that come to light over time.

Car forums on the internet make too much of any issue for every car (e.g. G35 brake pads and rotors 'need' to be replaced every 10k-15k miles). Go and see/drive the cars in the real world and see which sparks the most passion in you whilst fulfilling your needs and budget - forget the internet for a while. If people only read internet car forums before buying a car, nobody would ever buy another vehicle again because every car worthy of a forum has issues even after their first year of production.

If you think the RX-8 is the car for you, wait for the '05 before you buy. Hopefully, they will have worked out many of the problems experienced by the '04s.









'

This is a nice thought, but how many places really let you test drive a car?
If your lucky you get to go around the block. That is no indication that your down
on power. The wrx that I traded in for
the rx8 had a very bad clutch judder problem on cold mornings. None of this stuff shows up on a test drive. I think the
smartest think to do is ask questions on
forums and then you can be the judge
of the problems.

Where I live (bay area) I have been turned down to test drive the sti, evo, g35 coupe 6spd and I am 37. I would imagine it would be even harder if your in your 20’s. I had to go to several different deal ships before one would let me test drive the rx8. I understand everybody wants no miles on there car. What ever happened to the demo model?

Anybody want to let me test drive their sti, evo, g35 coupe? I did not think so.
So, how am I suppose to make a decision?

This post is not to be a flame at pelucidor. I have been getting a little upset at the deal ship around here. I am about to drop down over $30k and I am suppose just base my decision on the nice color brochure.

To help with you decision, here is some data.

I consider myself to be a "neutral/logical" decision maker. Between 350Z/G35/RX8 they are several differences. All are good cars. All have limitations as well. Definitely, test drive on your own, don't believe what anybody tells you until you do. Also, get "facts" from good sources, not hearsay.

So:

If you are ok with a two-seater (a real two-seater, meaning there is no possibility whatsoever for more people), the 350Z is the BEST thing around for this price range. Power, style, handling. It has its quirks (interior might be not incredibly refined, some find the styling a little too much)., but overall a nice package. I started out wanting this, but couldn't swallow 2 seats max.

If you want four very comfortable seats, none of these cars are for you. Maybe the WRX, EVO, etc. Dunno, never drove them, they don't excite me., but they could be good cars.

If you want more than two seats to periodically squeeze more people in, the G35C or RX8 are cool.

The G35C is a slightly weaker Z engine and the car is heavier. In the end, its a refined car but not as sporty as the Z.

The 8 is lightweight, nimble, fast stopper, coolest interior (in my opinion and that of some others) but lower on power (--- it's still a powerful engine, with good "humph" but you won't be able to outblast a Z, modulo driver talent, etc). In my opinion, the 8 has sufficient power for me. Aftermarket is always a possibility for the 8 and for all the cars involved. I might spring for that but definitely I'm more of a keep the car-stock person. I don't track race, auto cross, etc, just drive, have fun, and do some spirited driving. Someday I might adventure into driving courses but nothing major.

You might also want to consider the exact package you want and whether it exists. I found that the blue 8 with leather and appearance pkg is what I wanted. For the G35C, I couldn't find a color that suited me and had doubts all along about the form. Engine is nice but car is big, much bigger than it looks (in fact about same size as the G35 sedan -- read the facts).

In terms of build quality, G35 is probably the highest. Don't know how to order the Z or 8. But all are "good quality" compared to many other brands/models -- it also depends on how abusive you are with the car. Also, look at the warranties and what suits you.

I also considered BMW 330 coupe -- but more expensive and didn't catch my excitement.

I have another 4-door SUV to carry loads and big stuff around , so my 8 on order is just for fun.

I've had a Firebird, 300Z, and BMW 325 E30 --- all cool, as I think my 8 will be (+2 weeks!). I also drove a 1st gen RX7 several times (belonged to a good friend) and a Z3. Both were lots of fun but not the most powerful car on the road.

If my mentality jives with yours great! -- if not take what you wish and ignore the rest!


Good luck!!

Test driving is the way to decide. I feel for u racerx7. As far as I'm concerned, if a dealership won't let you test drive a car that your interested in, they don't need your business. You may have to fill out an app at some dealerships, others not. I went to my local dealer and they already had a demo available. No app needed to drive. Needless to say, I ordered my new baby.
Just keep looking for a dealer that will work with you and treat you as the customer. (after all, that;s what you are). If that means even going out of your city, so be it. Hope you find some decent dealerships out there so you can drive all your options.

I own an 8, and am one of the unhappy owners.

The car is nimble, comfortable, brakes amazingly well, has a wonderful, well thought out interior, and is a joy to drive.

Also, it is badly underpowered, and eats a lot of gas.

Lastly, and I think most importantly, is being sold in North America by a company that really does not give a shit about what the owners think or are going through.

I suggest that the north american business ethic is responsible, and we have reached a climate where cheating, lying and stealing are acceptable.

I suggest you read this article to understand what i mean.
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20030904.html

I have been on the razors edge for a month over whether to keep it or not.

In the last 48 hours the scales finally tipped in favour of selling it back to Mazda.

2 reasons finally decided me:
1) I live in Canada, and they arenow admitting that while they listed a block heater as an optional accessory, and I paid for one, they really do not have one, or any means to install one.
So much for driving it 6 months of the year.

2) Tonight a friend and I went for a short drive to grab a snack.

Going down the road some kid in a Volkswagen Golf ti 1.8l turbo left the light next to me and made a show of inviting me to a drag.
Not a drop the clutch at 8,000rpm thing, he just rolled off, then high in first gear punched it. I decided to have a bit of fun and respond.

Although I took it to redline in first second and third, I could keep up, but certainly could not gain ground on him. My friend said that while he felt and heard it rev, at above 7,000rpm it felt flat. There is just no punch at all.

Sorry, but I suggest you pass. It looks pretty, feels pretty good at most things, but it just does not go like a $30,000 sports car should. One could forgive A Miata for this, but not the RX-8.

Maybe next year they will fix it, who knows, but that does not matter now. They had their chance and they blew it, and literally added insult to injury in the way they are cheaply trying to buy us off with the offer they made.

Go buy another brand of car, you will likely be more happy.

Damn racerx7!!! They didn't let you test drive!!!!

I'm only 25 and I've driven the RX-8 twice here in Orange County.

Time you go to a different dealership man.

Buy Buy Buy

The RX-8!!
C'mon man, wanna fat car? A plump g'friend? Then buy the Z!1

Actually, they're both great cars, I just prefer the 8 for it's nimbleness, design, interior, rotary motor etc. . .

I can understand why you would have 2nd thoughts.

I am an owner too, like canzoomer, but am not as displeased with the car. I too considered the 350Z but in comparision note this:

350Z
2 persons only
highly criticized stereo system - some owners yelling for redo
avg cost $3000 more
insurance rate
overall mpg is 21 ((R & T p. 136)

RX 8
4 person
9 horsepower discrepancy
overall mpg 19 (R & T p. 136)

I know it is a tough decision. Go Drive them. You must do this. Don't listen to the sales person either. Let them know you are making a decision this week and must drive them with no immediate obligation.

I would like to see you in an RX 8 but I cannot tell you that is the best choice for you. I CAN tell you that the 8 opens up to better performance after some miles are on it. The normal driving performance of the 2 cars is similar. --- 0 -60, etc. The feel is different - weight and balance during driving. Go to the library and read some of the articles - March 2003 covers the 350Z in Road and Track and August 2003 350Z vs S2000. Which one looks better to you? Do you need a back seat? Which one drives better in the type of driving you do?

I get 16.5 MPG in town using regular gas.

Will the 350Z burn regular gas? $$$

Now, which would you rather have - a RX 8 GT 6spd with $3000 in an envelope placed in the glovebox or a 350Z track?

oh and as far as squeezing 4 people in a G35C - go squeeze yourself in the back and see if you would subject your friends to that - unless they are 5'4" or less.

The rx8 was the only I was able to test drive. I had to go to several different dealerships. Maybe they let me test drive because I pulled up in my 1994 rx7.

I have not been able to test sti, evo, g35
6spd coupe. Has anybody here test drove
one from a bay area dealership? If so,
where?

thanks.

Buy RX8 ??
 

Well, I've decided.

No Rx8 the main reason is MPG. I drive 50 miles one way to work 5 days a week. I think the 350Z is more economical and has more torque & HP. Also I dont need a back seat.

I do like the RX and the uniqueness of its engine. But I think it needs more development and dont want to wait till 2005.

Steve

PS:: yes its less expensive but with the price of gas. The money I saved will be used for gas in no time.

I see.... I missunderstood.

If you dont like RX8 because it doesn't have enough HP and torque, and it's not fast enough for you, then get SRT-4 or WRX. Those 2 cars are capable of seating 4 people. If you have more money go for STi or Evo.

carzoomer :
Don't feel bad. That Gti is probably chipped. A normal dyno for a lightly modded Gti 1.8T(DP+chip+CAI) is close to 190whp to 200whp. Hence, the car IS supposed to have more power than you. Its also only weights at about 3,000lb and got more torque than a rx-8. I know, because I have one...a Jetta. Of course, lure him into a corner and you will win...MkIV are understeering pigs...

Strangely, I still have faith in Mazda. The Sti is too expensive for me, while I can't stand SRT-4 at all. For the money, Rx-8 is the best. If it can solve the power issue just by taking off cat/remapping ECU...I will still buy it...

Don't expect to win street races tho. Its all about zoom zoom, not bang bang....

yeah It my be 9 hp to the crank, but to the wheels I think it is like 187. I'm sure someone had dynoed their new baby. And I'm sure someone will correct me If I'm wrong. I prefer hp over how the interior looks. So I would say go for the 350Z. Price =value to me. At $30,000 there are so many better handling and performing cars for the same price and cheaper. Here I will start to name them.
Dodge SRT-4 $20,000 handles just as good as a RX-8. Run's 13.8 stock
Subaru STI $32,000 kills a rx-8 in every category. 2 different cars
Subaru WRX $25,000 runs low 14's stock 2 different cars.
Mustang Gt $23,000 runs low 14's can't handle compared to RX-8
Infiniti G35 $32,000runs low 14's handles just as well as a RX-8
350Z "E" $29,000 runs low 14's stock handles just as well as RX-8
EVo8 $30,062 no comparison kills a RX-8 in every category

The Rx-8 is very nice looking car it is just slow for the 1/4 mile.
I would say test drive every car and then make your decision based on that. Would rather have a 4 door or a 2 door car. Do u care more about 1/4 mile or not.
I ordered 1 of these car's in this list above here. It is an 04 and isn't arrived yet. If u can gues what It is I will tell ya.
These are facts not opinions. Got these numbers from MotorTrend and a couple of other car magazines. Car And Driver Road and Track

yeah just make sure you test drive EVERY car you are even remotely considering. and test drive thoroughly. one of the things i regret about my recent car buying experience is not trying more cars. i was all about trying just performance cars, but now i'm wondering how much i might have appreciated trading a little bit of performance for a little more luxury. definitely think about that. also, as another poster said, think about how you drive. two cars may have similar 0-60s but are you gonna drop the clutch at 4k at every light on the high revver? this is what i experience with my wrx. since i don't want to drop the clutch at every light, on my average drive, the wrx does not feel anything like 5.5 sec 0-60 car. i've only test-driven the z, but it had the kind of power that's available whenever you need it, at any rpm. another thing i didn't really think about is how important top end power is. the z has A LOT of top end power (e.g 60-100 acceleration). i probably would still buy the wrx because i got a great deal, but these are things i did not think about (seriously enough) before making my decision.

test drives, power, mpg and this and that
 

Regarding the RX8 being way down on power, I don't remotely agree. If you test drive one (more on that later), I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference between a 350Z and the RX8. I couldn't and I have track and autox experience. On the track (if that's what you're going to do with the car), you'll see a few tenths difference between the two. But, on the road, that won't matter. If straight line acceleration is your primary buying criteria, you should probably look at some V8 muscle, which will blow both the RX8 and 350Z out of the water....maybe a nice F-150 Lightning would be more appealing.

I have to agree that if a dealer isn't going to let you test drive what you are considering to purchase, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with that dealer. If you tell the dealer you are going to buy a car, and their car is one you are considering, they should gladly let you take the car through some city streets as well as on the highway. They should let you feel the controls, play with the stereo, hit some rough patches. The test drive should take 30 minutes. Insist on taking the route you want to take, not the one the salesman suggests.

MPG....as my RX8 gets broken in, my MPG is going up. Plus, there have been many reports that the RX8 runs just fine on regular. I'm getting right at what the MSRP sticker says I should. That is, 18 MPG in all city and 24 MPG on the highway with about 20 MPG in mixed driving. If you compare the amount you'd spend on gas between the Z and RX8, with the RX8 getting the MPG I'm experiencing and the Z getting what the MSRP sticker says, I doubt there would be more than $200 difference in any given year that you'd spend on gas between the RX8 or the Z.

Having had several turbo cars, the only way they get decent MPG is if you stay out of the turbo. Goose them too much (what's the point in having a turbo if you aren't going to get into it?) and you're going to get dismal MPG. Turbos take some extra care, too. I wouldn't use anything buy synthetic oil in a turbo to dissipate the hear they generate. So, count on doubling the amount of money you spend on oil changes. Also, to help with durability, you should let the turbo idle a bit before shut down. That lets the turbo wind down with some oil pumping to it. Not a big deal, but still kind of an irritant to have to sit in the car and let it idle for about 5 minutes before you shut it down.

While the Z/G and the RX8 are great cars, the driving experience is totally different. After doing extensive test driving in the cars mentioned, the Z/G do have that "heavy" feel compared to the RX8. As has been mentioned before, I prefered the interior of the RX8 over the Z/G. While subjective, I also prefered the exterior styling of the RX8, too.

I found the RX8 more comfortable, to have a better stereo (both BOSE....go figure). I think the RX8s guages are drop dead gorgeous compared to the Z/G's guages. The ride/handling of the RX8 also is more to my liking than the heaviness, rough ride in the Z/G. Nissan gets it's handling by making a very stiff suspension. Mazda does their's by offering lightness....lighness of the shifter/clutch/steering and of the RX8, in general.

All in all, go to a wide "sweeper" in the RX8. Keep it in 2nd gear and listen to the engine's sweet mechanical sound as you wind it into the 7K range....very turbine like. If you like that, then it should give you some indication what you prefer....low end torque (although the RX8's torque is perfectly fine) of the Z/G or the "zinginess" tossability of the RX8.....two really different experiences. Do that same sweeper in the Z/G and you'll notice it "pounds" the curve into submission as opposed ot finesing it like the RX8 does.

To take rx8-is-slow's "facts" (heh...I didn't know the G35c pulls 0.91g, etc) out of perspective and go with a driving-experience type view, what else is there for someone who'd want a nimble, zingy, tossable rwd 2+2coupe-ish type car that's still civil enough for a daily driver, and will probably hold with good reliability, that starts at $27-28k?

The Z comes close to matching that descrip & starting price, but it does not seem as nimble and tossable in nature. It would take some driving of both for me to personally come to that conclusion though.