Upon introduction ('03), those fenders were considered to be "radically bulging", but check out pre-/post-2003 body styles and count the "followers". RX-8 will stand out for perfectly (though thoughtful design and thorough craftsmanship) balanced form and function long after IC powered cars disappear from roadways.

 

Just learned this today on my '04 with 120k miles...

Have you ever parked, turned off the engine, taken out the key, and forgot to crack your window on a hot day? And have to put the key back in so you can power the window?

Well, you don't actually need to do that. After you shut down your engine and remove the key, you have a 30 second grace period where the windows are still powered until you open the door and get out. Awesome.

 

This morning as I drove in, I noticed how much I liked the way my forearm rested perfectly on the console while my hand was gripping the shifter.

 

I ve never seem a more ergonomically interior design then an 8, its depressing really.

 

Which fits your hand just perfectly...am I right?

 

Yup.

 

I've sadly just garaged my 8 for the winter and started cleaning the interior, I've now noticed how nice but actually really safe the rear passengers are with front airbags and B-piller airbags just like the front seats...sweet

 

I can't add anything to this list yet, as I am still awaiting the purhase of my first RX8, but if all goes according to plan, I will have one in my driveway in just a few weeks time. Reading through these pages of everyone's favorite things about this amazing automobile only makes me want one even more. As I reside in Newfoundland, (a province that seems to have no RX8's at all, I will actually be taking a road trip to Ontario in my hunt for an 8. Now how is that for dedication! Looking forward to listing my favorite things about my new car very soon!

 

Good luck with your search! (Newfoundland? I live in NYC and if I see more than one a month, it's a lot.)

 

I gotta agree. I like the way the hood and fenders look while driving. I also enjoy its seat position, it feels like it makes you apart of the cockpit

 

I live in Springfield mo, a town of 200k, I have seen prolly. 6 rx8's, and the lot I bought it from had 2 for sale. This is a huge college town which may be why there are so many

 

PRO: I always liked the inner door handle, made of metal.
CON: I didn't like the little amount of torque from the engine.

 

I love how the tachometer is the main focus in the dash, and that it goes to 10k, passengers notice this aswell and its always a wow factor.
Its also sweet to have aluminium hood and rear doors, i just discovered this last week when i was fishing with a magnet in the engine bay :P

 

^The first time I opened the hood it flew out my hands lol.

I love how after 3 years I still don't want to get rid of it. Most cars don't make it much past a year with me.

 

I completely Agree, when you sit in this car. It cradles you. It makes you feel like your part of it. When perfectly positioned, your elbow sits softly on the center console and your hand falls directly onto that short throw shifter. Zoom Zoom

 

The RX-8 has a certain feel to it that has to be engineered into a vehicle, and that very few cars under $100K can boast. The Miata, FR-S/BRZ, Evo, and Boxster/Cayman come to mind as the cars available now that offer that feeling. That feeling begins as soon as you sit behind the wheel and begin touching the actuators. The seating position and the relationship of the controls to that seating position are so perfect that you feel like a life-sized action figure being slipped into the packaging which was molded specifically to hold you. That feeling builds as you place the car into gear and pull off. The clutch, steering, shifter and throttle respond to your every input as if you just jacked into The Matrix. The brakes are instant as well. That feeling continues to build. Once you start going through turns and curves, the balance of the car boils to the surface and you start to realize that others are missing out on something truly special. To this point the lack of torque is apparent, but offset by the cars sharp reflexes. Once you come to a stretch of long straight road the hidden power reveals itself as if to reward you for "getting it". When you hit redline in 3rd and see that you're already going faster than anyone needs to on public roads, the thought of more low end power seems pointless, but you already knew that. The RX-8 is a smooth pussycat down low, and a screaming tiger up high. Mazda paid attention to every detail of this car and it comes through in the feel, and the "little things" that reveal themselves smartly as time passes. Sure the rotary, and more specifically the renesis have issues, but all of the things above make it worth the extra expense and extra care it requires. The RX-8 is for the most enthusiastic and passionate of enthusiasts. The resulting relationship is no less involved and/or rewarding than the relationship with the person you love. The RX-8 is Yin and Yang, give and take, cost and reward. The RX-8 is perfectly balanced mechanically and spiritually and it takes a balanced and mature enthusiast to truly unlock and appreciate it's greatness. Mazda wrapped total zen in an automotive fortune cookie. It's up to us to open it up and understand the message. I have read and understand the message. Have you?

Horse and rider as one.

 

Very eloquent sir. Well done.
A more concise description would be hard to imagine.

 

Thanks! This came to me in a moment of what Jules Winfield would refer to as "A moment of clarity" lol!

 

You, Sir, know how to put things that are hard to convey with the written word, well done!

I have to laugh everytime I see someone bagging on the RX-8. I would say 85% of the time they are piggy-backing on things that others have said, they really have no idea what they are talking about. Yes, the RX is low on torque--as you said, you push it in 3rd gear and you're going 90 mph and what?--You wish that you could have 110 mph? Or 90 a bit sooner? please. There are those who do wish for a different experience. For instance, I just took the Dodge Challenger Hemi R/T out across Washington State, it was a solid slab of granite on the road, I enjoyed it. Obviously, a 100% different experience than what the RX gives. It seems to me, that IF you appreciate cars, in any fashion, then you will appreciate what the RX-8 has to offer, yeah, maybe not your cup of tea, but still, you appreciate the all around excellence. Remember what Randy Probst said about it awhile back in Motor Trend? He drives the crap out of everything all the time, and he LOVED the RX. Cheers!

 

:WOW you just gave me yet another excuse to get in and enjoy my 8...inspired

 

Wow Awesome thread guys..

 

Anyone else not listen to the audio system sometimes just to enjoy the sound of the engine? I do. I love the way this car grips to the road around every bend. I love how many looks of envy I receive daily from fellow drivers. Even for a middle-class guy like myself, this car makes me feel like I have arrived in life. Absolutely love it.

 

It is the pure driving experience that I enjoy. People may bag on it but what do they know unless they have owned one.

 

i also keep the stereo off when driving to listen to the sound of the engine...
i love the ability to lock the trunk with the push off a button which comes in perfectly when at the carwash and dont want them to open it...
i love the fact that it is 2014 and yet people still ask me in town if they can take pics of my 2007 car or they just whip out their phones and start snapping away...
and yes it is a middle class car that attracts more attention than cars 3 times its price...
BUT MOST OF ALL its ADDICTIVE...

 

Just noticed some of the responses to my post above. Glad you guys share my feelings on the 8! I just really wanted to share my initial feelings on the car as a new owner. Since then I've put around 3K on the car and I love it even more! The West Virginia Turnpike was a blast! Also, I recently discovered how the gauges change color when they're dimmed! Cool!