Fritz the Cat

I drive from Calgary, Alberta, to Vancouver, BC, and back several times a year. That's about 1000 kilometres one way.

The first time I did it in my 8, I was amazed by how comfortable it was. The smooth ride and the lumbar support in the seat make it the best touring car I've ever had.

I'll take the 8 anyday.

Animagix

comparing the trunk space to my 00' audi A4, the rx8 has a lot of room, not as much as the audi but it's got a lot of space compared to other cars in its class. I carry baseball gear, do my food shopping, carry-on luggage, camping gear, and I transported four oem tires and a spare rim a month ago. I was pleasantly surprised at how much crap this car could hold.

Animagix

I got this car because this was the best option to have both the most fun yet still be practical. I read about the GTi, it seems like a nice car but it's a FWD. If given another choice like the R32, I would do more winter trips in that, but Rx8 during warmer weather all the way. It'd be hard to pick between the rx8 and r32 though, I faced that decision last may only, the r32 was so limited I could not find one.

torbee

Just my opinion, but the only thing I find more pathetic than a fanboy is someone who is not an enthusiast of a particular thing/subject who nonetheless obssesively seeks out Internet sites dedicated to a particular thing/subject and posts on them ad nauseum solely for the purpose of attracting negative attention.

Not only is it pathetic, but it's borderline creepy.

But whatever floats your boat, dude.

missinmahseven

If you meant "right" as in a GTI would make a better long-distance runner than an 8, who died and made you king?

Are you so arrogant that you choose to dictate to us 8 drivers what is and what isn't a suitable DX car?

If that's the case, you're more arrogant than I thought.

Why are you even here? You say you don't give a typical fanboi response. I say your posts are nothing but flamebait. WTF do you expect in a site devoted to the 8.... praise for the cars YOU like? Get real.

My 2 cents: The 8 is closer in spirit and execution to an Aston Martin than to some hopped-up, tarted-up grocery getter. Given the choice between the 8 and just about anything else, I'll take the 8, wether the drive is 8 hrs or 18 hrs. I've done many such trips in my Rx-7, and always arrived refreshed, the car made long-hauls irrelevant. The 8 is even more comfy than the 7 was, so really, a no brainer.

Now, optimally, I'd take a Beech Bonanza V-Tail, or a Cessna Citation V.

Ike

I gave my reasons why I would chose the GTI, Raptor and others felt the need to get defensive just because I didn't say RX-8. If anyone is throwing out "flamebait" it's them. Lastly, just because I don't own an RX-8 and don't think it's the end all be all in every automotive category doesn't mean I'm not an enthusiast of the RX-8.

Ike

It's from a magazine, Car and Driver in fact. I didn't know we were assuming it was just one person making the trip, and that we knew how much luggage they were bringing with them...

missinmahseven

Your posts seem to indicate that you feel other cars are better suited for everything. I've read many of your posts, and frankly, you seem more like a detractor of the Rx-8 than a proponent.

Since this is an 8 site, I do have to wonder if your sole purpose in this board is to stir up the smelly brown stuff.

Ike, is there *anything* you like about the 8? The driving feel, the handling the coachwork, the fit-n-finish, the smoothness of how it flies... anything? The engine? How about the gearbox, and brakes?

Have you even driven an 8? And I don't mean a five-minute nickel tour around a dealer's "demo road." Have you spent time driving this car? A day, a week, a month...what?

I'm just trying to get a grip on your perspective towards the 8.

Raptor2k

Well said.

Raptor2k

So, for the third time, why do you post here again?

tekk's 8

I'd rather take NJ Transit, Amtrak, or Continental Airlines.

Ike

If you go back through my posts you'll see there are many things I like about the RX-8 and I have praised and pointed out things I don't like about it. however people tend to remember the bad rather than the good. Honestly I'm sick on answering questions like yours and Raptors simply because it's such an overused response when someone doesn't like what I say.

Since you took the time to type out some well thought out questions I'll respond.
Most of my posts probably do indicate that the there is a car better suited for everything since I think that's usually the case with the RX-8. That's the type of car the RX-8 is, it does many things very well, but isn't the master of anything. It's an all arounder, it's the guy ona abseball team that can play 5 different positions and play them all well.

As far as what I like about the RX-8, I love the gearbox, it's driving feel and connection to the road is pretty good, the smoothness of the rotary is fun and different, the brakes are quite impressive for a stock car, I like its unique and fresh styling, and I like that it's a nimble RWD coupe type car that is still practical.

I have driven an RX-8 a few times, none of them more than 20-30 min. but all of them more than your average around the block and back testdrive, unless you count the first time when the dealer made me drive the AT.

All that aside, if someone asks me what car is best for long distance trips between the 3 options given I'm going to answer what a really think rather than what members of a forum want to hear. I'm that way with any car including my own, in fact my car would be a pretty poor choice for long distance trips. If I'm taking a long trip I'll take the car with more space, better gas mileage, and that is just as fast or faster than the RX-8. I believe the GTI also comes with all seasons which isn't a bad idea on long trips either. If you can't see the logic behind that then some of you are more blinded by your love for the RX-8 than I thought.

Ike

Do a search noob, I've answered the question more times than you have posts.

rotarygod

Personally I feel that my little Civic at 38 mpg hwy is quite well suited for long distance trips as long as it's not for a whole family. For 2 people it's great. Done it many times. I definitely would take it on long trips over many others. My girlfriend's Camry is a nice car on road trips. It's gas mileage is still above 30 mpg hwy but it drives great, is comfortable, and has plenty of room. That's the type of car you take on long trips. You can physically take any car on a road trip. We are really just spoiled today on creature comforts and technology. Look back 40 years before the interstate system and when few had a/c. That was normal back then.

Ike

Agreed, and that's part of what I was getting at. If I'm on a long roadtrip I want something that gets better mileage, and also why I made the comment about those being my only choices.

Raptor2k

Haha, here comes the moron from within going "I have more posts than you, you are inferior."

Failure to answer a simple question three times, hilarious

Ike

Actually no, you should have read it as "I have answered this question many times, and I'm not going to waste my time again on you, do a search if you really want to know". I find it funnier that someone that is clearly getting ignored asks the same question 3 times, I would expect that from a 5 year old, not an adult.

Raptor2k

Just creepy. Do you post on evo forums at least?

Ike

Ask two more times, maybe I'll answer.

Raptor2k

Do you post on evo forums?

Anything to get my post count up, so that I'm at your level, right?

Sympathy for the dude who has 4445 posts at rx8club.com and doesn't own an rx8 (no, I'm not searching for that)

missinmahseven

Okkay, so you like some things about the 8. But obviously, you don't like the whole car. When it comes to it, you'd much rather drive something else. And you do. And when asked, what about the 8 for xxx role, you say, almost invariably, "try xxx car, the 8 is too xxxx and too xxxx and has too little xxxx" and so forth.

THat's why people get in your face, Ike. That's why we wonder why you're here, if you're clearly not an 8 afficionado, enthusiast.. whatever a non-owner who *likes* the 8 would be called.

So.. are you an afficionado? No? That's why folks get in your face. You cry 'fanboi'. So what? We are fanbois. We dig these little cars. We bought the damn thing because we think they're super-cool, we bought them because generally speaking, the rotary driver marches to a beat very different than Joe Sixpack's. We convene here because we like hearing from like-minded individuals, and frankly don't appreciate when a non-fanboi comes along and starts saying that for any given role there are xxx other cars more suited to the job.

The job is DRIVING. The 8 is the tool to perform said job, and WE think it's best suited for it. So to us, what YOU think is irrelevant.


Signed, a Rotary Fanboi (from a long time ago, back when there were many rotary cars, not just one.)

Backup7

Hey, take it easy on Ike. If anyone is being creepy, it is definitely you

sstricker

i hope i have enough room for my three cheers!!

cjkim

I've read many many many mannnny posts by Ike in the past two years or so that I've been lurking around the forum and he seems to often provide an unbiased view on the rx8, and if anything most other cars. I agree with him on this one, the rx8, as comfortable as it is (it really is for a sports coupe/sedan, whatever you want to call it) probably won't be as well suited as the GTI for a long distance trip for reasons other than just plain comfort. Can the rx8 be comfortable enough? probably. But will it get as good gas mileage? no. Luggage room? no. I think you get the point. I'm sure if the question was, "Which of these three would you prefer in an AutoX", Ike would surely not choose the GTI over the 8.
But then again, the original question was prefer, and the list of priorities in choosing a car for a 5 hour trip would surely be different among people.

Raptor2k

How so? He can't answer the question (perhaps he doesn't have one) as to why he averages almost 5 posts a day here, when he has nothing to do with the car and clearly doesn't like it.

And now I'm creepy, excellent

One of the pleasures of owning an rx8, I suppose.