Satisfied RX-8 Owner
12-02-2008, 10:29 PM
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Satisfied RX-8 Owner
Hi there, I bought a 2004 Brilliant Black RX-8 GT (Automatic) a couple months ago. I'm sure a few people saw my thread a while ago on a few problems that needed to be corrected on it. Rest assured that (as far as I know) all of the problems were corrected: all ignition coils and spark plugs got replaced. The place I bought it from insisted on washing the car too, which I (as an Autopian although I really just lurk there) didn't want them to do... Turns out they had some buffer jocks who managed to slightly burn my clearcoat on the spoiler and leave holograms all over the car, but that's a tale for another day.
Anyways, I just wanted to discuss the differences between the RX-8 and my old car (a 2005 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL). First, I switched because the Altima, while very nice, wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted something a lot sportier. In the end, it came down to either a 350Z or an S2000 (yeah, no RX-8). Then the dealer pointed out the beautiful RX-8 in the lot and I was hooked. The test drive really just sealed everything.
It was more comfortable than the 350Z and S2000 (S2000 being a more dated design and the 350Z just having a suspension made of rocks) while still handling amazingly well. It had more seats. The trunk was bigger (although it had the spare wheel which definitely cuts into trunk space. I think the trade-off between weight/space and emergency usage is worth keeping it in the trunk though).
Really the impression I got from the 350Z (this might be anathema to some people, although it seems no love is lost for the 350Z here) is that it's a hopped-up super-sporty version of my Altima (same engine because it was an 05 model so no rev-up or high-rev engine) with less seats. The S2000 was decidedly "eh" and I didn't really like the exhaust note (which combined with how much you have to rev it meant no deal).
So I ended up with the RX-8. Now back to my comparison.
The Renesis is decidedly lacking down low. No getting around it, it's pretty obvious from the get-go. The Altima had a relatively massive amount of torque and horsepower compared to the RX-8 and I rather liked putting my foot down and zipping forward. However, once you crest 5k RPMs the RX-8 just takes off. It also had an amazing sound to it. Revving up, revving down, it all sounds good (actually I like the sound of it winding down from about 6-7k. Absolutely beautiful).
RX-8 had the Altima (a FWD car that's ridiculously heavy) beat in handling hands-down. It also had DSC which I like as a kind of safety-net for my driving. I've taken corners with the RX-8 at speeds which the Altima could never do (although to be honest the Altima could zip out of the corners far faster). The RX-8 was also much much much much much more fun to drive around corners as well. It's just so planted, I don't feel that I could unseat it at my current skill level (my courage always gives out long before I hit the car's limits and to be honest I don't really want to push it too much because I've heard about how much harder it is to control a RWD car compared to a FWD car once you've... lost... control)
The Altima gets the nod for practicality. It has the easier ride (being the SL it has everything the GT RX-8 has except better in most cases. Better Bose sound system, arguably better seats comfort-wise (don't get me wrong, I prefer the RX-8's sporty seats but I have several friends who like the Altima's seats more), bigger sunroof), more seats (by one... and that bench seat doesn't really count) and has a bigger trunk. Of course, the Altima is a mid-size sedan. This brings with it the obvious benefits and drawbacks. Going slightly off-topic now, another big thing I love about the RX-8 is the turning radius. The Altima couldn't turn. At all.
Now for styling... do I even need to say anything here? I still walk outside and gaze at my RX-8 for a minute or so before I get into the car. It looks amazing.
What else is there? Braking goes to the sports car of course... although the Altima had pretty good brakes considering it's such a heavy car. I've been in a couple of emergency braking situations and the Altima's done admirably. The RX-8 is just a tiny bit harder to maintain (silly oil filter placement... I actually work on a lift so the facing-up oil filter on the RX-8 makes things a little bit more annoying). Exhaust note is amazing like I noted earlier. Revving it up is great, I actually try to keep it above 3k while driving because it doesn't have much below that. I really doubt mileage suffers, I haven't seen much of a change while I was driving. Speaking of which, the Altima also has better gas mileage at about 23 mpg average over the course of the three years I've had it. The RX-8 averages about 15, but that is with the extensive idle times (I refuse to drive it until the idle drops below 1k RPMs) and with me driving it fairly hard (I reason I've spent my money on a sports car so it shouldn't be driven like a mid-size family sedan).
In the end it's clear which I prefer as I'm driving the RX-8 right now. It's simply a joy to drive. I must have gone to the grocery store about six times that first day I had it (and not the close-by grocery store either. I went to the one that was a half-hour drive away). It's also tempered my teenage aggressiveness slightly (I wasn't really aggressive at all before but now I have no desire to play around with the silly people next to me sitting in a slammed 1990 Honda Civic with a truly massive exhaust. It'd make my baby look bad)
There are a few things I wish I had known before jumping the gun a little... mainly the manual transmission. I got the automatic because I have very little training on a manual (another reason the S2000 was mostly out) and I go to Georgia Tech so I have to deal with Atlanta traffic every day. Also how 2005 models seem to have a lot of fixes. Oh well, I'm overall very satisfied with my RX-8 and plan on trading it in for a far newer model in a few years (hopefully one with a proper manual transmission) probably after I graduate.
[Edit: wow, didn't realize how long this was until I posted it... oops?]
Anyways, I just wanted to discuss the differences between the RX-8 and my old car (a 2005 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL). First, I switched because the Altima, while very nice, wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted something a lot sportier. In the end, it came down to either a 350Z or an S2000 (yeah, no RX-8). Then the dealer pointed out the beautiful RX-8 in the lot and I was hooked. The test drive really just sealed everything.
It was more comfortable than the 350Z and S2000 (S2000 being a more dated design and the 350Z just having a suspension made of rocks) while still handling amazingly well. It had more seats. The trunk was bigger (although it had the spare wheel which definitely cuts into trunk space. I think the trade-off between weight/space and emergency usage is worth keeping it in the trunk though).
Really the impression I got from the 350Z (this might be anathema to some people, although it seems no love is lost for the 350Z here) is that it's a hopped-up super-sporty version of my Altima (same engine because it was an 05 model so no rev-up or high-rev engine) with less seats. The S2000 was decidedly "eh" and I didn't really like the exhaust note (which combined with how much you have to rev it meant no deal).
So I ended up with the RX-8. Now back to my comparison.
The Renesis is decidedly lacking down low. No getting around it, it's pretty obvious from the get-go. The Altima had a relatively massive amount of torque and horsepower compared to the RX-8 and I rather liked putting my foot down and zipping forward. However, once you crest 5k RPMs the RX-8 just takes off. It also had an amazing sound to it. Revving up, revving down, it all sounds good (actually I like the sound of it winding down from about 6-7k. Absolutely beautiful).
RX-8 had the Altima (a FWD car that's ridiculously heavy) beat in handling hands-down. It also had DSC which I like as a kind of safety-net for my driving. I've taken corners with the RX-8 at speeds which the Altima could never do (although to be honest the Altima could zip out of the corners far faster). The RX-8 was also much much much much much more fun to drive around corners as well. It's just so planted, I don't feel that I could unseat it at my current skill level (my courage always gives out long before I hit the car's limits and to be honest I don't really want to push it too much because I've heard about how much harder it is to control a RWD car compared to a FWD car once you've... lost... control)
The Altima gets the nod for practicality. It has the easier ride (being the SL it has everything the GT RX-8 has except better in most cases. Better Bose sound system, arguably better seats comfort-wise (don't get me wrong, I prefer the RX-8's sporty seats but I have several friends who like the Altima's seats more), bigger sunroof), more seats (by one... and that bench seat doesn't really count) and has a bigger trunk. Of course, the Altima is a mid-size sedan. This brings with it the obvious benefits and drawbacks. Going slightly off-topic now, another big thing I love about the RX-8 is the turning radius. The Altima couldn't turn. At all.
Now for styling... do I even need to say anything here? I still walk outside and gaze at my RX-8 for a minute or so before I get into the car. It looks amazing.
What else is there? Braking goes to the sports car of course... although the Altima had pretty good brakes considering it's such a heavy car. I've been in a couple of emergency braking situations and the Altima's done admirably. The RX-8 is just a tiny bit harder to maintain (silly oil filter placement... I actually work on a lift so the facing-up oil filter on the RX-8 makes things a little bit more annoying). Exhaust note is amazing like I noted earlier. Revving it up is great, I actually try to keep it above 3k while driving because it doesn't have much below that. I really doubt mileage suffers, I haven't seen much of a change while I was driving. Speaking of which, the Altima also has better gas mileage at about 23 mpg average over the course of the three years I've had it. The RX-8 averages about 15, but that is with the extensive idle times (I refuse to drive it until the idle drops below 1k RPMs) and with me driving it fairly hard (I reason I've spent my money on a sports car so it shouldn't be driven like a mid-size family sedan).
In the end it's clear which I prefer as I'm driving the RX-8 right now. It's simply a joy to drive. I must have gone to the grocery store about six times that first day I had it (and not the close-by grocery store either. I went to the one that was a half-hour drive away). It's also tempered my teenage aggressiveness slightly (I wasn't really aggressive at all before but now I have no desire to play around with the silly people next to me sitting in a slammed 1990 Honda Civic with a truly massive exhaust. It'd make my baby look bad)
There are a few things I wish I had known before jumping the gun a little... mainly the manual transmission. I got the automatic because I have very little training on a manual (another reason the S2000 was mostly out) and I go to Georgia Tech so I have to deal with Atlanta traffic every day. Also how 2005 models seem to have a lot of fixes. Oh well, I'm overall very satisfied with my RX-8 and plan on trading it in for a far newer model in a few years (hopefully one with a proper manual transmission) probably after I graduate.
[Edit: wow, didn't realize how long this was until I posted it... oops?]
Last edited by ryke12; 12-02-2008 at 10:29 PM. Reason: Added comment
12-03-2008, 10:14 AM
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Hi there, I bought a 2004 Brilliant Black RX-8 GT (Automatic) a couple months ago. I'm sure a few people saw my thread a while ago on a few problems that needed to be corrected on it. Rest assured that (as far as I know) all of the problems were corrected: all ignition coils and spark plugs got replaced. The place I bought it from insisted on washing the car too, which I (as an Autopian although I really just lurk there) didn't want them to do... Turns out they had some buffer jocks who managed to slightly burn my clearcoat on the spoiler and leave holograms all over the car, but that's a tale for another day.
Anyways, I just wanted to discuss the differences between the RX-8 and my old car (a 2005 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL). First, I switched because the Altima, while very nice, wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted something a lot sportier. In the end, it came down to either a 350Z or an S2000 (yeah, no RX-8). Then the dealer pointed out the beautiful RX-8 in the lot and I was hooked. The test drive really just sealed everything.
It was more comfortable than the 350Z and S2000 (S2000 being a more dated design and the 350Z just having a suspension made of rocks) while still handling amazingly well. It had more seats. The trunk was bigger (although it had the spare wheel which definitely cuts into trunk space. I think the trade-off between weight/space and emergency usage is worth keeping it in the trunk though).
Really the impression I got from the 350Z (this might be anathema to some people, although it seems no love is lost for the 350Z here) is that it's a hopped-up super-sporty version of my Altima (same engine because it was an 05 model so no rev-up or high-rev engine) with less seats. The S2000 was decidedly "eh" and I didn't really like the exhaust note (which combined with how much you have to rev it meant no deal).
So I ended up with the RX-8. Now back to my comparison.
The Renesis is decidedly lacking down low. No getting around it, it's pretty obvious from the get-go. The Altima had a relatively massive amount of torque and horsepower compared to the RX-8 and I rather liked putting my foot down and zipping forward. However, once you crest 5k RPMs the RX-8 just takes off. It also had an amazing sound to it. Revving up, revving down, it all sounds good (actually I like the sound of it winding down from about 6-7k. Absolutely beautiful).
RX-8 had the Altima (a FWD car that's ridiculously heavy) beat in handling hands-down. It also had DSC which I like as a kind of safety-net for my driving. I've taken corners with the RX-8 at speeds which the Altima could never do (although to be honest the Altima could zip out of the corners far faster). The RX-8 was also much much much much much more fun to drive around corners as well. It's just so planted, I don't feel that I could unseat it at my current skill level (my courage always gives out long before I hit the car's limits and to be honest I don't really want to push it too much because I've heard about how much harder it is to control a RWD car compared to a FWD car once you've... lost... control)
The Altima gets the nod for practicality. It has the easier ride (being the SL it has everything the GT RX-8 has except better in most cases. Better Bose sound system, arguably better seats comfort-wise (don't get me wrong, I prefer the RX-8's sporty seats but I have several friends who like the Altima's seats more), bigger sunroof), more seats (by one... and that bench seat doesn't really count) and has a bigger trunk. Of course, the Altima is a mid-size sedan. This brings with it the obvious benefits and drawbacks. Going slightly off-topic now, another big thing I love about the RX-8 is the turning radius. The Altima couldn't turn. At all.
Now for styling... do I even need to say anything here? I still walk outside and gaze at my RX-8 for a minute or so before I get into the car. It looks amazing.
What else is there? Braking goes to the sports car of course... although the Altima had pretty good brakes considering it's such a heavy car. I've been in a couple of emergency braking situations and the Altima's done admirably. The RX-8 is just a tiny bit harder to maintain (silly oil filter placement... I actually work on a lift so the facing-up oil filter on the RX-8 makes things a little bit more annoying). Exhaust note is amazing like I noted earlier. Revving it up is great, I actually try to keep it above 3k while driving because it doesn't have much below that. I really doubt mileage suffers, I haven't seen much of a change while I was driving. Speaking of which, the Altima also has better gas mileage at about 23 mpg average over the course of the three years I've had it. The RX-8 averages about 15, but that is with the extensive idle times (I refuse to drive it until the idle drops below 1k RPMs) and with me driving it fairly hard (I reason I've spent my money on a sports car so it shouldn't be driven like a mid-size family sedan).
In the end it's clear which I prefer as I'm driving the RX-8 right now. It's simply a joy to drive. I must have gone to the grocery store about six times that first day I had it (and not the close-by grocery store either. I went to the one that was a half-hour drive away). It's also tempered my teenage aggressiveness slightly (I wasn't really aggressive at all before but now I have no desire to play around with the silly people next to me sitting in a slammed 1990 Honda Civic with a truly massive exhaust. It'd make my baby look bad)
There are a few things I wish I had known before jumping the gun a little... mainly the manual transmission. I got the automatic because I have very little training on a manual (another reason the S2000 was mostly out) and I go to Georgia Tech so I have to deal with Atlanta traffic every day. Also how 2005 models seem to have a lot of fixes. Oh well, I'm overall very satisfied with my RX-8 and plan on trading it in for a far newer model in a few years (hopefully one with a proper manual transmission) probably after I graduate.
[Edit: wow, didn't realize how long this was until I posted it... oops?]
Anyways, I just wanted to discuss the differences between the RX-8 and my old car (a 2005 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL). First, I switched because the Altima, while very nice, wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted something a lot sportier. In the end, it came down to either a 350Z or an S2000 (yeah, no RX-8). Then the dealer pointed out the beautiful RX-8 in the lot and I was hooked. The test drive really just sealed everything.
It was more comfortable than the 350Z and S2000 (S2000 being a more dated design and the 350Z just having a suspension made of rocks) while still handling amazingly well. It had more seats. The trunk was bigger (although it had the spare wheel which definitely cuts into trunk space. I think the trade-off between weight/space and emergency usage is worth keeping it in the trunk though).
Really the impression I got from the 350Z (this might be anathema to some people, although it seems no love is lost for the 350Z here) is that it's a hopped-up super-sporty version of my Altima (same engine because it was an 05 model so no rev-up or high-rev engine) with less seats. The S2000 was decidedly "eh" and I didn't really like the exhaust note (which combined with how much you have to rev it meant no deal).
So I ended up with the RX-8. Now back to my comparison.
The Renesis is decidedly lacking down low. No getting around it, it's pretty obvious from the get-go. The Altima had a relatively massive amount of torque and horsepower compared to the RX-8 and I rather liked putting my foot down and zipping forward. However, once you crest 5k RPMs the RX-8 just takes off. It also had an amazing sound to it. Revving up, revving down, it all sounds good (actually I like the sound of it winding down from about 6-7k. Absolutely beautiful).
RX-8 had the Altima (a FWD car that's ridiculously heavy) beat in handling hands-down. It also had DSC which I like as a kind of safety-net for my driving. I've taken corners with the RX-8 at speeds which the Altima could never do (although to be honest the Altima could zip out of the corners far faster). The RX-8 was also much much much much much more fun to drive around corners as well. It's just so planted, I don't feel that I could unseat it at my current skill level (my courage always gives out long before I hit the car's limits and to be honest I don't really want to push it too much because I've heard about how much harder it is to control a RWD car compared to a FWD car once you've... lost... control)
The Altima gets the nod for practicality. It has the easier ride (being the SL it has everything the GT RX-8 has except better in most cases. Better Bose sound system, arguably better seats comfort-wise (don't get me wrong, I prefer the RX-8's sporty seats but I have several friends who like the Altima's seats more), bigger sunroof), more seats (by one... and that bench seat doesn't really count) and has a bigger trunk. Of course, the Altima is a mid-size sedan. This brings with it the obvious benefits and drawbacks. Going slightly off-topic now, another big thing I love about the RX-8 is the turning radius. The Altima couldn't turn. At all.
Now for styling... do I even need to say anything here? I still walk outside and gaze at my RX-8 for a minute or so before I get into the car. It looks amazing.
What else is there? Braking goes to the sports car of course... although the Altima had pretty good brakes considering it's such a heavy car. I've been in a couple of emergency braking situations and the Altima's done admirably. The RX-8 is just a tiny bit harder to maintain (silly oil filter placement... I actually work on a lift so the facing-up oil filter on the RX-8 makes things a little bit more annoying). Exhaust note is amazing like I noted earlier. Revving it up is great, I actually try to keep it above 3k while driving because it doesn't have much below that. I really doubt mileage suffers, I haven't seen much of a change while I was driving. Speaking of which, the Altima also has better gas mileage at about 23 mpg average over the course of the three years I've had it. The RX-8 averages about 15, but that is with the extensive idle times (I refuse to drive it until the idle drops below 1k RPMs) and with me driving it fairly hard (I reason I've spent my money on a sports car so it shouldn't be driven like a mid-size family sedan).
In the end it's clear which I prefer as I'm driving the RX-8 right now. It's simply a joy to drive. I must have gone to the grocery store about six times that first day I had it (and not the close-by grocery store either. I went to the one that was a half-hour drive away). It's also tempered my teenage aggressiveness slightly (I wasn't really aggressive at all before but now I have no desire to play around with the silly people next to me sitting in a slammed 1990 Honda Civic with a truly massive exhaust. It'd make my baby look bad)
There are a few things I wish I had known before jumping the gun a little... mainly the manual transmission. I got the automatic because I have very little training on a manual (another reason the S2000 was mostly out) and I go to Georgia Tech so I have to deal with Atlanta traffic every day. Also how 2005 models seem to have a lot of fixes. Oh well, I'm overall very satisfied with my RX-8 and plan on trading it in for a far newer model in a few years (hopefully one with a proper manual transmission) probably after I graduate.
[Edit: wow, didn't realize how long this was until I posted it... oops?]
12-03-2008, 11:29 AM
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12-03-2008, 12:30 PM
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12-03-2008, 03:09 PM
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12-03-2008, 03:38 PM
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because I'm writhing in jealousy.. I drive a Kia Optima and I want a RX-8. I'm like the postal post man on family guy. Sure I threaten to stab you but I donate all my money to charity. And if you want to think deeper then that, I provide unbiased opinions on everyones post, not all are negative but atleast on the informative side for the most part. So I give to the Mazda RX-8 community and plus I gotta get my post count up somehow 
but mostly i'm just jealous
but mostly i'm just jealous
12-03-2008, 03:41 PM
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I heard from a pretty reputable source that ignorance is bliss and I stand by that. If you don't want to know what people think of your decision (the purpose of this post for the most part) then don't post. Then you can be happy all you want not knowing the difference. Atleast this guy has the ***** to post about autos which coincidentally AUTOMATICALLY <------ LOLgetflamed :p
12-03-2008, 04:46 PM
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I am totally satisfied with mine also after 2 months now I still stare it up in my garage for like 5 minutes sometimes. In truth I cant fault the driving experience, just enough give over bumps with grip that kills. It feels similar to my brothers boxster with the gauges and info display but the rx shifter owns the porsches and i also prefer the rx engine sounds and revband as they are within a tick of each other on paper
12-03-2008, 05:49 PM
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I do appreciate all the comments guys!
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