I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. I am considering buying a new car and the car on my mind is an RX8. I have test driven one at my local Mazda dealership and fell in love with it. I have also test driven some other options… and well… they’re no longer options. This thread has brought attention to most of the questions I have. Still undecided. Buying a new car, RX8 or not, is a big decision. I have gotten a lot of negative opinions from my local forum; these views are mostly due to the fact we have harsh winters here. Guess I’ll just browse the forum and make great use of the search box!

 

If you want a new sports car for under $30,000 price range you will be dealing with a Mazda RX-8, Nissan 370Z, Ford Mustang, or Chevy Camaro, or Subaru Impreza Sti. If I had the money I would buy a new Camaro or 370Z. The Mustang is too uncivilized with it's live axle and RX-8 is the slowest of the bunch. If you want to drive in winter you def don't want a high horsepower car with rear-wheel drive. Consider the Impreza.

 

You're mistaken. My Owner's Manual has a couple of pages dedicated to winter driving, and nowhere does it say that. Here's what they say about snow tires:


Snow Tires

• Use snow tires on all four wheels
• Don't go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph) while driving with snow tires. Inflate snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm2, 4.3 psi) more than recommended on the tire pressure label (driver's door), but never more than the maximum cold-tire pressure shown on the tires.
• Your vehicle is originally equipped with summer tires designed for optimum traction on wet and dry roads. If your vehicle is to be used on snow and ice covered roads, you may find it necessary to replace the original equipment tires with snow tires, during the winter months.

By the way, here's what Edmunds.com had to say:
"Those who have to deal with slippery driving conditions will benefit from the RX-8's perfect 50/50 weight balance and available traction/stability control system. Throw a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks on this baby and you should be able to handle most anything winter throws your way."—edmunds.com long-term test

 

I don't like Mustangs, so that's out of the question. If I were to get a Camaro it would be a first generation; I wouldn't use it for everyday driving like I'm looking for. A 370z wouldn't be too bad... I also have a winter driving car, so winter driving with an RX8 is not an issue. I currently drive a Pontiac Aztek and I would keep her for winter driving, driving off-road and whatnot.

 

go go mazda rx8

 

My mistake, thanks for clearing it up for us

 

I had same apprehensions. I drove an 8 on the track at Lime Rock over 1.5 years ago and was completely overwhelmed with the feel and character of the car. But because of the "issues" I had heard I stayed away. But I could not resist so I researched on this VERY GREAT forum and found a ton of info about the car.
A few weeks ago I purchased a 10 R3. Have 1500 on the clock. To be honest if it blew up right now it would have been worth the purchase.

The balance, the feel on turn in and the 9k redline are worth the "headaches" except I think there are few after reading this forum.

Note- I am compulsive about babying ALL my cars so the R3 does not get shut down until it is WAY warm and I check the oil after every two fill ups to keep it juiced. I don't drop the clutch and I don't murder the engine until it is warmed up.


Please don't wait to buy- life is short and you have earned the purchase.

 

You can still get a new R# for the next two years.

You just have to import it from Australia.

 

Great point!

 

whats an R#? is that like the magic mufflers?

 

Hello RIWWP (the newbie helper),

Reading your posts I feel it necessary to express my respect for your contributions.
Helping other people with good, reliable information and experience is a great thing..........I just want you to know this.
Since May 2009 I own a brand new 2005 HP and i can agree with all your relative information.
I share the same experiences and are very happy with my manual/6 speed 231HP RX-8..........every trip is enjoying in the upper regions.......
By the way, due to emission-related and other taxes the purchase-price of a new RX-8 in the Netherlands is sky-high; as high as USD 81.500,-...........that's why they are not offered on the market any more already for 2 years.........only on special individual order it can be supplied from Japan.
Therefore the total number of RX-8's is only approx. 350 units on a total national passenger car park of 8 million units.
The RX-8 is extremely exclusiv/rare; the number of Porsches is 60x higher and the number of Ferrari's is 20x higher here.
(I furthermore have a Classic '89 Saab 900 and a Lotus Esprit Turbo SE '90; both in 1st class condition)

Best regards from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean,

Ruud

 

I live in Calgary and would drive any of those cars all year long. And personally the '11 (year of the epic new engines) Mustang GT is the only one I like besides the 8. The Camaro's chassis isn't good enough, and the 370z puts out good numbers but isn't as hard or playful as the 350z was. Plus the VQ's sound like crap. The 8 is the perfect all rounder if you don't worry about gas mileage and I've learned that you can't if you want to get the Prozac effects from a car this enjoyable. To me the 8 is the clear winner here. But if you want to drag your college buddies at 1/16th mile stop light intervals and don't know how to handle a car in winter then the WRX is for sure the clear winner.

As far as buyer beware issues...I'm sooooo happy about them. This kind of nervous tension about committing to an '04-'05 RX8 has made them plummet in resale value and given a great opportunity to us enthusiasts who aren't afraid of the maintenance and risks of ownership.