ASH8

Agree, my concern is the way oil prices are heading up again so fast and so soon this does not do well for Mazda and a green light for any 16X in NA form only?

For me it is annoying that the Oil producers (restricting production) are being so greedy and speculators having a free reign AGAIN.

Don't these guys get it that they are contributing to the slow down in car sales, particularly larger engined vehicles.

When it comes to a family of 5, a small Yaris or even Mazda 3 don't cut it.

fastlaneracing

The only thing you can be sure of is that people always will be greedy. The more money you have the more greedy you will be.

robrecht

I never understood why pure speculators are allowed to buy and sell futures without ever being required to actually buy oil. I have no problem with true hedgers but pure speculation, especially those with semi-secret status on unregulated markets, seems to invite manipulation. That said, I don't buy the theory that speculation alone is the reason for the high price of oil.

Are producers actually restricting oil production? The last time I followed this closely, and it's been several months since I have, OPEC's attempts to limit production were really ineffectual or mere window dressing. Has that changed recently?

egads

I was just vacationing in Iceland where I rented a Mazda 6 and drove several hundred miles. Gas there was about $7 a gallon so it hurt like crazy getting gas. So even though our gas prices here in California are pretty high, when I first came back I was like, whoa, so cheap.

q-tip

If you think that oil prices worldwide are a conundrum, gasoline prices are completely out to lunch. Even with a sharp decrease in oil prices (roughly half of what it was this time last year) we have yet to see a large drop in gasoline prices. This is particularly true in Canada and Europe where people are simply just used to paying higher gas prices. The oil companies have discovered that if prices are high for a while, people get used to the new price and don't complain too loud when they don't go back down like they should.

Energy companies couldn't give a care in the world to auto sales, it actually plays to their favour if newer cars with big engines are kept off the street. People will keep their older larger cars or buy used because they don't perceive any fuel efficiency gains when moving to a newer large vehicle. However some of the new large vehicles have incredible fuel milage. My 09 F150 actually does get better mileage than my RX-8 does. On the highway I get about 25mpg at around 70mph.

fastlaneracing

Think about always paying that price and drive an tuned RX-8... Well I pay more but its nice to get the extra omph from 99 Octane.

chiketkd

iTrader: (5)

Hey, at least sales are swinging upwards!!!

rx8convert22

June 189...

Also, look at how much the 3, 6, and MX-5 fell as well. Ouch.

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayRe...5053908&EDATE=

ASH8

Yep, USA sales are down 42%.

Australia has just posted a Record month for June, with new Mazda 3 leading the way.

Mazda Europe are also doing very well, they are appointing 100 new Mazda dealers this year alone!

shazy

Well it's expected. The US Economy still sucks ***, many people can barely afford a new sports car for now...

CarAndDriver

^ Many people can't even afford a new compact car.

borgkingkong

Is that in the US only? or Global? if global, count me in as an April baby :P VR 2009!

7to8

RX-8 July 2009 sales=167

US sales

Symbioticgenius

If their dealers were willing to negotiate around here they might have broken 170.

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

my dealer would rather be stabbed in the eye then have a rx-8 on the lot... heel, 2 months ago they first sold the only 40th ann edition they had

77mjd

Just imagine if this car actually had the 250 hp they initially advertised and you could maybe get 25-26 mpg highway. This car would have been an epic hit. As it stands now as soon as the economy starts getting better, gas will be over $4 again before you can even blink so Im not really confident about the 16x anymore. Even if it would come out, there might be a pretty large number of people that would have bought a rx-? that will end up passing because of the strain it would cause the budget because of the amount u would spend on gas.

ac3mastuh

iTrader: (1)

i dont see any rx8's in stock at any of the local dealers

last time i checked there was only one or maybe two at all the dealers around socal. there just simply aren't any ones that i can actually look at

ASH8

Yeah, I share your concerns about any future Rotary, I would love to see the 16X or a 1.6 litre Rotary, but, the BIG concern is OIL, already today it was at the US$70 plus dollar mark per barrel.

HERE WE GO AGAIN....we need OIL to stabilize (IN Years) for the WORLD and for the Motor Industry world-wide.

Are we really getting low on Crude?

Or are OPEC just restricting supply as there is still plenty of refinery capacity around the world....there was a new refinery opened up in India, one of the worlds largest. Why invest so much if we are facing a shortage?

IT SUXS

Chibana

That's why my RX-8 is my toy, not my daily driver. I'm amazed at all of you people who buy this car as your only car. I suppose if I didn't put 33,000 miles on my Mazda3 every year, maybe I'd have a different opinion, but the RX-8 just doesn't strike me as a "daily driver" type of car, even if Mazda gave it pseudo-four doors for greater practicality.

Razz1

R&T has the new R3 at 16.6 MPG.

Not good at all.

Your better off with a V8

77mjd

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of years. If the economy starts to head in the right direction again, will gas rapidly rise over $4 again?...and if so will any economic gains come to a screeching halt so we end up right back where we are now?

The only reason gas is rising so high again is because of the stock market rally, nothing else. You may hear one good report on the news about factory orders rising slightly for a month and the next thing you know a barrel of oil goes up $10 in a couple of days. Pure speculation. IMO gas should still be around $2

CyberPitz

It's my Daily Driver. I only put about 7-8k miles a year on her, though.

solo8

Same here. When people ask how I like the car, I always tell them I could never drive anything else ... though I'd be happy to test the 16X if Mazda wanted to drop one in my car!

alz0rz

iTrader: (41)

I don't see why people buy this car and NOT drive it regularly.

It's not a Ferrari. Or a Lamborghini.

It is a special car to us yes, but it is still just a Mazda.... seriously

CyberPitz

If I drove it around anymore, I'd be driving while at work........ I drive 2.5 miles to work, spend 10 hours at work, go 2.5 miles homes...pop open a beer and stay home. rinse/repeat the next day.

Once a year, I travel about 1000 miles in a couple of weeks time. So, I can see why people buy this car and have it look like they don't drive it regularly.