I think I'll start putting in regular save the $120-$150 per year and move up from milk and crakers for lunch to PBJ sandwichs. Have to contend w/the triple regestration fees in CA! Plus the SF Bay Area has the highest gas prices in the USA.

 

spoken like a true (bay area)californian

 

Haha.. you wouldn't last 5 min in Europe.

 

Then why don't you buy the low power version and lose some more "inconsequential" horsepower? The saving on the purchase price would pay for all your fuel for the next year or two at least.

Here in the UK we have a choice between Premium (95 RON) and Super (97/97 RON). Super costs the equivalent of 25c per (US) gallon extra. But if the difference is 12 hp I'll pay it.

 

Because in America you can only get the low-power version with automatic transmission, and I want stick.

Look, 238 hp is enough for me; why do so many folks here feel compelled to impose what they want on others? Can we not realize and accept that many of us have different priorities, and that for each of us the RX-8 gives us what we want? I've put 200 miles on the car with 87 in the tank and I utterly cannot tell the difference. Maybe some of you could. Some people can tell great wine from good, some can't and furthermore they don't care. Some audiophiles can tell superb audio quality from ordinary; others can't and don't care. Let's not try to mold each other into model images of one another; there's room enough here for all of us. Celebrate the differences! (and no, I'm not gay.)

 

Sorry, it was probably a bit of cheap shot, but I just couldn't resist :D.

I still think it's irrational to spend all that money on a high performance car and then and then compromise the performance to save a tiny amount of money. But then with the price of fuel over here I may well be just as irrational the other way - I am probably paying out way too much for hard to detect performance imcreases.

 

It's all a matter of expectations. Most people who are disappointed in the RX-8's performance are coming from other high-performance cars and have high expectations. I'm coming from a Honda 4-cyl minivan with 140 hp and more curb weight than the 8, so to me this thing just kicks butt, even with slightly reduced power. I'm a happy camper.

As to getting what you pay for, what's under the hood is just part of the equation. I find the design of the total car so appealing that's it's worth the price. Besides, look at bragging rights: Of all the people who have admired my car (I've given over 100 "tours" of the car by now) maybe 20% understand what a rotary engine is. After I explain it, they still ask "So is that 6-cylinder or a 4-banger?" And no one asks what kind of gas I'm putting in. My point is, this car has a wide appeal and that goes for people with zero understanding of engine mechanics. Maybe calling it irrational is not too far off the mark -- It has a visual appeal that goes to our baser instincts. It looks fast even while sitting at the curb. Zoom zoom!