GTI vs. Mini vs. WRX vs. RX8 vs. Mazdaspeed3

GTI vs. Mini vs. WRX vs. RX8 vs. Mazdaspeed3

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Just a perspective from an EFI 13b owner: I've had the car a year and a half and it has never flooded. Countless times I've started it to move it out of the driveway and only had it running 15 seconds. Never a problem. In fact, the 13b (with 110k original miles) has not given me a single problem since day one. Its been the absolutely most reliable car I've ever owned.

An RX8 will be very fun to drive. Whether or not this will, to you, outweigh the fuel economy is something nobody here can answer. My car achieves around the same MPG, and it doesn't bother me a bit. It is just too much fun.

IMO, you cant beat the sound of an RX8 with exhaust:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LawoxW5ZJK8[/youtube]

david and goliath
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huyYlyMooSY[/youtube]

Another vid of what the RX8 does best:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNOAoe667pQ[/youtube]

The RX8 is also a mighty handsome car:
Mazda-RX8.jpg
 
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Not sure what you were talking about with the Z engine noise. I was in my friend's 350Z yesterday and the car is very comfortable for a sports car, its somewhat hard but not enough to make it undeliverable (this is coming from an Audi driver so I'm used to a very comfortable ride) and the exhaust note while not the best is by no means horrible. Normal cruising you barely hear it and when you open it up it sounds more or less like any other stock V6. You could always change the exhaust and get a nicer sound.

I think you should seriously reconsider the Z, if the only thing that bothers you is the exhaust note that can be changed quite easily. Also my friend is a drifter and had no problem going sideways despite his Z not being equipped with an LSD of any sort.
 
I don't care about the ride - I'm used to riding around in my buddy's CRX: 1967lbs, springs f/r 400/500. You can feel every crack in the road. What I mean about the Z being uncomfortable was that I read somewhere that the seats get really uncomfortable on long trips; this is kind of important because the Accord has no lumbar support at all and my back really starts to hurt after about an hour in the car. Granted, I could always buy a bucket...

As far as the engine noise goes:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l615zcMUB4c[/YOUTUBE]

Its just an annoying drone! Listening to it in that video already pisses me off, idk how anyone can live with it every day.

Compare that to this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laqVHESnjzM[/youtube]
 
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Brilliant, trolling your own thread. I wish I had such skill.
 
The RX-8 is pretty quiet, by the way. I get a lot of disappointed looks when I start it up in front of people for the first time :lol:

Personally I like it, it makes a nice noise when you boot it but during normal driving it's quite civil.

EDIT: lol @ trolling your own thread. That's what you get for having an opinion.
 
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Basically right now its down to the Accord selling. If it does, then I'm getting a Miata. If I cant get a good deal on the Accord, then I'm just going to wait a year till I graduate and then this thread will be very useful :) I do like the RX8 though
 
LeVeL said:
I don't care about the ride - I'm used to riding around in my buddy's CRX: 1967lbs, springs f/r 400/500. You can feel every crack in the road. What I mean about the Z being uncomfortable was that I read somewhere that the seats get really uncomfortable on long trips; this is kind of important because the Accord has no lumbar support at all and my back really starts to hurt after about an hour in the car. Granted, I could always buy a bucket...

As far as the engine noise goes:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l615zcMUB4c[/YOUTUBE]

Its just an annoying drone! Listening to it in that video already pisses me off, idk how anyone can live with it every day.

Compare that to this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laqVHESnjzM[/youtube]
Click to expand...

To each their own I guess I didn't hear any drone and seats were fine for me but then again I don't like lumbar support much.
 
LeVeL said:
As far as the engine noise goes:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l615zcMUB4c[/YOUTUBE]

Its just an annoying drone! Listening to it in that video already pisses me off, idk how anyone can live with it every day.
Click to expand...

If it was just the noise than it would be an okay-ish engine, but the fact that the VQ is just a massive lazy Renault engine that doesn't like being revved is kind of disappointing for a nice car like the 350Z.

Actually I'd rather have the less powerful RX8 over the V6 350Z. Cos the RX8's engine just feels 100000000x smoother, peaky and more rewarding when you floor it.
 
MadCow809 said:
If it was just the noise than it would be an okay-ish engine, but the fact that the VQ is just a massive lazy Renault engine that doesn't like being revved is kind of disappointing for a nice car like the 350Z.
Click to expand...

AAAARGH! The VQ has always been a Nissan-only design ever since it came out in 1995! It's as much a Renault engine as the Subaru flat-4 was a GM engine (engineering and ownership tie-ups, but never touched the engine). And it definitely has a different character from any high-revving peaky engine, being tuned for midrange torque and all.
 
Labcoatguy said:
AAAARGH! The VQ has always been a Nissan-only design ever since it came out in 1995! It's as much a Renault engine as the Subaru flat-4 was a GM engine (engineering and ownership tie-ups, but never touched the engine). And it definitely has a different character from any high-revving peaky engine, being tuned for midrange torque and all.
Click to expand...

but... but.... jeremy clarkson said its a renault engine!

The VQ has always been a fantastic motor... just sounds like poo
 
LeVeL said:
but... but.... jeremy clarkson said its a renault engine!

The VQ has always been a fantastic motor... just sounds like poo
Click to expand...

That exhaust you posted is not the stock one, stock is rediculously quiet even when revved up.
 
prizrak said:
That exhaust you posted is not the stock one, stock is rediculously quiet even when revved up.
Click to expand...
^that, I can barely hear my car when I am just cruising about on the highways. its mostly wind and tire noise.

And about the seats, I personally think they're comfortable, but my longest drive has only been Phoenix to LA and I've never had back problems in a car before.
 
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