Mazda RX8

TC

aka TomCat
Joined
Dec 11, 2005
Messages
11,432
What do you guys think of the RX8?

I really like the car, even though Mazda had a few... problems with it.
But Mazda always stood behind the car and was there for the owners.
I'm seriously considering an RX8 for my next car, 2nd hand (and even new) prices are pretty good and they handle excellent.
 
I think a second hand would be even better because i hear that the engine gets better with a bit of use like a shoe being broken in. I have test driven one and found it to be really fun to drive with the flappy paddles. Interior is like that of a supercar; for one reason, its amazingly unique with lots of little touches. The head rest hole that is triangular, and the radio that is set in this ring, and in this beautiful black onyx dash. Although unlike a supercar its practical with four doors and four seats with a divider down the middle. So unlike other smallish sports cars you don't cram into the back and rest your legs on your friends in an uncomfortable questioning silence. Buy it just buy it i can not see how you could regret it.
 
I loved the cars when they first came out even though I knew nothing about them. Then when I found out how good they are, I liked them even more. The styling inside and out is fantastic. The whole idea of a truely pratical sports car is something that excites me, and it seems Mazda has a perfect example of it. I will own one someday. 8)
 
looks like a penis and was slow so i chose 350z instead :O prices are really similar new and used
 
^Hahaha my penis doesn't have suicide doors, it does have leather and fuel injection and a large cockpit. Oh an i can seat four like the RX8. By the way your name mean i know someone to call for e if i was in Cali?
 
My dad bought one as a retirement present for himself, I have driven it on several occasions and I love that car. The engine is smooth as silk, it has ample power, and the engineering is incredible. The car corners like it's on rails no matter what the speed and no matter how hard I have pushed it the RX-8 always feels like it's saying, "Just a little more, just a little harder, just a little faster." My dad says that he has only gotten the traction control to kick in once on the road, and that it lets you do a hell of a lot before you get to that point. The traction control apparently kicks in shortly after the driver empties his bowels into his trousers, so all of you guys who like going balls-out with no computer aids will love it. The fact is that the car is so well designed that it doesn't NEED computer aids, it has a ton of grip that goes on forever.

I especially like the car in the mountain roads where piston cars are running the gears from 1 to 3. The RX-8, because of the long powerband, can stay in second the whole time so you can be constantly on the power. My dad has several stories of dumping Porsches, Audi quattros, Nissan 350Zs and a whole assortment of other cars - usually at the first tight corner. One Audi nearly ate the guardrail trying to keep up.

As for the alleged "problems" of the car, there has been one recall. It constituted changing the spark plugs and updating the fuel management software. That's it. Many of the "piston heads," as my dad calls them, took the chance to bash the car. I heard all kinds of stuff, including that they were going to have to replace the engine in every RX-8 on the road. What Mazda did say was that in some rare circumstances, if the car has been aggressively raced for most of it's life there was the chance that engine damage could occur, and if necessary Mazda would replace the engine at no cost to the owner. To the best of my knowledge, no RX-8 engine has needed to be replaced because of the recall. This press release was not an impeachment of the car, but rather Mazda standing by their customers no matter what it took to fix the problem. When my dad took his in to have the work done, the dealership gave him a free rental car (even though it only took a couple hours) and they filled up the tank for him.

I love the RX-8, and if I had the means I would buy one in a heartbeat. I am not as impressed with the 350Z, the ride seems worse than the RX-8, but it's slower in the corners. It's faster in a drag race, but at the first sign of a bend the RX-8 makes up for it's lower bhp by taking all the speed through the corner. I have driven both the 350Z and the RX-8, and while the 350Z has more power, the RX-8 is more fun to drive. The Nissan seems crude and cumbersome by comparison.
 
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looks like a penis and was slow so i chose 350z instead :O prices are really similar new and used

You choose a 350z over the RX-8 ?

:lol: :lol:
 
The 350Z is a car for people with basketball jerseys, a special discount card at a aftermarket shop, and very small penises.
 
I like the RX8 and for some period it was my realistic dream car (whatever that means). One thing that puts me off a little bit is the fuel consumption which I've read is rather poor compared to similar powerful piston engines. Any experiences on that, Blind_Io?
 
I've driven a 2nd-gen RX-7, and I thought that was a blast, so I can only imagine how much better an RX-8 must be. I love the powerband of rotaries, the engine just holds it on the power forever!

Oh, and get proper manual. The shift throw is so short, it's amazing.

I like the RX8 and for some period it was my realistic dream car (whatever that means). One thing that puts me off a little bit is the fuel consumption which I've read is rather poor compared to similar powerful piston engines.
Yes, rotaries use considerably more fuel for the amount of power they generate compared to piston engines, but I just see it as a trade-off for all the perks the car gives you: it revs up to 9000 RPM, has a huge powerband (3000 to to the 8000RPM redline in the RX-7 I drove), the gearing can be shorter for better acceleration because of the powerband and high redline, so it feels a lot more powerful than it is. The RX-7 I drove had 160HP, but it felt closer to 200HP.

You mean like Izari?
I thought his mom made him do that? :D *runs*
 
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:lol:

My point is, that the 350Z is like a Jap take on a muslce car, with some handling to go with it, while the RX8 is a Jap take on a British sports car with a powerful engine.

What would you rather have, a GT350, or an AC Cobra with a 427?

I know what I'd take. ;)
 
Its a fantastic car, I've driven it, but I don't own one - but I've heard / read about 2 problems:

1: Cold Starting - below certain temperatures the engine has difficulty turning over - a bad thing if you are in a cold weather area.

2: It drinks oil - apparently it actually consumes it with time and needs to be topped off, adding another expense.

Yeah and as said the fuel efficiency is terrible. That aside - everything is gold - great car.
 
Where is Izari anyways? What happened there ?
 
For its price, i think it's the best handling car.... *IN * *THE* **WORLD**

In Canada, theyve dropped for as low as 20,000$CAN.

But yeah, fuel consumption sucks ass when you know faster cars cosume a lot less. Smoothness versus efficeicny is a poor argument.

Some oil every few thousand clics is pretty cheap.
 
1: Cold Starting - below certain temperatures the engine has difficulty turning over - a bad thing if you are in a cold weather area.
And what if you use a block heater?

2: It drinks oil - apparently it actually consumes it with time and needs to be topped off, adding another expense.
Yes, rotaries burn oil by design, to lubricate the combustion chambers and apex seals. Keeping an eye on it and making sure it's topped up is not that big of a deal and not really expensive either. Also, you should never use synthetic oil, as it is designed not to burn off.
 
I like the RX8 and for some period it was my realistic dream car (whatever that means). One thing that puts me off a little bit is the fuel consumption which I've read is rather poor compared to similar powerful piston engines. Any experiences on that, Blind_Io?

That is true, you do have to stop for fuel more often than in other cars. This is partly due to the fact that the engine gets fewer miles to the gallon than many cars (but it's a sports car, what do you expect) and the RX-8 has a fairly small fuel tank to keep the weight down.

To be honest it's not that big a deal. I have gone for a drive all day in the "Rex" (as my dad calls it) and I was driving pretty hard. Lots of high RPMs, well above the redline for most cars, and lots of accelerations and punching it after a corner. I stopped for fuel once, but I only started with about 3/4 of a tank to begin with. I filled it up after about 3 hours of driving and it was at about 1/4 of a tank. The frequent need to fill up is probably the biggest fault you will find with the car, but if it's enough to keep you from buying it then you need to go find a Golf Diesel. It's brilliant, and this minor and unavoidable flaw should not discourage you. I never have felt that I would not make it to the next filling station. I actually kind of like it because I get to pull up to the pump next to all the people carriers and family sedans in the RX-8 and watch all the kids and dads start drooling over it.

Its a fantastic car, I've driven it, but I don't own one - but I've heard / read about 2 problems:

1: Cold Starting - below certain temperatures the engine has difficulty turning over - a bad thing if you are in a cold weather area.

Bullshit. My dad's RX-8 is in Salt Lake City and during one of the coldest weeks of the year we were using it. (try -17 with the windchill one day) We didn't have a block heater but the car always cranked and started just fine. The temperatures were in the 20s F for over a week and we needed the RX-8 (which is usually stored in a garage for the winter) because we had 4 drivers and not enough cars. My brother's wedding guaranteed that we would need an extra to get people around for tux fittings and so forth. The RX-8 did just fine in the cold.

2: It drinks oil - apparently it actually consumes it with time and needs to be topped off, adding another expense.

Yeah and as said the fuel efficiency is terrible. That aside - everything is gold - great car.

All engines consume oil. The difference is that the RX-8 does so by design. If you can't afford one quart of oil every few months then you are buying the wrong car.
 
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For its price, i think it's the best handling car.... *IN * *THE* **WORLD**

In Canada, theyve dropped for as low as 20,000$CAN.

But yeah, fuel consumption sucks ass when you know faster cars cosume a lot less. Smoothness versus efficeicny is a poor argument.

Some oil every few thousand clics is pretty cheap.

REALLY!!!! i must find these places you speak of!!

and another thing, i was reading a car and driver long term test, they said the engine gets better as the miles rack up...0-60 dropped from 6.6 to ~5.9 and also a big thing is that when you load it up, 4 people with some bags its SLOW

http://www.caranddriver.com/longroadtests/9838/long-term-test-mazda-rx-8.html

theres the link if you wanna read further
 
On a sidenote, a standard Nissan 350z costs $130.000 in Norway.

The RX8 is slightly cheaper at $110.000.

(prices in US dollars)
 
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