Mazda RX-8

graphicguy · September 2004

There's a frequent contributor to this board that owns an automatic RX8 that may disagree with your opinion.

I'm not saying that the 6-speed sport option isn't a much better performer, but I've never heard an automatic owner say they are disappointed in their RX8 either.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2004

There are many tricks for driving without snow tires that unfortunately aren't taught to drivers anymore. You can vary tire pressures, and you can take hills in different ways, different angles, different gears, even in reverse! But all this is a hassle for most people. They just wanna GO!

But sure, some hills you just can't get up without snows...that's why I said 50% driver...and there are some hills that 12-wheel drive with chains and spikes aren't going to conquer.

It depends on your climate...if you live in Denver, maybe you don't even need snow tires except for the 2X a year that the snow doesn't melt in 6 hours...why bother? But Lake Tahoe...well, I'd keep the RX-8 in the garage on snowy days.

pokadots · September 2004

I have a lease for 24 months and need snow tires but do not want to pay much. I have the larger wheels on my rx8 does anyone have a suggestion on who to order from and how much to pay

Mr_Shiftright · September 2004

Why don't you go visit one of our partners at www.tirerack.com, or better yet post a question to one of their reps who checks in with us in his own forum:

Ask Connor At Tire Rack Forum.

mazda04rx8 · October 2004

I located mine on ebay last year. Believe it or not it was a dealer in florida that was shipped wrong stock. I purchased wheels 18 inch and tires with shipping for $900.

If I can find the dealers name I will let you know. If you have a second car and can wait until the snow melts to pavement you may be okay without snows. Otherwise I think you need to make the investment.

habitat1 · October 2004

Not that you buy either an S2000 or RX8 with fuel economy as the highest priority, but:

According to Edmunds 13,000 mile long term test report of the RX8, their fuel mileage ranged from a worst of 13+/- to a best of 19+/- with an average of 17+/-.

In 18,000 miles of driving a 2002 S2000, my mileage ranged from a worst of 18.5 mpg to a best of 32.1 mpg and an average of 23.1 mpg. At least 75% of this driving, including several 30-32 mpg highway trips at 75+ mph was done with the top down, not exactly the most aerodynamic setup.

That is a whopping 30% to 60% better for the S2000, with the performance advantage going to the S2000 as well. It causes me to think that uniqueness aside, the rotory engine is simply not an efficient alternative to a high performance piston engine. I asked a friend who owns a 2002 M5 (nearly 4,000 lbs and 400 hp) what his mileage is and it ranges from 13-15 mpg pure city to 25 mpg on the highway with an overall average of 18 +/- (i.e. also better than the 3,000 lb 238 hp RX8). I appreciate new and different technology that offers advantages - like the E320 CDI my marketing director just bought. It will outperform the former E420 V8 and get 35+ mpg on the highway. But it seems to me that rotary engine technology offers nothing to warrant its use in high performance sports cars or family sedans. Other than perhaps giving Mazda a marketing niche to differentiate itself.

graphicguy · October 2004

As they say...."if we have to explain it to you, you still won't understand" regarding the RENESIS.

And yes, the RX8 is a high performance sports car. Ask any of us who own one. Those of us who chose the RX8 over the similarly priced piston engined 350Z/G35c can attest to its capabilities over those cars.

The S2000 is a roadster, so it really is an apples to organges comparison...although, there are strong rumors surrounding a roadster version of the RX8.

Anyone buying any sports car putting MPG at the top of their list is really fooling themselves. I'm getting 18 MPG in the city, 19 MPG in mixed driving and hit 25 MPG on an "all highway" run recently.

The only other car I would want to move to in replacement of my RX8 would be the '05 Corvette. I woudln't want to move to a Nissan (or any other make that competes in the segment) in replacement of my RX8.

pathstar1 · October 2004

And the Corvette is a roadster as well, so that comparison is also not "valid". ;-)

Best part of the RX-8 in my opinion, is it's "almost" a 3rd gen RX-7 in handling and looks, and it seats four comfortably. Oh, and it has a trunk! When it comes with more power it will be complete.

The S2000 is probably the best roadster in that price range.

The RX-8 is probably the best 4 seat sports sedan in its' price range.

Oh, and the Alberta (Canada) govt. calls the RX-8 a "4 door coupe". A "coupe" is a 2 door car with a fixed roof. Go figure.

mmadden1 · October 2004

Had a chance to drive our RX-8 up to Niagra-on-the Lake this past weekend--about 600 miles; a few observations.

Gas mileage--without the M flash and only 4K on the car, we got a hair over 24mpg keep the car under 75mph--not bad.

Plenty of trunk room for luggage for a weekend trip

Very comfortable ride, 5 hours in the car was a snap--just wish we hadn't gotten the sunroof, would like a bit more headroom.

tomatnavy · October 2004

He is one for madza to think about: a hybrid rx8--the electric motor would give it a huge torque increase along with much better city gas mileage. They could even detune the rotary some to generate better highway mileage. These two power plants together could produce well over 325hp. Now all they would have to do is sell it at a reasonable price. With the electric motor they should be able to get the rx8 to 60mph in the low 4 sec range.

qbrozen · October 2004

its not impossible, but its not easy, either. it would add quite a bit of weight to the car and, as a result, require a complete suspension redesign. It would screw up the track prowess of the car regardless.

cheezeboy · October 2004

Wow....I've been away from the boards for awhile and all I see is a bunch of negativity...so I will take it upon myself to bring a bit-o-sunshine to the RX8 board!

I LOVE MY RX8!!!......I don't care if she has the "low power" Automatic....I don't care if she doesn't sip gas like a hybred....She simply is the BEST car I've owned.....she handles great....she stops great...she LOOKS great......she's easy to wash...she can carry my bike....she holds all my amps and guitars for gigs.....she's almost(let's not get crazy here!) better than a woman.....!!!

so, there is my 2 cents of happiness for the RX8. If she does me wrong in the future, so be it. I'll adapt and move on. For now, I will enjoy the best darn piece of automotive engieering you can buy for $27Kish....... :-)

on a side note - driving to work today I was stuck(yet again) in slow/stop traffic. In front of me was a 350z, to my left was a 911, in front of him was a G35 coupe, to the left of the 911 was a CooperS (with Union Jack on the roof!), and in front of him was a BMW6 (right off the lot!)...what a great time we live in for excellent looking and driving cars! Enjoy!

mkoll · October 2004

My RX8 is great....period. The automatic has plenty of power, 19mpg is ok, never had a car get so many stares. It doesn't matter what they are driving, they are checking out the 8.
Better than a woman? Hmmm....need to ponder that one. But, my 8 definitely is a female. The chrome rotary accents are hard to miss. Besides, things of beauty, grace, and speed are generally refered to in the feminine gender. The RX8 definitely fits all three categories.

There's my peace,here's my query. I've managed to put a couple small scratches in the plastic face of the glove box and the steering wheel cover. Since I beat myself up pretty bad over things like this, do you have any suggestions as to how one might repair or hide the marks? The plastic covers on the door thresholds get a lot of scuff marks also.

Any input would be appreciated.

ivan_99 · October 2004

I think the coupe designation is determined by the rear seat room (measurements), not the number of doors.

So you could have a 4 door coupe and a 2 door sedan...doesn't seem right to me either...

cheezeboy · October 2004

mkoll - the best people here to ask are GGUY and PathStar when it comes to things like that....they have a depth of car knowledge unsurpassed in these forums!! :-)

but ya gotta be carefull....when I had dogs with my old car, I always had to take special care of the plastics and even then, the puppies managed to scratch stuff up a bit....but, i guess that's why it's plastic and not, say, gold!!!

pathstar1 · October 2004

Unfortunatly, most plastic interiour pieces have a textured finish. It's really hard to take scratches out of that. Smooth finishes are easy, just use plastic polish. You can find a solvent that dissolves the textured plastic (try different ones where you can't see the results day to day). What you can try is use a rounded knife to carve out the scratch (scraping sideways), then add texture back, then use the solvent to blend the area. I suspect it wouldn't work too well, though. Replacing the parts is the best solution.

On my 1993 RX-7 dash (painted plastic with the paint peeling), I glued suede leather on top of the dash. It looks very nice. This also allows you to "pad" the parts, using polyethylene foam (ethefoam). Just glue the padding on, then fit and glue the leather. I use contact cement (latex type - water based).

Mr_Shiftright · October 2004

Road & Track had a nice write-up on their longterm RX8 this month.

graphicguy · October 2004

Yes, the Corvette can be had in roadster guise. I can also be had as a coupe, too.

I'm anxiously awaiting seeing the first '05 on the road.

polyester1970 · October 2004

I'm in the market for a new car for my fiance. The RX8 automatic is on the list.

I've been reading a lot on these boards about the oil consumption, mediocre to bad gas mileage, flooding if you shut off cold, etc...

The oil consumption and flooding is a little bit of a concern. I'm not that concerned about bad gas mileage since we drive pretty short distances. I'm worried if the RX8 is a little too high maintenance.

I want to get her a nice car in this price range that is relatively easy to own. Is the RX8 easy to own?

Mr_Shiftright · October 2004

Well I'd just like to interject here that if she's not the type of raise the hood and check the oil every couple tankfuls of gas, this is not the car for her. This would hold true for man or woman BTW. The Road & Track longterm RX8 required periodic top-off of the oil and you can see where I'm going with this.

pathstar1 · October 2004

We don't see the oil getting below the min. mark between changes. It gets close, but if properly filled during the oil change it will not require adding oil until the next change. YMMV

cheezeboy · October 2004

as one of the forums AT owners, I can say that it's a great car to have and if you/fiance can check the oil once a month (and that's just checking! - only fill as needed!), you will be fine! I tend to go through a bit more oil than usual, due to my compulsion to try to hit 140mph!.....but normal driving should yield normal oil usage. Have you/fiance test driven one yet? That might be more important at this point. Checking your oil is much easier when you like the car you are driving! :-)

polyester1970 · October 2004

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Actually, checking the oil once a month is normal for me anyways. I have a < 1 year old Mazda6 and baby the heck out of it.

I guess I was just more concerned about weird rotary quirks. I've never had a rotary before so I just don't know much about maintaining one.

There was some post in the "owner's problems & solutions" board where a rotary veteran was saying how a lot of the problems new rotary owners are having is due to the lack of knowledge about owning and maintaining a rotary.

Some of the things he listed were if you drove it too low in the RPMs you might damage the engine longterm. He recommended driving it between 4K and 6K. We live in San Francisco, and there's a lot of put'in around here. Sometimes I go a whole day w/o driving past 30 mph. And if it's an AT it's a little harder to control the gear it's in.

So checking the oil is np, it's just these seemingly weird rotary rules I'm not aware of yet. I just don't want the car to die early cuz we didn't rev it high enough or some other weird rotary specific thing.

I just want a reliable car that we can maintain more/less like a regular car.

At one point we were thinking of a base Acura RSX w/leather. But the base Rx8 AT is only about $1500 more. The RX8 just looks way nicer than the Acura RSX which to me is just a fast Civic.

jrosasmc · October 2004

Is it true that even on the RX-8, if you start it up, drive it about 500 feet, and then park it, you can't start it again until after a certain period of time? Is that a problem with all the rotaries?

pathstar1 · October 2004

Well, there are some minor differences with the rotary engine vs a piston engine.

First, it's much smoother and quieter. So much so you may not realize how fast it's turning.

Second, you don't want to starve the engine of oil or overheat it. So you just check the oil level once in a while and make sure you don't block the rad. or run it after loosing the coolant. Any aluminum engine is sensitive to overheating - parts will warp and then not seal.

The engine does inject oil from the crankcase into the intake stream (to lubricate the "apex" seals - similar to the piston rings). This is no different than the oil that is lost in a piston engine that lubricates the rings. In fact, most piston engines are down a quart (litre) at oil change time. The rotary is just down a little more (maybe 1.5). They put in a large oil pan to allow for this.

As for starting it up and shutting it down after moving the car a few feet (to wash for example), you can still restart it immediatly, but if you don't warm it up before shutting it off you run the risk of entering a "zone of operation" that makes the engine prone to flood. The apex seals don't work very well below about 1500 RPM, so when you are starting the engine or it's idling it isn't very efficient at "blowing out" any unburned fuel. If it builds up enough it will coat the plugs and you can flood the engine. This is rare when it's warm, but not uncommon when the engine is cold. Any liquid fuel in the chambers makes the problem worse, as it dillutes the small amount of oil there that helps seal the chambers (fuel will pass right under the apex and side seals taking away the film of oil and allowing gasses to pass with low resistance).

I warm up the engine in less than 5 min. by running it at 2000-3000 RPM (let it idle for a few seconds before doing this so oil pressure will build up).

It's something that should be done for any engine (warming it up before shutting it off), it's just a little more important with a rotary. You soon get used to doing it and it becomes second nature.

Other than that, it's just an engine. Expect it to last 200,000 mi. or so if cared for (the second gen normally aspirated -non-turbo- RX-7s are now passing that mileage).

jrosasmc · October 2004

Yeah but I've heard many stories about the engines in the third-gen RX-7 twin-turbos. Now that's a highly stressed motor if I ever saw one!

Mr_Shiftright · October 2004

Yeah, but those were detonation problems. Also it was a real supercar put in the hands of some people who really didn't need supercars. It's still a blazingly fast car but you'd better stay on top of it. I think the RX8 is much more tractable and forgiving.

pathstar1 · October 2004

Well, yes the 3rd gen RX-7 was another story. I was afraid of the accellerator pedal for the first few months I owned it. It goes like a motorcycle but is as wide as a car!

Problems it had were mainly due to the complex twin turbo system that very few understood. Dealers never got it. If there was a failure in that system, chances were you could damage the engine. The RX-8 doesn't have this problem!

Many owners couldn't handle the car - the young were too reckless (it was very unforgiving of recklessness), some of the older owners may have been too slow reaction time wise. The RX-8 doesn't have quite as much accelleration so is much easier to manage for the non-racer!

Most engine destruction events occured when the owners tried to modify the car - they overboosted and detonation would take out the apex seals - and often the seal pieces would take out the turbos as they were expelled through the exhaust! The RX-8 has an excellant detonation prevention system, so even if you modify the car it will protect itself!

The car is fast enough many got in too deep - no experience at those speeds. It was/is really a thinly disguised race car. The RX-8 is fast enough (speedwise) that some have had this problem, but because it can't reach high speeds as fast it isn't as big a problem.

I strongly suggest any who like to "drive crazy" sign up for a racing school. It's a lot of fun, and is safer than doing it on the street. It will do wonders for your driving record in the long run, not to mention your survival lifetime, whether you drive an RX-7 or an RX-8.

qbrozen · October 2004

i've also read that many folks screwed up their RX7s by using synthetic oil.

i always lusted after one of those since they were first introduced here (which is why i really wanted an RX8, too). I certainly couldn't afford them at that time, and all of these issues caused by owners we are talking about is what prevented me from ever buying a used one all these years. oh well, just another great car i'll never own.

jrosasmc · October 2004

You can't use synthetic oil in rotaries?

Mr_Shiftright · October 2004

Some experts, like www.mazdatrix.com, specifically warn against it, and they ought to know something about rotaries.

pathstar1 · October 2004

So far I have yet to read of an owner using sythetic oil that caused a problem. Many use it. It is a bit of a waste, as the older rotaries (RX-7s mostly) require the oil to be changed frequently. Use of synthetic doesn't change this, as it needs to be done due to fuel contamination. So using it can get rather expensive. It can be a "good thing" when racing a turbo-charged car, as it properly lubs the turbos over a very wide temp range, but for street use it's advantage is debatable.

The story of Mazda's reluctance to endorse synthetic oil is that the early synthetic was not compatible with "normal" oil products and caused serious problems in several cars. This was long ago and the synthetic now used is fully compatible. I'm talking of Mobil 1, Royal Purple, AMSOL, etc.

qbrozen · October 2004

I thought I read the problem was that since the rotary was designed to actually use oil and synthetics don't burn up or lube the apex seals in exactly the way the seals need it to. Eh, I might have to search on this again, its been a long time since I read it.

ah, ya know, maybe I read the same thing shifty did. here ya go:
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/synthetc.htm

as they say, its not like there is definitive proof that it will cause a failure, but it is possible. Its enough to make me worry.

audia8q · October 2004

The mazda service field reps send out warnings on a regular basis concerning synthetic oil and the RX-8

cheezeboy · October 2004

hey poly - the AT has the "goofy but fun" paddle shifters/autostick thingy. So you can always be in a lower gear. At 30 mph, you can stick it in 2nd and putter around town just fine!.....

the_big_h · October 2004

if you're worry about this whole issue with rotaries w/ full synthetic oil.

it is, surprisingly from Ford, one of the BEST performing traditional oils available on the market.

the_big_h · October 2004

some of my impressions:

- even though it has '4 doors' and '4 seats', in reality it's a 2+2 in terms of interior space and seating space. I was a little bit disappointed, but if you realize that you're not gonna get the same rear seating space as a traditional 4 door sedan, then it's tolerable. Definitely more comfortable than traditional 2 door 2+2 coupes though.

- there is very little foot room behind the driver's seat if I set the driver seat to the way I would normally drive in. Passenger side is ok as long as front passenger move up a little bit.

- no torque, or just there's a lack of that initial feel of acceleration because it's so smooth. Probably didn't help that, out of courtesy for a new rotary engine, I shifted at 6500rpm instead of near redline, so it was kinda tame, but I can tell the thing can go faster, no doubt.

- the driving position is PERFECT. everything is exactly where it should be, pedal spacing is perfect for heel-toe downshifts, shifter is perfectly placed next to the steering wheel, the steering wheel is perfect size and is perfectly weighted. And that big tachometer in the middle of the gauge cluster is just awesome, I didn't even notice the digital speedo until I was cruising down a straightaway, I was too busy staring at the tach needle going up and down, so much fun!

- handling is amazing, salesperson took me to a twisty backroad for test drive, the suspension balance was wonderful.

the car overall felt great. other than the lack of rear seating space than what I was expecting, it is exactly how I imagined the car would be like.

now i just need to convince myself that those rear seats are just fine for my needs.....

tmanmiata · October 2004

Really like the RX8 since I first saw a picture of it. Got to sit in a pre-production model in last year's Rev-It-Up. Finally test drove one on Sunday. I have never driven a rotary before. It feets very different. It is just so smooth. Before I knew it, it was in redline already. Really like the feel of the car, except I had problem shifting to 6th gear. I don't know whether it is just the one I tested.
Probably similar to the_big_h, I am trying to convince myself and my wife that we can live with the back seats. We have a 18-month son and expecting our 2nd child next April. I actually test fit the car with my son's car seat. It will fit in the back while I am driving(I am 6'3" and have to slide the seat all the way back). The problem is he will be kicking the back of my seat all the time. The back seat on the passenger side should fit the rear-facing car seat without any problem. I will need both car seats because I am the one dropping the kid(s) to day care. I really like the car, but not sure whether I should get something more practical, maybe a Mazda6 or the Subaru Legacy wagon... I know it is a little extreme since they are very different cars. Any suggestions or opinions are welcome.

rqc · October 2004

Wow, I'm a pretty impractical guy when it comes to cars, but two very young kids in an RX8 on a consistent basis seems like a stretch.

lemmer · October 2004

I had an RX-8 loaned to me for about two months, and I used it for my kid hauler. My rear facing seat was a really tight fit on the passenger side - to the point that it basically precluded anyone from sitting in the front seat. My daughter sat in her car seat behind me. I need my seat all the back, but she didn't have room for her tiny little feet with the seat back, so I was forced to move it up a notch or two making me slightly uncomfortable. She still complained that she couldn't see out of the car and that her seat was leaning too far back for comfort.

My daughter emphatically disliked the car for these reasons. I loved it. I averaged 14.5 MPG in mixed driving and the engined bucked and tried to stall every morning until it was completely warm (this in 80 degree weather), but I still seriously considered buying one.

carliker · November 2004

Hello, everyone

I haven't posted for a couple months. I know that this thread has already been over the speculation of the '06 RX-8. Recently, I've read articles on how Mazda is really pushing the hybrid RX-8 (Hydrogen/Gas) technology. I wonder how that is going to fit with the possible plans of adding a coupe and convertible. My problem about having a coupe is that Mazda has worked hard in portraying the RX-8 as a superb sports car (that just happens to have a back seat / 4 doors). If you build a coupe, isn't Mazda saying that the RX-8 isn't sporty enough to some potential customers...thus contradicting their claim of providing a real sports car in the RX-8. I have always viewed the RX-8 as a true sports car so I'm wondering why you'd need two similar vehicles in the same lineup.

Also, from a previous post, someone mentioned that Chrysler increased the HP of the Crossfire from 215 to 330 in the SRT-6 version. Well, in doing that, the SRT version is about $15K+ more while the base is still 215 HP. If the RX-8 was to jump from the current HP to 300/330HP, the cost will hit $40K. The RX-8's interior is much better than the WRX Sti, but of course, the STI can get $30K+ since it has the HP. If the RX-8 should reach the same HP, they will obviously ask for much more than what the STI costs.

I don't even want to think of what the insurance will be on a 300HP+ two door coupe...somewhere near the Corvette range I imagine. Of course, the STi/Lancer EVO at least have the four doors.

graphicguy · November 2004

Glad to see the RX8ers here.

Couple of comments about recent posts.....

--kid seats in the back....Don't quite know what to say, other than it would probably work. Having the back doors open will certainly make it easier than with a "normal" coupe.
--reat seat room....I regularly haul a couple in my back seat. While we don't go for long trips, it works great for around town stuff

Can't add anything about oil useage other than what Pathstar has said. As with any car, keep an eye on the oil level. Adding oil shouldn't be an issue between changes, for the most part, however. By design, it will use oil, however.

Regarding the person who said they drove one that "bucked" on them, you need a bit more instruction on how to drive a high performance car with a manual transmission. This isn't going to be your garden variety Civic, Accord, Celica. If you're "bucking" it, you need to refine your manual tranny driving skills.

Flooding? Mine has never flooded, no matter what. Simple words of advice, in the winter, warm it up either before you drive or while you're driving. Pretty simple (and a good practice for all cars).

As for the '06 model year, my dealer's GM said they will be brining out a 300HP version. Take that for what it's worth. Don't know anything about it other than he said it would be in the $35K range all loaded up.

After a year and 4 months of ownership, I'm as thrilled with this car today as I was when I first drove it off the dealer's lot.

Ciao!

blacktalon · November 2004

The hydrogen RX-8 is like the hydrogen V12 BMW 7-series and the hybrid 500 HP NSX concept -- great publicity, but I wouldn't expect to see any of these cars on the road soon...

carliker · November 2004

Nice to hear from you again graphic. Since it's been about a year and a half since the RX-8 came out, it's cool that you don't see one down every street. There are enough purchased to have made the car a success, but not so many to hurt the car's exclusivity.

I'd still be crossing my fingers on that 300HP coupe version; especially at $35K loaded up. The current RX-8 can reach that dollar figure loaded. However, the Pontiac GTO jumped 50HP in just one year and the price is staying relatively the same, so nothing surprises me. Boy, I'd be more than irrate if I purchased a 2004 GTO, only to find out that the 2005 version would have a substantial HP increase and modified exterior. I'll never by a GM sports car (that includes a corvette - though for different reasons). You just see too many Corvettes on the road for a sports car around the $50K mark.

carliker · November 2004

The modified exterior of the GTO that I was referring to is the option customers can get in adding a dual air scoop so the car would look sportier. Other than that, there isn't a drastic exterior change.

lemmer · November 2004

The car bucking had nothing to do with the transmission or my driving skills - the car in question is an automatic anyway. It happened pretty much every day in the mornings on my way to work until it was warmed up.

I have driven the 6-speed as well, and despite your assertion, it shifts pretty much like your garden variey Civic, Accord, or Celica - which is to say that it shifts very well and very easiliy.

I think my problems would have went away if I had fully warmed it up before I left for work, but I didn't have to do that with a 1977 MGB, so why should I have to do it with a brand new sports car? In general, the drivability characteristics of this engine are no better than that of my long gone 1984 RX-7 (However, I do like the huge increase in horsepower.)

graphicguy · November 2004

carliker....agree with you about the GTO. If I had paid sticker or above for the first one's out, only to find out that the new ones upped HP by 50 and are being discounted, I'd be a bit peeved. I had a brief run in one. It's a strong performer. Styling is hurting it, however....not HP.

I saw a "new" Mustang at a local dealership. It may have been the color (dull blue), but I was expecting more. My sister works for Ford. She gets a new Mustang every year. Hers is supposed to come in before the end of the year (red). I can't wait to get some seat time in it. She's my younger sister so I'll have to pull rank and age to make her let me drive it alone (to do "proper" testing, of course).

Regarding the 300 HP RX8, we'll see. A HP increase of that magnitude would propel it (pun intended) into a whole new category. Needless to say, I'd be very tempted to trade my RX8 in for an '06 300HP version at a $35K price point. At $40K (with brother-in-law's GM employee discount), I'm headed over to the Chevy store for a new 'Vette. Other than that, I'm loving my RX8. It's provided more than I expected over the last ~1.5 years I've had it. I can't remember the last time I said that about any car ownership experience (although, I wouldn't mind some seat time in your S2000, either).

lemmer....can't comment about an automatic RX8, as I've never driven one. If "cheezeboy" is still hanging around these parts, he'd be the person to chime in.

I owned an MGB GT many years ago. I can tell you that my RX8 is a quantum leap above and beyond any driveability parameter compared to that car (and I have a real "soft spot" for the MG).

ultradave1 · November 2004

>I owned an MGB GT many years ago. I can tell you >that my RX8 is a quantum leap above and beyond any >driveability parameter compared to that car (and I >have a real "soft spot" for the MG).

I would definitely agree here. I had a Triumph TR-7. It was a bit quirky, but no more so than any other British Leyland product. That car handled beautifully - like a slot car. But my RX-8 handles even better and blows it away in power. Not to mention having a big edge in creature comforts as a bonus.

revdrluv · November 2004

Rather than bumping up hp so high I would like to see Mazda keep power levels roughly as they are, and drop several hundred lbs off the weight of the car. Then it would be really really fun.

Of course that is a whole lot more expensive than increasing engine power.

cheezeboy · November 2004

GGUY - I have a question for ya...I have to visit the folks for Thanksgiving...in Cheezeland (WI).. when it's cold....and crappy...I am told that it might get below 70, so I am preparing for the worst! ;-)

anyway, my question is this: anything I need to do to prepare for the colder temps? I am hoping that snow will not be a factor, so I am mostly concerned about fluids and stuff...things that you might have done for the late Fall months. Any tips? My wish is that from Florida to about Chicago it stays sunny and about 72...then cross the border to Canada...ah...oops...Wisconsin, and it drops to about 50....I can take 45...but if it goes lower, I might not leave my folks house! LOL!

Also, if anyone here knows of some good places to visit along the route (say Disney to Chicago), let me know!

As far as to the AT bucking - I have not had that experience. The only thing that would be termed close would be when I move from AutoStick to full AT, sometimes it will slightly 'lurch' trying to find the next gear....

A note: I've noticed too, that since the "M" flash, if I drive for an extened time, say on the interstate, at about 7000 to 7500 rpms, I've gotten better MPG.....before , you could almost watch the fuel gauge drop. Maybe PathStar can fill me in as to what the "M" flash really did.

and just remember, I will be leaving the Dolphins, passing the Bucs and Jags, going by the Falcons and the Titans, maybe sneak a peek at the Bears and then home to the Pack - good football driving with my RX-8!

Mazda RX-8

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