wish my tires lasted 25,000 miles...i replace them between oil changes...only the rear though

 

I was once concerned with the z, but i got over it. I have an 06 also...*crosses fingers*

But I too was looking at an rx8 before the z. I read somewhere that reliability on those cars suck. It said many rx8's had a problem with the motor blowing up/craping out around 50k miles. Mainly the failing motors were ones that stayed in the 80-90 degree weather all the time. Being in hawaii, that's what we have so i decided to go with the z

 

OMG dude ......listen to yourself! NO ONE should have to adhere to those requirements on a brand new vehicle I dont care WHO the brand is (well, maybe the chinese crap).....

Read Consumer Reports, take it from there......by all means you should never be adding oil to a brand NEW CAR!


BTW, although its not my daily driver, my '07 is the finest car I've owned!

 

Nissan's 3.0 & 3.5 engines have monopolized all awards for
Best Motor In The Industry, 11 yrs. running! Besides minor
glitches, the Z offers flawless cooling system, electrical sys-
tem; faultless AT--not so with the MT! So, dude, jump into
the dream car!!! Welcome to the Zed family!

 

i work for mazda and i drive a Z(which i love when nothing is wrong with it).. i think the rx8 has alot less common problems, while the Z does have alot more common issues(ie: window motors and regulators, burning oil, tranny grinds) and mazda seems to be better at dealing with their problems. To be honest i think i shoulda bought a S2K (couple friends have the honda and never had to get any warranty work done)

 

www.carsurvey.org is a decent resource to see peoples opinion on this type of thing...

My friend bought a new 07 RX-8 a year ago, has had 0 problems with it since... It does eat oil though, drives rough when cold and in the cold, has very little torque, and as mentioned have fun finding someone to work on it, other than the dealer for factory warranty stuff.

I think in the long run, you'd be better off with the Z. The RX-8 is a great handling car and is lots of fun in the top end... but for a daily drive I think it would get annoying having little torque.

 

Unless you know how to work on a Rotary engine, you will not have good reliability on the Rx-8, I love Rotaries but the damn engines just do not last long...especially if you J-port your engine.

 

Friend of mine had an S2k and threw a rod. Honda even refused to work on it

 

do what I did & get an extended warranty for like $1300 & it takes you up to 75k miles small price to pay for confidence.

 

Fellas, stop trying to convince him to get a Z. We all know its a better all around car. Besides, if he gets the RX8, we'll have 1 more person Ogling us when we drive by!!!
P.S. I almost bought an RX8, thank got the dealer talked me out of it (yes, its true!!). I bought a Mazda 6 instead (so, he still make his buck on me), but only because I needed a back seat.

 

had my Z for 2 years and put 28k miles on it. So far only thing needing replacement are brake pads and tires. With my extended warranty I got my driver side seat tracks replaced for $50. I think the first owner was really really fat..or 2 or 3 people drove it.

In my opinion the Z would be cheaper to fix as well. Replacement parts are slightly cheaper from my experience as well.

In other words 2 years of ownership and its all good. There are some guys that have over 80k or 100k miles on their Z Im sure they will chime in...or just search some.

my 2 cents.

 

i was in the same boat as you. the rx-8 rotary motor is not the way to go if you are going for reliability. If you were just getting it for a lease or something it would be different. Basically, around 100k miles the seals go and it needs to be rebuilt, or at least thats the way it is for all the rx-7s. good luck, and search until your blue in the face :-) its all here...

 

From what I have seen, people who really drive the car (not beat on it) tend to have some of the best reliability. This car is made to be driven.

Reliability was HUGE to me as well (Toyota lifer), but the Z has been good to me so far.

I have 33K on mine and it still feels like it wants to be driven harder and harder.

Take care of this car (maintenance) and I tend to think it will take care of you.

 

By the way, I had the Brick up to 120 MPH yesterday on a back country road with no driveways, cross streets, or on coming traffic. It pulls as hard & drives as straight as it did 5 years/48,000 miles ago.

 

I had 90k miles on my '03 Z before I traded it in for my '07. Only problem I had with the '03 is the drivers side window motor went out. Other than that the car ran like a champ. Thats why I purchased another one.

 

The 350Z has some problems in the 03-04 version they progressively gotten better, even the 03-04 have reports of being fine automobiles. Windows streaking, tire feathering, rare but it happens 6spd Manual 3rd & 4th gear problems, a weird clutch and window motor problems but really hardly any real engine problems. Some think the interior is a little spartan I think its sporty and functional. Though there has been some problems the 05-07 have been realtively reliable and C&R rate them above average reliablity.

The RX-8 has posted some good reviews through out most magazine reviews and even Consumer Report. I can only come up with if you do all the maintenance required to keep it running properly. Like adding oil after three gas fill up or gunning the engine every time you cut the engine off to prevent engine flooding and a fair amount of early engine replacement usually due to not following the strict OM. It has tire feathering problem but has an adjustable suspension and a smooth clutch and 6 spd manual transmission. It does well in auto crossing events but poorly in straight quarter mile runs.

It's interior is well made and fitted, its reknown rear seats are useable and still keeps it smooth exterior lines. The car is nimble and handles well and if kept up to 7000rpm it is quick (not as fast as a Z) but at normal running speed it lacks torque. So much so that if bought in 5AT most are very disapointed in its performance. There has been little upgrades or improvement to it from 04-07 it pretty much the same car except for very minor cosmetic changes.

Overall the 350Z is a better Sports Car unless you just have to have a rotary the RX-8/7s are the only choice or a lightweight car with high reveving engine I'd suggest a Honda S2K or MX5.

 

In general terms, CR categorizes the 350 (as started in '03!) as an "Average"
vehicle. For a Sports car, that translates as EXCELLENT! Especially, if you
compare it to non-Jap Sporty rides. The S2000 is also "Average"--A HON-
DA, imagine!!! So, all in all, I believe a Zed is a reasonable risk to jump into. Remember: ALL are risks; but the "Z" is a great car for its price/performance/
MPG/creature comforts combination. Keep us posted, dude!

 

You should have said that the RX8 was reliable as long as you do not shut off the engine

 

You should read what you're writing.

"As long as you don't shut the engine off cold, and probably add a quart of oil every 1500 miles it should be fine". Just that statement alone should tell you what's wrong with that vehicle.

Rotaries: great for power output, especially with FI, but rotaries are touchy motors.

Nissans compared to Mazdas: I believe the Nissan is a bit more reiable than Mazdas. As someone stated earlier, all manufacturers have lemons. Just some have less than others.

 

I have a 2000 Ford Ranger V6 3.0 with 158K. I've had it for over 4 years and is my daily driver. By far, this is the BEST vehicle I've ever had. The only thing I've done to it was replaced the battery, brake pads and regular oil changes. I also have a 96 300zx and an 03 350Z. I'll buy another ford in a heart beat.