So basically, an Acura RSX-S will give an RX-8 everything it can handle and then some?

 

i thnk the s would take it...

 

An RX8 is faster and quicker than the RSX-S (although not by much) and it out brakes the Acura by quite a bit and handles much, much better. Around a track, road course, or auto-x course an RX8 will absolutely maul an RSX-S. At a drag strip, the '8 will still beat the RSX given equal drivers, but only by a few tenths in the 1/4 mile.

 

rx8 - 31 thou (roughly)
type s - 23 thou

BUY a type s...put the 8 though u saved into engine mods

FYI i would never buy aan rx8 b/c its ugly..cant say it any other way...UGH cant stand those hidious fender flares...was the designer high when he made it

 

rx8 = parked next to one tonight and thought it would infect my Z

 

rock on

 

True, but the auto rags, while they'd deny it, are biased. And one bias they generally have is falling in love with the latest and greatest.

I knew when the RX8 came out, unless it has obvious problems, will get the nod over the Z. Which is why I predict the '05 'Stang will have them dumping the RX8 and the Z so they can lust over the Johnny-come-lately Ford. That is, unless the GT has lots of unforgivable warts.

 

Looks are a big part of buying a car. So, go with your gut if you prefer the RX8 over the Z. Chalk advantage to the RX8. By now you should've test driven the RX8. If you prefer the ride in it over the Z then your decision is made.

Areas vary, but for where I live using edmunds.com's TMV pricing, the RX8 is being discounted more heavily than the Z even though it's newer. In fact, I pass by one local Mazda dealership at least weekly and he always has a long row of RX8s on display. Yet, I almost never see one on the road. I have a feeling they aren't moving. So, you'll probably get a better deal on an RX8.

Quality-wise, the RX8 is a first-year car and has a lot of nagging quality control problems. I'd wait til '05 to buy an RX8. On the other hand, I'd give you the same advice on a Z because of the tire feathering problem. See if, as rumors indicate, they've fixed it for '05. Be aware if you live in a hot area of the country the RX8's air conditioning is supposed to be very weak -- and that's unfixable.

Assuming the RX8's back seat advantage isn't an issue (or why consider a Z?), the RX8 does offer a moonroof as an option which is important to some people. The Z doesn't. If you do buy an RX8 get the spare tire option because the standard tire patch kit has left more than one RX8 owner pissed off and stranded!

The big difference is the old argument over what's better in a budget sports car: hi-revving or hi-torque. That's the main dividing line between RX8 lovers and the Z lovers. Personal taste.

But, if hi-revving engines are your bag, the best car for you probably is a Honda S2000. So if you prefer the RX8 to the Z I'm betting you'll like the S2000 best of all. All the advantages of the RX8 and none of the warts, IMHO.

 

I own a rotary and know about the reliabity of that motor. It has none when you add TURBOS. I have friends with non turbo rx7's and they have 500k on the motor with no problems. The rotary is one of the most reliable motors out there when it doesnt have turbos so the comment of its a rotary equals unreliablity is wrong and you need to do your research. The car is beautiful and it might not perform as well as the z but it was not built to compete with the z.

Sports cars dont have to only have 2 seats and 2 doors because I think most people consider the m3 a sports car and it has a back seat as well as every Porsche practically made. Camaros and Trans AMs and Mustangs all have back seats. What about the EVO VIII and the STI. I consider those sports cars. The Skyline is definetly a sport car. Just food for thought.

The Rx8 is an awesome car and a blast to drive true it doesnt have any torque but give me a rotary that has torque out of the factory it doesnt exist. The rotary is a great motor and everyone knows it and when mazda figures out the heat issues with that motor and turbos then you are gonna have one strong car to deal with.

 

if you go to rx8forum.com, you'll see most people are getting their 8s for invoice. so that could be a factor if you're still on the fence.

 

i agree about the s2000. i would choose an s2k over either car if not for the fact that it doesn't really stand out anymore like the 8 and z because its styling is so dated.

 

Bottom line for me is that the RX8 is just plain UGLY, but that is just personal of course. I'm sure some people like the way it looks.

Have you noticed how out-of-date old Mazdas tend to look? Whereas the old Z cars still look cool, to me at least.

 

I sat in an RX-8 with sunroof. Don't consider it if you are 6' tall or more..... I am 6'2" and had 0 headroom. Local dealer has several sitting on the lot. Most I see around have ladies driving them.

 

Z = muscle sports car
Rx-8 = cutsy sport car
if you have to get anything else get the Honda S2000 a worthy performance car

 

I test drove both the Z and the 8 before getting my Z.

I originally ruled out the 8 as being too different. I figured I'd give one a test drive to give it a chance. I was thoroughly impressed. The 8 felt immediately right. I felt connected to the car, like I could will it to do things. Imagine the 350Z minus 200 pounds over the front wheels.

The 8 didn't have anywhere near the grunt of the Z, but it didn't feel underpowered. The power delivery is very linear and the engine revs effortlessly. I test drove a 2004 S2000 too. It always felt like it wanted to be downshifted to accelerate. The 8 didn't feel like that.

In the end the 350Z won out for its wonderful, torquey engine, better gas mileage, and better looks. I also felt that my chances of finding a place to work on the Z's V6 would be much better than finding a place that could work on a rotary engine.

I say test drive any car before ruling it out or passing judgement.

 

I wrote a little review for a local webiste I run back in March. Now that I read it, I could have gone into which is 'better', the 8 or the Z. But thats not really what this review is about. Its just how I felt driving the Rx8. Enjoy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following review is MY opinion, so take it with about a half ton of salt.

After the girl friend and I had some great food at the White House Grill in Post Falls, we decided to take a quick trip over to Post Falls Mazda to visit Eddie and check out the new 3's. I was immediately drawn to the Rx8's. And after looking at them for a few, Dan came out to chat. He pretty much forced me to test drive the silver, fully loaded Rx8 they had (yeah, I'm sure he really had to twist my arm).

Eddie started it up and Camber (my gf) crawled into the back seat. And you know what, she wasn’t cramped. There's actually a fair amount of room back there. After I slid into the ever so comfortable leather passenger seat, we were on our way. As Eddie took us out of the parking lot, I played with the navigation system, but someone thought it would be funny to put it in another language. So I gave up and just closed the lid. I took this opportunity to check out the interior. Let’s just say, I was very impressed. The fit and finish was amazing. The choice of materials was perfect. And the entire layout was very visually appealing. This particular car had every option available. The stereo had an auto adjust volume setting, 6 disc in dash changer, and a pretty fancy layout. The leather seats where heated along with the mirrors. Even the center console had a fancy sliding lid. About this time Eddie pulled over and got out. Now it’s my turn.

At first I was a little nervous. This isn’t my car, and I didn’t want to wreck it. But as soon as I got rolling, all my fears went away. For what ever reason, I became very comfortable with the car rather quickly. It inspired confidence early on, and didn’t let me down.

The Rx8 felt soft, yet still remained nice and firm. As I drove down Spokane street, I crossed some rail road tracks. The Rx8 handled them flawlessly. It wasn’t teeth rattling, bone shaking stiff, it was soft but I still knew I had crossed them. This worried me a bit. Is the car going to be too soft to drive hard? Will there be too much body roll? Well, it’s too late, because here’s a nice sweeping up hill curve. Drop two gears and let her go. I think the first thing out of my mouth was “wow”. As I pushed her closer to redline the car seemed to suck down into the corner. I shifted and went for the magic redline again. By this time we where moving at a pretty good clip. As I rounded the top of the hill, I backed off and down shifted to get my self setup for the next corner. Powering through the next turn the car gave me a hint over steer, “perfect” I said to my self. We winded through the turns and the car never even hinted of being close to the edge. I guess I could have pushed it harder, but I didn’t want to go too far. I finished out the drive with a quick jaunt on the freeway, and pulled into the lot with a huge grin on my face.

The engine was extremely fun to drive, as long as you kept it around 7k rpm. Drop it to far down, and it couldn’t get out of its own way. But what do you expect; it’s a 1.3L rotary. Having no torque at low rpm’s was quickly forgiven as soon as I tapped that 9.5k redline. One of my complaints is the engine does not rev up quick enough. I had to put a bit more into the throttle on downshifts to spin it up. But a lighter fly wheel would probably fix that. The exhaust note was there, but seemed almost a bit too subdued. Road noise was very quiet, and even with the sun roof open, wind noise was at a minimum. The suspension was just about perfect. This is one very well balanced car from the factory. Over all, I was very pleased with the driving experience the Rx8 gives.

So how does it compare to the Z. Well, where the Rx8 is refined and forgiving, the Z is harsh and rough around the edges. The Z’s suspension is stiff and very sports car like, the clutch is heavy and grabs very quickly. The engine in the Z has a very flat torque curve, letting you power out of corners at relatively low rpm’s. Whereas the Rx8 had to be spinning at mind blowing speeds to be with in its power band. Personally, I find the Z to be a much sexier car. It’s muscular and aggressive. Even the interior is understated and is designed not to distract you from driving. On the other hand the Rx8 is futuristic and retro at the same time. It isn’t as sexy right off the bat, but it did grow on me. As an over all package, the Rx8’s styling works very well. Over all I view the Z as a true sports car, and the Rx8 as more of a touring car. Its ride and interior help to please your significant other, and yet still manages to be sporty. Mazda may have found the best of both worlds with this car.

Seems like I really enjoyed the Rx8 doesn’t it. Well, as a matter of fact, I loved it. So then why didn’t I just trade in the Z and leave with an Rx8? It’s just not what I’m looking for in a car. Everybody has different needs when it comes to a car. I want a sports car that is a bit rough around the edges and really forces you to pay attention when you start pushing it. Although I like the back seat, I really enjoy not having one. It really adds to the sports car persona. I highly recommend the Rx8 for someone who is looking for a daily driver with a bit of a kick and the desire to look good. It’s definately the car you can surprise the wife with and she’ll be happy you bought it.

The Rx8 is exactly what I need in a car, but not what I want.

 

rx-8s arent girly cars........ #1

if u want brute power get the 350z.
if you want to Mod your car heavily 350z

the rx8 rides better and handles like a champ.
still 0-60 in 6 sec.

if you look at the #'s RX8's arent that much slower then the Z. and the Z costs alot more.... you can get a MT 8 for about 27.5-28k . if i didnt have a son, i would have bought the 350z or a used TT supra though.

one thing to consider..... the 8's fuel economy isnt good.. ive had it for 6 months and only get 15mpg so far (best of 21mpg) (low of 13 mpg).... also the rx-8 has 10:1 compressuion (very hard to add FI)




overall the rx-8 is a very beautiful car with very nice interior.
it performs very well and has cost me no $ to date.

 

And 6MT Z's start in the high $26Ks.

 

Dang, DrCold...that was a near perfect review - I've driven both and agree 100%, except I ended up choosing the 8

 

- you do realize that mazda just celebrated 100,000 sales, with 32,000 being sold in the USA....Thats more than anyone expected, even mazda didn't expect that...heres the link.100K sales