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went by mazda today to see the RX-8

Black Knight

Black Knight

Experienced Member
Joined
16 April 2002
Messages
994
Location
Silicon Valley
fellow nsxers,

i must admit i was disappointed today. my total visit time at mazda was less than 5 minutes.

on my routine read for friday's "drive" section in the local newspaper, i see a big ad that says "RX-8" is here!! i immediately looked up the local mazda dealerships and called one closest to my workplace. i spoke with a sales person and asked about the validity of the ad. he said yes they have 8 of them sitting on their lots....hmm, something is not right here. i asked further "is it possible for me to take a testdrive?" i knew the answer before i had asked but what is there to lose?

the sales guy politely answered "the bad news is we cannot but the good news is we offer them at msrp!!"

at this point, my brain starts to process some data.......

8 available RX-8s on the lot
no markup
no waiting list
polite sales dude (biggest surprise)

i'm surprised and confused.....350Zs, EVOs, STis, etc...all have a huge long waiting list, unbelievable markup and hypocrites salesmen......

something smells fishy....it's time to investigate further.

i got off work and went to the local mazda.....i pulled in the lot and try to spot some RX-8s...didn't see any. i continued to the back service area to park in the customer parking. i got out and saw a brand new shiny red RX-8 sitting near the customer service area. i quickly walked over to the car and looked at the sticker...yup, no markup. i was surprised that the doors were open and the car was unattended. i sat in the driver's seat and realized the keys were right in the ignition.

hold on.....some of you might be thinking i could've just taken off.....heck no...and leave my blue nsx there!! not in a million light years!!

to make a long story short, i was done with this car in less than 5 minutes and looked around as i walked back to my car that no sales guy was watching. i wanted to make a quick getaway cuz i've had enough of that car for a day......

here's the breakdown....

-4 seater but the back seats are a joke
-exterior not impressive
-interior not impressive (center console extended to the end of the rear seats like a bridge.
-250hp 6-sp NA for $31k (before taxes)
-worst of all, mazda is late with this new model....after most new sports car have already entered the market. if they had already purchased a sports car, there's no incentive in trading for this one.

i figure what a new buyer would be thinking.....

power: 350Z
convertible: S2000
4 seater: EVO, STi (also AWD)
for fun: mini cooper S
looks: any of the above

i don't understand the selling point for the RX-8...does anyone?
 
03ANB575464984A.jpeg


I like it.
 
Blue Knight said:
i don't understand the selling point for the RX-8...does anyone?
Click to expand...
The kid in the commercials knows: "Zoom-zoom" :D

Based on what I've read: it's well balanced, has great handling, is lightweight, has a high-reving and unique engine (250 hp from 1.3L), and has front-mid layout.

At least on paper, rotary engines are kind of cool with their simplicity and lack of reciprocating mass. Being NA and a completely brand new design, reliabilty issues from past (FI) designs should be less of a problem. The thought of no reciprocating losses and 9500 rpm rev-limiter (redline is 9000 rpm) sounds like fun. :)

I have not seen one in person, so Blue Knight you probably know better than me, but I like the interior in the pictures. It has a certain "lean-ness" about it, which appeals to me. :)
 
Last edited:
Blue Knight said:
i figure what a new buyer would be thinking.....

power: 350Z
convertible: S2000
4 seater: EVO, STi (also AWD)
for fun: mini cooper S
looks: any of the above

i don't understand the selling point for the RX-8...does anyone?
Click to expand...

I would disagree with this list as reasons for buying these cars.

If someone is going to buy based on power - and ONLY on power (which many many many people do - look at all the comments about the NSX) - they're going to buy the 300 hp STi, not the 287 hp 350Z. In fact, the 350Z is last year's hot car, a car that nobody is talking about. At all.

Convertible, well... the Z is coming out in a convertible version; maybe that will do okay, maybe not, depending on price. The Stook has been around for a few years now, and it's still a bargain for the price. But a lot of people buy convertibles for style, rather than performance; look at how well the Z3/Z4 and Boxster sell, despite the price and performance disadvantage vs the S2000.

If someone wants a real four-seater, the STi and the Evolution are not all that roomy in the back seat; they would be looking at something else. I don't know specifically what, but nowadays you have a bunch of 260+ hp cars with four doors and comfortable rear seats that sell in the low thirties, like the TL-S, the G35, the new Maxima, etc. And don't forget the TSX, which is a bargain in this segment.

For fun, sure, people will get whatever is the hot car of the moment - the Mini, maybe the Beetle ragtop, etc. Next year these will be old news, too, and something else will be a big hit.

For looks... I can't believe anyone would buy an Evolution or an STi for looks. You're not serious, are you? But there are plenty of great looking cars around, such as the G35 Coupe or the TSX.

However, keep in mind that some people are going to want something just because it's different from what everyone else has. And, for the moment, that's the best thing the RX-8 has going for it. Also, it apparently is pretty good at most of these things, if not the best at any of them. It's got SOME power, while not as much as the others; it's better looking then the fugly STi or Evolution; etc. So I can see how it will sell some cars, sure. I just doubt that it will be THE must-have car of the year, like the Mini and Z were last year.
 
yup, i agree with most of you...the RX-8 has some strong points but mostly down points.....too late into the market was my final conclusion. it was originally set for the end of last year as the debut...even with an intro in X2 the RX-8 did not sell out its first batch.....

c'mon...that's gotta say something about the anticipation of the car.

as for in-person impression, you must see one to judge for yourself.

there are cars that look better in person than advertising and vice versa.

this one happens to look nice in the mags but not very impressive in real life....IMO

the silver one is the mazdaspeed RX-8...i agree that one looks neat. HKS supposedly has a 300bhp turbocharged rotary one.

who knows, there might be one sitting in my garage a few months from now......some say a newborn baby will change a man's priorities and views about life......yes, we're expecting our first born next sunday!! the ridiculously small rear seats will fit an infant seat perfectly!:D
 
Do you really want to drive a car that looks like Bugs Bunny? :D

(from April issue of Car and Driver):
 

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I have to disagree. I went and sat in one last week and it was very nice inside. The backseats are far from a joke. I sat in the back with no problem and a guy that was 6'2 sat next to me.. we both had legroom and headroom.

Also, maybe in a place like silicon valley they have 8 available. In Canada they are all sold out and where i live they had 3 coming in and all were sold. There is a strong demand for this car.

THe exterior looks good, not great, but good. The interior is FAR better than a 350Z, evo and maybe tied with the S2000.

Are you saying "250hp 6-sp NA for $31k (before taxes)" is a dcwnside? What about the NSX with 290HP for 90K before taxes? Don't really understand that point.

power: 350Z -- if you like TQ, then yes.. if you prefer reves, this would be more your style.
convertible: S2000 - no question here..
4 seater: EVO, STi (also AWD) -- the RX8 is WAY better looking than the EVO and STi. It also has a lot better quality materials and I would guess the build quality is far better also.
for fun: mini cooper S -- never driven one..
looks: any of the above -- once again, i disagree.

I will drive on in the next few weeks and let you all know what I think..
 
I'm really impressed with the interior of the RX8. The gauge layout is awesome and I like the how thin the front seats are. The rest of the interior looks and feels quite sporty. The Evo8's interior is just so bland and dull. Haven't seen an STi's interior in person yet though.

Exterior of the RX8 is either you love it or hate it. I don't really like the looks too much. Not much into the futuristic look of the RX8 or the overly agressive look of the STi and Evo8.

Haven't paid too much attention to the 350Z. I'll have to look at one up close some day.
 
After Blue Knight posted his remarks, I swung by my local Mazda dealership (in Sunnyvale) and the sales person made the same remarks about all of the units being sold at MSRP. Perhaps Blue Knight and I went to the same dealership.

I have to admit I am pretty surprised that they are being sold at MSRP (but it also seems like this particular dealership received an exorbitant number of vehicles).

Given the wildy varying opinions on the interior/exterior, I guess I will add my observations to the confusion:

1) The interior looks really cheap IMHO. I feel it is inferior to the S2000 and on par with the WRX, EVO, etc.

Anything that is silver in that car is plastic and it looks plastic. The plastic does a very poor imitation of being metal.

The seats are really cheap. The bolsters are covered in some sort of rubber or vinyl and it just makes the whole car seem very cheap. I suppose in time, the bolsters will wear better (or not wear at all), but it is a huge turn off.

I did like the gauge cluster and the rear seats were larger than I expected; although let there be no doubt, this car still has the interior dimensions of a 2 + 2 and not a 4 door sedan. When I pushed the seat all the way back, no leg room was left for the passenger seats.

2) I had problems fitting into the car. I'm 6'3". I had to move the seat all the way back and recline the seat close to a 45 degree angle to create enough headroom. The combination of my seating position, windshield size, and windshield angle would prevent me from seeing stoplights with crooking my body over.

3) I like the exterior. To me, it looked better in real life than in the magazines I have seen. I think it looks better than the WRX, Evo, etc. I'm a big fan of the S2000, so I won't make that comparison, but overall I am impressed with the exterior. Others will disagree, I'm sure.

I also love the rear passenger doors. Very cool.

4) The shifter is very short. I consider that a plus.

In the end, I thought about driving it; but I don't like wasting people's time so I decided to pass. Quite frankly, because the car doesn't fit me properly, I'd probably never buy it... but if I was a smaller person, I'd consider it. I would be very tempted to reupholster the seats however as soon as I purchased it.
 
I bought this BM Video at a japanese bookstore. Its the 1st full test by them.

http://www.bestmotoring.jp/digest/BM/0307.html

0307_01.jpg


0307_06.jpg


0307_08.jpg


The RX8 performed extremely poorly!

It couldn't keep up with the S2000, G35 Coupe, Integra Type R, and Non-Sti WRX. The only car that it beat was the Miata!

There were alot of straights in this race, and each car just blew the RX8 on the straights. There was no competition!

Mazda is probably kicking themselves for letting them test the RX8. Very disappointing car.
 
Oh, almost forgot about the S2000. Sat in one at the car show, fits me like a glove!

Interior is quite nice as well, definitely better quality and feel than the RX8. But I still feel the RX8 interior is better than what the Evo8 has to offer.
 
I was shocked today when my wife and I were watching T.V. and they had a little clip on this car and she really liked it. I have held out opinion yet until I see one in person. But then again, I did just buy the wife a new waterbed so she might've just been being nice to me? :confused:
I'll find out tonight !! :D
 
man, our community is awesome.....we should be doing the bestmotoring USA chapter.....for our detailed reviews.

once again, i agree there are some cool and new gadgets in this car.....but now i guess i'll have to wait a few months to testdrive one before i really know how it drives.

though it already failed my personal aesthetics test....

that's my honest opinion for owning both the S2000 and NSX....these two honda cars are second to none for my personal taste.....

i guess my standards are set everytime i see a new car intro.....i must admit i'm biased in every way.....who isn't?

i'm sure RX-7 fans had been waiting pretty long for this....hope i didn't offend any fans out there. :)

as for the comment on silicon valley location yielding so many RX-8s, i must say that this valley normally has the highest markups and longest waiting lists......i have been here for 20 years and can testify to that.....hi tech central certainly has it's negative impacts for car buyers here.

my friends, colleagues that bought their M3s, mini coopers, 350
Zs, EVOs, STis and including my S2000, all had to get cars either out of state or somewhere far from this valley.....

that's why i was confused why the RX-8 broke this trend......
 
Brian2by2 said:
thats actually distance...not time :-D
Click to expand...

oops...my bad. good catch. what i meant to say was i wouldn't buy it even if the dealership was a million light years away.....

wait....that doesn't sound right either.....forget it.
 
Blue Knight said:


though it already failed my personal aesthetics test....

that's my honest opinion for owning both the S2000 and NSX....these two honda cars are second to none for my personal taste.....

i guess my standards are set everytime i see a new car intro.....i must admit i'm biased in every way.....who isn't?

i'm sure RX-7 fans had been waiting pretty long for this....hope i didn't offend any fans out there. :)
Click to expand...

No offense taken, just glad the rotary is back. :) Though the RX8 will never replace the 3rd gen RX7, it is something new and something more practical to sell before Ford shuts down rotaries forever.

Standards for NSX owners are pretty high indeed. After all, the NSX is a VERY high quality car and its hard to go back to something less. :D I've sat in an NSX and the ergonomics and front view is amazing. Everything feels just in the right place and the vinyl, leather, plastic were very high in quality and tight fitting. (Unlike a Vette or Viper for example.) Which I must say I had myself straining my neck (to get a better view) since the roof was tall and long.

Like always, Honda sets the standards for quality and ergonomics.
 
Not sure if this is true but I think the 4th gen RX7 depends on the success of the RX8. The 3rd gen RX7, when released in the states, were notorious for having many problems and recalls.
 
it would be nice to see the RX-7 come back......

japan still sold their special edition RX-7s until pretty recently.
 
2006 Mazda RX-7

With the launch of the RX-8, Mazda has a unique platform, one that it does not share with any brand within Ford. To help justify the business case for this platform, the company must build more than one model on it. Our recent discussions with engineers in Japan have revealed that they are working on the fourth-generation RX-7 sports car. With the RX-8's new 250-hp rotary engine and a weight of about 2700 pounds, the car should be a worthy successor to previous RX-7 models. The 2006 version will be available as both a coupe and a convertible. And since Mazda has created its own performance group, MazdaSpeed, you can expect a turbocharged version--with as much as 100 hp added--a few years after the car's reintroduction.

source:

http://popularmechanics.com/automotive/spy_reports/
 
sometimes i don't the see the value of these performance divisions such as mazdaspeed, TRD, etc.....

they charge too much $$$ for these mods though they've got full warranty.

for example, you buy a car and pay a few $Ks for these mods. in reality, you're not getting an extra set of parts like you would if you had performed aftermarket mods after the purchase. you're only getting a set of replacement parts and they charge you the same if not more.

when i testdrove the mini cooper s, the sales guy was cool. he has been a pro racing instructor for over 10 years and he truthfully recommended a few other aftermarket sites to me for the cooper s. he said rather than paying $5k for the JCW package, i could pay half the price and get the same results elsewhere.

i guess it all boils down to warranty vs value.
 
RX-8 Best motoring videos are here (enjoy):

-- Part 08 - 12:40 min (85MB)
00:35:53 - Tsukuba Battle, starting grid:
1. Roadster: Dragon Michigama
2. RX-8: Takuya Kurosawa
3. Integra TypeR: Naoki Hattori
4. S2000: Motoharu Kurosawa (Gan-san)
5. Skyline Coupe: Akihiko Nakaya
6. WRX: Takayuki Kinoshita
00:45:32 - Results

http://www.rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMOTORing_2003.07_Part08.avi.zip

-- Part 03 - 08:53 min (59MB)
00:07:57 - a tachometer history of the rotary
00:08:24 - RX-8 overview
00:09:59 - 0-400m test
00:10:20 - RX-8, high speed track, lane change tests
00:13:07 - Skyline Coupe, 330i M (SMG) tests

http://www.rasterwerks.com/vid/BestMOTORing_2003.07_Part03.avi.zip
 

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