I was just reading an article on Rotarynews.com, and they asked some mazda reps a few questions on the rotary / RX-8. And as i was reading one line stood out. The line about mazda not having High Horsepower vehicles but driver centric, reliable vehicles.

When the first gen came out , they didnt hook it up like the FD, they had a nice , well rounded sports car that feels GREAT, to help attract people to this new sporty, great feeling sports car that was affordable.

Can it be that mazda is using this same approach in the RX-8, building a strong economic base for the car to get loyal customers and people that never looked into Rotarys before. This way they can avoid excess fuel consumption or any gremlins if they make a high performance rx-8 similar to the FD, and avoid high PRICES that can damage the cars reputation before it even begins?.

So if my theory is correct it will be a while before we see a nice RX-8 worthy of standing its ground with the FD.

Or i can just be totally wrong and they just come up with a new RX-7

Jason NYC

 

Thaat sounds reasonable but we just have to wait and see.

 

Avoid excess fuel consumption? That's funny. My FD gets better gas milage than my rx-8.

 

Well we gotta give it up to mazda, they made a very intersting chasis for the rx-8 similar to that of the Honda s2000, and the design of having 4 doors but it looks like it has two , makes it unique among the other sport cars on the road. Sure it doesnt measure up to the FD but its a good , fun to drive car which i beleive is the ZOOM ZOOM aspect mazda is trying to become known for. Look at the miata, its a great lil car feels great and due to its lightness the 4 banger makes it very enjoyable. I drove a RX-8 a few times now and its fun, got more bang than my FC lol.

ANd the FD had 250hp stock and the rx8 has 238, not bad if you asked me from a n/a system, just that its very heavy.

I think the main argument about the RX-8 is that everyone is comparing it to the last rx7, the FD which is a super sports car if you ask me. ANd what they need to do is look at the RX-8 as its one breed and look at its good points not comparing every aspect against another car.

Its a good car in my opinion, i think it will help mazda gain new people into rotary engines and who knows after a while might want a more powerful rotary.

When the RX-8 starts coming out in the second hand market when people resell them and people start hooking em up i think we will see some cool stuff.

GIve the SE3p a chance =). wE are all FAMILY!

Jason NYC

 

Well when they do it will be for pennies on the dollar. I bought an 04 RX-8 for right around 30k. Right now, 2 years and 20,000 miles later it's worth 18 grand on a good day. The depreciation on these cars is staggaring....

 

when the rx8 becomes a 2 door model and has a turbo charger ill give it a chance ....ive heard something about them coming out with a 2 door rx8 is this true???

 

ive heard rumors about a 2 door rx8 that should be like an FD but not now , they want to build a market for it.

Jason NYC

 

HeY Jay it's just sad that most people buying the RX8 know nothing about the rotary engine. A few people that i have spoken to about the motor are clueless & a few Blanquitas that daddy just so happen to buy the car for that just think it's cool..Cool i say hey they need a history of the rotary book lol.I even saw a old man with a convertible FC and he was clueless to what i was telling him about the motor . I wonder how these cars last so long in these peoples hands. I met a Doctor at my job he knew the deal with the car cause he had a FB when he was younger going to Med School. And 1 guy with a FD who's plates said 4HRDWRK on his plate. Those are the people i respect with a rotaries not the Bandwagoneers that know nothing and think that rotaries have cams or pistons lol

 

I thought all Mazda's had pistons and cams

 

When the first gen came out it was very fast compared to the competion. Insurance was high and the car would run heads up with a new vette. Put an exhaust/header on the car and mop up !

 

This has never changed from day one. When I purchased my '89 RX-7 TII new in May 1989, my third "7", history dictated that it would depreciated greater than a comparable priced Corvette. At that time they were almost the same list price, similar to the FD's/Vettes when new. The public has never been fond of a rotary powered vehicle, and after AutoWeek's long term test, that just solidified this even more. The RX-8 drank so much oil that they had to keep a case in the trunk, along with the "normal" no start problem, and very poor fuel mileage. The public just doesn't want to hear this type of report, so therefore the resale value plummets. It takes a unique type of person to enjoy and maintain a rotary vehicle, or someone trying to get a good-looking, sporty car at 2/3rds the price of a Vette. Most probably purchased the RX-8 without knowing much about the rotary, but after ownership with all the problems, I wonder how many would buy one again.

If Mazda does decide to bring out a high performance version, once again, with the anticpated price tag, along with the poor fuel mileage, they will have a difficult time selling them in the quantities needed to keep production profitable.

It's a shame, the FC in '86 was Motor Trends's Import Car Of The Year, and the FD in '93 was also named Motor Trend's Import Car Of The Year.

The RX-8 was also Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 2003 and was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 2004 and 2005. It was nominated for the North American Car of the Year award for 2004 as well. The RX-8's 8500rpm RENESIS Wankel rotary engine, won International Engine of the Year and Best New Engine awards in 2003 and holds the "2.5 to 3 liter" size award for 2003 and 2004.

All this is great, but it always seems as though it's short lived!

 

That's simple, they last so long because these people don't mod them at all....
Same thing is true with every engine / car. Once you start trying to add power, things start breaking much quicker

 

The RX-8?

 

I think mazda should start giving books with the rx-8 like they used to on how to maintain the rotary and explain and sell it in a way that the rotary is the ****. **** pistons lol

Jason NYC

 

You stole my line.

 

 

Today I got to drive an Rx-8 for the first time, they are awsome.

They have tons of comfort(nice seats, relaxing feel, good ride, and the controls are well placed)

I would defently look into one of these when I am ready to settle down and have a family, I think it would make a great family car.(more so than my FC :P )

I personally think mazda should leave it alone. The Rx-8 is more based on comfort and reliabilty, which is something most of us 7 owners are not accustome to

By doing this mazda opened up a HUGH end of the market that was previously closed to the rotary.

I view it as, if you want speed buy a Rx7 if you want comfort and reliabilty buy a Rx-8 and to be honest I see nothing wrong with that. (yes a rx-8 can be fast, I was talking more on a stock level)

just my 2 cents, ether way its a member of the Rotary family and I welcome it.

 

They're reliable until you start driving them fast or even mildly agressive consistently.
Had Mazda put a real transimission in them and not some Miata crap they would be fine.