BVD

Hi all,

Just out of interest, and perhaps for the benefit of any silent readers of the forum who are not yet owners, why did you decide to buy an RX8? Had you been following their development? Owned previous rotaries, or what?

In my case I had not taken much interest in cars for quite a few years, so when I wanted a new one a few months ago I had little idea where to start looking.

I began a long trudge around dealers, over several weeks, with no particular style or price bracket in mind. I looked at everything from 4 wheel drives to Jags, BMWs (both sports and sedans), Peugot, Volvo, etc plus Honda Integra and S2000, Suburu WRX, Hyundai Tiberon, Toyota Celica and MR2, Nissan 350Z, etc. And I also wanted to see the MX5 which reminded me in some ways of the fun I had in the 60s and 70s with an open MGA and an MGA Twin Cam coupe.

However, on the way to look at the MX5 I had to pass the RX8 in the showroom. Wow, I thought, that’s an intriguing car – I must look it up on the net and see what I can find out.

So I did, and then sternly reminded myself of all the reasons not to buy it. I saw them as follows:

New engine, drive train and electronics that would not yet have been fully proven in the marketplace or have accumulated much service experience among local mechanics. (True….)

Parts, tyres etc would be expensive. (True)

Seductively quick. Would I go silly? (Cough, Cough….)

Fear of leaving it in supermarket carparks. (Still true)

More expensive than the MX5 or any of the 4 seater coupes I looked at. (True)

It would attract more looks and comments than my usual cars. I’m not usually a “look at me and my car” type. (Definitely True!)

Blah, blah, blah...

So I kept looking.

But I kept thinking about the RX8, downloading pics and info etc. I either test drove or just sat in numerous other cars, but nothing simply put a smile on my face like the RX8 did. I also liked the 4 seats – which I see not so much as a family car deal but more a sports car for people who want to share it with more than one friend at a time.

Finally, my wife said “Go and get it – it’s the only one you’ve really loved”. So I did. (Always obey the wife when she tells you to go and buy a sports car).

Since then, I’ve loved every minute of owning it. It has style and character. It’s beautifully finished inside and very comfortable. Everything seems placed just where it should be, and it has everything that I want yet no surplus crap that i don't want. And it’s also extraordinarily flexible in the different ways you can drive it, and is an absolute blast when you drive it hard. It has a true sports feel yet it’s not so much of a handful that it becomes awkward or impractical for regular use.

An outstanding car that can bring a smile to my face just thinking about it, and which makes me feel almost guilty in traffic, as I have this odd but unshakeable notion that it just made every other driver’s car feel inferior by driving past… :D

So why did you buy yours?

Lock & Load

BVD

You have said it all .

Rotary engine biggest factor in purchasing , i jointly owned R100 in 1972 .

After spending 7months researching vehicle , i knew it was for me .

Right combination of : performance ,handling , seating , looks and style , bad boy image , lovely sound of rotary exhaust , bargain buying .but above all got sick of the other good but boooriing cars AUDI , BMW . MERCEDES ,SAAB , VOLVO , tHE ONLY OTHER CAR I WAS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING WAS THE HONDA S2000.

Knowing the chassi problems and the lack of seating + the fact that there is a HONDA S 2200 on its way with improved power and chassy made my decision easier .

One thing that i was always certain ofwas that i wanted the LIGHTINING YELLOW .

michael

zerohour

The car to me is just awsome.

The car is so solid, awsome around turns, has a 9k redline, has immense modding potential, the looks are just awsome as well, and you never know when life may require you to have four doors.

These are just some of the awsome aspects of this car.

It also seems that you are beginning to like the attention from the car hehe. That is pretty nice too lol. I dont need oodles of power however im shooting to get as close to 300whp as i can get. Its feasable i believe and to have such a fast comfortable sexy NA 9k redline stiff suspension rotary rocket will be a real treat.

takahashi

I was in love with the S2000 too... it is such a nice car. Same L&L the extra 2 seats at the back is very good. It is a more comfy car in the RX8 than the S2k but man! I really want a convertable - hey any man going to suggest to Mazda to have a conv. RX8?

BVD

That was a real bonus for me too. When I had my rather sedate test drive the car seemed surprisingly quiet. I guess I was too busy concentrating on other aspects.

But once I owned it and discovered that beautiful rotary sound as you push it up through the gears.... well, I'm completely addicted.

The great compensation for having to stop or slow down in an RX8, is you get to listen to that lovely crisp buzz as you get back up to speed again. I've become almost fond of traffic lights...
:D

druck

I was still enjoying my MX3 V6 after 5 years, but it had done over 100,000miles and I was racking up more at an alarming rate. I wasn't considering buying new, but looking at various cars from such from the Subraru WRX and Misti Evo to the Porche Boxter and TVR Cerbera (not that I could aford to run one). I did want something a bit different so I considered the Nissan 300ZX and Mitsi GT3000 and RX7, but it was very difficult find examples which hadn't been thrashed or stolen in Japan or both. I dont like the shape of the TT, and dont particularly like two seater convertables.

I'd seen the RX8-Evolv prototype at the Birmingham motor show in 2000, but didn't think much of the styling. When I first heared of the RX8, the only pictures were of the pre-production prototype which looked a bit soft at the front. But when I saw the pictures of the production RX8 it had undergone an amazing external transformation, the interior was stunning. I was a litte wary of a rotory, but I knew Mazda was rock solid for reliability from the MX3, so the promise of 240hp and 9000rpm clinched it.

So out went my £15K budget for a used car, I couldn't wait for RX8 to come on the used market, I had to be the first on the road with such an distinctive new car. Damn the depreciation, £22K is an absolute bargin compared to the cost of other new cars. I ordered the red with red and black leather just like in the brouchure from the website, and after an agongising 6 months of waiting I collected in the first week of it being delivered, and have been having a fantastic time I ever since.

Cheers
---Dave

Maestro

Well I'm not sure if I should actually be writing something here as I don't technically own one.

But anyway......

I've actually never owned a piston car in my life.

I started off with a 1987 Turbo RX-7 GTR which was cool but nothing too exciting but fun never the less and my fisrt car and rotary.

I then managed to come across a 91 Mazda LM Edition
it was damaged but was the ultimate Series 5 RX-7 to have as it was the last and had all the MazdaSpeed bits so I bought the 91 and had the 87 so I combined the 87 GTR with the LM which was great because the 87 GTR has the lighter chassis. (13.4 best E/T)

Thats was all fine and I was really happy with the car.

Then my mate was drunk one night nd asked me to drive his FD RX-7 home. Needless to say I was SOLD !!!! I went out and bought the FD the next day ( Well I had to find one first but if I found one the next day I would have bought one )

So the RX-7 FD used to be my daily driver at the time I was Working as a Salesman for Lamboghini but even the exotics I was driving were no comparrsion for the RX-7 and to be honest my Heart was with Mazda. So I applied for a Job for Mazda.

To cut a long storey short I got the job and started for Mazda.

I had been following the Rx-8 program from day one. As my old Japanese student went on to become a engineer for Mazda E & T Japan and he had a FD in Japan and from the time he stayed with us that was the car I wanted to have.

Fast Forward

I flew to Aussie (Pre-Mazda emplyment) to see the Rx-Evolv at the sydney motor show and spent ages just drooling over the car.

Fast Forward (Now Mazda Employment)

The the big boys toys show was happening Mazda Nz told us we were having a pre prototype version of the Rx-8 the night before the show I honestly couldn't sleep.

The car looked sooooo mean and was looked up in a cage and the car was an instant sucess over here.

Two weeked later the exact car we borrowed for the Hot import nights show and I actually managed to take it for a small stint. (Shhhhhhhh!)

I loved it it was one of the best cars I have ever drivin (also no one had one so it made it 100 time better.)

Oh and it was 206kW (hehehe :P) Oppppps !!

From that moment on the RX-8 was my baby.

Fast forward now to the RX-8 release in Nz. Mazda sent me down to Taupo raceway to test the RX-8.

Damn I was amazed this car handles better on a racetrack that 1/2 the race cars I have drivin I came back with one of the bigest smiles on my face I have ever had from driving a car. The handling is absolutly amazing and I admit if you ever have the oportunity to take your 8's on a track


DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Though I don't have one I actully own (but drive one almost everyday) I can fully understand why you guys love them so much and my personal advice is that guy have chosen, and chosen extremely well.

Put it this way if someone calls me regaurding a RX-8 I actually physiclly go jump in the car and relive my driving experience with the customer.

Also for $62k NZD there is nothing else that comes close.

All I can say is Mazda the rotary is here and here to stay as has clamied it space in automotive history.

Keep em coming !!!

Wildcard

Awesome thread BVD! It's great to get back to the heart and soul of the RX-8 every now and again. We tend to get a bit bogged down here every now and again bickering over which type of oil to use or which ECU we've got and forget just how lucky we are to own this car in the first place!

I got bitten by the "Fast & the Furious" bug a few years back and started looking at second hand Skylines, Supra's, RX-7's etc. to replace my old 1.8L Lancer. I was also looking in the new car market at 200SX's, the Ralli-art Magna (front wheel drive ) and eventually the 350z.

In the end, I couldn't see the point in spending 40-50K on a 5 y.o. second hand car when a new RX-8 was only an extra 10K more. On the new car stakes, nothing under 50K really had the performance I was after (aside from the WRX, but they are too common IMO). I test drove the Zed (twice) but quickly decided that it wasn't worth the money and was too much of a compromise in many areas.

So I went with the '8. As I was a pre-order, I didn't see a real RX-8 in the flesh until 2 months after I laid my deposit down. What convinced me though were the preliminary reviews on the internet, the Mazda website and of course... the RX-8 forum.

I've never looked back.

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

BDV - Well done on a great thread starter. Triple posts for you (still haven't found that button)

Great write ups by everyone, really. DGW made a great point about getting back to what we like about the cars, rather than bickering over oils etc.

I don't need to say much. My 2 favourite engines are rotaries and V8's. Plus I had owned 4 new Mazda's previously. I hadn't owned a rotary before, and my SS needed money spend on upgrading the brake package - so I bought a bigger brake package in the form of a new car. Hehehe.

Never looked back since.

Cheers,
Hymee.

Lock & Load

takahashi

If i keep the rx8 long enough i will look at doing an aftermarket / convertable conversion , if you are interested there are some real good aftermarket companys that do them cost around $ 7000 however the more they do the costs should come down .

Apparently mazda may do a convertable rx8 but that could be a few years away , id hate to see the costs .

michael

How is the cute female surgeon going ? maybe she can perform Fe#$%^$ on the rx8. ha ha ha.

labrat

What else can you get for AUD56k that even comes close?

Choppy

Nothing really comes close but the 350Z is an option.. One that i did not take up but you can also look at the BMW 320Ci.

I took almost ten cars for a test drive and not being a rotary fan as such fell in love with the RX8.

Now expecting delivery in Feb.

I got myself the best Christmas present ever eheh

Regards
Phillip

Jaycee

Great thread guys. I drove an MX6 for six years and couldn't find anything to replace it until the 8 came along. Its my first rotary and I love it. Great car

Kas

I like rotary's. I think the engine is both unique and unreal to drive. I have owned rotary's before and 'touch wood' have all been great engines for me. Just buy 1.

timbo

I really don't think I can say anything different from those above, or Mike Rutherford, of Evo UK, who gave the 8 his 'car of the year' award

Evo UK thread

Four months after getting the car, I still get complete strangers coming up to me and remarking on what a great looking car it is (even when bug smeared ) and asking how it is going :p

I can't even begin to think what I would replace it with, in a few years time, but it will have to be a pretty special car. Or the timely evolution of the 8

I have had six Mazdas previously; this is my first rotary. Hitherto, my favourite Mazda was my 96 323 Astina hardtop with the 2L V6; and my previous favourite car an 88 Volvo 740 Turbo wagon (ok, give me sh&t, but for carrying kids and being a real Q ship, that car was unreal); the RX-8 builds on those and then some