motortrend, road and track, and car and driver all gave the rx8 0-60 times of either 5.9s, 6.3s, or 6.4 (I forget which times correspond to which mag, but I keep hearing 6.3-6.4 for the cobalt, and I dont get how you all keep saying the rx8 will get toasted by it. The ionredline has similar 0-60, and I think the rx8 would very much compete with both of those.

As for no one cross shopping with those cars, I am someone who has looked at each extensively. I never even considered an s2000 or a 350z simply because they only have 2 seats, but what can I say? I want a car with some punch, and with 158 ftlb of torque, I'm not sure if the rx8 really has it. Naturally cars like the srt4 seem like a viable option.

 

Let me know how long your clutch lasts dumping the clutch at 7000 rpm's

 

I would assume all cars tested are put through some serious abuse like that in order to get the 0-60s posted. Why would they rev the rx8 so high and not some of the others?

 

Other cars don't need to be dropped from that high, they have torque.

 

I agree that people do take things personally around here, but I guess they are just really into their cars. As far as the Cobalt, I do feel GM as a whole is beginning to really improve their product. Although they still have room for improvement, I think product-wise they are coming out with the right models (Aztek not included) and at least mechanically appear to have put most of their problems behind them. I would certainly rank them far ahead of where Ford & DaimlerChrysler currently stand.

 

Tazzy, have you test driven the 8 yet? If you have the opportunity to really wind one up, I have a feeling you will forget about the torque, unless you are coming from a Mustang or something like that. I would bet that if you could justify the extra $$$ vs. the other cars you mentioned, the 8 would be high on your list. Let us know what you end up choosing.

 

The chest pumping is all ego! The RX-8 is an expensive car, and it is hard for some people to deal with the reality that a Dodge Neon is faster. When push comes to shove, the only things that hold water are performance numbers. Looks, Elegance, Class, and Quality (to somewhat of a lesser degree) are all subjective. I could love the styling of the SRT-4, and you can’t argue with me. My experiences/opinions are the only thing that is relevant. This is why the RX-8 owner is so frustrated, and consequently why it gets so ugly. Most sports cars are better on paper than the 8, and you can’t argue with the numbers, nor can you counter with opinions. So 8 owners bash instead

I don't know if Mazda underestimated where horsepower’s would be by the time the car was released or they just didn't care, but they dropped the ball. In any case, I believe the car will start to suffer sales loses as more people become aware of the horsepower/torque issue. Current owners will continue dreading the SRT-4 encounter, and I will continue to shake my head at these treads.

 

That's why I have to think that Mazda will come out with something stronger in 2006 or 2007. Either a MS8 or less likely, a new RX-7.

 

The question is why did they wait? The longer the 8 stays in the market as a light weight, the harder it will be to overcome the bias. Also, as the plans for a more powerful car come out, the hp's on surrounding platforms go up.

After seeing how long it takes to make advances in the rotor, I'm not sure that Mazda can keep pace with piston progress. Any advance made in regards to HP with the 8, will certainly come at the expense of reliability. This is probably why the 8 is NA.

 

I have test driven the auto rx8, but didn't really floor it. I thought the sales dude might not like me doing that to their car, but maybe I should go back and see what it can do for comparison sake. Coming from an auto grand cherokee, maybe it will feel like a lotta torque to me. I can drive a manual, but I dont trust myself on a dealers car like that, as much as I still stall.

About the srt4, I dont see how in the heck you like it lol, and as for quality, having your car fall apart after 30,000 miles isn't exactly subjective (not saying it will, but anyone would consider that bad quality).

 

Whose SRT-4 fell apart after 30,000 miles?

 

When I say subjective in terms of quality, I mean some people expect more, and some people can live with a couple of issues. So in other words, if my car broke down 3 times I might think it was still reliable, while someone else might not.

I don't know if it's fair to say a neon will fall apart at 30,000 miles. The one I drove had well over 100,000 when it was sold. Granted it was not boosted, but the car comes with a warranty.

I also never said I liked and SRT-4, if I did, I would own one right now, and have a lot more money in my pocket.

 

Ok I was only saying quality isn't so subjective, not that an srt4 will fall apart that quick, but the way people talk about them it seems that way.

 

This is the talk that makes us look like idiots. If you are going to make a statment make sure that you can back it up. I don't know if SRT-4's are reliable, and quite frankly I don't think it's relevant. People don't buy that car for reliability, they buy it for street racing. If your true concern is reliability I don't think Mazda is a good choice either. You should have bought a Toyota.

 

I'm sure you meant 'racing' instead of 'street racing' right

 

No STREET RACING. I'm not talking about my car, or something I did.

 

well then I defer you to your first sentence of your previous post.

"This is the talk that makes us look like idiots"

It's unfortunate that people street race them, but people street race a lot of different cars. Just as many probably buy it for Auto X and track days.

 

I never really thought about that, and I guess your right. Futhermore I appoligize if I offended anyone. However, I can back up the fact that a good number of the people who buy SRT-4's race them. The evidence lies in the fact that the car has one of the highest insurance rates in the industry. I also know you've visited their forums, I don't think any of the people who post in them will have issue with my statement?

 

I think there are three main buyers for the RX-8.

Buyer #1.) Appreciates the RX-8 as a well balanced fun to drive sportscar, they like RWD, they like to rev, and just love how well the RX-8 becomes an extension of yourself when driving it.

Buyer #2.) Buys the RX-8 for looks first and foremost, all that other stuff is nice but they just love how pretty they think their car is.

Buyer #3.) Loves the rotary and will buy whatever new sportscar Mazda comes out with that has the rotary.

There are certainly people that fall in the middle and will purchase the car as well or people that will purchase it for being more practical than a Z or S2K, but even those buyers will fall into 1 or 2 for the most part. I fall into #1, however I wouldn't buy the RX-8 simply because I'm a bit of a power freak. Had Mazda given the Rx-8 a little more get up and go I think the car would have a lot more buyers than it does now. Mazda keeps putting out cars that are critically aclaimed but always have that sidenote about how it could use a little more power, I can't figure out why they don't do something about it.

 

I think Mazda took its lumps from the RX-7 and now the corporate line is conservative over cutting edge. Rather than take a chance with reliability issues Mazda decided to keep the 8’s power down. No good car company approaches a build that way; you have to break a couple of eggs to make an omelet. If Mazda does not take a chance with the future incantations of the 8, the rotary engine will soon be gone!

 

It's certainly a car that streetracers and wannabe streetracers will look towards.
I will add though that I've seen about 10 different SRT-4s at the local autox. We have a very active division and we've had as many as 15 S2Ks at a single event, but I've only ever seen one RX-8 show up.

I also agree that the SRT-4 forums can be quite comical and moronic, so much so that many of the more mature SRT-4 owners have made ClubWRX their home.

 

How did he do?

 

Not so hot, but I think the car was bonestock and I'm guessing he was new to autox.

 

Why am I not Surprised.