Well...I don't know what to say.
I traded in my ragged out 2001 Camaro Z28 with 60,000 Miles
for a 2002 Camaro Z28 with T-Tops 8,000 Miles for $19 after haggling the dealer. The RX8 would have run $10 more!

This do a few f things for me.
1. Put off my decision for the RX8. The dealerships pressured me!
I hate being pressured. The dealerships keep saying the price
is going up be the lucky one to get it before the demand rises.
2. Save me tons of money for a car that's slower and with even less HP than originally reported.
3. Allow me to consider a used RX8.

The final reasons were complaints I read on here and the lightness of the car. I rather have a V8 in front of me if I am ever in a real bad wreck.

On a lighter note I loved what I read about the RX8 in the magazines and what I saw on TV. I was dying to get one. I just have the opportunity now to sit back and continue reading this board. I think some things like 238HP v 250HP and driver leg room need addressed by Mazda.

 

I don't know of anyone who cross shopped the RX8 with a Camaro. Differences are way too many to list.

Have you driven the RX8? If you're the least bit interested in one, you owe it to yourself to drive one and the differences will be very apparent. I suppose this is a moot point given you already bought a used Camaro.

I don't quite understand your purchase prices.

 

I will drive one! I want to drive an RX8! I just won't feel pressured to buy one. Its all about delay. What dealership is going to believe me when I pull up in a 2002 Z28 that I am shopping for a RX8????

I am glad I go rid of my 2001 Z28 with 60,000 Miles of abuse.


Purchase prices:
2002 Z28 8,000 Miles $19
2003 RX8 0 Miles $29 with a couple of options

Thats $10K difference between 2 RWD Sports cars both new.
I am not trying to tell you all to get a Z28 because they are no longer made and used ones are very questionable. Just my decision.

 

Certainly understand your decision.

Being a "muscle car" lover myself, I know the feeling you get when you drop the hammer in a small block V8 muscle car.

That said, as you already found out, the late model LS1s are fairly woeful when it comes to reliability and build quality. Why GM could never figure this out is a mystery to me. While not known for their build quality, Mustangs were still built better than the Z28s/Trans Ams. That's why Mustangs are still being made and GM's muscle cars aren't. Having owned one, you already know this, though. My brother-in-law has a 3 year old Z28 with 30K miles on the clock. You'd think that it had 130K miles on it. But, it will blow the doors off my RX8 running stop light to stop light. Throw some turns and sweepers into the mix and I've left him in the dust, though.

RX8 is a different car entirely, however. It's a high quality, high rever, high handling limit, light on its feet, precision sports car. The only true way to understand it is to drive one.

If 0-60 and 1/4 mile straight line acceleration are your primary criteria for owning a car, you went in the right direction.

Personally, if I were in the market for a 0-60 screamer, I'd opt for a Ford F-150 Lightning. At least I'd have some capacity to take my stuff with me while blasting from the stoplights.

 

You might get crap for that line

All things considered it's a good deal for you, $-wise, but it would be interesting to see what an RX-8 will sell for almost-new like the Z28 you bought, with some depreciation already accounted for. Of course, it will take time for those to show on the lots though.

Good luck with the Z28...hope the prev owner had a comfortable (to you) reason for parting ways after 8k. Enjoy the torque - be careful

 

I know a person who makes his living buying and selling high line used autos. He hits the auctions regularly. While there are only a few RX8s on the used market right now, he's seen a couple at the auctions. He said they are going at or near MSRP at the auctions. After you take the auction and transport fees out, they are essentiall selling within $1K of what a new one costs. I think that bodes well.

 

Mustangs build better then GM twins? I don't think so. The inside of a mustang looks dated, looks cheap, shifting sounds like like something is loose.

I never understood why people keep getting them.

Now if the RX8 was a hatchback with fold down seats imagine what you could fit in there!

Can't even fit a small printer in the trunk because of the narrow opening.

That and the mpg, mazda goof of 250 hp for 3 years saying yea its going to be 250hp made me change my mind.

 

Let me restate this. Why would a dealership or salesman take me seriously driving up in a brand new Z28 that I am looking for an RX8? Wouldn't they wonder? I just scraped off the Sold word on my window!

Now I just have 4 years to think about it. And I know the Z28 is not the same quality or will hold its value...Trust me I was screwed on the trade in.

 

It's more of an inditement of the GM pony cars than a testament of the Mustang. I've owned both. At least my experience told me that the Mustang was built better. Both the GM twins and the Mustang weren't neccesarily models of finesse. They had hard as nails clutches with shifters that felt like they were moving through rocks.

Regarding room in the RX8, I've got a multi-purpose fax/printer/scanner sitting in my trunk right now. I'm dropping it off for repair tonight. How big of a printer are you trying to fit in there?

I can fit two weeks of groceries in the trunk, no sweat. I've also fit two golf bags back there. Personally, I'm amazed at how much I can stuff into the trunk. It's not going to measure up to a mainstream sedan's trunk space, but it works quite well for me.

Regarding the power issue, it's been talked to death in here. Suffice to say, it's got the same power as it had when I test drive one. Nothing has changed in my car except some numbers on the sticker. I'm still pretty amazed at what this car can do.

 

r u kidding? salesmen love to guys like you.. anyone driving in with a nice sportscar is bound to be impressed by the RX8...

When I bought my 8, I drove in with my AudiTT (which looks brand spanking new), and they were all over me like sharks.

 

Ha I drove into a vette dealer and they were impressed with my rx8. Amazing they never seen one yet. No I didn't get a used vette.

With the RX8 trunk opening I could not fit a small multi printer, scanner, fax machine.

I'm not sure even a standard airline carry on bag would fit.

I had to put it in the back seat.

 

this thread is the first time I've heard CAMARO on this forum

 

well i posted this the other day but here is what i fit in my rx-8:

how about :
in the trunk-
1 2 person tent
1 bag of tent poles and pegs
2 sleeping bags
2 sleeping pads
2 carry on size suit cases
1 picnic basket full of variuos pots pans and untensils etc
1 small backpack
2 gallons of water
a couple or 4 extra pairs of shoes
plus 2 quarts of oil and the tire inflation kit which are always there in the trunk.

1 cooler on a back seat, safely buckled in. and on the return trip a nice case of napa valley wine buckled in the other seat. plus me and my wife plus a couple of jackets, hat etc. not bad for a sports car on a week long,2000 mile journey through northern cali :D

and yes they were normal size (and fit in the"test the size of your carry-on" thing) carry-ons that have small wheels on the bottom and a telescoping handle. i should go home and put all of that stuff back in and take a pic

 

exactly what i was thinking. if anyone can compare a camaro to an rx8.. :scratches head:

you say that there's a 10k difference between a camaro and rx8. i have a friend that spent over 10k in keeping his camaro running in 3 years.. I will have spent $0 on maintenence.

 

lol

 

You hope to have spent $0 after three years. You can't guarantee it.

Still, if I was betting on reliability, I would bet on the RX8 vs. the Camaro too.

 

I may think the RX8 is a better car, but if your happy with your F-Body then that is great as well. A car is for you and it should make you happy.

For some people different cars make more sense. So until you are looking at a used 8 in a few year enjoy the car.

 

OK, he will probably have to buy tires. Otherwise - 4 year warranty in US, Mazda's generous free maintenance offer for warranty period = $0.

Regards,
Gordon

 

i had a loaded fencing bag (mask, 2 sabres, 2 gloves, underarm protector, 2 tshirts, pants, socks, gauntlet, electric jacket, 5 body chords about 4ft long each (though very thin, fit in a side pocket), jacket and about 8 other tshirts that i had left in there), a full sport bag (2 bathing suits, 2 towels, sandals, goggles, shampoo), a gallon of water, 2 backpacks filled with books in the back of my 8 (trunk) with room to spare AND A SPARE TIRE TAKING UP HALF THE SPACE WHICH I STILL NEED TO REMOVE

the trunk is surprisingly large

onetime i also had 4 backpacks in there, all FILLED with books, plus my sport bag (yeah, i carry it with me lol)


edit:
oops, forgot to mention my fencing shoes
________
Comparison Of Toyota Hybrids History

 

hehe, when i drove a mustang GT i felt like some part of the car was going to give way through a high speed turn. With the RX-8 its just plain creepy feeling everything centered right below your feet

 

so true

 

This is totally irrelevant.

In any modern car, the engine is designed to drop down out of the way in a frontal collision. What actually protects the passengers in this case is the "crumple zone".

And this is a very good thing, because the engine block is very heavy and very rigid and would otherwise get shoved into the passenger compartment in a frontal collision. I don't know about you, but personally I wouldn't want a 5.7l block stuck in my *********.

Being designed to meet newer and more stringent crash test standards, the RX-8 is probably safer in a collision if this is a big concern. But hey, to each his own.