Let's not forget that Niassan/Infiniti has also been caught exagerating their hp numbers (re: Q45). Difference is, Mazda pro-actively notified the press and owners of its mistake, Nissan tried to cover up...

 

Im a Z owner and i resprect your objective opinions about the Z. MOST ppl gave there reasons whey they chose the 8 over the Z and not mindless "pig/slow/ugly" CRAP from s2ki.com fanboys.
Hopefully...there arnt too many fanboys joining this forum and making this place hostile

 

350Z is a spectacular car. Performance per dollar can't be matched. It's clearly a true sports car, a more sophisticated version of my M Roadster. I just prefer RX-8 as a complete package, and yes I do like the styling better imho...

 

350z: 3188 lbs.
rx8: ~3000 am I right? I don't think its a weight difference... I think its the fact that some time right after they designed the R34, Nissan forgot how to do a suspension/chassis/interior/exterior/engine. At least the shifter throw is short... pff.

 

According to the weight figures that folks are posting in the racing weight thread the stock sports package RX8 is coming in at 2860 or so which means my base package 6spd is likely about 2850 at most and that's about 350 pounds lighter than a similarly equipped Z....significant enough of a difference to feel on the race track. Nonetheless, certainly you are right that design is a large part of the Z feeling heavier since it does not have a 50/50 balance, has a higher polar moment, etc.

Nonetheless the Z is a striking car....I just flew home from the SEMA show and the Z was without a doubt the most popular car of the show and heavily modified Zs were everywhere with just about every mod you could imagine. I understand that while the Miata has become the best selling sports car of all time, the Z is the best selling sports car of 2003.....and will likely get that title again in 2004 given the current sales pace, quite a success. I just hope the RX8 runs 2500 units a month so that it meets Mazda's goals.

 

I believe the reason so many cars are discussed here, is because everyone is into cars and not very bias in opinions. Usually someone will post something about a car, and it'll be discussed or what not, in a open mined, honest, and intelligent way. I don't remember ever reading on these forums "oh that car is crap, the [whatever] will run all over it cause it's a [insert name of car or company]." No stupidity here, just cars guys discussing what we love best... cars.

 

Lol Mr. Potato head that's too good...

 

The Z interior is simple, but at least you can fit in the car. The RX8 had some serious comfort issues. As far as power/torque goes....the 8 is not even in the same class as the Z.

Slow and uncomfortable. Engine had too much bark, not enough bite.

 

If thats how you feel, then an evo or sti would hsve been better than the z, no?

 

I'm still wondering why people keep trying to compare the RX-8 to the Z, they're totally different cars. Instead they should be comparing the 8 to the G35 coupe.

The Z is a true sports car, whether anyone thinks its heavy, slow or has an ugly interior, it is a sports car and should be compared to other sports cars. Whereas with the 8 Mazda tried to make a practical sporty car, Mazda's answer for the Z would be the RX-7 which we'll hopefully see on this continent again. Sure the Z has more horsepower and torque than the 8, but unless you're going to be racing your car who really cares? I've browsed the Z forums and all they talk about when comparing these cars is how they blew the doors off an RX-8 when the light went green, Wow....you can drive in a straight line, congratulations! I wouldn't be surprised if these cars ran very simliar lap times on a track and the 8 might even be quicker than the 350Z, especially on a tight technical track.

Not having test driven the Z I couldn't give a fair opinion on it but going by looks I think its absolutely gorgeous, maybe even better looking than the 8, at least on the outside. The interior styling is rather bland for a car at this price point though and what was Nissan thinking with that puke beige/orangish leather? Without any form of back seat and the base model in Canada being $7000 more than a fully loaded RX-8 ruled it out for me.

For the price I don't think there's a car out there that can compete with the RX-8 in overall styling, performance and function, it really is in a class of its own. The RX-8 is perfect for the person who wants a sports car but also needs some practicality from it.

 

Every time I read about someone comparing prices between the Z and the 8, its always in Canadian dollars....is everyone on this board from Canada??

 

--Z--...dont take the bait. Most rx8 owners are respectful...let's not turn this into a z vs 8 pissing contest.

 

Hey folks,

I like the Z, but for folks that want to read comparisons, go check the Carpoint review link just posted today in the media section of the forum....an extensive review and they take the RX8 over the 350Z hands down.

Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing

 

Well, no kidding, my friend....it would seem that is a Mazda site.
Hmmm.....Next time you post an example comparison, why don't you find something a little more objective and a little less biased. Thanks.

 

Not at all....although quicker than the Z, those 2 entries definitely lack the looks of the Z. They look too much like econoboxes with oversized wings and vents, thank you.

 

You're kidding right? I've seen more car bashing on this site in the past couple months than I see on other boards in a year. Don't believe me, take a look at this thread. However I like your attitude and feel the same way, I just wish more people on this board had it.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=12963

 

I've learned a lot by jumping around reading different car sites. Everyone just likes the car they drive, and they'll usually defend their car's superiority whatever anybody else says. I just find it so funny now, how other guys identify their masculinity with their car.

We should try to be different in this forum. Why do we have to justify to other people what car we bought? It's your own damned money that you spent on a car that you think is fun to drive. When trolls come around, we should just ignore them. After all the numbers are mentioned, why we think a car is fun is purely subjective, so why go through all the some tired old arguments you find at every car forum.

The purpose of the forum isn't to defend the 8 (or Mazda) against all other cars. It is to get as much enjoyment from the 8 as we can.

 

You sir are a smart man. The 8 DOES NOT need defending!

 

I count:

GodWhomIsMike, Zthang, trash259 & revhappy on this page. That's quite a # of respectful, courteous, adult people considering we've been in <i>soap opera</i> mode since August. Besides, c'mon, it's very hard to bite your tongue when they insult your property.

Ohhh! BTW, ******** STILL EXIST. Some M'F'er threw a couple eggs at my car last week; and mysteriously a 3" long knife-like cut appeared on my rear bumper. If I only knew who the sucker was, he would be going straight to the hospital.

 

Thank god I live in the woods....

 

Sorry to hear that bud, did the egg do any damage or were you able to get it off fast?

 

Sorry to hear that RX-TX, it just seems some people are just haters.

 

I caught it after the yolk was drying..so it took me a while to remove it: warm water, lots of patience, and a good coat of wax from the previous car wash helped. I took it to a detailing shop the next morning and they removed whatever it was left (egg shell pieces..)

What I don't get is the cut on the rear bumper...first I thought I bumper into something, then I looked closer and it looks like a cut: the upper end is wider, and starts to narrow down.

Anyways, this is a signal that we need to move to our own house with garage for....er, 5 cars (don't let the wife know that!, I am planning ahead)

 

You are lucky to live in the Dallas area as houses are pretty dam reasonable there. My brother used to live in Dallas and I could not believe what he got for the $ he paid and salaries aren't too bad there either.

Now try to find something like that in New Jersey.

 

I know!...and no State Tax Witholding either..only Federal, MediCare and SS. I guess we have more virgin land to build on.

I think with 150K you can build yourslelf a ~2000 sq-ft house (well, close to that)