imput1234

iTrader: (6)

I dont think the Z is a POS, and havent drven one but I dont think it will be even close to our car in tearms of fun.

Footman

iTrader: (2)

ahaha.. "Hulk Hogan vs. Bruce Lee"..... Bruce would still kick ***

Flynbri

iTrader: (1)

Just my two cents here, but when I was shopping for cars the 8 and the G35 were my "final two" to choose between. I drove them both multiple times before deciding to buy the 8. The 350 was on the original list, but I have two kids so the backseats really are a necessity . The G35 doesn't feel as fast as a Z nor does it feel as fast as an 8 although I'm sure the new G37 will take us in a quartermile race. I really think the difference is that the G35 and to a certain extent even the Z are designed to please a relatively large market. The G35 was sporty but had that soft "luxury sedan" kind of ride that a lot of people want in a car they spend that amount of money on. The 8 is much more of a 'niche' car aimed at a specific type of person. In the end, I didn't choose either car really, my 8 chose me.

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

Damn you!!!! (Waves fist in aggressive manner)

eforer

I know where your coming from on the G35. I had test driven the Z track coupe and liked it quite a bit. The form factor sucked though so I figured the G35 with its 2+2 configuration and ample trunk space might fit the bill. I test drove it and it was AWFUL. I personally thought the Z (in track coupe config) was pretty good. The G35 was a pig, lost all of the edge of the Z and was enough heavier that the power felt grately diminished. It made the 8 a no brainer. I was surprised how different the G35 was from the z350 track coupe, I mean night and day! It sucked!

Ike

Are you really too numb to figure out that the G35 is supposed to lose the edginess of the Z. It's a sporty luxury coupe, it's not supposed to be a trackday car.

tmak26b

Huh, the track model was basically a base with HID, LSD, and 18" wheels. They didnt get the 300HP until 2005. Even with the 300HP, it's not always faster because they are heavier and they have less torque. The 300HP VQ is having some issue, the new HR is suppose to be a better version of that motor. Of course with increase in power, weight goes up too.

Endgame

I used to have a Stang GT; when I test drove a Z when I was searching for a car, the Z felt ALMOST as heavy as my Stang... I will take my 8 any day over that feeling...

tmak26b

Miata feels good, but it is still slow on the track.

donack456

People have different opinions of what a sport car should be. I agree that the RX-8 is a fine car but it lacks in some areas to me and I'm just scarred of the unnatural law of Physic here. Constant high reving on a engine is not good for reliablity and no clear definition of what oil to use, is not good. Though it seems to do it well and brings alot of joy to lots of fans and drivers. Its does have a lot new technical problems, thats been well documented and I won't repeat. That being said I think there is a lot bias toward the Z car here as this is a Mazda forum. But I'd just like to keep a open mind towards differences as to What others think a Sport Car should be. Fitness and power or Power and fitness as a priority?
The Good and Bad of the RX-8 is most people don't relate a smooth ride with a sport car, nice touch for Mazda.

Others want the sheer excitement of being thrown back in the seat, good handling and excellent brakes that the (you have to admitt, weather lemon pie or not) POPULAR Z car presents. It doesn't have to do everything great just everything good and I think it does that. I don't relate practical or 4 seats with a Sports car. Most Sports cars are bought for the out right pleasure and passion of such a car, not how many chairs or kids I can get in it. Sport Cars in my opinion are expression of freedom of the road, selfish passion of the personal thrill of driving. Almost like a motorcycle.

I recently viewed a video of a comparison of these two cars, where the Z beat the 8 in the quarter by 4-5 car lengths before they stoped filming (as you would expect) and in a race up a mountain's twisting road (I think that was Peerless Moutain) they expected the 8 to win this race, but the Z beat the 8 by 5-6 car lengths though the Rx-8 could close within 4-5 inside a corner.

I must admitt that the 8 rearend never seemed to break loose and the Z's broke loose serveral times. But in the end the Z car won both race. It still was concluded that the Z was a drivers car and the Rx-8 won this comparison test because one of the driver thought it to be better for the average driver.

So what I'm saying is that the RX-8 does things different and better, but the Z does alot of things good enough to win and good enough to sell more cars.

I'll agree that the 8 corners better then Z, but disagree that the Z can't corner or doesn't handles well.

In 2008 the RX-8 is suppose to have 255hp then I might get one, thats the same hp that the 3rd Generation Rx-7 had and it was bad to the bone (except for the stiff ride) not that the Rx-8 isn't in the areas it excells in.

What I will do is test drive another 6 spd RX-8, to get the feeling of the Auto RX-8 out of my mind then maybe I can understand people saying that the Z don't feel faster, please. Sounds like the test above.

Phantom Menace

Okay...I, originally, swore that I'd stay away from thread like this but this one time, I cant help myself. The OP is an idiot. A POS the 350 is not. And I'm not being butt-hurt because I'm "biased." Because, as some of youse guys know, I am biased BOTH WAYS!

There is no "One-Best" car. The Z handles, drives, etc. well for its package. And so do many other mid-priced sports cars. I mean, the guy oogles over his "turbo volvo" and has admitted to not owning either car. He drove both for a few moments and within nonspecified incriments. The dummy should drive BOTH CARS BACK TO BACK if he should want to make an interesting and intelligible comment on either car. Besides, at this time, we all know the 8 is more refined, smoother, lighter, etc. and the Z launches and has more torque. It's redundant and I wish there would be one thread to end all the Blank vs. Blank threads. It's all MENTAL MASTURBATION! Until you get these cars out on a track and have at it...who cares who "would" win?! Furthermore, what's the "prize" in this, so-called competition? Money? Fame? Girls? Or bragging rights? I think we all know it's the latter.

Idiots and their "opinions" after a test drive...they're like ********! Everyone has one and they all stink.


BOO! This thread fails!

Opethdtr

*SIGH* Too many fanbois, just too many fanbois. My .02. I wouldn't consider the 350 Z a POS. Its far from it. It has some flaws but then again so do many other rides.

VikingDJ

Lets go to a 350z forum and ask then their opinion on a comparison between these two cars. What will the results be? Bottom line is " The 350z is a great car, and the RX8 is a great car. " This is all purely subjective, and I'd like to see less of this bashing of the competition, and a little more respect.

Phantom Menace

That's all I've been saying...but some folkers gots chips on their shoulders so BIG that it is made obvious by their posts. It's like putting a BIG *** sticker on your 8 that read, "Z killer" or "Corvette Slayer" or some ****. Not only is it tacky and immature, but the more people mention competing makes/models in a derogatory way...the more it is made evident that they wish that they had bought one or could've bought one. So transparent.

donack456

Having test drove both and then a Porsche later, if you combined both the Z and the 8 you might have a Porsche Carrea, but then you could buy 6 8s and 4 Zs, for the price of a Carrea I'm just playing. On the real between these three some of the things that the 8 has over the Z it even has over the Porsche except the Porsche was born to swing it rearend out corner tight almost like the Z does but the Porsche's more balanced.

As mentioned its a Mute point you buy from your heart and pocket, Everybody want to believe they made the best decision and you did for You. But you can't try to convince someone else that has a different opinion of that.

You go to 350Z forum you have your butts ain't nothing like a Z, then you have people like the three that just wrote that are open minded and able to see Pros and Cons of both vehicle. Thats what would help a future owners or old owners, imo soild non-bias or if bias facts other then word of mouth, tainted with personal vendetta.

The Mazda RX-8 has the same advantage over the Porsche it has over the Z, its quiter, slicker, more refined, less computers, and feels lighter (I means it hard to beat Mazdas power assist steering), and the 8 even shifts smoother.

The Porsche has the same advantage over the 8 that the Z has, more power and torque and beat it/both out in production by about 35 years. The Porsche Carrrea is still in my eyes one of the Sport cars of Sport cars though its noisy and harder to drive. You have to get use to the way it steers full out.

The Mazda is really a innovation and new idea. But old ideas are fine as longs they work.

I know people think that you shouldn't mention Porsche Carrea, (the Boxster is more comparable less a fan base, some purest don't think the Boxster is a real Porsche) with Japanese cars, but there all still Sport Cars. I like my Japanese Cars, and ain't nothing wrong with Porsche either except the payments!!!

playdoh43

that about sums it up

RX26b

Get off your freakin' high horse, Silly putty, err, playdoh. Go preach to your fellow non-enthusiast teens on the 350 boards. You bought a 2 dr luxury coupe {yawn} with slight sporty tendencies and you come on here, constantly reprimanding those who don't give credit to your lame choice of transport. Only the clueless care...

donack456

I don't know who that was addressed to but like I said the RX-8 is a quiter, smoother, slicker and more refined vehicle then even the Porsche. If you can forget that the name tag, money it cost and history of the Porsche. Now thats just my opinion everybody got one. Of course overall the Porsche is a better Sport Car by definition but as far as practical and easy to drive the RX-8 got the Carrea beat. But with the Carrea you expect and want all the idiotsyncqueces that Porsche is known for.

Now some people would think I'm crazy making that statement, but thats how I feel. Now it sound like I would take a RX-8 over the Porsche Carrea, buts thats not True, I'd still take the nosy, harder to drive faster Porsche, if I had the money. Just call me Crazy.

But since I don't have the money I'll just drive the Japanese Sport Cars and still be happy. No one asking anybody to change their mind about the car they like. Just stay open minded.

Steiner

I'm guessing, based solely on the quality and warranty issues, that it was an '03 model. Supposedly those early '03 models were a little buggy. I've had none of those type of problems with my '05. In fact I'm putting down over 400whp on the stock clutch - 41k miles and counting. Only issue I've ever had with the car is a broken part juggling around inside the door assembly. They fixed it in about an hour while I walked down the street for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. I've gotta ask though, you felt the Evo's ride was too harsh. That's not unreasonable. It's definately not a car for everybody. But didn't you test drive the car before you bought it? I mean I knew exactly what I was getting myself into...from the good to the bad...because I took a few drives. I know a lot of the dealerships were nuts about disallowing test drives when the first '03 models hit the lots though. Did they refuse to let you test drive one?

Sunset ZR

Ok I read this whole thread and although the O/P seems like he doesn't know what he is talking about, there are parts to some of these post that are dead on and others that just are not. First the points that are off. There is plenty of room in the Z;s front seat and I dare to wonder what you look like if you are 5'9" and will not fit in the car. As far as the car not being able to handle, all I can say is it does and quite well.
Ok some true statements that have been mentioned. Sight lines behind the var are atrocious and you better know how to use and set up your mirrors or there is going to be trouble. You definitely can't take the quick glance. The G35 does feel sluggish in corners and though it is obviously faster than the 8, it does not feel like it. I am now looking for a sports car with a back seat and the Mustang, G and the 8 are all that is there IMO. I have had the 8 for a weekend of driving and like everyone knows it handles great but not enough better than a Z that the Z will not get owned on the next straight if the corner does not come in a short distance. The 8 is easier for your daily driver to drive fast, but given we are enthusiast, it can be assumed you learn how to get more and more out of your car. Once you learn how to drive into a corner hard and exit hard as well, you will know that only on an autocross track will the 8 finish in front of the Z. The 8 owns the Z in practicality and that is where the car shines like no other package out there. The Seats are comfortable and you can put bags in the trunk and people in the back and take a trip or go to dinner. Of course don't put heavy people in the car because there is a definite difference in performance as the weight of the passenger cabin increases. I love the 8 and want one for a daily driver for my fiancee and myself. The only reason we don't have one right now is the price of gas spiked even higher. Ot jumped by 40 cents in 30 days here. As for fun on the weekend my ZR will be my weapon of choice. Of course all this is personal opinion and I wonder from where does all the hostility comes?

playdoh43

theres a difference between not giving credit vs bashing.

VikingDJ

I'm not sure why it's necessary for people to bash the 350Z. Is it because it's more powerful then the RX8? More common? More popular? Who knows. Either way, although I chose the RX8 over the 350Z, but my test drive back in 2004 still made me think highly of the car. It wasn't as nimble, but that heavy torque and smooth even power was enjoyable. I liked the car, just not as much as the RX8. When I gave up on my back luck unreliable RX8, I looked into the 350Z again, and chose the S2000 instead. I preferred the lighter more nimble feel, but there's just no way I can bash the 350z, even if I'd never own one. It's a darn good car, just like the RX8 and S2000. I just don't see any one of these cars being better then the other. I think it's purely about personal preference. I'd like to see more objective discussions, and less tendancy for people to justify why they got their RX8, by ripping into another car. It's simply not necessary. THEY ARE ALL GREAT CARS. It's nice to have a variety, and cars that have difference strengths and appeals.

tmak26b

The 350Z people do the same, it's all about mine is better than yours mentality.

donack456

Tmak... that is so true and true with any forum you go to the Mustangs is still popular as is the STi, SRt and Evos they all think theirs are the best. But the Mazda Rx-8 and 350Z have refinements over these young up starts. No.1 is Reputation 2. Sophistication 3. Sport Car look and feel 4. Exterior/Interior styling 5. Integerity of workmanship 6. Performance 7. Handling 8. last but not least not to sound snobbish (which as you can tell I'm not bc I know I spelled it wrong) Panache!!!

The Sti/WRX (is probably the best of that group Subaru is a reputable auto company with great reliability), Neon SRT, and Muitsubushi Evo are great 4 bangers and has bang for bucks, but it doesn't have the sophistication of the 8 or the Z. I mean though performers you almost expect a kid in a torn T-shirt, baggy jeans and a bandana to come hopping out with Rap blasting everywhere.

Now I'm not hating bc one of my Bosses listens to rap, drives a motor bike and wears a bandana on the weekend. He is 40+ years old, which is younger then Me. By the way I wear a bandana, T-shirt and jeans when I'm chiney down the road in my sport car so its all good!! Most time its business attire.

I know people in business suits drive them but I can't figure out why? I will say this stock they will wax the floor with my two top Japanese Sport Cars. But how you look and feel does it means something.

playdoh43

its pretty shallow if you drive a car because you care about what other people think of you more than your own enjoyment.