rx8wannahave

Yeah, that's fair and unbias...

therm8

Quite a few people with informed opinions rather than those who let "popular opinion" cloud their judgement. JDM YO!!!

The Sky and Solstice are identical in every respect except looks. The Sky base price is actually higher than the Solstice, as some Solstice options are standard on the Sky.


The Aura is a sedan...

ndtechie09

Trust me I'm not a JDM freak. I've owned a Pontiac before. complete crap. my entire family owns GM and Ford and I am the one who does not so that is how i form my opinions. My mom's 2005 Escape seat belt split randomly. Grandmom's Buick Park Ave's pillars in the back randomly fell off. I personally wouldn't trust an American car again. I had so many issues with that Grand AM. My suitemate here at college has a 2006 Explorer and the interior is so crappy you can literally push the dash all the way down. Now given the only non-American cars I've owned have been Mazda's. Mazda 3 and RX-8. The build quality of the econobox 3 was much better than my dad's new Deville. I have friends who have other imports not just Jap cars and I would take them any day over GM/Ford/Daimler Chrysler. Plus who wants to pay for an over priced pos car that will just fall apart in a few years.

rx8wannahave

Bascho...these^ are the people you have to convince, must of us are reasonable and give the US auto companies the benefit of the doubt.

I can't get to upset really, it's Ford and GM's own fault for 3 decades worth of poor quality products.

But, I for one wouldn't mind giving you guys a chance to sell me a car...I hope things truly have changed for Ford and GM.

bascho

I have had just as many problems with my Japanese built RX8 as some others have had with their domestic products. Some people will never be convinced because they don't want to be. I can understand that mentality, because I have thought long and hard recently about ever getting another Mazda product. Everyone has had bad experiences with every car made in every country......it's how you let those experiences alter your view of one company or another that is worrisome. Convincing people like you is much easier because you are open minded. Even though you purchased a foreign car, you are not against purchasing a domestic one.......you just haven't found the domestic that you really love. I hope my experience with my RX8 will not sour my opinion of Mazda.....but it will be a conscience effort.

I hope others that consistently bash the domestics will one day open their eyes and minds and forget the problems with one or two products they may have had 10 years ago. Also, don't put on the Japanese blinders......not everything Japanese is perfect.......your attitude may be enabling you to ignore problems you would bash a domestic product for.

Backup7

Yeah, those who bash domestics just come across as incredibly ignorant.

The RX-8 is not exactly a pillar of reliability.

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

What turns me off about american built cars is usually the interior. 95% of american car interiors are built with the worst quality plastics and horribly pieced together. There alltogether ugly. The plastics comment is accurate, my dad works for American Polymers, a large supplier to the companies that make the parts, and he said that the compounds used by major japanese manufacturers are of a much higher quality. Just go to a cadillac dealer and sit in a 06 DTS or whatever, its absolute crap, the dash and the door panels all creak when you push on them, you can bend everything, its just sad. And this is a cadillac, a word we use to show superiority. Brett's (ndtechie09) old Mazda3 is built inside like it should cost 3 times as much, compared to say a ford focus. Have you actually seen the interior of one of these? compared to what you can get with the same money from toyota and mazda, its just sad. I dont like american cars for the sole fact that the majority has poorly built interiors as well as very bland styling. And the small fact that you can get a much more desirable car for the same price from a japenese or german manufacturer. (o and there only good for straight line performance... jeremy clarkson fan, what?)

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

The RX8 is kinda alone here, considering its unique engine. But we dont exactly have a rotaary powered american car now do we?

Rhawb

Sure, American cars have a stigma for using crappy materials. I'll give you that. But there's no way I'm going to let that keep me away from looking at new American cars. Your examples of the DTS and the Focus are both examples of the previous generation of American cars. Sure, there's still going to be crap out there even in this new generation, but you can definitely see that they're turning things around. Chances are I'd be plenty happy driving around in a Sky or even an Aura if I needed that kind of car. Their exteriors are getting pretty nice and their interiors have gotten 1000x better. There's no real reason to nix a car maker simply based on its nation's reputation - if you do that, you're only hurting yourself. Great cars come out of all countries, if you choose to limit your perspective it's nobody's loss but your own.

bascho

Couldn't have stated it better myself

rx8wannahave

YUP, I tried and researched the heck out of all the options…the RX8 won, and I’ve been happy every since. Now, if Ford brought out the Iosis (something like that ) concept (actually does look RX8ish) made it RWD, stuck the Mustang’s V8 in it and sell it for 25K…I’d be ALL OVER THAT. It looks GREAT and has bigger back seats than my 8…but, I know I’d be trading in the sweet balance and handling of my 8.

By the way, why in the WORLD is this car not going into production? It’s REALLY good looking and would make a HELL of a performance sadan for Ford.

Yup, people do this all the time. My 8 has had some minor little issues, but I don’t worry about them because they have been minor. Unless my 8 leaves me stranded or the door panels fall off…a minor recall, updates to the PCM, squeaky breaks, etc…don’t make me banish Mazda for eternity.

Don't stress over the simple stuff...

My rotary has been great, while it’s only been 8.5K miles.

Did you see the pic’s?

Did you see the pic’s?

While I know they are just pictures, they look like they are everything but what you are complaining about. Furhtermore, Honda and Toyota aint really the style leaders in the industry…bland or normal looking sadan’s is all they produce.

If anything, historically US auto companies have made some VERY good looking cars while yes I agree their interior or overall quality has been bad in the past 3 decades they seem to have turned a corner and it’s evident with their up and coming products.

To just push all their products into the “crap” pail…is unfair and short sited. With all of this said, it’s your taste and your money…so spend it where you like. Trust me, I’m not trying to sell you…again it’s your taste and money.

I hope what ever you get, you love it and treat it great.

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

As much as i want to believe you, cause your probably right, when i think about buying a car made here, i cant get past the feeling that i would be getting ripped off. Not to bash on the regular sky and solstice, but if you read the technical data in C&D's first test of the solstice VS the MX5, the solstices' engine is meh... scroll down to the acceleration tests for both cars and compare them. Not a biggie, but theres something to be said about our engine development over as well i guess.
Solstice
MX-5

Solstice : Top-gear acceleration, 30-50 mph: 14.2s
MX-5: Top-gear acceleration, 30-50 mph: 8.7s

btw, im not trying to start a fight here, just discussing.

canaryrx8

iTrader: (3)

I'm not so sure about your comment on the sky/solstice. My understanding is the sky shares it platform with the Vauxhall Vx220 which is an insanely bad *** car sold overseas by the English/Birtish/whatever Gm equivalent Vauxhall/Opel etc. I don't think the Solstice shares the same platform as the VX but I could be wrong, if it does then anyone who doubts either of these cars needs to see the Top Gear episode where Clarkson puts the Vauxhall Vx220 through its paces, if the Solstice/Sky share any kind of relation then I'd say you can't go wrong with either one of them.
This whole "American" this "foreign" that thing is hysterical, is there really a such a thing as a true American or Japanese (or even German) car anymore? For those that haven't seen a round map of the globe yet (ya know, as opposed to a flat one) there's a REALLY big world out there and cars are built all over the place now. So that "built ford tough like a rock " pickemup truck you see might be made in Mexico or Canada now, not here. There's a huge Toyota plant in S. Antonio that makes Tundra's, is that still a Japanese truck? get used to it, things are global now

rx8wannahave

Different gearing means? Honestly...I'd take the high gearing GM puts in their cars top gear over Mazda's useless top gear. I'll take significantly better fuel economy over going 30-50 in so and so.

Let me correct that, in the MX5 it's not that bad but my wife's 6 and my 8 are in way to high rpm at top gear on the highway which hurts fuel economy significantly. While yes, I understand Mazda is trying to give it enough "ummmfff" in it's top gear so you don't have to lower a gear to go faster.

I could be wrong...but I don't see how the 30-50 = GM products suck. Push them both and they are pretty close in speed while the MX5 is more refined and a better handler or balanced car.

Enter into the mix looks, and the MX5 get's handed it's walking papers (in my opinion). With the up and comming 260HP, the MX5 will lose the speed battle also unless Mazda shows up in the line for HP, unlike how they normally give it..."just enough".

One more thing, I'm not saying cars from Japan are worse or that the US car companies are making cars just as good in terms of quality...I just don't agree that US cars are complete crap either.

They are behind...but not by much, and overall in terms of looks they actually make better looking cars...at least with the run of the mill family sadan. Even the new Toyota Camary...does not impress me very much, it's an odd styled car to be honest while the engine sure is going to kick ***.

I'd take a Saturn Aura over pretty much every family sadan out there right now, unless they think they can price it more than it's competitors. That...would be a mistake.

Rhawb

Well, I never said American cars were the greatest or anything, I'm simply stating that it's silly to limit your experiences based on country of origin. You better believe I'll be out test driving a Solstice and probably a couple other American cars when my lease is up just to see what the have to offer. Who knows, if they impress me, they might get me to sign the papers.

Either way, that's not so much an engine problem as it is just really tall gearing on the top gear, which is actually a good thing. I'd rather have that last gear reserved for economy - I can downshift if I need any appreciable power.

therm8

Nope the Sky and Solstice are definately both Kappa chassis cars. The Vauxhall was a mid-engined car. The new version of the Vaux will also be a Kappa car, I believe. It's no coincidence that the Sky bears a remarkable exterior resemblence to the Vx, though.

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

Well i just want to make it clear that im not limiting my experiences because of the country of origin, but becuase of my experiences with the quality of the cars that come out of that country. (uncles C5 vette.. econobox interior, parents Yukon.. same, and its always falling apart.. etc) I got nothing against the USA, i live here! I just think we should let other people make our cars... ok thats my last post in here.

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

What, did you get tired of spelling Vauxhall everytime and kept shortening it? haha

Rhawb

I don't think anyone was saying to go out and buy American, but rather that failing to even look at American cars because of an old stigma is foolish. Japanese and German cars tend to appeal to me more, but that doesn't mean they're all I'm going to focus on. Like I said before, if Daewoo/Kia/Hyundai came out with a car that impressed me, I'd definitely go look at it. It's just kind of ridiculous to totally ignore an entire country's worth of cars just because they USED to be crap. Times change.

Hell, Hondas and Toyotas USED to be crap as well but they righted their ship, just as the American companies are trying to do. I can also say from personal experience that new American cars are far better in both build quality and materials than even the best older models. It's not going to necessarily happen overnight, but they're headed in the right direction.

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

there, its gone. it was a joke but if you want to get serious about it just PM me. But in response to what you just mentioned, I dont agree that they "USED" to be crap. My entire family will only buy american cars (ugh), and the ones that we have are all relatively new.. and (I think) they are crap now. But then again thats my opinion.

Rhawb

Fair enough. It's just that a lot of people refuse to look at cars just because they are/aren't American, Japanese, Korean, German, etc. and it's just foolish. To have your own opinion is fine - if you think they're still crap, then that's your opinion. You've seen them and decided for yourself, nothing wrong with that. Just riding on blind faith that they're going to be bad before seeing them is the foolish part.

Backup7

Well, if an American automaker did produce a rotary engine, it would probably be bashed for it's terrible fuel economy and a lack of torque.

Backup7

And, if the Sky had Mazda badges on it, you can't tell me that you wouldn't be all over it.

rickeo

iTrader: (1)

Its gonna take a little more then mazda badges to get me to buy it, im trying to express the fact that im not looking at just the maker or contry of origin.

PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

Ok its time my biased foreign opinion chime in while im sitting on the *******, getting rid of some domestic MacDonald’s food:

I'm not aware of a magazine comparo of the Mx-5 to the Sky so I’ll use the Solstice to express my point.

The Mx-5 trounced the Solstice in nearly every performance oriented test in that comparo and I’m willing to bet after driving an mx-5 its alot more enjoyable and fun to drive then a solstice will ever be.

Now enter the Solstice GXP and the Sky Redline, ok now what are they really? The Solstice GXP far as I know only has a turbo slapped on with no additional modifications to the drivetrain, while the Redline has added a LSD and some chassis reinforcements; for all that you get a sticker that will probably be 5-8k above the base models.

The cars now will out perform an rx-8 in acceleration and some people may even like the chrome accents that riddle the exterior of the sky

But ask yourself would you want one of these cars over the rx-8, or even a much slower mx-5?

For me, I don't think I could ever get rid of the sigma that 1 year after purchase the cars windows won't go down or this piece of vinyl is ripping yada yada. If you've sat in an mx-5 you'll notice a very nice feel to the interior, superior to the 8's IMHO, that something I don't think I could expect the sky or solstice to ever have.

Ignoring the domestic stigma, I can't shake the feeling that these cars are nothing but the sum of their parts, something like the NEON SRT being great on paper but still being Neon afterwards. They just aren't memorable enough don't have automotive historical significance that would make me want them.

P.S. Let’s not get into resale values of domestics.