RoXanneBlack8

fyi, aisin was mazdas second choice. jatco was their number one (the provider of the 6 speed auto mazda6's) but the plan fell thru.

if u NEED the auto, dont even buy an rx8, like if ur wife or whatev needs an auto, buy something else. there is sucha diff between the two. if i had to get an auto sports car for whatever reason, id be in the market for ur current car

just get on one twisty backroad with that auto and u will wish u got the 6 speed manual


i had the torture of driving a 4 speed auto version on numerous occasions and after owning the 6 speed manual, i cant see why anyone would buy the auto. it is so slow i couldnt bare it. i had a 98 hyundai that would give that auto a run for its money. tho the new 6 speed auto has the 6 port intake system, its not that huge of a diff (15 hp more, o wow, tell the cops to call in the helicopter for this chase) . the revs are kept low, which doesnt spell power for rotaries. they need to be spun up and a redline at 7500 is embarassingly low.

Ike

Hot Climate like Arizona or Texas. Do yourself a favor and seriously consider the MT. New Jersey really isn't that bad traffic wise judging by the fair amount of time I've spent there. The AT kind of castrates the RX-8, if I can drive a car with a heavy/stiff aftermarket clutch in Chicago traffic jams you can drive the RX-8 on the turnpike

Transam kid 01

iTrader: (1)

Got it from Ramsey Mazda. Them and Lodi Mazda are good. Im in Hillsdale (bergen county)

spork

I really hope that's not supposed to be Japanese. I hate it when people just bust out random Japanese words when speaking English because of anime or manga. I hope I'm wrong but it looks to me like you're trying to say "hidoi" but spelled it wrong. I know it's unrelated to the actual topic, but it's a huge pet peeve of mine. Like if there's a good reason to use the term, then use it. Ie "You should commit hara-kiri" is fine with me. If you're using whole sentences in Japanese, that's ok. If you're talking to a Japanese person that's ok too. But otherwise... ugh.

jeffD... personally for me i'd say the issues you have to think about really are just the gas mileage and lack of torque/horsepower (which will be even worse with an auto, well actually the tq is a bit better but the hp is much worse). Personally the TQ/HP is plenty find for me. Flooding isn't much of an issue. The extra oil consumption isn't bad at all. I have to fill it once between oil changes. The random "issues" are almost always minor. Oh that and see what people think of the Mazda dealership near you. I've heard a lot of people having bad experiences with Mazda dealerships. I've had my own bad experiences and that's actually one of the biggest reasons I would change cars.

Raptor75

Zoom44 is correct in that it was mostly autos but I remember reading about a couple of MT that cooked out also.

I'm in Chicago with a MT , our weather is similar and I am not overly worried about this but am concerned. The best defense here is synthetic which has a far better ability to take the heat inside a Rotary. There is a large debate about synthetics and rotaries but I have come to the conclusion it is the way to go.

Also be aware that it was less then a 100 cars that cooked their engines out of the tens of thousands sold here. What exasperates this problem is what I have mentioned before, Mazda. They have said nothing of the problem, have issued no recalls, given no reason for it and have not made any changes I am aware of to prevent it in the future. This summer should be interesting to see how many more cook out.

missinmahseven

Regardless of my romanji bastardization of the word, the word means "cruel," or "mean," yes?

Gimmie a break man. I'm trying to learn a language with zero romantic roots, and a symbol-based writing system(s). It'll take me some time. (not only because of manga, but because Japan and its people and culture fascinate me, and I'm keen on reading their literature in its native form.) Kinda like reading Cervantes in spanish vs. some translation.

Besides, "T" and "D" are similar -- add to the mix regional pronounciations, and who's to say what the correct spelling in roman is? Ever notice how foreign names in the media change over the years? Khadafi, Qhadafi, etc etc.

Translation: I"m trying to transcend mere fanboi-level knowledge of the language. Fair enough?

Jebus people get their knickers in a wad so easily here! (yeah, I know, pot / kettle / black.)

zoom44

Well, less than 200 @150. Mazda has said and done alot about the issue, which ive tried to post as much as i could. there is no recall because the goverm,ent hasnt decided it a safety issue-yet. the reasons i posted before- way over temp oil and carbon lock. the changes were/are-

replacing all the engines needed
sending pcms to mnao for MOP profile reflah. its being done this way because the new changes need(ed) EPA and CARB certification. they can do them on an as needed basis until then
a change was made to the current flash which is reflected in the ATs having gone one flash levl furthur then the MTs( S instead of R etc)
No more 4port 4at 1 oil cooler rx8s starting with 2006 MY. Japan and MNAO argue over this with japan wanting to continue the sale of the 4AT. MNAO finally won that arguement.
other things as well but all of this contributed to the late production start of the 06s

Raptor75

Sorry Zoom, I must have missed these. Not to hijack this thread but, I know that Mazda sent people out to look into this issue and I know the AT have the 6 port rotary with the twin coolers for 06 but what dose the pcm upgrade do? Also what about all those AT out there with one oil cooler? It would seem that additional oil cooling is needed aka installation of a 2nd oil cooler. There was talk about a cooling fan being added to the oil cooler but that was from list members. Replacing the engine will not solve the problem and I don’t see how a pcm change alone will prevent this from reoccurring. Worst case is it delays the engine from failing till after the warranty period. This would fit Mazda’s MO.

I know that you didn’t think at the time that the MT had to worry about this but a few MTs also had engine failure and nothing was done to them. It is my belief that we will see more failures when the summer heat sets in and the cars age more (acquiring more damage). I could be off base here and I do believe you have greater knowledge of the matter then I do but time will tell. For the owners sakes I hope I am wrong.

zoom44

actually mazda was looking at a fan as well- its hard to say where that idea started actually. i said "and other things". there is a possibility that a kit will be available to add a second oil cooler to 4ats exhibiting symptoms but i think there are still some issues to work out (whether a fan might be necessary, which fan , parts procurement etc etc.) there were only 2 or 3 MTS that exhibited this problem. 1 was in jersey in fact as asked previously. i believe you are correct- we have not seen the last of the issue yet.

any rotary failing from this problem and needing replacement will be replaced regardless of warrenty- you can bank on that.

jeffD

OK, I have heard alot and must say that the sticky's have to go! Kidding aside, those are the first things I read on the site and it pretty much scared me out of even a test drive. After hearing more here, I have an appointment tomorrow am 1st thing to take one out for a couple of hours. Domo domo Missinmahseven-san for the eloquent analogy of the fighter pilot. I can honestly say that there has never been a description of a car that has evoked a feeling bordering on sensuality before. You have truly missed your calling and should be working for a marketing department in Hiroshima (yes, they really are there). Once again, thank you to everyone who contributed to my education...

I can't wait to take it out, and yes it will be the stick...

Groundrush

Have fun on the test drive! Be sure to find some curves to throw it into, and don't worry so much about all the talk of no low end torque. It's true there isn't much there, but this thing spools up so smoothly and sounds so amazing, you'll hardly notice. Make sure to get the revs up so you get well into the powerband.

Ever drive a Miata? I have one in addition to my 8, and handling-wise, driving the 8 is just like driving a Miata, only with a roof and a back seat. Sticks like MAD, and begs to be thrown around. Plus there are like 8 bajillion airbags, so selling the wife is easier if you have kiddies.

Bah...enough with the fluffy platitudes...you'll understand tomorrow morning.

Japan8

Actually "classical" Japanese is very different from modern Japanese and either way... I take very little pleasure in reading Japanese novels. Just tends to be tedious, and dull. Manga are... not always easy to read, but easy to follow because of the pictures.

Don't learn Japanese based upon romanization. Jordan's books are based upon that method and experience at my University has proven hers to suck. Classes previous to my own learned her method and my class on learned in a new way... we learned kana immediately and never saw Japanese romanized. Kinda like with unix (vs windows)... the initial learning curve is steep, but after that things are much easier. Anyway... my point is that there should be no way to mistkenly put a "t" in place of a "d" in Japanese.

I will agree with what you intended... even moreso with Japanese than with romantic languages, there is a lot lost in the English translation.

OzzieRizz

SOOO how did it go?!? I know its kind of late, but I'm kind of thinking about one aswel. So hit us up with your findings

poolsidenaz

A most excellent decision. I'm curious to hear your thoughts about how things went and whether she stole your heart

sakura968

Just my two cents:

I used to drive Audis, and I have a friend with a BMW, and I was a big German car fan. (Big in enthusiasm, not big in stature.) I was shopping around for an S4 when the local Audi dealer treated me like total crap. So to stick it to Audi (unreasonable, I know, but I was pissed), I decided I was going to test drive something else. I had been a rotary fan for a a long time, and I had followed the introduction of the 8. So I found a used one in my price range and I took a test drive. That was it. A couple of days later, I drove home a brand new 05 Shinka, named her Sakura, and went about a life of phenomenal driving everyday. What the 8 does that not many other cars can do, is take you back to the fundementals of connecting the driver to the car. The Miata does this as well. Missinmahseven knows this, not only beacause she had a Miata, but because she has an acute appreciation for what a true sports car should be. When I say true, let me qualify: A car that drives quickly AND connects the car to the driver; a car that perfectly relays the dynamics and sensuality of driving, and elevates all of your romantic ideals about driving into reality. An Evo, an STi, a 350Z, a G35C, a Corvette, all great sports cars, and each does wonderful things. For my money though, the 8 and the Miata do what the older sports cars that most of us forget about do, they make driving sensual, they make it fast, they make it involving, and they make it a ****-ton of fun. Now, after owning my 8 for almost a year, I do not want to go back to sedans that have a lot of power and AWD. They are great cars and do great things and some are faster than me, but for what I want in a car, they do not work. You could say I was lost and now I am found. I have autocrossed a little and I love watching an Evo or an STi or a Corvette fly past while I am working corners. But I always get in my 8 to drive home, and on the way, I never think about those other cars.

And let us know what you decide!

jeffD

I am sure you will all love this one!
Dealer opened at nine am. Got there early to look around the lot a bit. Wlked in to an empty showroom at 9:00. Waited there until 9:40, and walked out . Apparently there were too busy with a sales meeting to take care of customers. My salesman saw me there, but never came out! I drove across the street and bought a Subaru. Yes a Subaru! A legacy GT B Spec. AWD and fast. What I was originally looking for in the Mazdaspeed 6. I know that decision sounds nuts to all of you, but if this is the kind of service I would get while they were trying to sell me a car, I could only imaging what would happen afterwords.

HolyCross05

Congrats on the car. I would take the legacy over the Mazdaspeed 6 any day of the week.

Raptor75

LGT is far better then the MS6 very good pick.

It's funny, when I bought the RX-8 the other car I was looking at was the LGT. I loved the AWD, Subaru quality, good dealer service, experience with high out put turbos, performance, ride quality, build quality, interior design and functionality. The LGT has 9/10th the performance of a STI while providing a far better ride, high end interior and losing the boy racer look. The two factors that moved me to the 8 were higher cost and the car is so boring looking. Subaru really needs to dump their design team. The LGT could be a great seller for them if it looked as good as it performs.

Enjoy the car, excellent choice.

BlueRenesis82

those boxer engines do have a pretty nice growl to them

OzzieRizz

Bummer the dealers treated you like crap. But anyway everything happens for a reason right ahaha, so congrats on your new car!

dmc27

The legacy is sweet. Friend of mine has one & is putting some nice mods on it. The exhuast sounds flat out mean. rumblerumblerumblerumblerumblerumblerumblerumbleru mblerumble

Ike

Good choice, it's a better car than the MS6 and will probably have better reliability and certainly will have more aftermarket support should you want to add some mods.

JRichter

Nice choice. The GT B Spec is no slouch and throws up some impressive performance numbers. I like the stealthiness/sleeper look. Very apealling car IMO that I don't see much of around here.

I assume it looks similar to this one:

late8

Good decision. I'm obsessed with good customer service since I was in retail for quite a while and I learned the hard way how first impressions and good sales techniques are vital for survival.

If this exact situation happened to me, I would of drove back over to the Mazda dealer in my new Legacy and called the sales manager out and rub the results of their lack of attention in their face. Enjoy the car and thanks for dropping in.

Raptor75

Now this is an excellent idea, let Mazda know they can't expect to sell cars with poor customer service. Take a picture of his face to post here when you do.

Sales men to busy to sell cars, I wonder if the meeting was about there inability to make their sales quote?