HA HA... VTEC? What are you doing here? Troll... :p

 

Alfa never sold a lot of cars in the US and there were very few places that could properly service them. Considering how often you had take these cars to the shop, at some point even dedicated alfisti decided that owning an Alfa is more trouble than it is worth.
In 1995 after the new 164Q at a giveaway price failed to re-invigorate enthusiasm for their cars, Alfa finally pulled the plug on their US operations.
Since then once every couple years Alfa makes a vague promise to come back. Rumor has it this time they are serious and will be re-opening the shop in 2005.

 

I don't think the 8 is regarded as a flagship sports car offering. More like a sports-sedanish blend of functionality & sport. A new RX-7 would be more of the flagship sports car, I would think. It is notably more "sporty" than anything else in the line-up currently, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's *****-out sport.

But blah, I don't even know why I'm responding - this argument has been made a bazillion times about straight-line surging power versus balance, etc.

 

A4 is a good car, but to me RWD is a must.

 

DefB: "So, by your logic, the engine is superior just because it is an engineering marvel? Are you one of these people who like to drive things because they are quirky rather than scoot the car along at a pace matching a car marketed as a $30,000 sports coupe?" By my logic yes, an engineering marvel is superior to a nonengineering marvel.

"I rate cars based on how they look, perform, how well they are built, and how fun they are to drive. I'm not sure what influences your decision on buying a car, but it is NOT as a driver." Wrong again. I driven sports cars all my life, including an RX7, MR2, Stealth and as a driver, I love the way the 8 handles and moves. I researched my purchase for two years and compared all the items you mention and more.

"I shouldn't have to worry about kids in Acura RSX-S's flying by me on the on-ramp of a highway" Who cares about the "kids"? This was not a factor in my decision to buy this car. I don't do stop-light racing since I grew up.

I apologize for calling you a troll, but your broad negative statements, I find insulting.

rtryrktrx7: "I'm not trying to be an ars, but IMO this reads like "I would say something if I could think of it, but I can't so I'll just call you a troll." I'm so tired of the troll comment." If you read my post, I did say something and gave my reasons. Trolls are killing this forum. The moderators have done a lot of good work to clean it up over the last several weeks. When someone just says makes bold, negative, unsubstantiated statements to get people worked up, that's being a troll. But you are right in suggesting that I just ignore it.

 

Quote by Defbringer If your such a long time rotary fan then you would know that the RX-8 has more HP, as much torque, gets better gas mileage, and uses far less oil than any other N/A rotary in history. So if you truly were a fan then, you should be ecstatic with the renesis now. Any long time rotary fan would not even ask anyone to explain why its better than the garden variety V6 or any other piston engine.

If you in fact have ever driven an older N/A rotary, you would know that the renesis is a milestone achievement in the rotary's advancement and developement.

This car opens up after a couple thousand miles, I don't know exactly what mile it happened, but my car has much more power and response today then it did during the first 1000 miles. For example, second gear, 35 to 40 MPH, push on the gas, and this car pull hard all the way to 9000, and then again in third after the shift. Before, I did not remember it putting me back in my seat, but now it does consistently.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I really do pitty all the people that might get talked out of this car by a few of our forum visitors, who truly know nothing about the RX-8. I got my car on July 14th, and still think about being in it constantly.

 

First of all, I'm not a troll. I've been a member of the 7 forum before you probably had even heard your first Zoom-Zoom commercial. Secondly, I am not convinced that the RX-8 is much faster than the Type S, if at all.

 

According to the power-weight ratios, you are right on the money!

RX8: 220 HP/3,029 lbs. = .0726 or 7.26

RSX-S: 200 HP/2,767 lbs. = .0723 or 7.23

If you disagree with that, then look at the 1/4 mile times:


RX8: Low-mid 15s (by owners)
RSX-S: 15.2

 

Don't give up just yet. This behaviour doesn't exist in all the RX-8s - quite a few of us do feel power continue to climb to redline rather than drop off (we also seem to get better mileage than others too - My RX-8, with 6K miles, is averaging 20 MPG overall, with up to 24 mpg US on the highway). There are rare times when it has seemed to drop off, but those incidents were probably related to engine heat etc. and the fancy PCM sensors and controls! If you've read here for a while, you will know that the drop in high RPM power (and the lowered hp rating from Mazda) are due to the PCM code being changed at port to make the engine run richer to ensure long catalytic converter life. Soon there will be plug in fuel controllers for the RX-8 that will remedy this situation, providing around 25 hp more and better fuel economy. Forum member canzoomer is nearly finished developing such a device, and plans on selling it as a plug-in setup for around $750 US. There's a 7 page thread in the Tech section of the forum (called "official word from Mazda on dyno'ing RX-8" or something similar) where much of these details are discussed.

Regards,
Gordon

 

I don't listen to any car reviews until I drove one myself. I did drive the RX-8. It is not the right car for me and for a lot of people. If it makes YOU happy, then that's all that matters.

However, I do not believe the Renesis is a good engine. My 94 RX-7 got at least 21 mpg mixed driving. It made considerably more power than the Renesis. It did consume oil like the Renesis, but the torque on hand made it all worth it.

Think outside the engine for once. Let's just pretend that you never got to see what's under the hood. WHo in their right mind would choose the Renesis over the V6 in the Nissans? Name one single thing that the Renesis has over the V6 that you, yourself, can tell from the driver's seat. "Engine of the Year" awards are not going to help push your back into the seat. I think the RX-8 is a GREAT car for CERTAIN people. Blindly trying to call everybody who criticizes the car as a "troll" is just ignorant. Understand that many people are not happy with the engine.

I will make a proclaimation. If Mazda doesn't figure out a way to get this engine's power to increase considerably, the rotary engine will be dead within 5 years. Mark my words.

 

Sound. Smoothness. High rev limit. Light weight, which translates into the responsiveness of the handling that can be felt from the driver's seat. There's four! Oh, sorry if I'm not a HP ***** (to borrow the expression from the infamous Bob Hall) who is only concerned about low-rpm torque.

I don't think you're a troll - now revhappy, he's a well known troll who just loves to jump in with inaccurate statements passed off as facts (to wit, his 1/4 mile time quotes - pure nonsense), just like his troll buddy Blue350Z.

Regards,
Gordon

 

I can name one.
Size and weight of the Renesis allow superior chassis dynamics, which is quite evident from the driver's seat.

 

No offense but you're an idiot. Last night i watched a RX-8 run a best of 15.5 @ 90mph..the driver also had his low 12 sec RX-7 with him(yes he could drive, probably better than you and me) He has 3 other RX-7s and him and his wife both said the RX-8 is a bit of a dissapointment.

Meanwhile, i witnessed a bone stock RSX-S run a 14.9 @ 93mph...Yeah, the RX-8 is a real monster.. :rollseyes: And to add to that, not one member of this board has run a time even close to what Mazda claimed, oh wait..one person ran a low 14 sec pass..using a ******* GTECH, lol. And another ran a high 14 sec pass...ON RACE GAS, get real people...the RX-8 isn't what Mazda claimed it to be, nor will it ever run a 14.5 stock.


edit...I'll save some of you morons the time...I'm a troll b/c i have a different opinion than most of you on this board. Again, i am a troll.

 

Hmmm...well, I can tell the car is quieter, the engine is smoother than any other car I've ever driven, it doesn't fling me back in my seat, which I hate, but instead accelerates in a very linear and smooth manner, but it's still faster than most cars out there. *I* chose it over the Nissan V6s. And oh, yeah- there's that little reliability thing- aren't rotary's some of the most reliable engines ever made??? I'm a GIRL for god's sake and I notice this stuff. I knew very little about cars in general (till I came here ). The idiots that aren't happy with the engine aren't BUYING the car. Or didn't bother to research it enough before they did. Which gives them no credibility whatsoever.

And you and every other 8 hater has come on here and proclaimed "mark my words, the 8's going to be dead in 5 years." Whatever. Give it a friggin' rest. Before that, it was "Mazda will never make another rotary engine" and look what happened.

If all of you guys who hate the car and it's engine aren't trolls, what the heck are you doing on a forum full of people who DO like the car? Why aren't you posting on the forums about a car you DO like? It'd be like me posting on a MR2 Spyder forum about how ugly the car is and how much it sucked because it has no cargo space so why would choose that over a Boxster? True the car sucks, but only in my opinion. And as I see no point in antagonizing a lot of people I don't know, I don't do it. And neither should you. What exactly are you getting out of pissing off people for no reason? You sure aren't contributing anything useful and you aren't going to change the minds of the people who do like the car.

 

Thanks for the Troll comment, Gord - now I feel honored. Of course, a true troll would be following the car for over two years (see who started the thread "The Mazda RX8" in November 2001 on Edmunds).

Anyway, the 1/4 mile times by real owners are comprable with stock RSX-S times. The track performance for stock RX8s has also been dissapointing. Again, its all relative. The car's performance against ~$30 sports sedans is strong, but not so against sports/rally-inspired cars in the same price range.

 

Ok, if the Renesis is soooo reliable then tell me why one of your members already had his car not start due to a compression issue after 3600 miles..lol 3600 miles.

"i'm a girl"...translation..."i dont know **** about cars" Which you openly admit too. And you state you didn't know **** until you came HERE?? Bahaha, half the members on this board still think the car is a mid 14sec car stock, which has already been proven otherwise, but yet still think, somehow..someway the car will run a mid 14 sec pass bone stock. NEWS FLASH...THE CAR TRAPS HIGH 80S-VERY LOW 90mph...NOT EVEN CLOSE TO RUNNING A MID 14 SEC PASS.

I ran a 14.8 @ 95.00 mph last night....again a 14.8 @ 95.00 mph, so tell me how a car that is CONSISTANTLY trapping high 80s,low 90s is MAGICALLY going to run a 14.5.....not happening.

 

So... one bad engine makes the renesis unreliable?

 

Ok, closing this, since it's done nothing but get ugly.