I had an issue where the battery kept going drad within 2 weeks (even new ones) and they kept towing it back to my local dealer over and over and they said there was nothing wrong with it and tried to get it back to me after they charged the battery. This was really hurting me and I didnt feel good driving the car wondering whether it would start every morning. I started trickle charging the thing. I had a lot of letters to Mazda of NA and after about 10 or so visits, they figured something out but never would explain details. I just got a letter from Mazda NA saying that the dealer had made some errors and they gave me $100 cash.

I only had 40k on the car. It just isnt roomy enough for trips so we always took the SUV when we did trips.

The dash scratches very easily. The leather held up well. The bose held up well, the plastic on controls such as the windows and such were fine. I did have some issues with weatherstripping coming off, having to replace the A/C twice, multiple firmware flashes.

I am an ex autox guy so I do tend to pick my spots and test limits and sometimnes as an a result clutch aned brakes. My brakes were about 60 percent worn after 40k. The clutch was fine.

Overall I would say it held up very well other than what the trade i9n value was but mine was a lease.

Just for the record, I am an early adopter. I had a 2000 S2000, a 2004 RX-8, and now a 2008 G37 which were all the first year at least in NA.

I would say outside of the issue with the power drain which I believe is an issue with the local dealer, my biggest complaint was the overstating of hp, and overestimating of gas mileage. The last flash killed my gas mileage.

However, most first year cars do have these types of issues. MY whole issue is not with Mazda but with one local dealer. After the warranty repair of the power drain and 2nd AC units, I just took the car to another mechanic who I knew and is a client also. He always did a top notch job and I feel he is much better than the current service manager as he actually used to be the boss of the RX-8 tech.

Anything specific you want to know?

 

One last issue. Some d*ck keyed my car. It went through both coats and it would have been hard to buff out. The third party who inspected my RX-8 for the lease turn in charged me $60 bucks for it. I can live with the $60 fee but I think any person who keys someone car should be hung immediately. I dont think they will ever amount to anything.

 

Actually the 20B in the Cosmo had 300nm of torque from 2500rpm or so, so it's not directly related to rotary engines per se.

And I must still say I find lack of torque comments silly, I bet we have a lot more uphill climbs and curvy uphills climbs than most people in here encounter, and what's wrong with gearing down into 2nd or 3rd and putting some moves on in those situations? For the freeway I think it's torque enough, and for the price, come on.

That said I think he gave a fair sendaway to the car, people have different priorities. Personally I love all the little things about this car, but it's new to me. I rather burn a cd from itunes than worry about ipod connections personally though, for me it's about the car, and the engine sound. How can I ever go back to pistons

 

130 tq is low torque. But it's low over a wide rpm range, and high reving, so it's not as bad as it might sound.

the low torque is a product of the engine's displacement. If you increase it (more rotors or by FI) you will be able to increase torque quite a bit. 400-600 torque is possible depending on your setup.

 

Dont take this as a shot at the RX-8 but when I am on a 2 one lane road and am behind someone going lets say 55 and go to pass them (lowering my gear), the rX-8 really doesnt pass very qucikly especially compared to my previous cars: S2000, Z06 Vette (least favorite), 330CI, and even the 5 AT Loaner I currently have until my 6MT Sport edition comes in.

As most car enthusiasts know, there is no perfect car. I can find things I would like to be changed on every car I own in the first day.

Dean

 

I can only hope when I turn 40 I trade my rotary powered car in for a JET CAR!



Hopefully Mazda keeps making rotary cars for the next 15 years.

 

Must depend on what you are coming from, because I gear into 3rd and it looks like the other cars are on a parking lot in comparison, must be the sound

 

Actually the only time I felt like I was standing still making a left hand pass was driving at about 6,000 ft. elevation in Flagstaff. I went to pass somebody and it felt like it took forever!

It's true the RX8 does require you to row gears but that's all part of the fun!

 

No doubt, if you're NA then to pass other cars with any decent speed, you need to drop it into 4th. Even then you're really not accelerating very fast. With the 3071R turbo, 6th gear is like 4th gear NA. So there isn't any need to drop gears unless you want even more acceleration.

 

do come back in 4 years, when u consider getting any of the crazy cars tat will come out in 2012!! i know that is when i am getting my next car.

 

Honestly guys, I do see a lot of what is supposed to be coming out now but with the price of gas now, all the car companies are probably going to be working on ultra fuel efficient cars and it will really start to show in about 3 years.

Despite gas prices and all, I like the fact that many companies have focused on HP. I think Nissan/Infiniti might have gone a little overboard with that new Skyline and the FX50 (390hp SUV crossover) but I am sure they will come out with more economical versions soon.

However, one of things lost in al the extra HP over the last few years is that car makers have made automobiles more efficient. People are getting in the 20 + mpg range in 300+ hp heaviier cars.

I am guessing in 3 years there might be more emphasis on lighter cars. You can make 240 - 260hp a monster with a light car. All the advanced safety things tend to add a ton of weight thow. Car companies wil have to figure out how to combine safety and comfort into a lighter frame to keep performance numbers high.

Despite all the doom and gloom by the talking heads on TV, I am really looking forwrd to seeing what unique automobiles come out of this.

Dean

 

Hey I heard them new Infinitis have self-healing paint! Can you test it for us when you pick up your g37?

 

Tell me about it... This one time I was sort of showing the car off to my father on a mountain road and went to pass some cyclists. I downshifted to second and even at full throttle it took ages to get into the RX-8's powerband to go around them. The most embarrassing part was when my father said "you can give it some gas!" - meanwhile my foot was to the floor! I just pretended I was partial throttle the whole time He drives a Mustang GT and the RX-8 doesn't exactly throw you back in your seat at low rpm's.

No car is perfect as you stated. Well, actually there is one perfect car - the rotary miata that Mazda will never build The RX-8 is a great car, but it's fairly large. This engine would be amazing in a small lightweight two seater like the miata coupe:

 

For all the talk about turbo lag... there is 2,000 rpm more "lag" on NA cars since they need till 5k to get any decent acceleration, and even then it isn't much gain. Properly sized turbo kicks in at 3k (or a bit less) and pulls all day long to 9,000 rpm.

With that said, I think without the turbo you get to appreciate the rx-8 more. Not because it's better that way, but because you have to work a lot more to get it to do what you want. No point and shoot.

 

Uphill obviously changes the equasion, but I find that if I predict the corners and uphills etc. one can drive really fast by always being in the right momentum range of the engine. Had to do that with the MX-5 I had as well, and I find the RX-8 to be very fast in comparison All Americans seem to come from Mustangs and **** so I guess you are more used to a kick in the back (that and braking hard before corners )

 

Well, I did somewhat the same thing ol' Dean2900 did. When I first purchased my RX8 6MT (2004) ! was considering a G35 Coupe but had neither the money nor desire to drive 2 hrs to the nearest dealer for even a test drive. 4 years is a long time for me to keep a car and I got antsy for a new one, but what? Couldn't afford a Corvette, EVO's and STI's were tempting and then I started reading about the new BMW 135.That evolved to the 335 which led me down the path to the G37S 6MT. I am in the over 40 group here (53) and I understand what Dean2900 means about the car "fitting me better at this time of my life" It's a great car with plenty of everything just as the RX8 was a great and fun car. I only get 15mpg city driving (premium gas) so don't use that as a reason to change. I was just ready for some amenities yet still have a kick-*** car that looks good when you drive by mirrored buildings I miss the rotary and its easy revving but now i can downshift to 3rd instead of 2nd when going around a corner and the A/C is the bomb here in our 104 degree days. This is a long post just to say to each his own but this I know.... the RX8Club forum puts MyG37 forum to shame. We have to be paying members (not just registered) to get group buys. That sucks. Well, y'all play nice here and appreciate nice cars for what they are. The RX8 was a nice car for me and I miss it sometimes, The G37 is a nice car and I am just starting my relationship with her. I think the saying is

Beers