My insurance went down a lot from my '00 Avenger ES. This car has four doors. That puts it half-way between a coupe and a sedan. Also curtain airbags and good safety ratings. You guys need to do some shopping.

 

Inexpensive--I wish my wallet agreed--all jokes aside the RX8 is not in the same league as the FD--the FD offered 911 level performance for $40K; the RX8 offers FD handling with BMW 3 series compentency and acceleration--at a bargain. Mazda and Nissan knew that they could not have a FD and 300ZX redeux by pricing them out of the market. Also the market was starved for affordable sports cars, which helps sales. Also RX8 sales are increasing while 350Z sales are on the decline.

 

One of the key factors was the Yen/USD exchange rate.

During the mid 80's the exchange rate was around 200-220 Yen to the dollar, but the dollar was slowly getting weaker. When the RX-7 was introduced in Japan in '91 (it arrived in the US in '92 as a '93 model) the exchange rate wasn't too bad. But when the US economy took a dive in '93, the rate suddenly took a huge hit to around 115-120 Yen to the dollar (don't quote me on the exact rate).

I remember this well, as I was planning a vacation to Japan at the time. The dramatic change in the exchange rate caused the cost of my trip go up a great deal! This had the same affect on the RX-7's MSRP. The MSRP stayed the same in Yen, but in dollars the price jumped! It went from the low $30K's in '92 to a mid/high 30's MSRP in '95. The Supra Turbo, TT 300ZX, and 3000 GT all suffered the same fate.

The other thing was the FD RX-7 was designed as specialty car and shared no parts with any other Mazda model. With the RX-8 they got smarter and used economy of scale. You see a few RX-8 bits on the Mazda 3, the new MX-5 will use the 8's platform, and if we ever see a new RX-7 it will also use RX-8 parts.

 

Why would they bring the RX7 back? Wouldnt it be a RX9 or RX8 Types S or something like that?

 

I think a lot of the most recent responses are extremely informative; the dollar/yen issue, CAD/CAM, market pricing, shared components, etc. Very interesting.

But as to this comment:

I have to say, yes, the RX-8 may not be in the same league as the FD in terms of pure performance (acceleration and handling), but that's not the issue here, at least as the original poster framed it.

The issue here is design and manufacturing costs, and that makes me ask whether, CAD/CAM efficiencies and dollar/yen ratios aside, the FD's components were intrinsically more expensive or better than the RX-8's. I suspect the answer is no.

Except for the presence of the turbos and intercooler, I am not aware of anything "fancier" or "better" or intrinsically more expensive or higher quality, about the FD's chassis, suspension, brakes, sheet metal, diff, engine, tranmission, etc., as compared to the RX-8.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't believe that the FD was "better" in terms of these components, than the RX-8. In fact, I think the opposite is true: The RX-8 has a nicer interior, brakes, diff, engine, electronics, etc.

Maybe some components, like the suspension and tranny, are equivalent, but in general I think that, everything else being equal, the RX-8's components would be more expensive than those of the FD, if they were both being built today.

(However, perhaps framing it this way is unrealistic: We cannot ingore the fact that the initial start-up and design costs were probably "higher" on the FD, since they could not be amortized over nearly as many units; and CAD/CAM back then were much less advanced.)

 

If it will ease your mind, I'll sell ya mine for $43,000.

 

i would just call it the rx-8 coupe :X

mazda never went back to rx-2/3 when they added rear seats to the FC and FDs

 

I would have to say its because of the competition. Plus you also have to look at the fact its a Mazda. The reason the RX-7, Supra, 3000GT stopped getting made was people couldn't see themselves buying a Japanese car at 40K american. Plus you have to look at the fact there are no turbo RX-8's. If they made a twin turbo RX-8 you would probably have to add 4 to 6K for the asking price. If you add all the availible option you would be looking at around 40K American.

 

I agree. As a former FD RX-7 owner, I find nothing in the RX-8 that seems cheaper (except for the lack of twin turbos). Overall the car seems to be much better made and of equal or better quality materials.

The RX-7's target was the NSX and 911. And at $32K (which is about what I paid for mine after discounts in '93) it was a bargain. Mazda probably engineered the RX-7 for a low $30K-ish price point. But then the Yen exchange rate caught them off guard, and at $40K the car was having a very hard time finding buyers.

In Yamaguchi's book on the RX-8, the team's early proposal on the 8 was to build another 911 beater. But the Mazda lords said "NO!". They couldn't repeat the mistake of the last 7. So the RX-8 was specifically engineered for its current place in the market.

 

It gives you lots of savings for MODS! Now get busy and start spending :D

 

An RX-8 Type-S exists. It's just the 247 hp, 6-speed RX-8 that the United States was supposed to get.

http://www.rx-8.mazda.co.jp/

 

I never even considered the s2000 because I had to have 4 seats, but I just went to the honda web site. Damn, I never knew the s2000 was so expensive. For some reason I always thought they were priced around with the Miatas. Looking at the spec sheet of the s2000, I don't understand how they sell any at all. At least compared to the value of the 8 and Miata. Bang for the buck, Mazda clearly delivers more bang for the buck IMHO.

 

The S2000 is a wonderful car, if not, one of the best handlers out there. It's also touted for its 6-speed gearbox, which I hear has much better shifting than the RX-8 (is that possible?). If I were looking for hardcore performance with style, I would most definitely go with the AP1. The S2000 has a nice aftermarket following, and with a new engine, this car gets some more torque.

I consider the RX-8 as a hardtop, four-door alternative to the S2000.

 

This is true, but it is only part of the story. The recession in the early nineties collapsed the toy car market, and not only did people stop buying japanese sports cars, they largely stopped buying sorts cars all together. They also stopped buying classic cars. Prices plummeted across the board for all kinds of not quite sensible vehicles. People with money to burn were fewer and further between, and people who really didn't have the life styles to drive cars that weren't practical left alot of wonderfully engineered products, that were appropriately priced at the end of a long boom period, with noone to purchase them in a recession. That has to be remembered too.