I rented a Z yesterday. It's a nice car but just felt heavy to me, more muscle than acrobat. I prefer my 8...

 

 

I just got my 2008, had it about 10 days and man, after wanting this so bad for so long, it is just too crazy to be driving this superb machine. I'm around 6'3-6'4 and so I had to get the car without the excellent sun roof so I fit better, and that is OK. The main reason I'm writing is because I was surfing YouTube and there are so many RX videos on there! I saw one from some German tv show where the guy tests the 350Z and the RX, and while it is all in German, he is REALLY working the cars over! With all the talk about the Z vs. the RX, I guess I am intrigued and wouldn't mind driving the Z, but I've only had eyes for the RX since it came out, and it is just a fantastic car, enjoy.

 

I'm about to hit my 3 year anniversary with this car...I never kept a car this long. Just drove into work and actually caught myself smiling as I drove it hard, the damn thing rewards the senses in a way that doesn't show up on a spec sheet.

A 350 is a nice car, but just sitting in it (feels like sitting in a deep plastic bathtub) feels wrong after you're used to the 8. You likely won't be disappointed with the switch.

 

When I was at this particular dealership trying to get he keys to the RX-8 that I did eventually test drive and the basis for this post, get this.. The GENERAL SALES MANAGER told me to forget the RX-8 and that it was a POS.. then he proceeded to tell me all about the problems they have had and that Mazda simply buys back the cars from the whiners to shut them up. He did agree though that many many people have bought this car without understanding what it is and how it should be driven. Most if not all of them were people using it to go get groceries.

It makes me sad that people think that a car is crap simply because it demands that they actually take responsibility for maintaining and actually understanding the machine that they pay good money for. The vast vast majority of people simply want an appliance. Even I realizd that I was losing touch with the cars that I had.. they promoted no bonding whatsoever.

Be kind to your ride for it bears your ***..

 

It worked for us since it bring the cost down and make it rare...

 

Battering ram or key?
You chose the key. Smart man.

 

WTF?!?

 

well it's about time someone took the time to speak on the side of the eight without backing up!!

 

That's funny


Z=Straight line?

Here are some times from a road course; (yes, it has turns)


http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...-5+page-8.html

Every car is a set of compromises. I have driven both the Z and the 8 flat out on a track, and I understand why some people would prefer the 8 over a Z. (It's lighter, and it handles better than a Z.)

But to say "Z=straight line" is BS. The Z handles well and its set of compromises allowed it to get around VIR (turns and all) quicker than the 8.

IMHO, The 8 gave up too much power in order to improve handling. I bet the 8 would handle even better if the weight of the motor was removed and the suspension was tuned to take advantage of the weight loss.

The car would be awesome on twisty mountain roads. (As long as you drove down the mountain.) But most drivers would consider 0 HP and 0 Torque too much of a sacrifice.

Sacrificing power for handling isn't a bad idea, up to a point, but that "point" will be different from one driver to the next.

 

Z's fast car curve and all, but it does not provide the feed back (trust) and agilness like those of an 8, and a turbo will fix up the 8 very very easily in the torque department. there are no magical + 120 hp fix to the Z that i know of, but i do not know much about the Z.

 

congrats man, great car

but, "NOW, the real reason for this post is to stop the bashing of one of the best if not THE best sports cars for the money. The Rx-8." if you want to accomplish that, you should be posting on some other forums because that wont be accomplished here

 

The Z provides great feedback but "trust" was a problem with the stock tires. (They stuck very well right up to the point where they would "snap".) Tires with better "break-away" behavior was all I needed to fix that issue.

Agileness? Well, no magical "fix" for that.

Phisics is simply on the side of the 8 in that department. I have been able to use wider/stickier tires, lighter wheels, springs, sways and dampers to beat phisics into submission though.

I wish my Z were a bit lighter but, after all the suspension mods and track-tuning, I can honestly say my moded Z handles better than a stock 8.

 

Z=Van Damn (i'm sure i spelled it wrong )
8=Bruce Lee

 

I agree. While the 8 is wonderfully agile, the chassis can easily take more hp without further tweaking. Not so with many other cars. Hence that spookiness at the handling limits.
Hey, does the Z still suffer from the tire feathering since day 1?

 

It was one of the first TSB's that nissan issued.

 

This story made me feel that much better about buying my 8. I love the car... I get no work done though because all I do is look out my office window and stare at it all day.

 

YES we know thats YOUR car

 

hahaha
Great story

 

I don't think so, but I go through two sets a year due to autocrossing and other track events.

None of my tires have had a feathering problem but then, my tires go bald and have to be raplaced before they even get to 5k miles.

 

I know that there's some sort of class action lawsuit against Nissan/Infiniti for this.
Does Nissan still offer free tire changes for owners? I remembered they kinda did in the initial years. Free tires for life is not a bad thing.... heh!