In the 7/18 issue, in todays mail - Driver's Log Section.

Reviewing a Jun 17 - Jul 1 stint in their fleet, 2005 Nisssan 350Z 35th Anniversary Edition 350Z, authored by "Wong":

As a rotary enthusiast, it sort of hurts to say I would take this over the Mazda RX-8. The 350Z gets better gas mileage, and you won't have to deal with the Renesis headaches we had with our long-term RX-8.

Damn - what's up with this???

 

he's just being honest, their long-term RX-8 did have some problems

 

Wong Idea I guess

He must not truly be a rotary enthusiast, if he could not figure out how to tune and train his Renesis into the car it was meant to be.

Didn’t they complain of the amount of oil they consumed? Sounds like they got an early VIN, then just abused it before it was properly broken in. If they were to drive my car today, it would put grins on their faces.

 

yeah i think they mentioned they consumed A CASE (that's 12 bottles) of oil within a very short period of time

 

*** him. It's just one goof's opinion.

I'm on the opposite of the scale; I wouldnt care if it got 40 mpg and never needed oil or any other kind of maintenance, I'd never ever never pick a z over the 8.

 

that's probably because everyone at the magazine that drives it just hops in and and floors it everywhere. you redline on everyshift, everytime you take it out, its going to consume oil faster than "normal".

one goof's opinion that is read by millions of impressionable subscribers

 

indeed. I used a full quart IN 2 DAYS over a weekend

granted I was doing track days that weekend, the car pretty much never goes below 6000rpm while on track, for 2 days! so yeah your point well taken :D

 

You have to floor the car to get its power, something you don't have to do in a Z. I believe Autoweek wrote in an earlier update that it's a performance car, expect it to be driven as one. Just goes to show, compared with the Z, to get the same performance out of the 8, you have to rev the hell out of it. The same people who complain that drivers don't know how to drive an 8 (you have to keep the revs up), now complain when a reviewer does just that and reveals one of the cars shortcomings.

 

yeah, but power wasn't one of the reasons given as to why the Z was prefered over the 8. its been a while since i read one of the earlier long term reviews, but i don't think that power output was one of their issues with the renesis.

 

Id be surprised if that birdcage-liner has millions of subscribers.

 

Not power per se, but oil consumption was one of their earlier gripes, and the amount of oil burned is directly related to how hard one drives the car. So maybe it's not power, but it's definitely how to get to that power that's come under fire, i.e., drive it like you stole it. The important thing to hope for is that, since Mazda made a performance car that must be reved hard to get to its power, they also made it reliable enough to be driven like that regularly. No one wants to find out that at 60 to 75 thousand miles that the Renesis starts going. I'm already reading about engine mounts going. That's another reason that torque beasts like the Mustang do well, they don't have to be dogged out to get their power, just a little tap. Autoweeks' driver prefferred the Z over the 8 because they drove the hell out of their 8 and it suffered for it. As much as people talk about the Zs lack of quality, let's wait and see which car, in the long run, has a better long term report, by that I mean 5 years 75+ thousand miles later.

 

Hmmm...I'd like to read where it 'suffered' since I just read the wrap up and there's no mention of it. If 'bad' gas mileage=suffering, then there are a lot of suffering cars out there.

We shall see. Judging by the number of owners that wrote in to autoweek about multiple replaced trannies, lemon law evokings, and 'I'll-never-buy-another-nissan' rants, it will likely be about the same as the 8.

 

Does what he says make any difference to you on why you bought your car and how you feel about it now? Do other people's opinions matter that much to you? Maybe you should have bought a BMW 3 series for the same price. It would impress more people who get stuck on what other people think.

 

Triue, Shaolin, but, the AutoWeek reviewer adds some pause for thought (and credibility) to unknowing readers, by prefacing his negative remarks by claiming to be a "rotary enthusiast". Traitor.

Here is the whole review (short): Re the 350Z:

"This car rocks. Iwas lucky enough to get a good amount of time behind the wheel and I am impressed. As a rotary enthusiast, it sort of hurts to say I would take this over the Mazda RX-8. The 350 Z gets better gas mileage, and you won't have to deal with the Renesis headaches we had with our long-term RX8. This is a perfect cruiser for around town as well as freeway blasts. And how about those brakes? Brembos from the factory is a dream come true. I have also grown fond of the exterior styling that initially didn't really do it for me. Now, if Nissan would only come out with a slimmed-out version, I would be totally sold."

The as-tested price of this 350Z was $36,750

 

Looks like somebody's a little ****** sensitive over there.

I know many people that prefer the 350z over the RX-8. Bet that'd **** you off even more eh?

 

Little boy, save that bullshit for somebody else. I was addressing the OP and saying he shouldn't care about one high-school-paper reject's opinion.

And no, sorry to let you down but saying you know people who want the little nissan doesn't mean **** to me, but it sounds like it tears you up.

 

hmm I could be wrong but I believe you qualify for ******* status for your reply

 

Ya, I do the same thing on track days, or racing. Man, I don't know. You mean it goes below 65K? Who knew. That extra $2.25 for that quart of oil may just break the bank.

 

My car never seems to eat up oil... Its only the mileage problem. Here's my opinion

the Mazda RX-8 is magnificent. Such a comfortable drive and gets looks as well. :D Good enough for me.

 

The RX8 is a sports car, not a economy car want-a-be. As for power and high revs, try dividing the rev by 3 and that is the engine RPM. It seems that the revolutionary and unique that requires a modified perspective is beyond the ability of a few.

That’s OK. That leaves only those who truly appreciate the rotary engine. For a so called slow car, it seems to be doing rather well in SCCA. The US import version may need a little help overcoming the detuning required by the US import police, but that is the fun of it all.

So let the ignorant wine and cry about the mileage and the oil consumption. In the end the 8 will come out on top in the hands of the those who know and appreciate what they have.

The RX8 provides tuning and customizing possibilities few cars provide. Those who expect it to be done by the factory for import to the US for the sales price are in fantasy land. For the rest of us, the RX8 provides a world of possibilities.

 

the thing that i personally like about the 8, is it makes a great daily driver, and is a blast to drive. one of the gripes about the 350z is that the ride quality is so harse and stiff that it beats you up and wears you out to achieve its handling abilities. the 8 is able to replicate (if not beat) the same amount of handling in manner that is actually comfortable. it walks a thin line between comfort and handling, and it does it extremely well.

also, the z does make a good amount more horsepower and a ish ton more torque, but it isn't all that much faster than the 8. what do the car magazines rate the z at? 0-60 in 5.2? 5.4? not all that much faster for than the 5.8 put up by the magazines. and for real world driving where people don't abuse their cars to get the absolute fastest times, low 5s to 6 is what the z gets. not that much faster than the 8 and its low to mid 6s.

 

Yeah, but think about the fact that Z's can break 13s stock. Most of us are barely breaking 14s.

 

meh. if i wanted a 13 second car, i would have bought a ws6 firebird.

 

it's been said a million times before, i'll reapeat it now: the rx-8 is not a 2 door! there's been at least 2 comparos between the 8 and g35, and the 8 came out on top. no doubt 350z has more power. i test drove one before i got mine. personally, i like revving to 9000 rpm, it kind of acts as a panacea for all the doubts about the 8.

 

If you compare the 8 and the G35 for the same criteria that they did in this article the G35 would probably win there too. The fact of the matter has very little to do with performance, because all three cars are great in their own way. The reviewers had issues with the 8’s upkeep and maintenance, and quite frankly their right.

I have to be honest and say that my 8 was in the shop way to often for a brand new car. Some of the repairs were knit picky, and some were serious, but all of them were factory/design defects. If solid reliability is your goal, the 8 is not your car. It’s an entirely new design ground up, and with that is going to come some serious problems. The Z on the other hand has been around a little longer, and many of the cars components can be found in several of Nissan’s other cars. I wouldn’t see this as a kick in the face, but instead a shot of Mazda’s bow to improve the car.

As for the oil, I never much cared about changing it, but I would bet I’m in the minority on that topic. A lot of people like to start their cars and forget about them, you have to be a real enthusiast to want to keep up with the 8's demands. Again don’t take it as an insult, the issue actually exist, and some people are going to complain.

Also keep in mind that the 8 usually wins when the 3 cars are compared for performance alone.