After reading the article 2 months back entitled "12 Best Cars under $30K", I was so shocked about the 8's absence that I sent R&T an e-mail asking about it's strange disappearance. I never heard back from them. However, I was a little shocked after flipping through this months issue to find that my comment (or part of it) was published under "Your Turn".

I know I shouldn't knock the publicity, but I was STILL a little mad that I never got an answer to my question. At any rate, I was glad to get my $0.02 in for the masses to remember...the 8's still around. Rather unchanged, but still here.

Take a look for yourself...it's the 3rd comment over from Andrew



My full comment I sent in to them read this:

I was rather surprised to find that the RX-8 was excluded from the best 12 cars under $30k in December’s issue. With other such runners as the Scion tC TRD, Mini Cooper and Volkswagen GTI, one can only help but wonder why the perfectly balanced, smooth revving RX-8 was so quickly forgotten. Torque issues aside, how does Mazda's flagstaff performance based sports car teamed with an impressive $26K price tag not appeal to a sports car enthusiasts crowd? When it comes to enthusiasts, I've found that the rotary engine has one of the most devoted followings I've ever seen.

 

Good letter!

S

 

When I read that comment in the issue, I knew it had to be someone from this board. Way to go!

 

Good Job!

 

How did R&T quote you? And did they have a response? Sorry, I don't have the mag in front of me.

 

That'll teach them to write articles that help them sell magazines and increase their ad revenue! Oh wait...

Kudos for writing in, but that whole article was a joke. I have never met anyone with a 350Z who has gotten it for under $30k. And as I recall the performance numbers they got were of dubious value.

 

^^well said ^^

 

A decent mag would respond to comments by the readers. Personally I could care less since I don't read crappy magazines and know for a fact I got one of the best cars for under 30K. It may not be the best but it deserved a look, along with several other cars.

 

sweet! I like to see that they listen.

 

Nice letter!
I would imagine the reason they didn't respond is because it would be awfully tough to argue with your letter. (AND Nissan pays them more for advertising)

 

The fact that they printed his letter means that it was well written and he had a point. What do you expect them to say in a reply. This was a passive way to say we blew it.

 

I've subscribed to R&T since '86 (wow... I just realized I've been reading that thing for a really, really long time)... Anyhow, they rarely respond to letters. Sometimes they do, but it's not the norm.

 

yeah usually when a magazine just publish a reader comment w/o replies, that means they agree with your point of view, so +1 for you!

 

^ right on.

You posted this letter in a thread (bitchfest, lol) when you send it, right? Kudos.

Like a few have said - they publish letters that are well written & have a valid point. Combine Al & Jedi's posts and expand a little & you get the real answer:

"We can't argue this point, we blew it, but it's only b/c we value Nissan's money over actual journalistic integrity."

 

No, it was a way for them to show how every person with a car that didn't make the list had a gripe.

 

If I'm an author of an article and it is flawed and brought to my attention, I would admit it or explain the reason why it is the way it is. Now if I write for Teen Beat or Crappy Car Mag Extreme printing your comment is good enough and you get a free sticker.

 

I too was wondering about why the 8 was left out, so I did a search on R&T forums and found these replies from the editor.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/idealbb/...&searchstring=

 

So what he is saying is that they left out the part that states "cars we chose to look at" to mislead the reader into thinking they were going to get a real idea of what is out there. Looks like he took the same approach for the frames on his glasses under $30.

 

I guess that makes sense, kind of. But it is still bull. If Mazda happens to have three cars in this category, then that means that Mazda is the company to go to if you want a great sports car for under 30k; simple as that. You can have your mix of three different types of 'sporty'. Good point brought up earlier that, for the most part, only the base Z is less than 30. They should have looked at comparatively equipped autos trim level wise.. That will show a more accurate 'best bang for the buck' comparison... Just my .02..

 

This comment should bring the resident fanbois out pretty quick:

"I would agree the RX-8 is an easier car to drive, as it has less torque, softer ride quality, and a lighter feel. The Z will hang the rear end out more easily, especialy on a bump road. That's probably how most people scare themselves. To avoid such things and go even faster get the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and drive a 4-door that will beat the $(&* out of the Z, RX-8 and even an S2000."

 

Although I agree they blew it by not including the 8 vs. over some of their lame choices, in S Bailey's defense, at least the guy was honest and didn't BS the person questioning their choices. His answer said a lot.

It's a cop out to say that we included 2 Mazdas, can't do 3, but I'll agree the consumer's have lost interest so I guess like lemmings they have as well. Bottom line, the problem is more correctly put in Mazda's lap for virtually abandoning any meaningful refresh of the car's shortcomings (power) over 4 yrs time and even excluding it from brand awareness by leaving it out of most of its commercials. Sorta the bastard child syndrome, eventually people get the message and everyone begins to shun it, regardless of it's merits.

 

 

WHOA! I got published too! ("Cadet Travis Root" is me.) I had no idea.

 

My RX8 started out just slightly over $30K, but now with all my mods, I'm over $40K YIKES!

(And I still don't have a blower on it...)

But, with 50,000 miles of trouble free service, I really cannot complain. Looking forward to the ride home in my beloved 8.

 

Looks like I was pretty close, he was just a little more PC. It's hard work being right all the time.