saturn

Yeah, I agree. The reintroduction of the rotary with 232 NA horsepower is quite an accomplishment. I am not worried that Mazda has given up on the rotary or the RX line in general, but just more so anxiously waiting for a light at the end of the tunnel.

Right now, the 8 just isn't good enough for me to get (as long as my current car does explode). I am utterly amazed at what this car does for the price and if it just had that one missing piece I would have a car that goes above and beyond what I thought a car for ~$30k could ever do.

A 2009 RX-9 is a bit too long of a wait for me. With the Evo X and Supra looming, I just don't see how I can wait for something that may never come.

ASH8

I have just read the latest WHEELS Mag here at a shop, (my sub copy has not arrived in the post...GRRR??)

There are NO pics and I am going on memory here ,but the writer stated this....

The RX-8 will have substantial changes done to it later in 2006 for the 2007 YM.

Considerable change to the interior.

Engine mods to increase power and improve fuel economy...This is interesting.

The writer also says that a Mazdaspeed 8 version is still very much on the cards and being developed for export markets within 2 years....

I will tell you more when I get my copy thats "in the mail system".

So the RX-8 is STILL very much ALIVE and WELL...for 2007 2008 2009

RoXanneBlack8

i swear to god if i read "mazdaspeed rx8" one more time on this website im gonna kill somebody. give up

rotarygod

The only reason I mention the RX-8 will be around nexxt year is for the people who keep saying "this year is the last year". I seem to recall 6 months ago all the threads that stated there would be no 2006 RX-8 when in fact we found out back on October at Sevenstock that the first 2006 models weren't even going to be delivered until late Februaray at the earliest. Still people speculated no 2006. There are some that still say there will be no 2007 and I will definantely say wrong to them. I personally think we'll see some changes to the car such as some interior ad exterior changes, maybe a different wheel option for 2007 or 8 and then have the car taper away after a couple of more years. Then it will be followed by the 2nd generation RX-8 since it is already known that they are in fact currently testing different parts of the 2nd generation car. They must like the car if they are willing to put some effort into even a prototype. This car is not going anywhere anytime soon and anyone's personaly interpretation of what the sales numbers mean is not going to change it.

I personally wish all of these threads would stop. One was too many. We get a new one every single month. They are ALL a complete waste of time.

ASH8

Dito^^^

bascho

I don't think the Renesis should go away.....but it definitely does not belong in a 4-seater. I really don't think Mazda is going to be able to do much more with a n/a 1.3l 2-rotor engine......232hp is a lot of power for so little displacement. The downfall of this engine is being placed in a 3,000lb car. If it were in a 2,500lb car, say an RX7 sized vehicle, then FI wouldn't even be necessary. The Renesis in a 2,500lb car would bring 0-60 times into the low 5 sec range where it belongs.

saturn

I forgot that all the threads are supposed to be about how the car has no shortcomings and that it pwns all in the twisties.

Unlike most of you guys, some of us are trying to decide when and if to get an 8. Trying to figure out where Mazda is headed is a natural part of the purchasing process. If you don't try and forecast where it's going to be, you're an idiot. Same is true for HDTV's, computers, houses -- anything. Maybe we're all guessing wrong, but the fact that we actually give a damn about the sales numbers doesn't mean it's a waste of time.

silverx8

2007, will be same as 2006, with a few cheap mods (paint, interior, maybe a new wing)

I am the great Oracle.

New Yorker

It most definitely does belong in a 4-seater. That's one of the reasons I bought an 8. Were it a 2-seater, I wouldn't have traded in my MX-5 to get one. Downfall? Excuse me, but what downfall? I LOVE this engine. It's my favorite thing about the car. I believe you meant to say "the downfall of this engine to me is… (There's actually a difference between your opinion and the opinion of the good journalists from Automobile, Car & Driver, Sports Car Illustrated, Autoweek, Motor Trend and Top Gear.) Actually, on this planet, a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds is thought to be fast. Please remember that, to go fast, rotary engine cars require a very different driving style compared to ordinary engine cars. (Real Amur'cans don't much like to rev, you got that?)

Sorry for giving you a hard time, but honestly—I'm sick and tired of these "something's wrong with Johnny" posts about what people who really know cars consider to be a very special, very fine automobile. Perfect? Of course not. But by most standards the RX-8 is a great car with no major faults. It's a different kind of car, unlike any other, and that means that, in some key ways, comparing the 8 to other cars is comparing apples and oranges. The 8 is all about the way it feels—something that can't really be measured in numbers. You're giving up some torque and fuel economy for truly sublime feel, balance and handling—and, as an unexpected bonus, a little practicality and a bargain price. That's the deal. I don't expect many to understand, but basically you're asking "why can't a Mac be more like a Dell?" (I know, ironically, that's now starting to happen.) And increasing the power of the RX-8 would not significantly impact sales. The 8 doesn't sell well because, to the average Amur'can buyer a) "it's a sports car, but it's got 4-seats, so what is it? "I'm wary of things that can't be easily categorized", b) it's the only car in the world with a rotary engine in a country where different = bad = no thank you, and c) as others have rightly pointed out, the car is not marketed very much or very well.

ASH8

Saturn, can I suggest that ALL you are doing is speculating on what may or may not happen in the future to the RX-8, you or anyone in these forums don't know for sure until it happens, if you are trying to "forecast" where it would be could again only leads to a conclusion that you will never decide on the issue, i.e, one would never purchase any goods based on your theory, almost EVERY product is virtually obsolete from the day it is originally made available in Retail as manufacturer's are generally working on the next generation as RG says.

We ALL have the right to post our thoughts/views, however, to be honest, I too get a little tired of all the crap that is said about the RX-8's future, as it is ALL crap.

Reading all the negativity about the "future" of this car would put doubt in my mind if I viewed these forums for the first time.

IMO if you are going to continue to procrastinate over whether or not to buy an RX-8, I don't think you ever will..

ASH8

Dito^^^"New Yorker" I totally agree, some just don't get it and never will., and you were a previous MX-5 owner!.

PS: I would still like to see a RENISIS in an MX-5 type configuration... I would just have both the 8 and an RX-5 Convertible...!!MMMmmmm...

saturn

The theory that "everything is going to be obsolete anyways so I might as well buy right now" is not a good one. There are times to buy when you are maximizing your money. It's very tricky to figure that out, but not trying is a terrible idea. I've bought all manner of electronic devices waiting for the best time to buy. You're never going to guess right all the time, but the more you observe, the more informed your decision is going to be. Moreover, one man's "too soon to buy" is another man's "time to strike is now" because everyone is in different points in their lives and all that.

I am not trying to harp on the shortcomings of the 8. All I did was bring up some sales numbers for the 8. I can't help it if you or other people don't care about them because I and others absolutely do. But everytime someone brings up something that could be construed as even vaguely negative someone invariably jumps in to say "the 8 is unique car and you can't compare it to any car ever and you should stop judging Mazda and let them do their jobs".

In the same way that you say reading all the negativity about the future of this car would put doubt in your mind, I would say that reading all this uber-enthusiasm about the 8 being beyond reproach would make me be overly excited and get myself into a car that wasn't what everyone built it up to.

I appreciate your point of view and my intent isn't to give people misplaced doubt about the 8. All I want to do is give people the information for them to make the decision themselves. When people start pissing on my attempt to do so for the sole benefit of others, I'm going to fight back.

Raptor2k

Have you test driven the MT 8, saturn?

ASH8

I am not PISSING on you in any way Saturn, but, go back and look at your previous posts, SO many are on this subject in one way or another, it becomes Boring, if you don't own an RX-8 or have not driven one how can you have the views you have.

I have never said that the 8 is perfect, I have yet to find ANYTHING that is.

You buy a product for what it HAS, NOT for what it may have, or could have, or does not have, or you wish it had.

Desert Rotor

Well, it's time to face the facts. There won't be any 2007 RX-8's. In fact, there aren't really any 2006's, either; Bunnygirl is really a Mazda employee hired to keep us all convinced that 2006's will soon be here, and that's why there's no pictures posted. Oh, sure, dealers all over the country have VIN's listed, but there's no cars to go with them. A few paper mache and cardboard models are being distributed to keep us all fooled. Mazda is not only dumping the RX-8 for 2007 and 2006, they are even hiring special carjacking teams with flatbeds to steal all the 05's back in secret and take them back to Japan, where they'll be melted down and used to make hybrid Mazda3's.

Then they'll come for the '04's. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there it is, straight from the horse's

saturn

I have driven the AT and MT (very poorly due to my lack of skills I might add). I don't think that has any bearing on whether or not I should or shouldn't be posting March sales numbers in a thread that's entitled "March RX-8 Sales".

I wasn't directing most of my post at what you said, ASH8. But you were commenting on where the discussion had, and has in the past, gone to. It went there because people love to interpret any post that isn't about the utter glee one has when just thinking about the 8 as negative attacks. I look at them as head in the clouds insanity.

And most of my posts have nothing to do with the 8, good or bad -- I post mostly nonsense. There are plenty of people who defend the 8 at every turn and just because I'm not one of them, doesn't make me some antagonist for your story about how the car enthusiast underdog triumphs against the ignorant and evil ricer who doesn't "get it".

And as far as your last line goes, I don't buy anything in a vacuum. I know what else is out there, what's likely to come, what's not likely to come, and what's here. I get caught up in the excitement every time I see an 8 or watch that Top Gear video. But I keep myself grounded by reminding myself about the reality of things. I don't expect everyone to weigh their priorities the same way as I do which is not something you can say of many of the people on this forum who instigate these "my car is better than yours" debates.

In any event, I'll make an attempt to refrain from "negativity" in the future. I have no desire to disrupt everyone's good time with my boring remarks. That probably sounds sarcastic, but it's not intended to be.

Raptor2k

It has bearing on the quality of the 2004-06 product, which is where the enthusiasm that you point out comes from. A test drive would leave you to judge the car for yourself in comparison to the excitement you read on the forums, although I can imagine stalling it while trying to get a feel for the car (and just for the hell of it, one of the best gearboxes out there) can't be good.

saturn

The idea that I can judge the car for myself from a test drive would negate the entire reason for having this forum. I've seen many people fall in love with this car during the test drive only to come back and post about all the minor hassles they could not have known from driving it for 20 minutes. An informed decision has gotta come from some hands-on experience as well as some research into others experiences.

Raptor2k

Of course, judgement doesn't come solely from the test drive, but it gives you a clue to the intangibles that can't be put into words. I made sure I lurked through the forums a month before I got mine, research is a necessity.

That comes with any car...any product. Also note that people will cry out and make numerous threads about issues with the car, while people who are having a near-perfect experience with the car won't balance out those threads. The major hassles, as you already know, are generics of "I couldnt keep up with a Z", and "my mpg sucks". As for minor hassles, all cars are made to have some.

In my case, the positives outweigh the negatives by a landslide, and I'm too addicted.... friends tell me I'm insane.

bascho

Which planet is that? On Earth, 0-60 in 5.9 seconds is slow, not fast. The RX8 is a sports car is it not? The RX8 is only a slower car then the 350Z, S2K, G35C, Mustang, etc because it's a 3,000lb 4-seater. In RX7 trim at around 2,5000lbs the Renesis would do Mazda proud. I like the Renesis engine a lot.....and in a very light car (less than 2,500lbs) it is a perfect powerplant.......or FI in a heavier car like the RX8. I just don't think the n/a 232hp (probably closer to 215-220hp in reality) is appropriate for a 3,000lb 4-seater sports car. Have you ever driven your RX8 with 4 people in it? try 0-60 in 8.9 seconds. The RX8 is only somewhat peppy when driving alone. I have been absolutely wasted by my coworkers GTO loaded with 4 people against me alone in my RX8......that is pitiful.

If you have only driven MX5's and the RX8.....then you have never driven a fast car......at least on the planet Earth.

GotBass

Why is everyone bitching about sales being down. I kind of enjoy drving a rare car.

bascho

Low sales usually leads to product termination.....so some are worried that the RX8 wouldn't be around in a few years. I say, it probably won't based on the fact that Mazda probably wants to bring that ugly *** Senku to the market. I wouldn't mind that Kabura though.

ASH8

Here a 350Z and RX-8 Comparison in WHEELS (Aug 2003) Mag had them both equal in the 0-100KPH (60MPH) at 6.4 seconds,,, 0-400 metres (1/4 mile) the Z at 14.3 sec (164KPH) the RX-8 at 14.8 sec (155KPH).

If you have only driven 350Z,G35C,Mustang,even Corvette...then you have never
driven a car that "handles" (like the MX-5 and the RX-8).....at lease on planet Earth.

BTW...ANY and ALL cars whatever their HP suffer in performance when more than one passenger is seated....it is called "Power to Weight" ratio...and you can not escape it......

Brandon

Irony of ironies, the GTO is no more. heehee
Maybe it was too damn fast. whoa Nelly!

Seriously, there seem to be two sides to this. Those that bought loaded RX-8s might see it as slow, those that bought base or sport package RX-8s think it's fast. At $25K, you have what, the regular WRX, RSX, Golf GTI, what else? I think it's pretty darn fast for my $25K. I'd have had to buy a used car to get any faster at that price. For $25,000, in 2004, I think it was darn close to the fastest car on the planet, no exaggeration.

Deslock

• 3rd generation RX7: 2825 pounds
• RX8 base 6-speed: 2880 pounds

However, I agree with your general point that the Renesis would do nicely in a lighter car. If it goes in the Kabura, it could have a power to weight ratio similar to the original 2425-pound RX-01 concept (from 1995) that inspired many of the RX8's features (200+ hp, NA, hi-revving multi-side-port rotary mounted farther back and lower; dry sump; fuel tank mounted mid-ship; low polar moment; etc).