SiVisPacem

http://www.speedsportlife.com

RX-8 owner Byron Hurd writes his first article for the site, a passionate defense of the RX-8 place in the automotive, er, cosmos, pun intended.

mtrevino

Totally agree with what was written... You either get it, or you don't.

michael

parkpy

iTrader: (1)

Excellent article

alienRX8

Amazing read, I love it because it describes just the way I feel about the car.

Flashwing

Fantastic write up, I know I get it.

rled

After reading the article I do get it. I never could put my finger on why I love this car so much, even with all the quirky little things that have popped up. That guy nailed it ! I am constantly being asked why I drive that little thing. I suspect it is because I am 52 years old and am supposed to be driving a truck or a family euro sedan with a vette in the garage for playtime. It used to bug me a little and I would go into the reasons why I like it so much. Now I just smile and say go drive one ,Then come back and ask me.

dynamho

Thanks. That's a great article.

laythor

Perfect quote

Jasonawojo

iTrader: (2)

Great article. It really emphasizes the feel aspect of things.

User24

iTrader: (1)

Every day I wait at a stoplight to get onto the ramp, right lane only. All sorts of cars, instead of obediently waiting behind me, will switch to left lane. They must get back to the right lane to access the ramp. Of course, their aim is to accelerate ahead, then switch back to right lane, hopefully in front of me.

But it never happens.

All sorts of sedan, truck, and other garbage have tried and all failed. They should learn to be more submissive, and wait patiently and obediently behind me because rx8 has too much power there is no chance for them. Lots of GT class vehicle have tried as well, like G35, but there is still no chance for them.

This guy, he is talking about rx8 barely keeping up with family sedan. That is ridiculous.

magikone69

family sedans of today can hardly be called family sedans anymore. Todays blue collar midsize is packing a little extra under the hood, i realized this a few weeks ago when an accord v6 pulled off on me unexpectedly...i was already in 4th so didnt bother downshifting but even if i did i probably still woulda had a hard time catching up the v6 version of midsized cars are pretty beefy (str8 line) compared to the 8.

as far as the article goes i agree completely. the 8 is a car that you either get or dont get...you cant "sorta get it". when people say why bother with such a weak sauce engine, poor mileage, reliabilty and the endless amount of oil it drinks...i just smile and say you obviously have never driven one. This is not a car for conformists. Americanized people will always have a gripe with the car because of our culture heavily biased towards drag racing and this car will never be a drag car. Its funny when someone says the rx8 is slow cause i tend to ask in what sense is the car slow...their response...my sentra se-r can beat it...my response LMFAO

yale02

iTrader: (16)

nicely written article. I get it, and suffice is to say, the RX-8 is not the diet coke of evil!

User24

iTrader: (1)

Well, you certainly have a different point of view from me. I'm shocked that you said Accord. Most of the Accord I see look like they are 15 years old, with white paint chipping off.

I'm not sure if this applies to you, but one thing I notice in general on rx8club, rx8 driver are always boasting about how slow their car is. They like to win arguments to prove that rx8 is slower than all other cars, and will fight that point to the death.

I will never understand why they do that. It is very sadistic.

Also, the real reason why I "get it" for rx8, is because I can't afford to "get it" elsewhere. There is nothing $14,000 up or down that is more exotic, so I must focus on "get it" with rx8. Very few of us would not hesitate to "loose it" immediately if a more exotic was within reasonable means. If this was not true, then we would not need to take comfort in "forgiving" articles written by "automobile "writers" ".

What would we drive if rx8 was never made? There are no good alternatives south. I don't even like to imagine what if there was no rx8.

kvndoom

You know, for 5 days a week, I kick my own *** and keep asking myself "why the ***** did I buy a second car?!?" Then, come the weekend, when I sit inside the thing and drive it, it all comes back to me. You can tell the love that went into building the car just by driving it.

@ User24: I'd probably be driving a Speed3 or GTI if there were no RX8. But I have a feeling I wouldn't love either of them as much, faster or not.

magikone69

lol im sorry i was talking about the new accord, iirc its like 265hp or so, and although they weight is up there it did manage to scoot effortlessly. If its anything like the newer altima V6's they are not all that slow. hell even when i had my 95 maxima it wasnt slow by any means..i had no problems keeping up with 540i's of similar years. but thats besides the point.

im not one that likes to rag on my car about how slow it is...but sometimes its just a fact. sometimes i feel a little disapointed after competing against cars which i personally feel are inferior.

and as you said for "14k nothing more exotic I 100% TOTALY AGREE!!!!!!. I bought my GT for 16k last year and at the time there wasnt anything in that price range that could compete for my attention, with 16k my choices were srt4 (fast, but what a fukin kids toy it is), Scion TC (nice, but just too damn common), 2000'ish stang gt (fast, felt to cheap and common), some uded eclipse or somethin. I thought for the price the 8 was a steal, it had almost everything i was looking for out of a car...my initial gripes were gas mileage and str8 line speed but if you add all the things i love about the car it outweighs those 2 areas enough that i dont see it as a problem at all. Even when gas flows over 5 bux a gallon (and it will sooner than you think) ill still be driving my 8..prob not everyday tho lol.

restiller

"Depreciation never hit the RX-8 particularly hard..."

I LOL'd at that one.

5speed6

First off, thanks for the responses everybody. And thanks to Jack for whoring me out here in front of the very group I so dubiously referred to as the equivalent of "those people" in my article.

On to a couple points:

We have both the RX-8 and the MS3 in our stable (along with our poor, oft-neglected beater -- an '05 Focus). The MS3 and the RX-8 are such polar opposites, but they're both ridiculously fun in their own ways.

Compared with the rest of the brand, they're slightly ahead of the game. Market wise, they're almost dead average. It all depends on the trim and options, of course. Keep in mind, the base price for the RX-8 vs. its paper competitors was as much as 25-30% lower in some cases. Also, if you're sticking to that same "class" comparison, the RX-8 has to contend with Honda depreciation in the S2000; talk about bringing a knife to a gun fight.

And as to the various responses on the "family sedan" issue... well... today's family sedans aren't slouches. It wasn't meant to be a knock against the RX-8. The sad fact is that most V6-powered family cars today could keep pace with some fairly exotic machinery from only 15 or 20 years ago. It's not that sports cars are slowing down, it's just that there's a lot more muscle in today's midsizers. Plenty of $26k family cars can knock off a 6.0s 0-60 and a 14s 1320, even with slushboxes, and some of them can even handle, too.

Again, thanks for all the comments and criticisms. Like Jack said, haze away.

Shoafb

agreed, why do they think the 8 is the coolest thing for 14k? Nothing else depriciated faster.

delhi

I feel sorry for you having to think that cars are supposedly an investment. But mostly for owning two cars that will always live under the shadows of it's superior brethrens.

Shoafb

LOL, you are a funny man.

delhi

only when it was so easy.

Socket7

The only flaws in the RX-8 are those in the mind of the driver.
And the flaws in the transmission.
And the engine core.

But those aren't really flaws. They're practically wear items.

laythor

The 8 first caught my eye on looks alone.

Research had my juice flowing with: rotary, handling, 4 door coupe

Test drive kept me going with: stock feel of something 2 to 3 times the price, interior, fit and finish of whole car, and power (yes, it really does have power)

Owning it rewards me every time I drive it, every time I wash it, every time I add something on to make it just a little bit more "mine"

robrecht

I was sold on the 8 when I first test drove one on January 2nd, 2004. Closest thing to Miata handling with 4-seats, not to mention a little more oomph, at a very affordable price. But it's not a true sports car. It's a compromise, like every other car. You either get it, or you don't, but come on, it's about 500-800 lbs heavier than a Miata. You compromise on weight to get a usable back seat. If you don't want a back seat, get an FD. You'll thank me in the morning.

Shoafb

nice take on it