Discussion
Sadly, I am going to be putting my zed up for sale soon as I need something with more than two seats.
Looking at the classifieds, the RX8 seems like a great car for the money that seems a good replacement for the zed. They are good on the eye, and the interior looks much better compared to the Nissan. I know the rex will have similar MPG to the zed, but what is it like to drive in comparison?
Is servicing overly expensive?
What MPG on average does the Mazda get cruising on the motorway?
I am currently taking bike lessons, so I plan to run the RX8 as my commuting car, and get a CBR600 for the weekends.
Has anyone made the transition from RX to zed, or vice versa?
Many thanks.
Looking at the classifieds, the RX8 seems like a great car for the money that seems a good replacement for the zed. They are good on the eye, and the interior looks much better compared to the Nissan. I know the rex will have similar MPG to the zed, but what is it like to drive in comparison?
Is servicing overly expensive?
What MPG on average does the Mazda get cruising on the motorway?
I am currently taking bike lessons, so I plan to run the RX8 as my commuting car, and get a CBR600 for the weekends.
Has anyone made the transition from RX to zed, or vice versa?
Many thanks.
350zStee said:
Sadly, I am going to be putting my zed up for sale soon as I need something with more than two seats.
Looking at the classifieds, the RX8 seems like a great car for the money that seems a good replacement for the zed. They are good on the eye, and the interior looks much better compared to the Nissan. I know the rex will have similar MPG to the zed, but what is it like to drive in comparison?
Is servicing overly expensive?
What MPG on average does the Mazda get cruising on the motorway?
I am currently taking bike lessons, so I plan to run the RX8 as my commuting car, and get a CBR600 for the weekends.
Has anyone made the transition from RX to zed, or vice versa?
Many thanks.
I find my self split with the RX8. On the one hand I think they are totally fab machines, I like the look, the 4 seats and what they are.Looking at the classifieds, the RX8 seems like a great car for the money that seems a good replacement for the zed. They are good on the eye, and the interior looks much better compared to the Nissan. I know the rex will have similar MPG to the zed, but what is it like to drive in comparison?
Is servicing overly expensive?
What MPG on average does the Mazda get cruising on the motorway?
I am currently taking bike lessons, so I plan to run the RX8 as my commuting car, and get a CBR600 for the weekends.
Has anyone made the transition from RX to zed, or vice versa?
Many thanks.
And if I had been considering a hot hatch, I think the RX8 would be an ideal alternative.
But........
Sadly I just can't get past the performance (or lack thereof) against the mpg trade off.
While the 350z wasn't grunty, it'll feel it compared to the RX-8. And my betting is that the 350z will have been more economical more of the time too.
You hear different reports for the Mazda, but 18-22mpg doesn't seem wrong on any searches I've done, although I've seen worse.
And while I personally think most of the scare stories are internet hype, there is no denying that these engines and the RX-8 has been prone to issue, that without warranty or good will from the dealers/Mazda would be expensive to sort.
So on the one hand you have a good looking 4 seater coupe with a boot, rwd and a good balanced chassis.
On the other hand it still isn't a 4 door saloon car, it'll drink fuel, be all revs and no balls and not actually be that quick.
Now I know I get labeled on PH, but here is my reasoning. I've got a larger, heavier 4 seater coupe with a decent boot. Even with an automatic gearbox it still manages better mpg than an RX-8 (24-26mpg as a rule on 95 RON). Makes 100+ HP more and is a fair chunk quicker than the RX-8.
When looking for a new daily driver end of last year/beginning of this year, I did indeed think of an RX-8, but I just couldn't justify buying something that was slower, less powerful and used more fuel.
If you want to stick Jap (rather than go Yank V8) and need more seats maybe a look at Impreza's, Evo's, Supra's and even an older Celica GT-Four might be worth a shout.
If you don't mind broading your horizons then cars like some BMW's (although I'm loath to say it, lol) do make sense, or maybe something like a Jaguar (X-Type 3.0 V6 or even an S Type if you don't mind bigger).
Edit:
Last final comment, if you were going from an MX-5 or some other revvy small displacement n/a motor (even a hatch) the RX-8 would make a good choice and a step up. But from a 350z I can't help feeling it'd be a bit of a come down.
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Tuesday 13th July 16:55
I would say it is probably a step back in power but the practicality of the car should make up for it.
The most I have ever got out of my RX8 on a motorway cruise is 280 miles which equates to 25mpg.
The oil issue is not an issue really just check it every so often. This probably sounds alot but I have only bought my 3rd 5 litre bottle of oil in the 2 years that I have owned the car and I am only just into the 3rd bottle.
The boot is large but the appature to get stuff into the boot is small.
You will lose out to quite alot of cars when accelerating from say 50-70 but the rx8 is more capable in the corners so you can catch them up.
The most I have ever got out of my RX8 on a motorway cruise is 280 miles which equates to 25mpg.
The oil issue is not an issue really just check it every so often. This probably sounds alot but I have only bought my 3rd 5 litre bottle of oil in the 2 years that I have owned the car and I am only just into the 3rd bottle.
The boot is large but the appature to get stuff into the boot is small.
You will lose out to quite alot of cars when accelerating from say 50-70 but the rx8 is more capable in the corners so you can catch them up.
Edited by sherman on Tuesday 13th July 17:25
We used to have an RX-8 and have a Z now.
The Z makes a nicer noise as standard, is easier to drive in traffic, has a harder wearing interior and turns in 3-4 miles per gallon better in most situations. The 8 was and, crucially, felt a much lighter and more agile car - more of a sports car, less of a bruiser. It needed an aftermarket exhaust to sound anywhere near as purposeful as the Z sounds as standard, and the engine is at its best wrung out to the redline on a B-road and at its worst in commuter traffic. The 8 rides better, cruises more quietly and has better mechanical refinement, but still feels more communicative to me.
They're quite different takes on the affordable sporting coupe theme, and attack it from different angles. I prefer the 8 for driving flat out and the Z for seven tenths. The Z is a lot quicker in the wrong gear than the 8 is, but whether that is really a consideration depends on your driving style.
The Z makes a nicer noise as standard, is easier to drive in traffic, has a harder wearing interior and turns in 3-4 miles per gallon better in most situations. The 8 was and, crucially, felt a much lighter and more agile car - more of a sports car, less of a bruiser. It needed an aftermarket exhaust to sound anywhere near as purposeful as the Z sounds as standard, and the engine is at its best wrung out to the redline on a B-road and at its worst in commuter traffic. The 8 rides better, cruises more quietly and has better mechanical refinement, but still feels more communicative to me.
They're quite different takes on the affordable sporting coupe theme, and attack it from different angles. I prefer the 8 for driving flat out and the Z for seven tenths. The Z is a lot quicker in the wrong gear than the 8 is, but whether that is really a consideration depends on your driving style.
I went to view two RX8's last night at a local dealer, and both were dogs. All the wheels were knackered, the paint had terrible orange peel, and in inside both, the interior was knackered with scuffs on the dash, door sills, the leather was badly worn, and these cars had covered less than 30k miles.
I've still to test drive one, so this will be the deciding factor.
I've still to test drive one, so this will be the deciding factor.
350zStee said:
I went to view two RX8's last night at a local dealer, and both were dogs. All the wheels were knackered, the paint had terrible orange peel, and in inside both, the interior was knackered with scuffs on the dash, door sills, the leather was badly worn, and these cars had covered less than 30k miles.
I've still to test drive one, so this will be the deciding factor.
How's this? Autoquake tend to present their cars pretty well.I've still to test drive one, so this will be the deciding factor.
http://www.autoquake.com/used-mazda-rx-8/4dr-[231]...
The lacquer on the wheels bubbles, mostly around the centre cap - absolutely loads of them replaced under warranty, but no reason to believe that it won't just happen again. Cosmetic, but unsightly. Some people just got them refurbed and powder coated for a permanent fix. The alloys on the PZ don't seem to have any such problems. The interiors are not particularly hard wearing, IMO, and the bits of silver plastic trim on the transmission tunnel are particularly prone to scratching.
You will really miss the torque.
I sold my RX8 a few months ago. It has been totally reliable and it excellent condition. Yes it liked to drink petrol at a stupid rate but the oil usage wasnt that bad.
However, the day I sold it the CEL light came on and the coils had packed up. Luckly my car had a Mazda warranty but it was a pain in the arse for the buyer. It has totally changed my view of the cars.
They are great to look at and handle really well although far too twitchy in the wet. However, I got tired of telling people how fast they were round the bends to hide the straight line speed. They are quick but not fast and you soon get bored of reving the nuts off it all the time and changing down twice to over take. If you are going to get one make sure it has a Mazda warranty because after market companies are covering less and less on the car. Coils need to be changed around 30-40K.
Its such a shame that they are proving to be unreliable. Thats one of the reasons I got rid of mine because the company wasnt going to fully expense my car and I couldnt risk it going wrong in the future. Oh, and I wanted an M5
I sold my RX8 a few months ago. It has been totally reliable and it excellent condition. Yes it liked to drink petrol at a stupid rate but the oil usage wasnt that bad.
However, the day I sold it the CEL light came on and the coils had packed up. Luckly my car had a Mazda warranty but it was a pain in the arse for the buyer. It has totally changed my view of the cars.
They are great to look at and handle really well although far too twitchy in the wet. However, I got tired of telling people how fast they were round the bends to hide the straight line speed. They are quick but not fast and you soon get bored of reving the nuts off it all the time and changing down twice to over take. If you are going to get one make sure it has a Mazda warranty because after market companies are covering less and less on the car. Coils need to be changed around 30-40K.
Its such a shame that they are proving to be unreliable. Thats one of the reasons I got rid of mine because the company wasnt going to fully expense my car and I couldnt risk it going wrong in the future. Oh, and I wanted an M5
Edited by CarbonBlackM5 on Friday 16th July 13:37
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