Hey, how y'all doin? i am going to get a new car, and i hope to get a sports car. (under $35,000) i have heard that the mazda rx-8 is a good way to go. i see them all the time and they're the best lookin' car i've ever seen. i was wondering if you guys could tell me how fast/good price for used 2005 and later/miles to the gallon, etc. also, what would be the best way to go to get more HP without dropping MPG too much or costing over $1000 (supercharger?) thanks.
2007-12-04 05:18:45 · 13 answers · asked by taylor the pokeman 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Mazda
I think they look really feminine, and I'm not really sure how good/fast they are. It's a Mazda
2007-12-04 05:23:41 · answer #1 · answered by AT6381 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
The Mazda RX8 is a pretty good sports car. It has a great sporty design, a comfy interior with nice control layouts, and a rotary engine that is pretty peppy. It's RWD platform allows for great handling at the track, but not so great if you plan on driving in the winter.
My only dislike about hte RX8 is that it is a little underpowered. My 05 Honda Accord coupe with the V6 has 240hp and can beat a stock RX8 in a straight line. The Mazda would definitely win in the corners, but it lacks a little power on the straightaways. A supercharger kit is the perfect upgrade for this engine because the car can handle the extra power, and it could really use it as well.
I have seen car magazines compare the RX8 to the Nissan 350Z and the Honda S2000. THe 350Z is the fastest, the Honda is the most reliable and in my opinion the most fun to drive, but the Mazda with the least amount of power won 1st place in Car and Driver's comparison tests. SO it must be pretty good.
I would definitely recommend checking out the 350Z and S2K as welll to compare, also the Subaru WRX STi and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution have similar if not better performance numbers than any of the other cars and also offer AWD. The Infiniti G35 is in the same class as well.
Good Luck
The Numbers:
2005 Mazda RX8
238HP/159 lb-ft torque, curb weight of 3,000+ lbs goes 0-60mph in 7.08 seconds (slow for a sports car) and gets 18/24mpg
2005 Nissan 350Z
287HP/274 lb-ft torque, curb weight of 3,815 lbs, goes 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds and gets 20/26mpg
2005 Honda S2000
240HP/162 lb-ft torque, curb weight of 2,835lbs (lightest), goes from 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds (much faster than RX8, similar to 350Z when both have equal drivers) offers the highest HP output per cylinder of any vehicle. It is very high revving has a VTEC and is more reliable than any of the competition choices.
Good Luck if you get the RX8 you should definitely throw a supercharger on it, unless you want to get beat at a red light by a Honda Accord. LOL. great car though
2007-12-04 13:27:20 · answer #2 · answered by c420wizzle 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
From what I've read they're maybe one of the best sports cars available for under $40,000. They seem to have some reliability problems (at least the first ones for '07 did), but they're an amazing car. The redline is something like 9000 RPMs, and though low-end acceleration may lack a little bit due to the rotary power, it only gets better as you move higher in the gears and RPMs. Also, one of the best things about the rotaries are that most people agree that they get better with age.
Combine that with the amazing looks (my favorite cheap car ever) and I think you'd have yourself a pretty nice car for $35,000. Although, yes, gas mileage does lack for a 1.3 Liter rotatry - it's down about 18 MPG. However, if you want a sports car, you shouldn't mind 18 MPG.
2007-12-04 13:28:37 · answer #3 · answered by black_ops1941 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you're gonna go Rotary, go for an FC3S (86-91 RX-7). It's the second generation of the 13B Rotary engine and doesn't have the engine problems that the FD3S (92-02 RX-7) and RX8 have.
Also, ALL Rotary engines use oil. Using oil sure is cheaper than getting a rebuild every 130,000 miles, especially since Rotaty engines have under 10 moving parts inside the engine. Less moving parts equals longer-lasting engine.
2007-12-04 18:04:07 · answer #4 · answered by Travis S 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The RX-8 is gorgeous and a good handler, but it's engine lacks torque and it isn't very reliable. They also guzzle oil. It would also be foolish to pay $30K for an RX8 when you can get them used with low miles for $17-20K.
As far as modding them goes I don't think you can supercharge rotary engines. You can turbo charge the engine, but it destroys the reliability. The best cheap mods would probably be a CAI and an exhaust.
I would take a look at something like a used C6 Corvette, G35 Coupe, Pontiac GTO, or 350z.
2007-12-04 13:25:16 · answer #5 · answered by Chad D 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Good sports car but many owners complained of their horrible gas mileage 17-18 MPG combined and weak HP. :(
Why not a 350Z instead?
2007-12-04 13:25:01 · answer #6 · answered by Neil N 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Look into the Subaru WRX STi and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
^way more performance and can contend/beat cars 3x their price.
2007-12-04 13:33:54 · answer #7 · answered by Rumple 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
go for the rx-7 it has the 13b which is much better than the 20b engine found in rx-8's
2007-12-07 14:50:59 · answer #8 · answered by 240silvia 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not a bad car, but very noisy and not that quick. The suspension is also a bit rough. You could put a turbo in it, but you will spend around $5,000 or so.
2007-12-04 13:25:07 · answer #9 · answered by SubNRG 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I should say its one of the 100 popular sport cars in the U.S
2007-12-04 13:37:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋