07 Mazda RX8 - Thoughts / Advice?

[Shadowrun]

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Whatever you do buy American.

The Mazda RX8 is a fun little car to drive. I enjoyed the test drive I had in it.

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Do such cars exist any more?

Also, i believe that Toyota is going to have around 3 factories in the US so what IS American?

[ata]

Where's the link to the guy asking how to use his hot RX8 to score mad chicks?

[z28dreams]

Here's a reliability index taken from Warrany Direct - it's data compiled over the last decade based on the most frequent repairs:

http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/man_in...htype=relindex#

For a quick comparison of the 'big' names:
Chevrolet - 25.34%
Ford - 26.11%
Honda - 25.07%
Toyota - 24.05%
Mitsubishi - 16.8%
Subaru - 21.83%
Dodge- 26.47%

So, ya. No big difference. It matters a lot which engine you pick, rather than which manufacturer.

Edited to add that of the top 10 CARS (not manufacturers), 9 of them were Japanese made.

[NicksDad1970]

My co-workers wife has a RX-8. It's spent a LOT of time in the shop. I know there are lemons out there and that just might be the case with this one, I have no idea.

[kyleb]

Diamond Star Motors ftw

[blinden84]

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So, ya. No big difference. It matters a lot which engine you pick, rather than which manufacturer.

Edited to add that of the top 10 CARS (not manufacturers), 9 of them were Japanese made.

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Yeah, for instance, didn't the RX8 motor have a giant recall!

I think the RX8 is a fine looking car, but it lacks in both performance and practicality. There are plenty of cars with higher performance and practicality in this price range.

Also I have respect for an obvious z28 fan praising the Japanese reliability.

[Dilznoofus]

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Their quality/efficiency has vastly improved and is equal if not better than a foreign. Why would you not want to support American companies?

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The company you buy a car from is completely inconsequential in terms of "supporting" one country over another. Toyota has a bunch of plants in the US (as do most other foreign care companies). Many parts of Fords and other "American" cars are built overseas. It's all integrated globally now. Saying "Buy American" is just naive and foolish.

Buy whatever the hell you want to buy.

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Not entirely true. Ford and GM cars are assembled in the U.S. by union workers. Some foreign cars are assembled here but most are not, and AFAIK they are not built by union workers (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that point). If Ford and GM go bankrupt getting beat up by foreign competition and a bunch of UAW workers lose their jobs they will probably not see things the way you do.

Having said that I think UAW workers are probably overpaid, and I don't have a problem with buying foreign cars. American cars are mostly boring and ugly.

Edit: I might be wrong saying most foreign cars are not built here. While true in an overall sense, most Japanese cars being sold today probably are manufactured here.

[JasonK]

I have a hardon for the '08 Altima coupe, a poor man's G35.

[antifish225]

I have an 06 Rx8 - I had an 04 and it got stolen so I bought a new one with the insurance money and I LOVE THE CAR! True the HP is not up there compared to some other cars, however the handling and the 'fun to drive' factor are off the charts.....and it is plenty fast enough when you keep the RPM's up there (rotary's are meant to be driven at high RPM's).....it does truly suck on gas though if you driving it with any level of aggression (as you are shifting in 7-8K rpm range which just isn't easy on the gas tank)......

[z28dreams]

In general, I think these are the main advantages / disadvantages of each type of car:

Domestic/American:
- typically get more horsepower per dollar
- typically get more features per dollar
- cheaper repairs
- cheaper insurance

Import/Japanese:
- better resale value
- slightly better reliability

It's really not about domestic v. import though, it's about finding a car that's high quality.

A GM Corvette does 400+ hp and still gets 28mpg highway.
A cavalier is a huge piece of crap (though with the new ecotec in the cobalt is fairly reliable).

Honda is considered very reliable, but if you look at 1998-2004, many of their big-name cars (Acura TL, CL, some accords) had transmission NIGHTMARES. Any domestic car would be more reliable than one of those with a $3000 guaranteed repair problem in the future.

If I had to recommend one manufacturer for overall reliability, I'd probably lean towards Toyota.

I think Nissan offers excellent bang for the buck among everyone.

General Motors also offers great bang-for-the-buck if you pick the proper vehicles.

I generally don't like Mitsubishi, Ford, or Dodge as a whole (though they do have cars I like).