Now that I have the new B7 I am thinking of trading my 2.0T for a RX8. I drove one last year and the car just did something for me.

Amazing balanced chasis, BMW-like levels of feedback, near perfect steering, and the best 6-spd I have rowed. And to complete it all that amazing rotary. The unique sound is great and hitting 9500 rpms!!! is amazing. I like the polarizing looks, and the interior is top-notch. On the flip side, it sucks gas, it sucks oil, and it lacks for torque. But the fun level is off the chart. It doesn't hurt that you can get them for 6000-9000 off msrp (2005) at the moment due to ****-poor sales.

For those that have driven them, it would be interesting to hear your opinions on the RX8 from other Audi drivers. (pls don't turn this into a RX8 vs.....thread) Let's hear your opinions.

 

i dont like the RX8 and mazda, mazda is a shadey company
have u test drove the rx7 befor
the new rotory is more reliable but i still dont trust it
and why do u want to down grade

 

ive driven them before, and to tell you the truth, i really didn't like it, i could barely fit in the thing, it had no power, i thought it "slipped out" at 9 grand tho? (redline in mazda terms.) it was really not impressive, handled good, but i expected more. you said no turning this into a vs. thing, but i also drove a g35 that day back to back, they were both at same dealer.(no salesman in car for either testdrive, only a friend egging me on). when i came back with the g35, the engine bay was smoking like jim brewer. the infiniti was much better and i didnt even like it, so now you know how i feel.

 

hey Panda. I picked up my S4 a week or so back. My wife was going to take the 2.0T as her daily driver but now she says she wants to stick with SUVs and doesn't want it - women! So I thought there was not much point in having both the vehicles, and was looking into trading it in for something different, and cheaper.

 

rx8 is an interesting car, looks are questionable. but bang for the buck it's not bad.

i went to a Mazda auto-cross day and had the opportunity to beat up on some mazdas.
the first rx8 i drove was an auto, what a piece of crap that was.

next was the manual rx8, way better (obviosly) but still seem to lack power. but handled quite well. i think mazdas line up has come a long way, but with all the other cars out there i still don't think i would buy one.

also got to drive the new miata. that is the funnest car mazda makes.

 

i didnt kno u bought an s4 wut year and wut color

 

06 Silver 6spd

I've been trying to post a pic but keep getting that "Error saving file to disk" message.

 

The RX-8 is too much of a compromise in my opinion. It's not as fast or as agile as it could have been had they made a dedicated 2 seat sports car, and it's not as utilitarian as it could have been if they'd made an actual four-seater rather than the 2+2 that they did. It's really a car for people who have to compromise, they want a sports car, they need more seating and storage, but can only afford one car. The RX-8 does a bit of both, so for them, it's the car to have.

Since you already have a people mover, there's really no reason for you to not look for a more serious performance car.

Personal opinions.....

Cons:
The powerband is dull. It just feels like an electric car. There's no rush, no sense of theatre.

It's actually the first car available in the US with negative torque figures. It requires torque from the cars around it to move.

It looks goofy.

It's expensive to mod.

There have already been reliability issues with many of them.

They're everywhere. They're like Japan's Mustang.

While the handling feel is good, their overall capability isn't. .88 roadholding is not a terribly impressive number for a sports coupe, it's actually just about par for the course. Not bad, but it doesn't stand out either.

Pros:
Ummmmm...... Ok, I guess I'm done here.

 

Go to www.putfile.com

I use them for everything. Do it.

 

That's a great point. It makes a great "practical" sports car or "only" car but I guess I can find a more serious vehicle for the same or cheaper. I was also thinking of a used 02-03 Boxster S?

That rotary is SO freakin' addictive though as you know