I just got back from the dealer test driving an RX-8. They had one out of 4 that came in this shipment that was not sold..black with red & black interior. They are selling for sticker price at my dealer, no mark-up. My feelings are very mixed but seeing that I had such high hopes, I am really dissappointed. Looks better in real life (but what will the front look like with the required white front NJ plate...BUCK TEETH)! We held up the white brochure and that's what it looks like. It drove REALLY nice, quick, held turns, nice smooth 6-speed and clutch, and the inside is comfortable and well finished (but what the heck is that grooved rubber doing on the bolsters of leather seats). The biggest dissappointment is they "recomend" letting the car run for at least 5 minutes before shutting it off when starting from cold. Do you know what that means.....it means that they still have that #^&$(&@ flooding problem in the rotary engines. If you've ever had one, you know what a pain in the neck that is, it's not as simple as holding the pedal to the floor like most cars, it either means a flatbed to the dealer or you've gotta crimp lines, remove spark plugs and a whole bunch of other stuff. Even when YOU know to let it run, valets, service stations, wifes, mother-inlaws don't. Nice navi system, still not sure I like the extra doors, kind of dumb, not too much room back there anyway and the doors are small and have the seatbelt attached to them and it was hard to get in & out. It looks like the CL will be around for a lot longer than I thought, It sure felt good getting back into it after the test.

 

My friend test drove one yesterday and I went along with. I liked it very much. I was pretty impressed with it. I don't know about the flooding problem. I never owned a rotary. What impressed me a lot was the fact that I fit very well in the car. I'm 6'3 and I fit fairly decent in the back seat...yes the person up front had to move the seat up a lot...but hell...I would have to do that in the CL. I fit very well in the drivers seat (the only seat important to me ) As for the performance...the acceleration was pretty good. There was 4 of us in the car and we were pushed back in our seats. Not too much...but again...there was 4 of us in the car. We didn't get to test the handeling too much...he did break the back tires loose a little while doing a U-Turn. Bringing the engine up to 9200 or so RPM's was nice...there is a little audible tone that tells you when its time to shift...I would disable that


I'm not much of a critic so my explanation might not do any justice to the car...but all in all...I liked it.

 

explain flooding...

couldn't u get like a shut-off timer for the car similar to a turbo-timer?

 

I have my eye on the RX-8, but I am going to wait until there is a large enough sample on the road to get initial quality results. Even though it is made in Japan, the Ford name behind it raises mild caution.
As for the 4 doors, I wonder if they did that to help make it insurable. My Wife's TL-S is 3 rating symbols lower than my CL-S and it is a year newer. Its all about the 4-door thing.

 

In simple terms it's when you get too much unused gasoline in a chamber. with a normal car, you hold the pedal to the floor to correct it. In a rotary, it gets into the rotor, and there is too much for the car to burn and it wont' turn over. Say you had to move the car so someone could get out of the driveway, you turn it on, then move it 3 feet then turn it off, there's unused gas in the rotor now and you're screwed.

One other thing with my mazda experience, the first year, they are usually reliable, so I wouldnt' be afraid of that at all. After a year or two, they start "decontenting" their cars, not as much standard equipment on them (like they will eliminate fade out interior lights and things like that) so they save some money but dont' raise prices. I think I am going to go drive it again, I think when I heard that you have to let it run for 5 mins, it closed my mind. I want to love this car but......

 

can't you just get a turbo timer, have the engine run for 5 min after u pull the key out..

 

I do think this is a problem, otherwise why give 50kmiles Warrenty?

 

I'm not a rotary expert so I'll defer to RickM on the flooding issue, but I drove the first one off the trailer in Roswell, GA and I'm seriously impressed. The seats are great, the tranny is smooth and quick, the acceleration fantastic. I'm probably gonna' order a black or red one. My job has changed so I won't be putting the God awful miles on this like I did the CLS.

BTW - 110,875 on it and still the first tranny.

 

Your very lucky. I also agree with everyone else, can't the 5 minute problem be solved with something similar to a turbo timer. Or you could also get one of those remotes that can turn the engine on and off. The aftermarket should be good for the RX-8. I think Greddy already has a prototype turbo kit for it, so there should also be more.

 

you guys are to chritical!
it is what it is if you ever owned one in the past.

Me, I had 2 and this is all to familar ^

turbo timer = a must
frequent oil changes = a must
floooding = nature of the beast

 

i'm surprised they couldn't remedy the problem after having so long to work on it.

 

Mazda's always given a 50K warranty on all of their cars (well at least since warranties have gotten competative), they're the little guy who tries a little harder but always gets nosed out. I went back and drove it again at night in the rain, it was great. Since I am coming form a "Pimp Daddy Gold" Acura, I didn't really want those flashy red and black seats that were in the only available one (no flash this time, I've heard enough asshole comments to last a lifetime), so I put a deposit on a Titanium 6-speed with all black seats and grand touring package. It'll be in the 4th week in August.

 

wow. change of heart rickm? congrats dude.