page 2 says buy a honda

4/8/2007 11:00:19 PM

^^^absolutely.

Quote :

"Mazdas are Japanese fords"

In some cases thats true. However, I'm willing to bet that almost everything on the RX-8 is straight up designed for the RX-8 and isn't shared. So that point doesn't apply for this comparison.

If you're looking at 350Zs be very careful about early model year examples. Their transmissions are prone to break. One of my good friends has an '04 and he's on his 3rd transmission so far.

[Edited on April 8, 2007 at 11:04 PM. Reason : j]

4/8/2007 11:04:07 PM

I've driven a 350z, and even thought it was only a base model or one of the lower models, it was great. I think the rx-8 looks better, in that mazda's current styling theme in general is aging better than nissan's, but drive both, and if the grunt doesn't convince you over the need for rear seats, then you shouldn't buy either, and should be looking at wrx/evo instead. (but if you must buy new, and you end up in love with a wrx or sti.. buy now b/c holy hell the 2008 impreza is aveo-fugly)

just my 0.02: why not go check out a used gto? 400hp for under <20k with probably less than 30k miles? and it's the only other coupe that has rear seats comparable to the rx-8.... If you're concerned about new vs. used, consider that a gto with a ton of miles will be a lot cheaper than an rx-8 with only a few...

[Edited on April 8, 2007 at 11:34 PM. Reason : I meant a used gto. ]

4/8/2007 11:32:42 PM

Quote :

"If you're looking at 350Zs be very careful about early model year examples. Their transmissions are prone to break. One of my good friends has an '04 and he's on his 3rd transmission so far."

heh i forgot about that small point. i got mine from carmax with their free 90 day bumper to bumper warranty. i didnt notice it on the test drive as i wasnt driving aggressively, but the tranny would grind gears if you shifted quickly into 5th (yes clutch all the way in). thankfully i was still in 90 days and they replaced the whole transmission free. so yea this is a valid point, either get a warranty or just be very informed on what/who youre buying from

4/9/2007 10:17:39 AM

Yea, the 300ZX's had weak 5th gears. Not that weak though.

Oh yea, GTO would be the way to go:
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/car/303802951.html

4/9/2007 10:41:19 AM

oh yeah if u be shiftin to fast it will grind into the gears. i forgot. kinda clunky gear box.

4/9/2007 12:50:13 PM

i'm not a big gm fan but that damn holden creation is about the best bang for the buck you can get no doubt. Not to mention the HUGE after market for it.

what exactly is your budget you can pic up a caddy cts-v for 30-35k now used.


[Edited on April 9, 2007 at 1:21 PM. Reason : .]

4/9/2007 1:19:20 PM

i can second the transmission thing. i went through two transmissions, i still loved that car though.

4/9/2007 9:01:35 PM

smith and wesson

4/11/2007 11:18:42 PM