Offerman

Awesome!! Well....I wasn’t expecting that many replies so quickly, and thanks very much for a very warm welcome!! Everybody seems to have hit the nail on the head in terms of power delivery and torque which I was hoping to expect and hear, and again the pitching of the RX8 against blue collar workers, was, IMHO, a very bad move. Trying to find a decent one amongst the litany of neglected ones has obviously meant that they are worth nothing. Mine is a 2004 plate, and if I get £2,500 I’d be very happy, I’ve easily lost £5,000 on it over 2 years but it’s clear that the reasons for this are well understood on this forum. I am not so concerned about how little I’ll get for it, but more concerned by if somebody will even buy it. I have a budget of £14,000 – so would you say this is reasonable for an 08/58 Zed, ideally with very low mileage?? Also, I can concur with the fuel consumption comment, I have heard many a story of people getting around 25-30mpg in the Zed, whilst I’ve never got better than 22mpg in my RX8, and this figure is so much harder to swallow when the performance has never really let me form a bond with the car.

Hi Guys, I am in a bit of a predicament - I've been scouring the forum for a good few months now, and although I see the question asked a fair few times I can't really find the answer I want about upgrading to a 350Z from my current Mazda RX8. I am looking to purchase a 350Z and the buying guides on this forum have been invaluable on what to look for, i.e checking the diff is sound and not making any odd noises, checking for uneven tire wear, service history...etc. However what I cannot find is any areas of the 350Z that need careful scrutiny before purchasing to avoid a huge bill later. I ask, because I have been a member of the RX8 forum for good few years, and have owned an RX8 for two years, and as I bet many of you will know the RX8 although often compared to the 350Z has an entire list of pitfalls which need consideration, i.e low compression, CAT issues, poor service history...and although the Wankel is a different beast to the V6, both cars are often compared as rather similar (again something I personally don't understand). So leading on from the above point I am looking to test drive a 08' 350Z this weekend, but before I do I'd like any comments from people that have driven both cars on what to expect. Is the extra 70BHP going to be noticeable? Again, I have had comments that the two cars have comparable performance, but again I can't see how this can be. The 350Z seems more focused, less compromising (which is always good), and generally a better car for somebody that doesn’t need four doors or four seats? But people often counter argue with the fact that the 350 is heavier, and slightly less nimble. Before my RX8 I had a Fabia vRS with a stage 2 upgrade which had huge amounts of torque and low down power, and I really feel the rotary’s lack of torque makes driving it hard sometimes more of a chore then a joy - and I'm hoping the low-down power of the 350’s V6 will bring this back. Is this a typical scenario where you really have to drive it yourself to make up your mind. Your thoughts on the matter would be most appreciated.