No RX8 For James Bond?

I saw my neighbor drove up in a red RX8 and being a nosey person that I am, I decided to look up more information on the RX8. You see, somehow, I believe you can gauge a person by the stuff they buy, especially if it is an optional luxury item like a red sports car.

While you might not be able to tell all that much about your neighbors if they buy a cheap car, probably you can tell that either

a. they don’t have money or
b. they choose to be frugal.

For instance, I wrote in my last post that if I can use a lawn mover as my car where I live, people will think that either:-

a. I’m broke
b. I’m cheap
c. I’m nuts
d. I want attention
e. all of the above

If you drive an M3, it mean you want to make a safe choice but still be different. A WRX or an EVO means you value power and technology and have a lousy sense of style. If you drive a 350Z, you want to look good and don’t might that you sports car isn’t that fast or capable. Hope you catch my drift by now.

So, I was busy looking up things about the RX8. I have to admit, that it is a cool looking sports car. With unique features such as Rotary engine and forward opening rear doors. Suicide doors are what they are called. In the RX8, it help back seat passengers get in and out. Much better than 2 door cars that have backseats. In such cars, you need to be a contortionist to get in or out. Then, the best thing is you have a rotary like design all over the car, inside and out.

The great thing about Google search is that they have the most popular search even before you finish typing in stuff you want to find out. It the case of the RX8, when I typed in “RX8 p” wanting to know about the “price” of the car, I got “RX8 problems” as a popular search term. Not a good sign at all. This got me curious and I looked further to find what is wrong with such a nice car. I half expected it to be the Renesis engine having problems with Apex seals which used the plague the RX7. I was prepared to read that the engine last only 100,000 km. But no, that’s not the problem. Mazda has solved the problems of apex seals and even quite a number of owners reported 200,000 km use with the engine still running strong.

The problem is very basic. The dang engine must be warmed up even if you want to move the car 10 ft! Yes, I’m not joking. Even if you accidentally stall the engine before it warms up or you switch it off, this problem can happen. The more I read, the more I think this car is 10 steps back. I mean, do you know of any car today that needs you to warm the engine till operating temperature even if you want to move it 10 feet? If you don’t, that means a visit to the mechanic. Surprised? Me too. There’s even talk of a class action suit against Mazda in some forums.

This brings me to the title of this post. No RX8 for James Bond. You know how in the movies, the hero always jump into the car to chase after the bad guys who have taken the heroine hostage? What would happen if James Bond drives a RX8? He’ll be sitting still warming up the engine while the bad guys are getting away. That’s because that manual says be gentle with the engine till it warms up. I imagine that either the heroine gets killed or James get shot while still sitting still waiting for the RX8 to come online.

That’s why I think James Bond will Never Ever use a RX8 and I won’t either. Now instead of feeling jealous, I feel sorry for my neighbor for getting a RX8.

RX8 Specifications

Engine Type Gas Rotary
Displacement 1.3L/80
Fuel System MPFI
Horsepower @ RPM 212 @ 7500
Torque @ RPM 159 @ 5500
Wheelbase (in) 106.3
Length, Overall (in) 175.6
Width, (in) 69.7
Height, Overall (in) 2.8
Track Width, Front (in) 59.1
Track Width, Rear (in) 59.3
Min Ground Clearance (in) 4.7
Suspension Type – Front Double Wishbone
Suspension Type – Rear Multi-Link

Final thought

The RX8 is not too bad a car. TopGear’s Clarkson tested it and says it is a well balanced car. Except for the above mentioned sticking points, it might work for you.

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