My boss has an RX-8 that I drove once, but ridden a lot. His is an automatic, though, like my 370Z.
Power is lacking but it isn't terrible if you give it gas, but he is on his second engine (replaced under warranty) and has had to have it towed to the dealership a few times when it wouldn't start. Moving it a few feet in your driveway tends to make it flood and towing is the recovery. He also has to keep oil in the car to add every few weeks.
While some early 370Z had oil problems, mine is perfect, and newer ones appear to be fixed. Probably the most common problem is the hatch not popping open on the first press of the release and you have to pull it up and press the release again.
If you need four seats, the RX-8 is probably one of the best sporty compromises, but if you don't, I would get something else. He won't buy another Mazda after his experience with the RX-8.
Car and Driver rated it third in its search for best handling cars, but the 370Z wasn't tested.
From reading a lot of posts here, it seems like most people would say the 370Z automatic transmission is very advanced, and the 370Z manual transmission is at best average. If you want a better handling, nicer transmission sports car, I think you'd need to get a Cayman S.
Otherwise I think the 370Z is the best all around sports car, considering price, performance, quality, technology and even luxury.
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