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New RS 250 and first time Renault owner


steel2heal

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Hi guys. Just saying hello.

 

I've just purchased a metallic blue RS 250 from Kevin Abood at Peter Warren Renault in Sydney (awaiting delivery). Mate! What great service and help. Very fair with all aspects of the deal!

 

I must say, I'd never considered a Renault Sport car until recently. My daily drive for the last 5 years has been my beloved Mazda RX8 (MY05) and I'm dreading the day we part ways. I've had numerous track days with that car and really driven it at the limit. The beauty of the RX8 is it's superb handling due to the rear wheel drive and 50:50 weight distribution. Up until now, I hadn't driven a car of a similar price that offered that much handling performance. The only down side to the RX8 is it's relatively anaemic engine. Once you get the revs up - it's fine, but you don't get off the line with a bang if you get what I mean.

 

When a workmate of mine (diehard Renault man) was banging on about the RS250 and giving me the "you should give it a go" treatment, I thought back to when I was at this year's Oz GP watching the Red Bull race off and how impressed I was with the cars performance which I thought was largely due to the drivers at the time. I couldn't be convinced that package with a front wheel drive set up could perform that well in the hands of an every day punter. After I test drove the car... no make that shortly after I started the test drive, I was sold! Mind blowing performance and handling for the price!

 

It handled as well as my RX8 but the combination with the engine was what grabbed me. Finally I had the RX8 handling with the engine performance that had been lacking. Then I leaned on the brakes really hard and my next thought was "when can I get this thing to Eastern Creek!"

 

Anyway, will let you know how it gets on once I have the car.

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Welcome! Great intro, great choice of car and GREAT colour! Did you go for the Trophee or Cup?

 

Pics when she arrives, please 8)

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Welcome aboard, and all of the above...especially the pics.

Great introduction indeed... it's like you're speaking well of one our children, heheh.

Keep is posted, and how you go on your first trackday in her.

Cheers,

WOLF

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Welcome aboard. I'm also a recent Mazda to Renault convert. Although I've never driven an RX-8 on track, I have driven numerous times with an Rx-8 and Rx-7 FB in the past and loved them emphatically. The RS250 is such a good FF vehicle it really does impress from the very beginning. Enjoy when it finally arrives.

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Welcome! Great intro, great choice of car and GREAT colour! Did you go for the Trophee or Cup?

 

Pics when she arrives, please 8)

 

I got the trophee fully optioned (leather recaros etc..) with the 19" rims. They were the options on the model I tested. Hopefully it will be best setup for the track. I can live with the harder seats, more difficult access and bumpier ride for daily driving.

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Another born every minute :D Welcome mate.

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Congratulations. I too am an ex-Mazda owner (a 2008 MX-5 bought new and sold in May this year) and I very seriously considered an RX-8 about 3 years back and even borrowed one for a whole day from a friend. As you suggest, fabulous balance, handling and grip, but the engine was the bit that most underwhelmed me...and that was the deal breaker. Sure, it revved and revved and revved, but it never really hit what you'd call a "powerband". I couldn't help thinking what a great car it would be with a punchy engine. You won't regret the RS250 though!

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The MX-5 was a fun car to drive for me back when I lived in NZ. I quite liked the RX-8 too, the renesis engine is quite charming but no where near as challenging as the typical rotary. Even though I love my 250 now, I still wouldn't mind getting my hands on an FC series RX-7 just as a hobby car.

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The MX-5 was a fun car to drive for me back when I lived in NZ. I quite liked the RX-8 too, the renesis engine is quite charming but no where near as challenging as the typical rotary. Even though I love my 250 now, I still wouldn't mind getting my hands on an FC series RX-7 just as a hobby car.

 

Am I the only person that thought that (at low revs) the RX-8 sounded like George Jetson's car?

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Congratulations. I too am an ex-Mazda owner (a 2008 MX-5 bought new and sold in May this year) and I very seriously considered an RX-8 about 3 years back and even borrowed one for a whole day from a friend. As you suggest, fabulous balance, handling and grip, but the engine was the bit that most underwhelmed me...and that was the deal breaker. Sure, it revved and revved and revved, but it never really hit what you'd call a "powerband". I couldn't help thinking what a great car it would be with a punchy engine. You won't regret the RS250 though!

 

I think if the emission laws allowed it, the RX8 with a blown engine would have been brilliant and probably iconic. Anyhow my car is in town and I should be picking it up some time next week - can't wait!

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Am I the only person that thought that (at low revs) the RX-8 sounded like George Jetson's car?

 

Haha Richard... I never got a first hand experience riding in George's vehicle... guess we still need to wait a few hundred years for the thing to be built to really find out.

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Congratulations. I too am an ex-Mazda owner (a 2008 MX-5 bought new and sold in May this year) and I very seriously considered an RX-8 about 3 years back and even borrowed one for a whole day from a friend. As you suggest, fabulous balance, handling and grip, but the engine was the bit that most underwhelmed me...and that was the deal breaker. Sure, it revved and revved and revved, but it never really hit what you'd call a "powerband". I couldn't help thinking what a great car it would be with a punchy engine. You won't regret the RS250 though!

 

I think if the emission laws allowed it, the RX8 with a blown engine would have been brilliant and probably iconic. Anyhow my car is in town and I should be picking it up some time next week - can't wait!

 

The thing you will like about the RS250 (especially after the RX-8) is that it has a very similar delicacy to it's handling. It's not really a "grab it by the scruff of the neck and hurl it around car" (although it will work with you if you do), on a good road it's just very fluid...you just slip into a rythmn with it and it's very addictive. You will enjoy it.

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Welcome aboard! You will simply fall in love with it once she is in your hands :wink:

 

I got mine from Kevin too, so you made the right choice there!

I wish I had got mine from Kevin and Joey...sure as he'll tried :)

 

Anyway, welcome to the tribe.

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