icemantbi

Anyone own a Toyota 86? Looking for a replacement for my aging RX-8. From what have seen and heard handling seems very much like the RX-8 and I love the fact it has back seats (unlike the mx-5). Thinking of getting one in the spring. My 8 is starting to give me too many headaches lol

NotAPreppie

Well, no. We all have RX-8s. Why would we need two low-powered sports cars?

BigCajun

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BigCajun

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They don't do anything for me, they're kind of generic looking.
When I part with mine it'll be for a nice 4WD pickup, no more sports cars.

Loki

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How big are the people you want to put in those back seats?
I've run with several at the track, they're capable machines in the right hands, even stock. But they feel compromisey, middle of the road on many aspects.

blackmount

I test drove one before I dedicated myself to the RX-8

If you pay a dime over $10,000 Regardless of condition, you paid too much.

It is the slowest 200hp I have ever driven in my life. It makes a Renesis feel Torquey, and very fast in comparison. I drove a 160hp 2.5RS that felt twice as fast and 4 times as nimble, and the RX-8 feels like proper sports car fast in comparison. It's ride, Interior, and overall performance package surpasses the GT86 like no other, and its 10 years older.

I wasn't overly impressed with the handling, and it flat out does not have near enough tire. The back end slips out way too much for my liking. I get that's what 18 year olds left and right want, but I like grip.

IMO, when there are still RX-8's that need nothing with good compression like mine for under $5,000 and decent beater S2000's for $8,000-12,000.. unless your honestly just buying it for the warranty... I don't understand why anyone (Who Enjoys driving cars) would buy it....

If i was going to go buy a NEW GT86, I'd just go buy a New Miata RF instead.

Also you can get a Manual 370Z base fresh off the lot from Nissan for $30K right now.

UnknownJinX

From what I have seen, 86's interior isn't all that great. RX-8 is designed to be a Grand Tourer, and the interior is definitely not cheap looking. Toyota is pretty much the master of cutting corners in interior designs.

Also doesn't help that some of the 86/BRZ/FRS I see are riced out with giant wings and loud(and sometimes farty) exhausts. They have an immature feel to me because of that with the "boy racer" feel. Most of the RX-8s I get to see around me are fairly stock looking.

I got to sit in an ND MX-5 today at the Mazda dealer when I was helping a friend shop cars. It made me want one. I really love the MT in that car as it has the exact feel of the one in my RX-8: it's tight, precise and makes you confident. I was at the Honda dealer just a little while back. The MT in the new Civic is really loose, vague and I had trouble knowing which gear I was getting into. Gotta love the MT in the Mazda sports cars.

The back seats in a Coupe, IMO, are there just in case.

Even Mustangs have very tiny back seats, and they are bigger than RX-8s. I know someone who has one, and some of my buddies said that my RX-8's back seats are infinitely more spacious than the ones in the Mustang.

If you want a Coupe and really care about rear seat comfort for some reason, there is the Accord Coupe... which is a FWD sporty car. I think RX-8 is probably as good as it gets for RWD.

S2ks are more expensive than that, at least at where I live. I think they usually go for CAN$20+k if they are in decent condition.

zoom44

true. also true of the camaro and challenger. challenger might be about the same but my kids are more comfortable in the RX-8 rear seats.

UnknownJinX

Challengers are longer, though. From what I have seen and read, the view in these American muscles also isn't very great, especially the Challengers. I have seen a couple of Challengers change lanes and almost crash into other cars.

Same thing with the Accord Coupe. Part of the reason the back seats arere spacious was because it's FWD, but it's also longer than my RX-8.

RX-8's trunk is not very big, though, so there is that. My buddy's 'stang has a bigger trunk and a wheel well as well.

NotAPreppie

The Toyobaru twins aren't bad cars. They're pretty good in both stock and modified classes at autocross. When setup correctly, they're pretty good on a track, as well.

Every car is a trade-off. Yes, the RX-8 is a more engaging drive, has a usable back seat, and (IMO) has a better interior. That said, the RX-8 is getting old so maintenance costs which were never very cheap are only going to get less cheap.

So, you have to decide if what you give up is worth the added reliability, modern technology, larger aftermarket support etc.

I'll admit that it's on my short list if my car were totaled. There's a new SCCA autocross spec class based on the 2013-2016 Toyobarus that appeals to me. But, as long as my RX-8s frame is still viable, I'll probably stick with it.

BigCajun

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A saying I learned a long time ago is "Don't mess with happy."
If you love your 8 but are put off by maintenance costs, will that new car expense be worth the trade off if you don't enjoy driving your new car as much?
I hope to keep mine as long as possible, even faced with a rebuild soon that some would say is what the whole car is worth.

9krpmrx8

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The BRZ and FRS are lame.

blackmount

If you want a nice AP2, yeah expect $20,000-30,000

for an AP1, especially with higher mileage, $10,000 is a good price point....

I looked at one with 135,000 miles, blue exterior, blue interior, for $9,500 It was a little rough. couple door dings and scratches, could tell it had been driven, and driven well, but it ran and drove wonderfully.

If i ever wanted to ruin a RX-8 by putting a piston engine in it, but i wanted something that would fit the car, and not overpower a stock chassis. I would probably drop a S2000 Engine and trans in it without thinking twice. They are excellent.

icemantbi

Thanks for the feedback guys, but looks like I'm keeping Rexy for now
Issue was what I suspected back in July, one bad coil, I knew that was failing when I brought it in originally and they didnt even look at it. So, holding off on new car for now haha!

BigCajun

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Do you have a cat?
If you do, you need to inspect it, or at least scan the OBD to see if you have any codes pending.
1 bad coil killed mine, and I drove it for several months with it, which I think contibuted to my now failing engine.

Are-Ex-Eight

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Sorry but this post is pretty much f.o.s. You got all that from a quick test drive?

I owned a 13 stick shift BRZ and it was 90% of the fun of an RX-8. The interior is lower quality and the speakers sucked *** but the drive was pretty solid. The back seats are completely useless as seats, even for children.

The BRZ felt as fast and probably was faster, and definitely had more torque than any of the now 4 RX-8's I've owned.

All in all it's a solid runner up to the RX-8 but I wouldn't buy one again...or rather again yet...

Wait for Gen 2 with more power and a decent interior update with some matching tech upgrades. Then it would be worth the asking price. It's currently too pricey for a 9/10ths RX-8 with minimal tech upgrades from the 8.

NotAPreppie

Do you know nothing about the various biases intrinsic in being human?

For 95% of "enthusiasts" whichever car they own is better than anything even remotely comparable. This ends up being both the cause and continuation of confirmation bias and motivated reasoning.

Knowing this makes it easier to see that an 86 or a lightly used 370z with sport package (for the larger brakes and rev-matching gearbox) are also good candidates.