Hello all, well to sound cheesy, I am a first time poster, long time lurker (Guest) and recently this weekend found myself test driving a nice Red RX-8 6m. The Dealer was wanting ~$27 for it, had the Bose, sunroof, Xenons, etc... and fell in love. The disadvantage is I am currently in a 2000 S4. I am starting to here the whine/tea pot whistle in the mornings, and with my warranty about to expire I am debating biting the bullet and staying, or jumping to my dream of owning a Rotary powered Wankel machine.

I was curious what you current Owners of the RX-8's jumped from. I have searched and also read the what you all like, and that is very helpful, but curious if anyone has made a similar transition.

TIA. and LOOOOVVVEEEEE the RX-8

 

I jumped from a white 2000 Dodge Dakota R/T. GAS HAWG

 

well...I was driving a POS 1995 Dodge Stratus (no manual ) and also a Mazda Millenia S...I still have the Millenia S and love the engine in that car (Miller Cycle is great) but I love my 8 dearly...I have made some changes to my 8 as you can see below but really the only change I really needed (and all US 8s need) is the clear corners.

As for the Honda S2000 you have...definitely a fun car, and has a high resale value...depends on your lifestyle too...I need more then 2 seats...this is my only car now...the Millenia S I have access to but in the winter I am going to be driving my 8 and I live in Minnesota. Oh also the insurance will probably be the same or cheaper since most insurance companies count the 8 as a 4 door car but also the 8 is newer than your S2000 so that factors in as well

If you compare the cars...one is extremely unique and another is a great car but no Wankel inside...one of if not the greatest part of the 8 is definitely the experience of being able to shift from 6th to 3rd at 65mph and you will take off...virtually every other car the engine will blow apart...that downshift is an unbelievable experience...

I'm not into gunning it from the stoplight so having a rotary where my power is high in the bandwidth is perfect...but I know that when Mazda's electrically assisted turbocharger comes out I'll buy it so I can have the option to take off fast and do what I love take off when I'm already going fast

ok...this whole post was alittle sappy but I say take the plug...you have our support (and all of us will help you find the parts you need to make the 8 just the way you want it

ok and this one is good for telling your old mother...it has 8 airbags...8!

 

1994 Ford Probe GT that I bought new.
I loved that car... excellent handling, decent power. Was a great vehicle in it's time.

 

1996 Honda Accord that I bought in '98 as it was coming off a lease. I put 125,000 miles on it in six years, and it's still going strong. I love it, but it's starting to show wear on the interior. I swore I'd own Hondas forever - until I drove the 8.

 

2000 Mitsu Eclipse GS. It was a 4banger.

 

2001 5speed Tiburon.
I totalled the front end of it. I had GAP insurance so I used the downpayment on my 8.

 

A 1991 Toyota Corolla 4-door. 3-speed Automatic. Blue. Specs say it puts out about 98 hp, but with 165000 miles on it, I'm guessing I was getting a little less. The a/c quit working above 55 miles an hour. Got about 30 mpg though. It was great basic transportation.

I bought it off my sister-in-law. She only put oil in it when the light would come on, so I always tell myself I saved the car by purchasing it from her.

I have lots of memories with that car, it was a great car, but I wasn't crying when I sold it.

 

I had a 03 Sentra Spec-V which was decent bang for the buck,all the go I could afford a couple years ago. Thankfully got nailed and it was totaled,got a new jobby job now I drive my beloved 8-I'm obessed with it i think

 

had an awesome 2001 VW Golf GLS 1.8t.....I love that engine...miss the car...got a $7 raise and had to keep up with the Jones's

 

Well I consider my last car my 96 Mustang Cobra that was totally modded making 420 hp at the wheels. Man did I miss that car. I had to sell it because I use to live in the city and I was having major theft problems where losers would still my parts off my car in my driveway. I sold that and bought an 03 Mazdaspeed protege. It's actually now for sale here: http://www.getauto.com/autolinks_car...227230642378#1

I bought this car new last year trying to do the practical thing with a 4 cyl. but figured it had a turbo and aftermarket suspension/rims and a Kenwood system and thought this car would be perfect. Well it just wasn't me so I traded her in and bought a black 6spd. 8.

Good luck.
Pete

 

I was driving a Blue 92 Civic Si hatchback until a cement truck decided to make the rear of the car even smaller then it was, but every cloud has a sliver lining I suppose, cause now I got an RX8 and couldnt be happier, thank you cement truck.

 

I had an '03 Mustang GT. I loved that car, then one day I decided to TEST DRIVE an RX8...well, I fell victim.

Beware the Test Drive!! It never fails, the car is that good.

 

Black 2000 Civic Si and 98 Chevy Blazer. The Si was really fun to drive, but the miles were nearing 100K and I had to let it go. And now that I've experienced the way this car handles I don't think I'll ever go back to FWD.

 

1994 Mazda MX-6, V-6, manual that I bought new. The car served me very well and was speedy and fun, but it was getting long in the tooth. The RX-8 's back seats are actually more usable and, although the trunk is smaller, it looks like it will be more practical in the long run, at least for carrying things around. (Not to mention that it runs like a scared wolf, and that's a good thing.)

 

1996 Cheverolet Cavalier... My very 1st ride. Bought it 1year old. Put 105K miles on it in 7 years. Never really had any real problems with it. Very reliable car.

 

'03 Acura CL-S 6 speed and '97 Integra Type R. Love 'em both, but the RX-8 was good enough to break me from a 13-year Honda/Acura tradition. Selling the Type R now. Keeping the CL-S for business travel and torque.

 

1997 Lexus LS 400; Prior to that, 1992 Corvette.

Cheers

 

'01 Honda Odyssey (daily driver/family truckster) and '84 Porsche 944 (hobby that got too costly).

 

'00 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab. Used it to haul my MX bikes, but after I just got injured (again) and decided to sell my bike (again), I didn't need a truck anymore. Gonna replace motocross with autocross I guess.

 

2003 Alfa Romeo 156 GTA bought it brand new, and was the only brand new car, and the only euro car I have ever owned. After it went into the shop for the 7th time in 6 months, I got rid of the shitty thing.
Fun car to drive, but CRAP quality, and the worst service I have ever experienced in my whole life. At least the shitty service in Nissan were rude to my face, these guys pretended to be nice, and pretended to do a good job, but just didn't.

 

My most immediate ride was a 2001 Acura 3.2 TL that just went off lease - gorgeous car (Diamond White metallic with camel leather), and good performer, but sick of sensible shoes cars and wanted something with some giddyup! And ...

... you might say I've been trading to get back into an RX-series car for 19 years - which would make the progression since my 1985 RX-7 (my first new car, bought two weeks after college graduation and landing a kickass job) the following:

1985 RX-7 to 1986 Acura Integra LS (a stupid trade if there ever was one ... I wanted four doors) to 1987 Acura Integra LS to 1990 Acura Legend Coupe LS to 1993 Acura Vigor to 1995 Acura Integra GSR to 1997 Honda CR-V to 2001 Acura 3.2 TL to ...

2004 Mazda RX-8 MT6 GT

Life runs full circles when you've driven a rotary ... you always will want another.

 

I am selling my 93 RX-7 for the sole purpose of purchasing an RX-8:

 

996...

 

2004 Audi A4 3.0 Quattro