I'm car shopping and most everything looks boring! Is the FRS the closest feel to an Rx8? What other cars do you guys drive?

 

What are you looking for, exactly? Handling, power, interior comfort, practicality?

I have heard FR-S handles well, but can feel powerless at times(205 BHP), and interior is not that great. No sunroof is also a big no no to me.

I came from a 2008 Accord Coupe V6. Those V6 Hondas are pretty peppy for what they are, pulls pretty well, and the ones equipped with V6 are usually fully loaded or almost fully loaded with heated leather seats, sunroof, Sirius XM and such, which is pretty comparable to my S2 GT in that respect. Downside is not-so-great handling, being FWD and nose-heavy, although it's not terrible for a FWD. While it's not a sports car, any Accord Coupe after 2008 MY is not boring-looking at all.

 

The Toybaru twins I have driven have been disappointing compared to the 8. Zero grunt and very driftaroo.

My money would be on a BMW coupe. Decent to good power and excellent handling.

 

Cayman or a 135M would make worthy successors to me. It's realllly hard to get the same feeling from something from the economy car class, since the RX8 is not in that class.

 

A used BMW Z4. Good upgrade.

 

as long as it is a N54 or N55 powered one.

 

For the money, I'm afraid the RX-8 is in a class by itself, as it rivals a handful of world-class exotic cars in handling, balance and driving feel.

That said - and note that none of these are really comparable - I'd consider an an MX-5, a Cayman or Boxster, or a GTi (though it's not available in RWD; nor should a hatchback ever be if it's to take full advantage of its inherent packaging design). There are others, of course, but as I'm satisfied with my 8, I've had little motivation to consider a suitable replacement. I imagine I'd also find some compelling choices from Audi, BMW or Lotus.

 

What exotic cars are we talking about? I don't think an RX8 could even out handle a Cayman.

 

He is talking about 70's era Ferrari's.

 

Lol

 

The thing about the Toyobaru twins being underpowered is interesting because I'd bet that newer a twin would have similar or better power than an older '8 with a tired Renny (while also being a little bit lighter). It's only when the '8 has a fresh engine that the Toyobaru genuinely becomes a tough sell from a power/performance standpoint.

It's not an apples-to-apples comparison (old vs new) but it's the nature of the situation if moving from an older '8 into a newer Toyobaru.

That said, used <60k mile Caymans from MY2009+ (no IMS issues) can be found for under $30k. Definitely an intriguing option.

 

Agreed. That's why I asked about what they want to emphasize on.

I mean, if they have the money, the German driving machines would definitely be a good recommendation.

 

the new toyota camry...

 

how much does the mx5 cost there?

Civic SI?

 

While the 305-HP V6 is nice, it will cost quite a bit, and any mid-size Sedan that's not Honda Accord or Mazda 6 doesn't have MT option.

 

Thanks for all the answers! I'm not trying to replace my 8 just yet, I was really just curious as to what other cars everyone likes after having driven an 8 so often.

 

I beat up on standard Caymans at the track all the time. They are so close that the differences are in setup and driver. I also beat up on lotus Elises and Evoras. The 8 punches way above its class in handling. That said, a Cayman or Boxster would be good choices, as would an MX-5

There is probably some truth to that, but my 8 does not have a tired old engine, and therefore destroys those cars at the track. :P

 

I've also driven my friend's 2010 BMW 128i that he's prepped for STX class autocross and it's pretty fun. With a slightly more compliant springs (his are pretty freaking stiff for competition) and stiffer bushings (front end is just a little squishy), it'd be a great daily driver.

 

Whaaaat? Are they 981s? Maybe you're just a better driver

 

One of my track buddies has a 2010? Cayman, we get into really fun chases. He usually ends up walking away, but we can hang for a while, and that was on my stock suspension. We're not professionals by any means, so for practical purposes the cars feel very well matched. On paper the Cayman is faster, but making the most of it might be harder than making the most of the 8. If the car doesn't make him confident, he's not going to push it as hard. And the 8 thrives on driver confidence.

For some reason he doesn't want us to trade seats for a few laps to check if it's the car or the driver...

 

Closest in feel? another RX8.

Mazda, and especially the RX8 has the 'driver experience' nailed. Lots of other cars 'beat' the rx8 on paper but few are as rewarding to drive.

I think the next step up in driver's experience is a Cayman. I don't own one because it's 3x the price for 25% better feel

A well set up C5 corvette is a joy to drive; especially C5 Z06. Mostly they need suspension work, as the stock suspension is capable on paper but feels awful. A few good mods mods to suspension, steering, shifting, seats(!) and the C5 starts getting really rewarding to drive.

Parts are cheap and it's cheap to run for such a fast car.

And in the hands of a good driver, it will eat many more things on the track than an RX8