There are only occasional bursts of activity here.

 

Guess I can contribute to the occasional.

 

Just wanted to say hello! I debated over getting an 8 about 6 months ago, I wanted something sporty but with rear seats. I ended up getting a 3.5 Altima coupe for the gas mileage, which was a little better, and overall I thought it was a bit more practical. Now a few months later I'm really not that happy with the Nissan. It's got a fair amount of power but the options like nav and leather seats don't really matter to me, and so I'm looking to either give it to my wife or trade it in on something that actually excites me.

The RX-8 is one of four cars I'm considering. I've always loved the look of this car, and the price is very reasonable now. I'll either be looking for one of the last few new ones, or a used 2010-2011 low-mileage R3. The other cars that I'm looking at are the 370z, the Hyundai Genesis coupe, and the Infiniti G37 coupe. I'll test drive each in March and see which one I like the most, definitely leaning more towards the RX-8 however. The 370Z lacks rear seats and the Infiniti is getting up there in price.

I've been reading these boards for about a month, and there's a ton of valuable advice (also some strong opinions, lol). One thing for me is the auto vs manual debates. I've never owned a manual, and have only drive one very briefly, so that'll be a learning experience. But my thinking is this- if you are going to buy a slightly-impractical car, why not buy the one that is the most fun to drive?

 

After much research, I purchased my first RX8. I have to say that coming from a motorcycle background, this car resembles a lot of the characteristics of some sport/cruiser bikes I have own(ed). The oil consumption, power band on the higher revs and such. I really look forward in taking my 05 RX8 GT out to my favorite twists and turns that I normally take my sport tourer to. Will try to baby her but I love me some twisties. Great forum. Lots of great info to be had.

 

I assume you have seen my thread on the automatic vs manual debate. I say drive whatever suites you best. I will say that if you havn't driven a manual before I wouldn't want to learn on a nice newer car. Since you have driven automatics most of your life you might not like a manual for daily driving. I think you should ask a buddy to swap cars for a week or buy a junker to learn on. The way I learned how to drive manual was by my dad many years ago took me in some heavy stop and go traffic and I had to learn that way. Stalled the car out a couple of times and pissed off a lot of people who where behind me but I sure did learn fast.

My RX8 is automatic because it's daily driven and it's something I like. The automatics do have a shiftable automatic with paddle shifters so that's really cool. Only drawback is that you have a redline of 7500 RPM and the manual has a 9000 RPM. These cars are a blast and turn lots of heads. Only thing that bugs me is the gas mileage. It's on par with a full size truck and with the rising gas prices it can really hurt. Remember these cars take premium only. Overall I wouldn't get rid of this car for nothing.

 

Ometta you have ruined my theory on why people are so serious about their choice of auto vs manual. I always figured the people who really love manual have fond memories of learning with a parent/relative on their first car and that is why they defend it so hard. People get pretty serious over that debate sometimes, like you insulted their mother or something.

 

*** Autos.

 

I remember the first time I drove a manual. I was stationed at Camp Pendleton and my brother picked me up from San Diego in his '99 GSR. 320 miles trip to Bakersfield and a 35° uphill mountain pass after the 405 connects onto I-5. Going up the hill, down shifted from 5th to 4th. Pressed the gas and the car started to slow down, I missed and ended up in neutral. So, my brother yelled at me to put it in gear! It was scary, big rigs passing at 65 mph on the right and other cars honking to the left. Nerve-racking for my brother, but I was able to gain my composure back. Common rookie mistake.

 

Hello all, yesterday i purchased a 2006 RX-8 and im absolutely in love with this car. Like many i have fallen victim to wanting to change the badging on it. I have checked some of the threads and vendors and i cant find anything on where i can buy a "Renesis" badge and a couple of large Rotary badges. What am i doing wrong?

-Joshua

 

The part you are doing wrong is trying to add more badges. It doesn't need more. Don't be the victim that you claim to be. Rise above it and keep a clean healthy car. It's far better in the long run than starting something that is bound to make you land here: https://www.rx8club.com/general-automotive-49/what-not-do-your-car-92879/

And we will put 8s in there. There are 6 different abused 8s in the last 2 pages (for me, might be 4 pages for you).


We will respect you far more for a clean and healthy stock 8 than we will for any modifications.

 

I do have fond memories of learning how to drive manual. I'm just telling you how my dad taught me how to drive. It's like learning how to swim. My dad took me to the pool and said to either sink or swim and threw me in the pool. Struggled at first but now I'm a pro at it. Just prefer the comforts of an automatic.

I don't wanna jack this thread with another debate but I'm simply trying to help the guy above with choosing between an automatic or manual. Doesn't matter to me what he drives but I wouldn't want a newer car that's a manual if I have never driven manual before.

 

Have to agree with this, crude as it is. Why point what is essentially a giant robot down the road, when you can actually be in control and DRIVE the vehicle?

I taught myself to drive manual back in the late 70s...when I bought a manual tranny car right off the lot, haha! What an annoyance for those driving around me...but I DID learn quickly!

Sadly, it's harder and harder to find a new car with a manual transmission. Thank goodness for Mazda and most of the other import companies.

God how I love my RX8. I drive it on weekends....during the week I have an Isuzu Rodoe that's my commuting car...it's a manual, as well

Nan

 

Thank you for the advice, but perhaps i came off wrong.. Im not adding badges, merely replacing the ones i have. I too am a fan of the clean look and i definitely respect your opinion and will take your advice into deep consideration before making any decisions.

 

New to the community and a prospective buyer. LOVE the info in this thread!!

 

I just got a 2004 RX-8 6speed Gt . I am planning to use it as a track day car, running it hard for 30 minutes at a time. Does anyone have track experience with running these cars hard. Am i going to need bigger oil coolers ? Do the rear-ends hold up? Are there any preventive modifications that would be smart to make before I start running it hard? Thanks, John.

 

^ I highly recommend you start doing searches for posted by EricMeyer. He was one of the first to really thrash this car constantly on the track, and has posted all over the place (in often unclear places) quite a bit of his experiences. His info is the most extreme track usage, and he has covered just about everything that can go wrong. Fortunately for you, he doesn't post over, so there are only a couple hundred posts to go through.

Find the user in the Member List link in the top blue ribbon, find his name (EricMeyer), click statistics, then "find posts by" and start reading.

 

Seriously this is sooo helpful! I appreciate all of your expertise and advice! (I'm just under 50 posts...) Can't wait to have over 50 posts!...Heehee

 

Hi I recently got an RX-8 I'm in south Florida Miami and I can't find a single mechanic willing to put hands on the rx8, Does anyone knows of a place to take my car for a tune up in south Florida??? HELP!!!!

 

Congrats on the purchase. Check the regional sections. There may be some info there, and it will be a better place to post as you'll have a more local audience.

 

Actually South Florida has quite a few members that will be better and cheaper than mechanics.

Check out the SouthEast subforum and look for chat threads from your area and ask there. Bear and pizza usually buys quite a bit of work

 

thanks a lot guys

 

Not new to the thread, but have found a REALLY GOOD used 2009 RX8 for sale. I REALLYYYYY want to buy it, but a lot of things are holding me back (money and getting married). This thread, I must say, clarified a lot of things for me!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the information!! GREATLY appreciated it!

 

So today I took an older 8 for a test drive. Wow, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get one. Yes, it doesn't have the power of my current ride, or the 370z/Genesis coupe, but the handling is amazing. The car just feels like something special, it's really precise and balanced in the turns, and I absolutely fell in love with the sound of the rotary. Now I just need to find a new 2011, or a 2011/2010 with low miles. They are getting tougher to find but Maryland/VA does have a few out there.

 

Series 2 is in-fact covered by the 100,000 mile engine core warranty.




And speaking of which, making adjustments and updates on the first page to account for the fact that my 8 is sitting at a dealer as of this morning with a diagnosis of engine failure. 95,500 miles or so. Warranty request will be going in Monday morning when MNAO opens up. Only hassle they might give me is that I've done all my own service. But the adviser got my email of my MazdaUSA.com maintenance log, and in the passenger seat of the 8 is 60,000 miles of oil filters from my changes, along with a set of spark plugs. I have two sets of prior coils and 1 more set of prior plugs as well if needed. He said the list should be fine, but agreed that it's hard to discount the physical evidence of the filters themselves.

If it's covered under warranty, I am going to have them add the water pump upgrade and the oil pressure pellet upgrade at the time of the engine replacement. If they deny it, it's getting traded for a new NC Miata.

 

Hey guys long time since I said I'd put pictures up and I'm finally getting around to it. Busy times. Absolutely loving my 8, I've actually racked up quite a few miles taking it out at all opportunities. Quite a bit of learning done on the power-band very different but I love it and especially the sound when the engine is singing. Anyways, here's a few...Definitely needs to be de-badged