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What's going on guys? Finally was able to pull the trigger on a 2009 Brilliant Black R3 after searching for what felt like forever! I'm no stranger to rotary powered cars; I've owned my current FD RX-7 for roughly 4 years and all of the maintenance, modifications, and restorations have been done exclusively by myself...the exception being the motor build being done by Brian @ RotorREhab in Alburquerque. While my ownership experience has been overwhelmingly pleasant, it's not fit to be a daily driver; my current daily is a 2020 Chevy Silverado so it's time to replace those gas guzzlers.
Owning a RX-8 was never really part of the plan (buying another FD was until those prices mooned ), but a thread on RX7club captured my attention; "Cars to replace the FD in 2021". There were a lot of good submissions, but one that kept coming up was the RX-8. At first, I didn't make much of it...just thought it must be cool to add another rotary to the garage. Then after the discussion carried on for a couple weeks, the vast majority of people were choosing the RX-8. Ranting and raving about the handling, the chassis, the comfort of driving it every day, how fun but tame the engine is...I really was blown away, especially by the guys who'd been owning FD's for 20+ years! So that led to YouTube...a channel called "The Slip Angle" (if you haven't watched it, you really should...like right now...here
). He goes on and on about how great this lil car really is...he even replaced his Corvette DD with a S1 RX8. Then I pulled up another video....Doug DeMuro's RX-8 review. In his very own words (paraphrasing)...'you wouldn't really expect me to like this car giving how I felt about everything else, but the handling on this car is BRILLIANT'. Then I read an article written in 2009..."I'm not saying this car handles well for a $32k car, I'm saying it handles better than some $350,000 cars".
After all that, after the all the people's opinions I absolutely trust the most, I started searching. Didn't want a S1 because A) I like the S2 taillights better and B) I thought having a R3 to go with my R1 would be cool (to nobody). But MY GOD they were hard to find...like REALLY hard. A friend of mine found the one I bought on craigslist and I immediately called the dealership. Well, after struggling with them for the past 2 weeks (they wouldn't let me pay with a debit card and I was NOT about to fly 1700 miles then drive back in this weather when my girlfriend is due to have our baby any day now) it's finally on the way. I'll finally be joining the RX-8 Club, and I'm very much looking forward to it. I also look forward to reading thru the wealth of information on this forum. RX7Club has been a life saver for me and my FD, and I expect this forum will do the same!
Welcome aboard! Seems that the RX8 platform has been moving away from the red-headed stepchild of the RX line as of late with folks rediscovering what makes it great.
The Black Mica R3s look especially good, hope to see more of it.
Welcome! Interesting to see the Rx7 people starting to finally start talking about the Rx8.
I appreciate it fellas! And yes, seems as though the RX-8 is a trending topic on the RX7Club forums. Truth be told, quite a few of the OGs have always known how good the RX-8 was and even had one stashed in their collection. And after driving it for the last few days, seems as though I've been missing out. This car is brilliant to drive. Purely bliss.
I appreciate it fellas! And yes, seems as though the RX-8 is a trending topic on the RX7Club forums. Truth be told, quite a few of the OGs have always known how good the RX-8 was and even had one stashed in their collection. And after driving it for the last few days, seems as though I've been missing out. This car is brilliant to drive. Purely bliss.
I’m an old Rx7 guy myself. In the past I’ve owned 3 FB’s (1 GSL, 2 GSL-SE’s) and one FD (R1). I was late to the rx8 fan club but I think it’s a way better car performance wise. My FD was great.. but when pushed to the edge.. it could kill you with the short wheelbase. The Rx8 reminds me of an FB except with sudo FD stats. Easy to recover.. and fast enough to get into trouble.
Hey everyone. I'm in the same boat as Manny. I recently became aware of the virues of the RX8, and bought a 2011 R3. I had an 1994 FD RX7 that I bought new from the dealer in the day. I went 20 years without anything like the FD, and missed it hugely. So, this past summer I bought (and sold) a 2021 C8 Corvette. The vette was impressive, but just didn't evoke the emotional response I was hoping for, and honestly, felt like a ball and chain, the expense of it. Although the performance was impressive, its limits are so far above what you can reach daily, especially driving in a big city (Toronto, Ontario). Also, I felt oddly disconnected from the driving experience - the digital displays and other technology inserted between myself and the experience of driving.
Anyway, I picked up the RX8 a few days ago. it was a Mazda Canada PR car for the past 8 years, is pristine, with 18,000 kms. I just love it! The feel on the road is incredible - amazingly, it feels far better to me than the C8 did. it feels very similar to my old FD RX8 except more stable, more solid, more responsive. A perfect development from the FD platform. I'm not as mechanically inclined as many here so I'm learning about all the things to do to prevent early engine failure, and crossing my fingers. A couple of pics below.
01-04-2022, 08:02 PM
New S2 RX-8 Owner
), but a thread on RX7club captured my attention; "Cars to replace the FD in 2021". There were a lot of good submissions, but one that kept coming up was the RX-8. At first, I didn't make much of it...just thought it must be cool to add another rotary to the garage. Then after the discussion carried on for a couple weeks, the vast majority of people were choosing the RX-8. Ranting and raving about the handling, the chassis, the comfort of driving it every day, how fun but tame the engine is...I really was blown away, especially by the guys who'd been owning FD's for 20+ years! So that led to YouTube...a channel called "The Slip Angle" (if you haven't watched it, you really should...like right now...here
). He goes on and on about how great this lil car really is...he even replaced his Corvette DD with a S1 RX8. Then I pulled up another video....Doug DeMuro's RX-8 review. In his very own words (paraphrasing)...'you wouldn't really expect me to like this car giving how I felt about everything else, but the handling on this car is BRILLIANT'. Then I read an article written in 2009..."I'm not saying this car handles well for a $32k car, I'm saying it handles better than some $350,000 cars".
