NotQuitePractical

I'm currently in the process of selling a '79 RX-7 and looking to replace it with an RX-8, have a few questions for current owners (yes, I read the FAQ). Biggest one is parts availability. What's it like for the RX-8 in 2018? Any difference in what's available for series 1 vs series two? Interior parts still available? Engine parts? Mazda stopped selling 12As several years ago and hasn't sold interior bits for the RX-7 for a decade, so when buying a 7 it's important to know what you will be able to replace and what you won't. Is the RX-8 like that? I take it at least engine parts are still available since the 2011s are still under warranty. What would a reman/new engine from Mazda run these days, if I were to buy a shell or a car with a failing engine?

As for why I'm going to an eight from a seven, mostly I'm getting tired of fighting bolts that have been stuck in place for forty years whenever I do anything to the car (also, recirculating ball steering, eew). The eight seems a lot more like a successor to the 1st gen than the FD does, at least to me. My daily driver is a two-seater so having a (slightly) bigger RX-8 as a second car would be nice too. The crazy low prices for used eights is a nice bonus. Kind of like FDs ten years ago, they look like an amazing price/performance value. And you don't have to worry about a $20k engine going bad like you would with a Boxster or other similarly depreciated sportscars.