kewlstory

Hi everyone I'm new to this forum. Let me start out with a short background story: I've been looking at getting a project car/summer toy and I've been saving up for a while. My budget for buying the car is up to 7-8k. Now I've been looking at mostly mustangs and camaros, but I saw some other cars that interested me: lexus sc300, eclipse Gsx and very recently I saw some rx8s near my area that I can afford.

I liked the rx8 but after looking into it more, people say this isn't a straight line car and 400whp is impossible? And other stuff which kind of gets me worried. I want a fun car (my daily is a knee sawn sentra ) but I also want something with performance potential. No it doesn't need to be a 9 sec trailer queen but I at least want something to hold off the ricers. So basically what I'm asking all you rotary guys is whether or not the rx8 would be the car for me? Will it last lol? And what made you guys choose the rx8s over other stuff like knee sawn 350zs and other cars? Reading some early posts, i feel like this car is too exclusive for most ppl and I'll prolly get flamed for posting this thread

P.s. I live in Chicago so salt and winters=rust

kevinande

If your goal is drag racing, then consider another car. This car was not designed for that, and getting close to 400 HP out of it would require no less than FI and more cash than you said you had available.

Williard

iTrader: (18)

Are you spelling Nissan incorrectly on purpose? Anyway, it is NOT impossible to reach 400WHP with this car. It does take a bit of time and a decent chunk of cash to do so. If you want a go fast in a straight line car, go with the Mustang or Camaro(which everyone drives now) OR if you would like to be able to corner better than damn near any vehicle on the road and enjoy doing so, get the 8. These cars are by no means straight line cars. But that doesn't mean their not fast little machines. many things can be done to make er quicker, sleeker, lower. It just takes time, effort, cash and above all a love for this machine. If your cheap and looking for something that can be done quickly and at a much lower cost, again go with the mustang

Chrishoky

iTrader: (9)

It sounds from your post that this isnt the car for you. It takes much time and money to make power. Remember, when modding a car it often comes down to numbers for the manufacturer of said parts. The Rx8 is a niche product and such there is less R&D for parts so they are more expensive and less available. 400 horses is possible with FI and a built motor but your talking $4K for a motor build and $5K+ for a proper turbo set up. That right there is more money thnt you have currently available just in modifications.

What is your goal for the project? Bad *** street car? Auto X? Drag? With that info we can better push you in the right direction.

ken-x8

New member forum...Marquis de Queensbury rules apply...so don't worry about getting flamed.

To get the kind of performance you want out of an 8 would take several times your budget. At least. And it would likely be fragile.

As far as why I got an 8... I was ready for second childhood, but old and decrepit enough to need some creature comfort and sophistication. Rejected BMW Z-4 because it was too comfortable and mushy. Rejected 350Z because it was too harsh and sitting in it just didn't feel right. 232 HP seemed like more than enough power for the street...it's enough to go faster than I really should, and to scoot in and out of traffic. I also like not having the same thing that everyone else has.

Other members probably have different tales

If I wanted a performance project, the last thing I'd get would be an 8. Not a lot of variety in performance stuff. Seems like a Mustang or Camaro, with lots of vendors for lots of alternate parts, would offer more opportunity for creativity.

Ken

Williard

iTrader: (18)

Ken that was a very refined and pleasant read. Im going to agree with him 100%. I do enjoy the fact that, on my drive to work i see 30 mustangs and 15 camaro's, yet i see almost no RX8's. This car does take passion and work to get to the HP you want to achieve. But, it would cost triple what it would cost you to build a mustang.

Chrishoky

iTrader: (9)

I also agree with Ken's comments about rarity. I hardly ever see another 8 in my area. But as I mentioned above this is what makes building an 8 to the level the OP has mentioned a challenge.

Here are the pro/cons in my mind and why I went with the 8, which I daily drive.

Pros: 2 useable back seats, trunk space, uniqueness, 8yr/100K mile engine warranty, good looks, enough useable power for a fun daily driver, outstanding handling and brakes from the factory, performance parts are plentiful (but costly), low(ish) insurance (its technically a 4 door)

Cons: Engine failure, high cost of repair, eats oil and sucks on gas, hard to make big power, need a specialist for engine work/rebuild (only a few in the country I would trust)

Williard

iTrader: (18)

Chris agree'd. Im actually searching for an engine from a scrap yard that i can use as my first test subject for a strong rebuild. My engine is currently healthy so im trying to prep for a before hand kind of event. That way if my build fails i still have a usable core to send to someone i would trust

kewlstory

Trying to make a badass street machine if that helps. Something that's also unique. I don't want to give you people the impression that I'm a stupid teen looking for straight line speed. I want something that stands out but something that I can also keep for a while. As long as the thing can somewhat scoot I'll be happy. And yes I'm deliberately spelling Nissan incorrectly which brings me to my next point, is the renesis engine a big risk to take? My Nissan has had bulletproof reliability so far and I'm not expecting that much but I do want the car and start up everyday I without a problem at least.

I also realize that these cars aren't very heavy, so the 400whp would be absurd in this case but is it hard to do low 14s high 13s?

Chrishoky

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for the direction, this helps. You can build a really great street car with an rx8. Reliability depends on a few factors. How diligent are you with maintenance and what was the condition of the motor when you got it? The renesis is a reliable motor if you keep up with maintenance and treat it how it should be treated. My suggestion would be this: buy an 8 with good compression scores (compression test is a must before purchase!) drive the car in stock form doing small improvements as you go. At your budget you should be able to find a later series 1 with low miles and good compression numbers.

Oh and car and driver did a 1/4 mile run in 14.9 secs on street tires in stock form. Mods would definitely improve on this, but remember this car was made for more road racing/auto x than the drag strip. By comparison, the rx8 had the same time around the top gear test track as the BMW M3 and Nissan 350Z at 01.31.8.

kewlstory

Just watched that episode, really got me going and built back up my confidence in the Mazda. Do these things really handle that good? How many gs did they pull on a skid pad in that car and driver article?

Williard

iTrader: (18)

It has been said in MANY car and driver mag's that there is no car in it's class that can compare. Mazda did such a good job with our suspension it would take damn near a supercar to beat it in that aspect. I.E. Ferrari, Lambo.

Thats not b/s either, if i can find the article i'll post the link.

kewlstory

I have a huge stack of car and driver and road and track I'll try to find something tomorrow

MountainMike68

Here's one.
The Best-Handling Car in America for Less Than $100,000 Comparison Tests - Page 6 - Car and Driver