motorups

So is it crazy to be thinking about trading my copper red touring (auto) mx5 soft top for a rx8?
Drop top on the mx5 is nice but at times it feels too small. Posted this in classifed but no one offered any feedback as yet...

My mx5 has 5k miles on it and figure I would take a bath trading it in at the dealer. Would want a automatic and paddle shifters so an 04 or newer. Realize the 06 has the 6 port and that the older 4sp autos are slower but not sure that is a make or break deal to me.

Thinking about leather (for the dogs). What leather colors did they have from 04 through 08 btw? Black, tan, black/saddle tan, white cream color of some sort? Don't think I want black leather in florida though do worry about the dogs marking up a lighter color leather. Would leather/suede be better if I take the dogs with me....guessing not? Then again they don't have to ride in a rx8, I could take them in the highlander instead.

If anyone in the tampabay area of florida has a rx8 and they are interested in moving over to a mx5 shoot me pm if you would please. Do worry a bit about reliability on a rx8 but see consumer reports just upgraded it to acceptabe.

Figure a copper red, black cherry, maybe one of the blue colors would be nice. Have not ruled out a pearl white yet either. Will try to ride a few used ones this weekend and mull it over a bit.
thanks for any input.

Myardor

iTrader: (7)

I rode a few ones before I got married, a few while I was married and a lot after I got divorced. Guess you could say, riding a few, while being married got me divorced. They were not all DOGS, some did make a funny noise when I rode them hard. Some were white, some were black, even had a yellow one, Red one and a brown one! One was blue after I rode her!

OOps you mean rode cars? I misunderstood.
Try this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mazda...spagenameZWDVW

and its located in Florida.

ALP22

I had a 99 Miata before the '8, and liked it a lot, but the 8 is a vast improvement in power and handling. It simply feels a lot more planted to the ground and less "skippy" than the miata. Having said that, it is also easy to break the rear-end loose when required. I'm not sure what the improvements in the '06 miata (MX-5) were, so maybe the bump in power will not be so noticeable.

The 4 speed RX-8 automatics suck by most accounts; go with the newer 6 speed if you can find one. Also running costs are quite a bit higher (mid-range or premium gas, and 18mpg average).

I do miss the drop-top a lot, even in the cold frozen north, but the sub-roof makes up for this partly. I can't imagine the 8 without a sun-roof... way too claustrophobic. The sun-roof does take up quite a bit of headroom though, so if you're tall you may notice the lower roof-lining.

delhi

I drove a few NC when I was looking for a new 'fun' car since my folks had an NA and it was quite a hoot despite 115hp. Anyhow, my favourite was the SE version. But the rx-8 is a notch or two above in terms of sheer excitement from its stunning handling prowess and engine viscerability. The mx-5 is great as a drop top but alas I am not a 'vert person. The interior of the 8 is better than the mx-5 no doubt. You get to wring out to 9000rpm and the engine still feels silky smooth! Plus, carbon fiber drive-shaft just turns chicks on....

New Yorker

Other people, including me, have asked this question (I was driving an '05 MazdaSpeed MX-5), so if you do a search you'll find lots of good stuff.

Basically, it's apples & oranges. Yes, they're both sports cars, both fun, but very different. For me, nothing compares to a 2-seat roadster on a twisty country road with the top down on a sunny autumn day—or cruising down Main Street on a warm summer night. Intoxicating, and I've never experienced that feeling in any closed car. But… as you know, the MX-5 is like that only when the top is down. When it's up, it's somewhere between "cozy" and "claustrophobic", depending on your mood, how big you are, and how long you're gonna be in the car.

The RX-8 handles as well as the MX-5—probably better (though the Miata is hard to beat on pure "fun-to-drive", whether it handles better or not). The RX-8 is faster, quieter, seats four, holds a lot more stuff, is rare, cool, sophisticated, and it doesn't beat you up on a 5-hour, 75 mph trip on the interstate—sparing you that buzzing, exhausting feeling of Lindbergh having just crossed the Atlantic in his tiny plane.

As I have only one car, the 8 makes a little more sense for me. In a perfect world, I'd have both—the MX-5 for twisty little roads and warm summer nights—and the 8 for everything else.

CarAndDriver

RX-8 AT would be a slow car. Stick with the MX-5.

YaXMaNGTO

Keep the Miata at least for a while, and enjoy it. The Miata is the easiest roadster to live with on the planet. Every chance you get, drop top. I want to step out of my car, walk up to the window and lecture the 'tards that don't drop the top in decent weather. Insane. However, wash it often. Nothing looks worse than a convertible with the top down... and it's dirty.

I miss my 2000 SE Miata every now and then. New Yorker used the right word - intoxicating. When you get a perfect night on a perfect road... damn it's sweet.

Dont be a puss and drive the **** out of it. If you're still stock, those things are so underpowered, you're never going to break anything. Bottom line, have fun.

dbright007

I am lucky - I have both.
As was said, they really are a bit different. Both fun to drive for different reasons. The 8 for me is a perfect daily car. I love how it drives, handles, so comfortable, and there is enough space for what I need.
But as New Yorker said, there are just days or evenings that nothing compares to being in a true 2-seater with the top down.

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

I nominate this for quote of the year. Not only is it a dead-on comparison, but it's a fine piece of descriptive writing.

The MX-5 was on my short list when I was at the "ready to sign" stage earlier this year, along with about three other car models- two of them not Mazda.
When the dust settled, I drove an RX-8 away from the dealership, and have not regretted my choice one bit.

Everytime I sit in that car, I can feel the smile smearing itself all over my face.

mdw1000

I bought a dog "hammock" from petsmart for the backseat. With that the 8 actually has the perfect size backseat for my dogs. My beagle/basset mix loves the center console. He sits on it while I'm driving, often looking out the back window. I call him my tailgunner

Haven't driven a MX-5, so I can't give you a good comparison power-wise to my car. Your mileage will most likely be significantly worse in the 8.

mooshu47

I've been driving a '97 MX-5 for about 8 years, and I just picked up an '06 RX-8. The 8 has everything the MX-5 had except:

• No drop top. As has been said above, there is something liberating about cruising a back road with no top. The downside to that is that even with the top up, you're still driving a convertible. The noise factor is always there. The sunroof on the 8 was just enough to get me over losing the drop top.
• MX-5 has less power. That is a good and bad thing. One of the nicest things about the 5 was that I could drive it like a race car even when I wasn't going that fast. Trying that in the 8 on public roads can get you into trouble quickly. On the other hand, sometimes I feel the need for more than 130 HP.
• Gas mileage. I'm just beginning to feel the sting of filling up twice a week. (seemed more like once every 2 weeks with the 5, that's probably an exaggeration though.)
• Goofy pop-up headlights. I kind of miss those, I don't know why.

Now I could go on for a while talking about what the 8 has that the 5 didn't. (And keep in mind I'm comparing a 2006 GT with 6MT to a slightly rickety dinged up base model 1997 MX-5 here.) Suffice it to say, 232 HP and a back seat was enough to make the decision for me. I took the 8 for a long drive this morning and was trying to find any excuse I could to keep driving. That was the same feeling I had 8 years ago when I first got the 5. And btw the 5 is still sitting in the driveway. I plan to sell it soon but I'm not looking forward to seeing someone else drive off in it. I think I might need to get a house with a 3 car garage!

pVVn3cl

If you are gonna get an automatic Rx8 just stick with the mx5.