Picked up my 05 Shinka on friday morning in Orlando FL. Drove about 4.5 hours to Hilton Head SC friday, a few hours around there, and 2 hours home to Augusta today.

Overall, I'm VERY excited. Major criticisms would be that the interior is quite flimsy and placticky to me ( and I have a HORRIBLE rattle coming from somewhere in the back dash area). I do agree that the car is slightly underpowered, especially in the low RPM range. Of course, the gas guzzling sucks too.

I must say that I spent a good bit of time on this site prior to pulling the trigger on the car, so the only real unexpected disappointment was the relatively chinsy interior--and the damn rattle.

I'll be taking it to the dealership this week sometime for the MSP-16 reflash, have them locate and deal with the rattle, and give the car a thorough once-over.

Overall, I'm on cloud nine. I have a feeling that this website is about to become "the other woman" in my life...

 

Congrats on the new purchase and I'm sure you'll love the car. Happy to see a new owner knowing what he's getting into and not believing the car is anything other than what it is.

 

Congrats

It is a sports car, all of the money went into the drive train, not the interior. It can take time to get use to power band, but just remember it is special because it is a Rotary.

Enjoy it.

 

Congratz. What are your plans for mods?

 

I thought the general consensus was that the interior was very nice?

 

Do a search on "Rattle Hunt", it was started by Pollack and the rear rattle is in there somewhere and how to fix it. Maybe it will help the dealer or yourself get it cured.

 

Compared to a 350Z, EVO and WRX, our interior is very nice.

 

^I think it is nice too. Way better than the Mustang also.

 

Well, I've developed a squeaky clutch pedal too...Thank God for my remaining warranty.

I'm still thrilled about taking ownership of this enthusiasts car--especially the Shinka. I actually LOVE the color, and its relative exclusivity. Hopefully my enthusiasm will continue, an I won't be an unlucky statistic.

Mods will hinge on whether I decide to purchae an extended warranty, and what I can get away with if I do. I will need tires and brakes in the next 10k, so I'll likely go with some lighter rims and some 245/40's all around. Next would be exhaust and/or CAI, and finally...TURBO. All that won't be until waaaaay after an obscene amount of reading here.

First priority is learning what I need to do to provide the car with the maintenance that it needs to LAST and BE A RELIABLE DAILY DRIVER!! That said, any links to these topics would be appreciated. Especially anything related to oil, oil consumption, premixing--ANYTHING.

Thanks people!

 

Congrats on the purchase. Enjoy your new ride!

 

Grats on the new ride. The fun factor definitely outweighs the shortcomings.

 

Welcome DocJ!!! Gotta love those Shinka's!

Yes, the search button will become the other woman in your life, as you come to love this car..trust it. There's not a question that probably hasn't been asked and answered among these hallowed virtual walls somewhere. Don't be afraid to ask though if you find yourself stumped. The stickies are a great source of info as well.

 

wow,

i thing the interior is about perfect for a sports car.. not sure what you have to complain about.. i do wonder..

and if you have the i think it is called the black cherry color i hate you a lot... that color is drop dead sexy..

beers

 

lol. what was your former car, a porsche?

all car mags say our interior is a cut above all competitors.

 

I guess that I'm happy to hear the comparisons b/t the other interiors in our class. I do not dislike the interior, and only real thing that comes to mind that is driving me NUTS is the rattle I'm hearing from the back dash area. I also noticed that the center console cover seemed loose and thin--again, no big deal at all.

 

You don't by any chance have a spare pair of sunglasses in that little overhead bin, do you? I had this annoying rattle that was driving me nuts - sounded like it was coming from the center dash in back somewhere, or the passenger seat belt or door, depending on how I swiveled my head - turned out it was a pair of glasses I had stashed up there - odd how the sound seemed to come from somewhere else.

And in the interest of fairness, I will admit that it was my wife who figured it out, not me :-)

Dave - no longer rattling

 

nope, no shades stashed. I need to re-read the rattle hunt thread...

 

You may be the first person I've heard of that could actually fit a pair of sunglasses in there... I use it to stash my insurance verification, that's about all it's good for.

 

congrats on the purchase! Nice to see you getting some miles on her right away.
The rattles are a bit annoying to track down / fix but the rotary engine's music makes it all worth while

 

Remember to rev it daily, change oil regularly, and some swear by fuel additives. I use FP products others use premix.

 

Yup. I'm going to buy one of those nifty oil extractors for easy and often oil changes. I'll likely start running some of the lucas addidtive to each tank that folks here speak of.

 

Welcome.
Anytime you buy a used car you can get an anoying rattle.

 

welcome to your new addiction Doc

welcome to RX8CRACK.com ... I browse and troll around this site ATLEAST 5 times a day ! LOL it's just so damn entertaining.

 

My Revos fit in there just fine.