RVM

...by January 2006. It will be my first new car as well as my first "sports" car. In fact, I sell the damn things. That does not, however, mean that I know a great deal about them - I work with customers on Toyotas and Chevy trucks more than anything else.

I have done quite a bit of reading on these forums, and I have a few questions that I'd like to pose. I apologize if I missed any posts where the answers might have already been given, but I did do searches and I did read back quite a few pages.

I'm not 100% sure I want to buy a RX8. I'm not adverse to putting in the extra effort to maintain the vehicle (monitoring oil levels, proper start up/shut down etc.), indeed, I look forward to it. My main concern is reliability. I've read in some threads that the motor will last 200k miles with proper care and I've read that even with the best care, it won't go past 70k. I would be interested in any input here.

I am also interested in some minor modding. I don't want to overhaul the vehicle, but I'd like to be able to do some work on it myself. I've got the tools to do pretty much anything but rebuild the engine or transmission, or put new springs on the vehicle. My question here is this: how much do mods (especially engine mods, such as cold air induction, new pulleys, exhaust work etc.) affect the longevity of the car? In other words, how "tough" is the Renesis?
How moddable is the RX8 in the first place? Are there aftermarket parts that can positively effect the durability of the vehicle?

I suppose driving style may influence the wear and tear, so let me say that I am definitely a bit heavy on the gas, even in my '96 Ranger. I probably won't rev it past it's red-line, ever, but I do think that I would occassionaly push it to the red line. Otherwise I don't run vehicles too hard. Also, I don't plan on making this a daily driver. I'll probably drive it heavily when I first get it, but other than weekends and a day or two during the week I plan on keeping it under wraps. More than anything else, this car will be my "toy", so to speak. I would be surprised if I put more than 8k miles on it the first year (I don't put more than about 10k-12k on my daily driver annually for that matter).

Now for what I think is my most important question.

Discounting aesthetic concerns (we already know the RX8 is one of the best looking cars on the road, especially when compared to cars <$100k hehe), what are the pros and cons of the RX8? I'm especially interested in mechanical experiences.

I do hope my questions are not irritating or dumb. I am the kind of person who does a great deal of research before buying much of anything, so I hope those of you here will bear with me.

Thank you in advance for any input!