I would recommend the MX-5 ... due to the fact that it'll be no frills performance!

The 8 needs to bedriven hard! Tell her to get the 5.

Test drove many NC in the last little while as part of my side-job. I can tell you that after getting used to the RX-8, the miata really was a let down. Drives slower, interior (GT version) was plasticky, 6-spd not as smooth as the 8's. and when I got on the gas, I kept hitting the redline because I was so used to the rotary's 9k rpm. It is fun if you putter along on a nice day though.
There are lots of NC enthusiasts trying to upgrade their car's suspension with RX-8 parts. Kinda tells you something eh? not a 'vert fan. Feels too exposed on the street while stopped at a light.
But do look into PRHT (aka hardtop mx-5) best of both worlds.
For ease of maintenance tho, the mazda3 should fit well for her.

Many really good points here. Each car is awesome in its own way and quite different, so comparing isn't really easy. I owed a 2004 Rx8 and sold it. Was about to buy another but decided on the the Mx5. I love them both but felt the Rx8's real strengths are wasted on the street. If your girlfriend is new to rotaries, the major hurdle is the fuel economy. At a minimum, she has to be happy with the mpg. Beyond that she'd have to be happy with a lower torque car that needs to be worked through the rev-range. Beyond that its all good.

Test drove both a few times at the dealer and 2x at the zoom zoom event, and i think the zoom zoom event last year, made me realize which one was better for me. The Miata seems eager to break the rear lose as i would throw the car into turns at speeds i thought it could handle.....its looser IMO and the RX-8 seems to take those turns at the same speed with confidence and it just took it like it had more to go.......

So i think that did it for e.

MINI Cooper. Perfect gurly car.

2005 turbocharged mazdaspeed mx-5. http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/disp...X5Miata&bhcp=1

ask her if mpg is important to her. the mx-5 will get 30-35, and the rx8 will do 19-22.

all things being equal, both are fantastic sports cars. the +1 to the mx5 is gas mileage, and the +1 to the rx8 is 4 seats.

(my gf wants a mini cooper. lol. i'll get her one when her bmw e30 dies out. she abuses the hell out of that poor car. with such bad maintainence, i cant believe it still runs. its a real trooper.)

Or maybe just the perfect car. :)

I've owned three MX-5s and now own an 8. They're both great cars.

MX-5:

• On a nice sunny day—or a warm summer evening—it's hard to beat a 2-seat roadster with the top down. It just feels SO good. Like a drug. No hardtop—even with a sunroof—can match that feeling.
• With the top down, nice weather, and a twisty country road (or crusing down a boulevard on a hot summer night), the MX-5 is pure bliss. But with the top up, it's almost a different car: a little claustrophic and confining, particularly for long distances or long hours.
• It's always a pure sports car, which is kinda cool, except it's still a sports car when you drive somewhere for a job interview, or pick up a date to go to a swanky restaurant. Almost the equivalent of wearing gym clothes all the time—not only when you're running, working out, and playing football—but also when you'd rather be wearing a jacket and tie.
• Great handling.
• Pretty good gas mileage.
• Legendary stick shift that feels as good or better than sticks on much more expensive cars.
• The MX-5 does not like droning down the interstate at 75mph for hours at a time. It'll do it, but it doesn't like it. Loud, buzzy and feels out of its element. You can almost hear it asking "isn't there a little twisty two-lane we could take instead??"
• You can take it on a 4-day weekend with your significant other, but everything has to be packed… just so. Obviously you can't toss stuff in the back seat, and the trunk is small, so you can't casually toss stuff back there either. No, you have to pack the trunk the way you pack a suitcase—very carefully. Forces you to be a little bit anal when you'd really rather be laid back and relaxed.

RX-8:

• Definitely the one you want for long interstate highway trips.
• Great feel, balance and handling. Very agile.
• That back seat comes in real handy, even if it's just two of you. It's nice to be able to casually toss a briefcase or shopping bag back there without giving it a second thought.
• The rear "suicide" doors are cool—and very practical. With the front passenger seat shoved all the way forward, you can stick a lot of stuff back there! Pretty easy to load stuff, too, without a 'B' pillar getting in the way.
• The rotary engine is unique and a lot of fun. Super smooth, no vibration, loves to rev, and sounds like a futuristic jet turbine car. Mediocre mileage, though.

In a perfect world I'd have both: the MX-5 for beautiful days and nights—and the RX-8 for the other 92% of the time. ;)

You should see some of the ones that run on the track. Girly hell! :rolleyes:

The 8 has crappy rear-view visibility for backing up, so depending on her driving abilities <<flame suit on>> she'd be better off with the MX-5, so she can put the top down to reverse it out the driveway.

Both cars only really perform if you rev the snot out of them, so she should really test drive both before deciding if a "sports car" is for her. If she doesn't like changing gears plenty often, she should get an automatic <<flame suit on again>> or go for something heavier & more torquey, but then it won't be a sports car by most people's definition here.

Good choice for here. The Miata is a nice car.

i would get the rx8 and when you have extra money, pick up the mx-5 too

RX-8
Plus
- 4 seats
- Faster
- Better looking (Subjective)

Minus
- Drinks gas like a Hummer
- Possible engine problems
-

Miata
- Great gas mileage
- Reliability
- Convertible

Minus
- 2 seats
- little trunk