New Owner Observations
 

Greetings from RI -

I just purchased a '05GT stick, all factory options except (thankfully, nav) with 7.5k miles from a local dealer (exec car/CPO). As a lifelong BMW owner (15 to date) and regular contributor to those forums (car and motorcycle), let me share a few observations.

OK, true enough, the RX8 has "the torque of a 4-cyl, the power of a 6-cyl and the fuel consumption of a 8-cyl". It does need rain sensors, BUT....

Considering that the vast majority of cars I've owned cost between 2-5 times what I paid for this car, let me say that at $22k, this RX8 is one heck of a performance and design bargain. So far, I'm overjoyed and surprised.

My goal was to trade out of a '04 BMW 745i Sport because I simply didn't need an underutilized depreciating asset of this magnitude sitting in the driveway - we still own a BMW 540iT and a Chrysler sedan. So my goal was to find a back-road-friendly 'econo-car' for local drives. We have 3 and 1 yr. old sons but a functioning back seat wasn't mandatory. I looked at new GTI's, Jetta's, Mini's, WRX, etc., and frankly wasn't even aware of the RX8 until I went to look at the Mazda3. That's when I saw this car. My wife was with me that day on a series of test drives and immediately fell in love. To make the deal irresistable, I also received the highest trade allowance of the day by $3k so essentially paid $19k for the RX8.

Fit and finish is above average. Handling is amazing, torque is just fine, (wheels do chirp), acceleration is exciting, controls are straight-forward and minimalist (after iDrive, this is a blessing), the design is innovative, the Bose stereo is decent, and all in all - I haven't had this much pure fun driving a car in a long time! Funny enough too, a whole different breed of people take notice. AND it has four legitimate doors and seats. I can't say that I'd have bought this car at its $34k+ MSRP but I can't think of anything that comes close to it for under $40k. Maybe a loaded Mini S with JCW for the same MSRP? So for the price, I'm very happy.

Sooooooo....what are the ESSENTIAL suspension upgrades to get the most out of it?? I believe it already has sway bars and the strut but it could use a little more stiffness.



Cool too is that

get the racing beat rear and front swaybars, and keep the rest of the stock suspension. Thats the cheapest and most direct route to changing the handling.

if you want to get coilovers and other crap like that, then don't get the rb sways since they're going to then be too stiff.

i prefer rb swaybars and leave the rest alone - only costs $200-300 for the mod, easy to install, and the ride (comfort) is near stock, while getting rid of body roll.

ps: I paid around 31k with navi, 2 years ago. well worth the money :)

rx8's come with a strutbar stock. they also handle very well on stock suspension, but if you feel you need a little more stiffness, check out the wheels, tires and suspension forum, lotsa good info in there. also at the top of the forum page, the search button can be used to pinpoint the information you want. this forum really is a goldmine of good info.

good car choice by the way. =P

cheers

congrats! someone told me, once upon a time, that for some unknown reason bmw owners seem to be ESPECIALLY prone to falling for the rx-7 and rx-8... <lol> cheers! :)

I think it is the road feel. BMW gets it right and so does Mazda. The RX-8 reminds me most of a 97-99 M3. They are both direct, simple, roomy, and solid. Even the HP and weight is similar.

congrats. yes if you want suspension upgrades, either go just the rb sways or go for less stiff sways w/ coilovers (springs + shocks). rb sways are the stiffest but work great if you dont plan on going with a lot stiffer springs.

so THAT is why i love both of my cars.... :rock:

Interesting comment on BMW owners and the E39 M3 specifically. I previously owned a '95 coupe (full Dinan treatment) and a '99 cabrio (plus a host of 3, 5 and 8-series).

The '95 in particular had a sense of purpose and road feel that was unmatched. Funny enough, THAT car did come to heart as I was driving the RX8. I also thought of it as a 4-seat/4-door BMW K1200GT motorcycle; it has many of the same driving characteristics.

BMW's lately have become bloated, over-styled, pricey and complicated. As much as I respected the 745i Sport (BMW's best highway car ever), the complexity of it's systems left me longing for simpler times.

You can't afford to build perfection into a $34k MSRP car. But the RX8 stimulates the senses better than most and offers a compelling value proposition with unique styling. For the price, I can live without rain sensing wipers, voice activation, bluetooth, self-leveling suspensions and even 500hp. This car covers the basics quite well.

But just WHY does the MPG have to be so aweful!? Or couldn't the tank be just a little bigger? Reminds me of the fuel stop intervals needed on my motorcycle!

I had both the RB setup (RB springs with Sways) and now have the MS Springs/struts with stock sways. I prefer the MS setup. The stock struts are too soft. I would replace those first with Konis, Tokico, or MS. No need for coilovers.

I am so happy to see someone who knows nothing about the RX-8 give it such high praise.
Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new ride.
Many happy miles,,,,,,,,,E

I just bought the Racing Beat F&R sways and RB front endlinks. Took pretty much all the body roll out of it without sacrificing ride quality. I love the way this car handles now. It's on rails.

Welcome mshea,
How about posting some pictures of your 8...?!
Have you driven / owned the Z series of BMW...?
I've never driven one. Like the 8, it has a unique style all its own.

Thanks for the welcome, guys. The car is 'red' w/ red/black interior, wing, etc.. Seen one red '05 RX8, seen them all, right? I prefer silver but, hey, the wife is happy happy.

I'll look into the sway bars. I'm looking for the best bang for the buck suspension upgrades as there is some minor float and body roll that I could do without. Power seems adaquate, wheels seem fine and the spring response rate seems ok too. Like I said, a pretty tuned in car out of the box.