You own both. Brilliant! So from what you're saying the RX-8 is firm but not uncomfortable. I can live with that.

One more thing. How are the road and wind noise levels inside? Similar?

Dont worry about it. I'm 5'5 at 130 and I fit in the rercaros if not perfectly and pretty well. But that just me.

That's awesome! I can get the Recaros then :D thanks for that info!

lol, i wasn't going to comment on the Z because i've only driven a couple and it was a long time ago, but the pig comment brought it all back!

the Z does not handle bumps as well as the Mazda's, its clunky, and the way you sit in the car makes it just feel huge. so the overall effect is that its just big and clunky, i personally don't like the Z at all.

and its ugly!

Okay, so its going to be your mom's car, with you occasionally driving it.
Makes more sense now.

Anyway, what country do you live in?

BC.

Why do I have the feeling this will end in tears?

because it always does, live and learn. I certainly had those tears.

the regular rx8 was super super soft IMO.. i remember driving down the highway and the suspension would absorb the bumps, the 40th with bilsteins was nice and crisp i could feel the bumps in the ground and that made me happy. The R3 will be even rougher with its smaller profile tires and bigger wheels.

i cant imagine how much ass the mazda 3 is..

Though like the others have said, ride quality is the LEAST of your worries. Maybe you should buy a S15 instead.

the bla bla bla's are the most important part..

Are you going to sit in your garage and WAIT the 3-5min it takes to warm up the engine? Now are you still going to do it when you are late and need to be some place? this car requires complete dedication and full attention. It requires your top priority over everything else.

Are you going to change the oil? are you going to remember to check the oil?

are you going to change the spark plugs coils and wires? ~$400 every 30k miles? if you cant afford that then your cat is going to go to shit and its going to get clogged and the backpressure will kill your motor.

which means its possible to kill your motor at 30k miles, actually its probable that it could happen even sooner than that. Where are you going to go to have your engine changed/rebuilt? out of the country?

I still think a S15/R34 is better suited to you. 4.5 seats, power, looks,handling.

Haha me neither. Don't like it at all. But it does have a certain muscle car look to it. It's striking. Not pretty. The RX is sooo pretty <3 And it has 4 seats. I need 4 seats coz I'll be talking my family in it haha. This car looks sooooo good. Pictures don't do justice. You gotta see it in person to truly see how beautiful it is. You guys have the privilege of seeing it everyday haha. Lucky dudes!

I live in Sri Lanka.

No it'll be my car. But my mom tends to drive my cars :D She's really over protective. Haha and no she'll never get a car like this. She's the kind who goes as slowly as possible. in fact I think she won't drive the RX. Shell probably be scared. But in case of an emergency, she should be able to drive it. The college I go to doesn't have a car park. So my mom drops me and picks me up. Shell have to do that in this car :) And we'll be going on trips. The whole family will be going. That's why I'm so concerned about the ride and noise levels inside. I'll be using this daily.

What's that supposed to mean? :(

please use the multiquote button. its found right next to the quote button. If you want to quote multiple people just click every one you want to quote and then click quote on the last one.

Thanks for the info sir :) so the ride is good then. Yeah I know the one I'm getting will be stiffer than the standard RX-8. I want it to be comfortable while being sporty/looking good. So far, it turned out just the way I imagined. It'll be firm. Not uncomfortable.

Yeah I'm up for the 3 minute wait. Hey I've always wanted to know... What would happen if I drive the car SLOWLY while it's cold? Without revving the engine. I'm talking about sticking in 2nd gear all the time and not exceeding 10mph. Would that be ok?

Yeah I can manage the oil. Though I've never changed the oil in my Mazda 3 before. I've never even checked it haha. but I'll keep an eye on the oil level in the RX-8. I'm up for the extra attention. Chill. I'm a responsible kid :D

Regarding the spark plugs, I'll never do 30,000 miles in it. Maximum would be around 10,000 miles :) so that means I'm all good right?

Darn it I didnt know haha. Thanks. I'm still new to this place. I'll use it from now on :)

Pretty sure that you can warm it up while driving, just keep it below 4krpm for 10mins and your sweet


:scratchhe

Rage levels are rising

This thread fails to emphasize on tires. Suspension is obvious, but choice of tires will play a decent roll in ride comfort. The difference between my Kumho Ecsta XS extreme summers (180 tread wear) VS my ContiExtremeContact high performance all (400 TW) is significant. This is due to the tread pattern (or lack of) and stiff sidewalls. Not to mention when the weather drops below 50, the ride is noticeably rougher than 80*f+...

Someone's trolling.

BC.

I don't understand why so many people on this forum are trying to persuade you away from the 8. My rx8 was my first car when i turned 16. I am now 18. The 8 is really not as hard to take care of as these people are making it out to be. I of course replaced plugs/coils/wires at 30k (depending on how much you drive you'll probably have to do this every 3-4 years "booohooo")
Change your oil every 3k miles.
Check oil and top it off about every 2 weeks.
Don't get on it when your engine isn't at operating temperature.
Don't move it in the cold and immediately turn it off, let it sit for a while.
Use premium gasoline.
Red line it at least once a day (if you're not doing this already then you're not having fun with your 8)

This is pretty much all you have to do to keep this car in shape.


Now i can't vouch for the ride quality for the r3s as i have an s1. But my sister owns a mazda 3, and i prefer the ride quality of my 8 way better, but i also have a biased opinion.

Get the 8 man, you won't be disappointed.

Rage levels? :/

Yeah I know :) It's not only for rotaries. Even piston cars aren't supposed to be revved when cold. I always drive slow until the engine is warmed up. I thought I had to keep it stationary until 5 minutes. It's not an issue but I get impatient at times :P


True. I completely forgot about tires. But there's nothing I can do about tires coz the car will be coming with (probably) new tires. I'll have to live with the stock tires for life haha. Assuming they'll last around 10,000 miles. I won't be doing more than 10,000 miles throughout the whole life of the car. And those Kumhos must cost a lot. Not sure though. I only know them through Need For Speed haha :D

I'm not sir :D people have issues with who will be driving the car Hahahahaha. Just wanted to make it clear.

Hahahahaha dude the way I drive, I'll never get to change the plugs, coils and wires. Yeah I can change the oil. Top it off you say? No worries. Are we supposed to top oil off in normal cars too? Coz I've never done that haha. Yeah Ill drive slow till its warm.

Cold? It's 32 degrees here man :P and about that, I know about the flooding issue. A lot of people say that it's been sorted out in the series 2 RX-8s. Is that true?? Can you or someone on this thread confirm that?

yes I always use premium gas. And about redlining. Is it a must? If it is, do I have to do it on every drive? Or just everyday?

Haha dude I do have fun :-D Just not always. I don't wanna have too much fun and crash it :(

yes that is okay to do, but i personally dont like doing it.

Alright I'll not drive it until its warm. These are normal things. I do this even in my 3. I don't get why people fuss so much about this car. Yeah it drinks oil and you need to change the coils and plugs every 30k miles. And you're not not supposed to turn off the engine while it's cold. Other than that, there's not much to it right? I don't know why people hate this car so much. It's a sports car. It needs extra attention. Maybe they didn't realize that fact :/

Just buy it already

Even if we told you it was the harshest ride in the world and you had to be 6foot to drive it, no doubt you would still buy it

http://gifs.gifbin.com/112012/135231...start_fail.gif

Does it matter if his parents can afford to buy him a new car? Hating on a kid.... Lol

On topic, the rx8 rides slightly firmer but not harsher than a mazda 3. On rough roads the ride is harsh and noisy. The mazda 3 may take bumpy roads better. On smooth roads the 8 rides extremely well. I also have a bmw 135i with sports package and it rides firmer than my rx8 with tein springs. IMO, suspension is a bit soft on the 8.

I dont think you will have any issues with having 4 people in your car.

My concern is that the car wont be driven hard enough. Its important to go WOT every now and then. Good luck

I think it's the people like myself that actually have had to work for what they have their whole lives. That bought their first car for $500 and kinda think it's a little frustrating when a 16 yr olds parents buy them a $30k+ sports car for "being a good boy". I know it makes me mad, but at the same time I'm still not sure that if I was able to, that I could resist buying my son that same sports car when he turned 16 lol

I know damn well my kid will be lucky if he even gets a bus pass with a 4.0 GPA.

Dont work hard... Work smarter.