My wife made me do it! I was looking at Miatas, but we have a large dog we need to take with us on trips. We recently bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee, so the Miata was just going to be a fun car. The "mission" expanded. Once we decided on having a back seat, it was the RX. I had a 2nd gen RX-7 in '86, so that experience really eliminated anything else with four seats. The only question was which one. I'm not a big fan of the revised nose on the new ones, so I looked for a used one. I found one we both liked and bought it.

I have to laugh at this...why does what I think matter to you? I'm someone you've never met, I have goals you never thought of and I don't care anything about you...so why care why I bought something?

Buy what you want. If the children around you can’t understand give them a lollipop and tell them to call you when they grow up. The fact is, no matter what I (or anyone else says) you need to buy what fits you. If that’s a vette or a 370z then buy that. If it’s an 8 then get that and thumb your nose at the others. Don’t look here for acceptance, come here for friends. If you choose an 8 then we’ll have friends for you. If it’s other there are boards for you…enjoy your ride (regardless of who thinks you should drive other).

holy shit! damn...i love ur reply.
i'm gonna have to quote this in my sig.

whats the step to do it?

You are my idol

^:lol:

thanks guy - that's basically my true life story on how i found my 8. I was debating on a bunch of different factors but THAT pretty much sealed the deal for me :lol:

I have a Ti Grey 2005 in new new condition, 42K, just had it detailed and it "SHINES"!!!!!!! 10 years on and people STILL stop and stare at this automobile. Yesterday I'm sitting at a Mac Ds and the kid who works there was taking photos of it with his iPhone! Personally I am still in love with the lines and overall look of this auto. Aside from a few minor design flaws like the cheesy fins in the tail lights and head lights, the overall design of this beauty I believe is a classic and will continue to turn heads for another ten years and then some. And oh yeah, as far as the ladies go,,,,, I live in NYC and I just LOVE sitting at red lights as they walk by admiring this unique and very sexy looking ride. Zoom Zoom...... ;-)

Hi guys I just would like to add to all these great reasons.......Its the HISTORY....The UNIQUE PERSON that you have to be in order to understand the RX----History. These other cars are just cars....An RX8 RX7 are real Vehicles made to race. And the brand MAZDA.....one that has stud the test of times.

The ? Should be why not an Rx8 :ylsuper:

My reasoning:

I honestly had my heart set on a 350Z convertible,
Couldn't find any well maintained ones for the price.
Then I saw an RX8 up close at a dealership, I've always kind of liked the car, but never been so close to one, and I must say it looks better in person and up close then it does in pics.
I was also very concerned about the rotary engine.

After doing a bit of reasons and receiving advice from a friend that raced RX7s I decided to bite the bullet.

It don't go over budget, but I think had there been a 350z at the same price I would have gone for that.

Wife's reason:
Suicide doors

About a year before i bought the 8 my uncle bought it from nova scotia. We have never really seen the rx8 around here just the few rx7s. At the time i worked for my uncle and he would let me take the car to job sites and eventually i was taking it home for the night and meeting for work the next morning. From the first time i seen the car i was in love. The. When i drove it the first time the deal was sealed (i will own this car). Within the year he had it i quit and got a better paying job. After seeing him out in his truck and never the car i asked what he was doing with it and he said selling. My heart blew up with joy. 3000$ to you he says. So to the bank i went and here we are about another year later. Happier then a pig in shit.

Once you go rotary -you never you back! This is a unique and to a degree rare auto. It looks stunning and at 10 years old mine is still turning heads and getting admiring looks ( I believe the styling on this auto will make it a classic like its predecessor) handles like a go-kart, throw it into a corner at speed come out even faster and rev it to red line before gearing up and feel your face stretch from the stupid smile on your face. Great for daily driving as well as spirited driving on or off the track, but my passion is to take it the Catskills every summer for some serious "canyon carving" where this auto just comes alive. Save for lackluster low end torgue, this auto is perfect in every way for anyone looking for an affordable, practical ( yes I said practical as it has 2 functional rear seats AND a trunk) true sports car in every sense of the word and doesn't want to own a Miata and is looking for something a bit more unusual then the same old crap every other piston head is driving out there. Take a page from Nike : JUST DO IT! I am the original owner of mine, and hope to have it for another 10 years or until I croak, whichever comes first. I am 61 and still love looking at it after I park it after a spirited cruise around town or a tour on the twisty turnies.......... Zoom zoom.........

Same reasons as stated by others for me:

• I've loved this car from the day it was released (and going back to the concept, I suppose).
• In one of the first reviews I read (AutoWeek), the reviewer said that he felt the RX-8 had true exotic car looks, and I agree.
• Interior and exterior design is truly unique and gorgeous. I get looks and comments everywhere I go. It has a proper sports car interior that's not cheap looking and feeling.
• There are a shit-ton of recent model Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes around Michigan. You can't shake a stick without hitting two or three. Not so with RX-8s.
• I like oddball things, and what's more oddball in the automotive world than the rotary engine?
• 9,000 RPM redline.
• The engine in the RX-8 is more unique (if "more unique" makes sense) than the engine in any Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, ....
• The sound of the engine, even at idle! I want mine to be louder. Header is likely coming eventually.
• One of the great handling cars of its era. When I was researching what car I wanted as my toy (I think I always kind of knew I would come back to the RX-8), I couldn't get over how many articles I read where the reviewer stated that the RX-8 was one of the best handling cars at any price. Car & Driver specifically stated that the RX-8 would keep up with *anything* in the corners. The 350/370Z (which was also one I researched heavily) simply isn't in the same class. After all, it's platform was also intended for use in sedans.
• I'm also a huge Mazda fan. No other full line car manufacturer has, for at least the last dozen years, been so committed to making cars for people who love to drive, across their entire line-up. That's not true of BMW, anymore.

Your last point, I said to a friend just the other week. I hope Mazda continues with this objective.

You dont choose these cars. They choose you. sounds like the rx8 and 7 are sirens and man we all heard the singing. Or redlining in this case lol.
Its not just a car its a lifstyle

Personally, my parents bought me my first car (a 2000 Ford Taurus) which got me from point A to point B but I never enjoyed driving it. I'm a young guy, I wanted a nice looking *cough* sports *cough* car.

I had been keeping an eye out for a while, but finally I decided I really wanted to get a new car. And I wanted a manual, despite the fact I'd barely driven them before. Hey, might as well jump in feet first, right?

I started searching and came across some 350Z's and Solstices in my price range. I was actually going to go look at a 2005 350Z the day I ran across the RX-8. I loved the looks and after some reading I was sold. I wanted one. It's completely unique, you won't see (or hear) another car like it on the road. It's a sedan, arguably, with a coupe look. After some searching around I found one in my price range at a small used car dealer, who I doubt knew anything about it. They had just gotten it from an auction where a larger dealer had sold off several of the cars they received as trade ins.

If I wasn't already wanting an 8, the test drive would have sold me. It handled beautifully, practically stuck to the road. It certainly sold my dad, who has a decent amount of mechanic experience but was leery of the rotary engine. Some negotiations later and I was the proud owner of a 2006 RX-8.

Funnily enough I didn't even realize at the time that it was a Shinka, or rather what exactly a Shinka was (It wasn't advertised as such, but it has the decals on the doors, interior, BOSE sound system, etc.), as I hadn't put in a ton of time looking at the different editions.

Several people in this thread have said the car chooses you. I'm not sure if that's true, but it certainly attracts a certain type of person. Those who don't want to just drive a car, they want to enjoy it. If you don't have a smile plastered to your face when you go to drive it, you're probably doing it wrong.

It doesn't have a Sport Button/Mode. Because it always is.

Our sport button says DSC. :mdrmed:

Its easier to ask the question why not own a RX8 or any rotary.

The main reason i bought one is because it is unique and beautiful. On top of that, it drives like flies touching fly paper. Oh and of course, 9k redline and the wonderful scream it makes at that lovely 9k+.

Not only does it look and drive great. It also gives you a reason to take a break from the house life, to treat it the way it needs and wants in the garage while having a brew or two.

Don't touch that button unless you know what you're doing and on a track or closed course setting.

I've been wanting one since I was 14 years old. Loved the way it looked. Loved the suicide doors. Loved how it had 4 usable seats. Absolutely LOVED the sound of that rotary engine. There's nothing else quite like it. I love how it sings to redline. It's so smooth and refined. Aaahh typing this makes me feel like going out and revving the car.

I researched a lot, did my homework, and finally, after almost 8 years, I bought a 2012 Spirit R in black. I was so happy, I cried. One of the best moments in my life. To drive my childhood dream car. I still can't believe I bought this thing.

I love the RX-8. Love it. Love it. Love it.

Loved them since they came out in 2003... perfect handling, look great... nice place to sit inside... just one of the alltime greats IMHO

Challenge: Is there a single car with equal-or-bigger back seats that decisively handles better in stock form than an RX-8 R3? At any price, ever?

I don't think there is. It's easy enough to find a car that'll beat it in one or two ways (grip, feel, agility, behavior, etc.), but nothing else has the whole package. Anything that even competes is turbocharged, which is a deal-breaker for me (I hate throttle lag) -- except maybe the E30 M3, which can't be had with a warranty.

Handling and feel are the most important things about a car to me. Natural aspiration, manual transmission, limited-slip or torque-biasing diff, and back seats (the RX-8's are as small as I could let them get) are must-haves.

I also hate the way the auto industry is all about big, soft, feedback-free machines that make it both painless and joyless to go fast. The RX-8 is the opposite of that, in kind of a hilariously exaggerated way. It's a big flashy-looking middle-finger to everything I hate about most cars.

Lastly, I wanted a car that came the way I wanted it from the factory, and had a warranty.

So for me, it's almost like the question wasn't "why would I buy an RX-8," but rather "what choice do I even have?"

Price new or used?

I love my RX-8 but my 2011 335i handles (Sport package, BMW PPK tune, and catback) just as well and it way faster than any NA RX-8 and right one par with my turbo RX-8 in most situations and definitely faster from a dig. And there is no lag on my 335i (twinscroll single turbo 3.0 straight 6). I paid 20k for it in mint condition, one owner.

The RX-8 is more fun to drive I would say but not in a huge way and I am sure my opinion will change when the Bilstein coilovers go on my 335i and it gets setup properly. I would imagine the smaller BMW's like the M2's and M235i, etc are as fun as the 8, I have yet to drive one though. But I did get to see this M2 this morning and man it is beautiful. Not to mention the prices of Cayman S's are coming way down.

New OR used. Any price, any model year.

I guess there's a fair amount of subjectivity involved in assessing handling. But from my experience in E90s, I definitely wouldn't go that far. They handle absolutely brilliantly for what they are, and their contemporary competitors felt like trucks by comparison. I just don't remember them feeling as sharp or alive as the RX-8.

And in any case, I don't think I have to remind you of what C&D said in a similar (and more detailed) comparison. ;)

I didn't even feel like the F80 M3 was as satisfying in a corner, at least at street speeds. FAR more capable, but heavier-feeling and low on feedback. And I'm pretty sure there's little argument that F8x > E9x M > E9x non-M, handling-wise.

Yeah I love the R3 and RX-8 in general and I have seen many stock RX-8's hand more powerful cars their asses on the autox course and on the road course. But that is more driver than anything else and the typical RX-8 owner never sees a track or pushes the car anywhere near its limits.

But once you start modifying, it's another story. I can add all the M suspension stuff to my 335i for surprisingly little money. Much more bang for my buck on the BMW than on my RX-8.

I agree with you though on the RX-8 in terms of that visceral feeling you get when driving one hard. But when you get that itch for power, it gets tough when you own an RX-8.