tex_complex

ok hi and ****. names dustin, anyways i will b buying here sometime shortly soon after tax season pays off my ole ladies new car and i have no more other notes to deal with, as much as i would like to afford new i will more than likely b purchasing used.

now i've read alot on here and other sites gathering as much info and fact-checking alot in the past week. the main reason i want an rx-8 is its a totally differene beast of a car. i've played withe eclpise gsx's, had a firebird, turboed a 3g eclipse, and s/c a grand am gt. my current ride is a nasty rig runner dakota with a 5.2 that squeels tires in second. but like i said its a rig runner. when i bought my lil lady a new car we agreed that after we pay it off i get a garage car. so i choose the rx-8, we went and looked at one and made sure the baby seat fit in it (no it wont be driven everyday but gotta make sure).

so my questions are basic and as much as i've read on here and the "newbie read first" threads. i've decided what i will b gettin. i want an 07+ auto prefferably with a sunroof (i miss it). i've narrowed my color choices down to silver, black, or red. the newer the better but milage and price will determine alot.

main questions would b
1. whats a the good,bad, and ugly mileage i should stay away from when comparing cars and decided.
2.i understand the need of the oild system check and and coolant system check. but drivetrain wise what should i look out for. as in any small leaks in any crevises i should try to spot
3. am i better off with a pure bone stock car with high miles over a newer lightly modified car considering i will b looking to make some adjustments anyways

i understand i'm not getting something with the straight line "oh **** we're doing 155mph" feeling of my old formula or getting something with the off the line stop light to stop light rollercoaster of the gsx. but i've grown out of alot of that. i want something thats a blast to drive and whatever modifications i do will b more for time-attack type than anything else. but like i said its a garage car. and i have plenty to look at here in new braunfels tx with all the college students around. any help would b appriciated on helping me from making a shitty buying mistake of what should have been seen if i was told to look at it (like the compression check if possible)

thank you
dustin

dozer

iTrader: (3)

lol hi and ****

well since you have youre little heart set on an 07 or newer, theres not much youre gonna have to look for, i assume youre gonna find one with about 30k + miles on it, so all you really need are maintenance records...as far you getting an automatic, DONT DO IT, the whole experience of having a sports car is to be able to push that clutch in throw in it in gear! the car has an amazing gearbox that lets you feel the ******* road. throw a short shift kit in and youre set. AMAZING weekend car but i love it as my daily

tex_complex

dont worry it'll get driven when i'm not at the rig. the main reason i want an auto is my lil lady cant drive stick, dont care to drive stick, and hates stick,
but i might get a stick cuz from what im reading and what sux, is the paddle shifting on the auto isnt that great, whitch is a heart breaker cuz on my friends bmw 5series it engages smothly and as fast as i let it go. so i am kinda bum the responses of the auto slapstick r slower than a straight stick

tex_complex

oh and damn ravens lost.come on giants

blazenblue63

Buy the car you want. The lady has hers buy a manual because you'll regret an auto. The series 2 (09+) have a better gearbox but a stupid smiley face bumper and ugly steering wheel. If you want to track it buy a sport/base model. No sunroof though but they're a couple hundred pounds lighter. Stay away from 04/05 models. For reliability and warranty reasons. That's pretty much it really. Drive the car like you stole it and she'll be begging for more.

tex_complex

yeah alot of what i read has me staying away from 04/05's, i found an 06 with 70k for 10k but not liking the look of it, its auto but no sunrrof. its the one we tested the baby seat in. and how i sold my lil lady on the rear doors. she wanted me to get a 350z for a while till she learned they dont come with back seats so thats how i sold her on the 8.
i dunno i'll probably do some test driving between the manual and auto. been a few years since i've put my knee threw a manual again. still disappointed nobody is happy with the reactions the padleshifters put out on the auto. but some hav found ways to hack it it looks like.
and yeah the 09 smiley face has me cracking up, no clue why mazda would take some that is suppose to me and sporty and serious and put an old school ford taurus smiley face on it

blazenblue63

Exactly. The auto isn't a DSG box like you see on a Ferrari or Nissan GT-R. The main reason for me to go manual is besides the slow shifts is it detaches you from the driving experience. And a lower rev limit. The auto is full of compromises where the manual is ***** to the wall. If you want a car for the driving experience, the auto is still a 10, but the manual turns it up to 11.

tex_complex

up untill i got my rig runner everything i had before (besides the grand am gt episode) had been a manual, the eclipse were easy, the firebird (last manual i owned) i had a hard drag clutch in it, so thats the last manual i have driven in ummmmm 5years. also i remember when i had the ecelpise i always had tranny issues once i started getting my powerband up there, so much so when i got over 335hp in the 3g man did that tranny throw a fit and kick outa second anytime i started heavy outa the box.

how do the rear ends hold up in rx-8's? are they great for spirited play or am i gonna blow it the second i get a s/c and tune strapped on?

also another question i thought of here recently. how good are the anti-sway bars? i had to home make some for the 3g cuz nothing was good enuff for the 20 turn road i loved. but should i want to change them out after i get tower bars amd does anyone make a tower bar that 3 points to the firewall?

yeah the more i search the more questions i have

also from what i'm seeing, a number of guys have gone to e t56 tranny swap, does that mean the factory manual cant hold much power at a certain point?

blazenblue63

I'm not sure about that. Try in the major horsepower thread. There's a lot of knowledgeable guys in there. As long as mine has warranty I'm not doing anything to the drivetrain. A catback exhaust and maybe a bhr midpipe with davesport cat and that's it engine wise.

40w8

I have the car you asked about, a 07 RX8 GT 6 spd Auto which I take to the track at H2R San Marcos and others.

I bought it auto in case my wife wanted to drive. She's scared she'll bend it, and I'll be mad so she doesn't drive it anyway.

Anyhow, I'm very clumbsy, had a RX3 manual, and discovered that Mazda synchro's sucked in 1973 and still do.

All I improved to make it fun at the track, was to get a decent alignment with me in the car, BHR fuel pump, and Ign mod, and a auto trans cooler.

I never use the paddle shifters because the trans knows the engine load and force on it better than I can, and I can concentrate on gas, steering, and braking.

I never use the sun roof, and would gladly give it away if I could. It adds weight, AND is an inch or two lower to interfere with helmet on track days.

I've got 27k miles in almost 5 years, and plan to keep it until the engine acts up. I might can get 20 years, if I'm lucky.

tex_complex

thats cool, i aint been in new braunfels long, been in houston mainly. still gettin the run of the place. i've always liked the open top feeling without a convertible (dont ask me why but i've always hated convertables when t-tops r great) so yeah a sunrrof is a plus (not a hafta).
40w8 why did u change the fuel pump? was the original bad already?
is it like my friend fuill size chevy where the fuel filter is with the pump?
the main draw of the paddle shifters and slap stick was it drove like an auto when( my lil lady wanted to drive it (duh and also when i wanted to spirited drive it that it would hold the gear when i know a turn was comin after another so it wouldnt upshift like a full auto would (theres a great road outa hallettsville that could pass for a back woods nurimburg ring 20 turns and a couple negative bank 45+) plus i heard canyon lake is a great drive with the right car.

Mrktplayer

Your previous question wasn't answered about MPG. I do about 50/50 city/highway driving and average about 17 mpg. I can get about 20 mpg on the highway. It's not the most fuel efficient but it doesn't bother me. If MPG was the most important I'd get a Prius, but that's gay.

Being able to fit more than 2 people is a plus but I rarely have people sit in the back. I can fit a lot of gear in the trunk and it's a very comfortable ride. The 350z won't be able to carry my gear. Corvette and STI can and were my top choices but ended up with the 8 instead. I've had my car for almost a year and I still enjoy it. The stick shift on the 8 is really fantastic. My wife doesn't know how to drive a stick but it's never been a problem. I just can't drink much when we take my car out is all.

If you want 300+ horsepower you may expect to spend $10k. It will be cheaper if you can DIY. For me, I'm content with a stock setup. I don't need to beat other cars to feel good about myself.

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

40w8 will have to confirm this, but I think he upgraded it because of his track use. I think some people have had issues with fuel starvation with under heavy cornering at the track. I believe it's related to the the shape of the gas tank and location of the fuel pump.

tex_complex

mpg's aint gonna bother me cuz it wont be a daily driver since my rig road can range anywhwere from 2-32 miles of gravel, i'll keep my dakota sport for those and my lil lady drives a nitro. so this is the garage car. not going for insane HP either. if i wanted that i'll get some ls1 car.

thanks 8 maniac for answering my question kinda caught me off guard why that was changed if he isnt running any reasl aggressive FI.

40w8

Yeah, at 20k miles it was running out of gas on nearly every corner, so the BHR fixed that.

The 6 spd auto trans holds the gear it's in for several seconds if you get off gas before the shift.

I agree that autos upshifting is annoying, but this trans shifts like a dream by itself.

I even get better gas mileage than manuals since the revs on hwy are only 2700 rpm @80 mph where I get 23 mpg.

both trans are a blast, but my 8 is the smoothest, quietest, car I've ever seen that also corners well.

tex_complex

ok thats good to know about the revs at 80.