When I was 17, I purchased a new 2004 RX8 and drove it from 2003-2010 and put 150,000ish miles on it. It went through two motors and a transmission (all under warranty). Looking for something to drive on the backroads as a weekend car that I can row through the gears and not be instantly in handcuff speeds so am considering adding another to the collection.

If you were purchasing another, is there a specific model you look at vs another? Has the 2009+ proven more reliable? Do all manuals still have limited slip later on?

 

I prefer S1's styling.
I got about 100k miles on my LY on the original engine.
I picked up a nice modded 40th Anniversary this year..
It has a rebuild, but it feels strong.

It may or may not have hit 137 before letting off.

One advantage I LOVE is you can use an oil extractor on an S1 because of the vertically mounted oil filter by the firewall.

I have 2 metal knees and a 3 vertebrae lumbar fusion
Being able to change my own oil without jacking it up on stands is a very nice feature for me.

 

The 40th anniversary edition looks pretty sweet.

 

Thanks.
I saw the ad and bought it sight unseen.
Sadly, it was on an open transport & got a bunch of dings & chips from apparently being caught in a rockslide next to a barrier.
I wanted to drive it and I hate insurance companies, so I didn't bother filing a claim.

The original picture I saw in the FS ad hooked me.

 

It's got big vented brakes.
Racing Beat CAI.
Ohlins coilovers.
SSR wheels
Super nice Pioneer tablet and loud AF stereo that puts the factory Bose to shame.
I have a Sohn bundle that I've been talked out of installing.
A nice catch can.
I was told it has a Racing Beat midpipe, but it has the 2" stock catback.
I recently picked up another 3" SS Racing Beat exhaust like the one I have on the LY, and I have the BHR resonated midpipe to put on the 40th after I replaced it with a BHR hi-flow catted midpipe.
I can't wait to hear that BHR/RB combo.
I just got my second Sakebomb IGN-1A ignition kit for it.
I may have 50,000 miles on one of the first several kits they made for RX8s.
I took the old GM BHR ignition kit off the LY & got it as a guinea pig and an excuse to do some wrenching.


Sakebomb wiring harness

Sakebomb IGN-1A ignition kit

My spirit installing the catback


Good OEM cat and BHR resonated midpipe

I have beaucoup extras.
I haven't hooked it up yet, but I bought a genuine vintage Citroen DS air horn like the one they mistakenly referred to as a Maserati in the 70s "The Longest Yard".
It was a Citroen with a Maserati engine.

I want to debadge it and blow people's minds trying to figure out what it is.

Only those who know about the rotor shapes and suicide doors will know what it is.

NSFW for language & negligee boobage.

 

I’m on RX-8 #3, I keep coming back to them. Not only is it a superb car, it’s also a superb car for the money. Considering you can still find a nice car for $10k, it’s right up there with the Miata in the smiles per dollar department. The 40th AE is my unicorn, I’d love to find a mint one of those. Currently I have a 2007 GT with 28k that I bought over the summer, I’m slowly working through reliability mods and am plotting for Ohlins in December when I take some vacation.

 

Beautiful machine, I love it.
Edit: Thanks for the info.

 

I bought it from a member in Cali.
I'm the 5th owner, so credit goes to the previous owners.
It has S2 taillights and steering wheel also.
The more I drive it, the more I like it.

It's a little beast for an RX8.
I'm going to put the LY in hibernation in the garage and try to do some cosmetic work on it over the winter.

The appearance package trim pieces paint is flaking off, I want to attempt to DIY paint and practice on those, then I want to replace the tree rat damaged insulation in the engine bay and paint the exposed areas I can see without removing too many parts.

My apologies to @Ktreece777
for hijacking his thread, but it does give us the opportunity to compare S1 & others.

There is a nice (other than it's VR) 2011 S2 with only 17 K miles on BAT.
It's at $10,250 with 6 hours left.
The pics really highlight the somewhat unpopular 'Smiley Face' grill that us S1 lovers hate.

I was bidding on it, then some CAR & Driver blogger did an article on it and I imagine it's going to blow way past that once the snipers start in in the last hour.

I was going to flip it or gift it if it didn't get too high, but it's already approaching my limit I set on it.

Thanks for nothing, Car & Driver.


https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a6...ailer-auction/

 

So I actually watched this car today, I don't love the color, but seemed like a solid car. But when it came down to the wire, I just got annoyed at how the seller was in the comments sounding like a pushy used car salesman standing beside me telling me why I should buy the car.

 

What's with the strong love of the S1 vs the S2 for a lot of guys? I have only ever driven the S1, and 150,000 miles of that, but it's been 14 years. I have a weekend 997.2 Turbo and I love the car, but I just want something that I am not immediately at 110MPH in. We go on our back road weekend runs, and I just want something that's running through the redlines again.

 

Mainly, I think, the appearance of the 'Smiley Face' on the S2 outweighs the extra injectors ridiculous as it sounds.

I was interested in the 2011 on BAT.
​​​​I commented I deduct $2000 for an S2 because of the grill.

 

I get notifications from BAT for RX8s, so I was in from the beginning.
I had no issues with them.
Imo, they posted in response to the questions and comments watchers posted.

I even said it was the most interesting auction I've been a part of.

I almost snagged one a few months ago, but was deterred when I realized the transport fees went up with the bids.

Ticked me off, so I quit bidding.
If I would've stopped & thought about it, I assume it's for the carrier's insurance, but at the time I was just thinking price gouging.

 

Here ya go, bro.

I wantz it, preciousss....

 

If you ever do consider picking one up, you need to get in touch with Dylan that owns theimportguys, he's great and has a lot of connections in Japan. I've used him in the past.

 

I own a 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 (only 1000 made like this in US trim, in the world) . I bought it new in 2008 and now it is insured as a Classic Car for 150% of what I bought it for new in 2008, full value, no depreciation. I have owned seven rotary Mazdas since the 70's; one RX3, two RX4, all three generations of the RX7 with two of those RX7 modified by Racing Beat for the track. I easily have over a million rotary miles on street and track . Yes I have upgraded and improved my RX8, cooling modifications with Koyo-Rad radiator, Pettit Racing closed system, Racing Beat hoses, low temp thermostat, oil cooler low temp thermostats , low temp fan control, upgraded water pump, ; Mazdaspeed CAI, high performance BHR ignition coils and wires, upgraded starter, performance Cat and mid-pipe from Rotary Performance, BHR clutch pedal assembly, Series Two fuel pump upgrade, new clutch and engine (from Mazda warranty, no cost to me), new engine mounts, and a few other things. I also upgraded to Conti Contact DWS06+ tires. I will be keeping my 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 forever.

Update: My 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 did the full three day Ceramic Pro treatment: I got the multi-layer lifetime warrantied treatment, which has a required once yearly inspection and touch up as needed.

• Professionally applied by Tint World (they have shops across the USA)
• They did the following:
• Washed and decontaminated: washed the vehicle thoroughly and polished the paint.
• Corrected the paint: Removed scratches and corrected the paint.
• Used a clay bar: The clay bar removed dirt particles from the paint so the ceramic coating can bond.
• Applied a degreaser: Used a product like Ceramic Pro LUX SIM to degrease the surface.
• Applied the multi-layer ceramic coating: Applied the ceramic coating with an application sponge.
• Waited for it to cure: The coating will bond and harden within minutes, but it can take two to three weeks to fully cure. Factors like temperature, humidity, and sunlight can affect the curing time.

Ceramic Pro coatings is any actual glass coating:

• Enhances the finish of the paint, better than any wax, never wax again
• Protects the vehicle from scratches and marring, contaminates and more.
• Makes the vehicle easier to clean
• Gives the vehicle a "freshly waxed" look .

Cheers., the car looks better than it ever did new on the Mazda showroom floor in 2008.

 

Having owned two S1 and one S2, I can’t say I strongly prefer one over the other. I would (and did) simply buy the nicest RX8 I could find. I felt my S2 was a nicer driving car, but it was also an R3 which strongly biases that statement. Once I upgrade the suspension in my current S1 I expect it to drive equally well.

 

New here - prior rx7 owner. Looking for rx8 R3 - why so hard to find? I thought the prod #s where 5-6k?

Also tried posting my own thread but wouldn't let me

 

I'm going to join the 2008 40th boat. I've struck a deal with the guy that initially paid way too much for the 1900 mile car on BAT a few years back.

 

What made you sell the R3? Noticed you also had a 93 RX7 guessing the FD was number one of the bunch

 

Was that for me? The FD was actually rotary #3 for me, I loved it and only sold it to pay off my house. The R3 was great, honestly I only sold it because I hate black cars and have automotive ADD.

 

yes it was, also did u notice bigcajun got banned ? Or does his prof always say that

I assume the FD was far superior to all other models you have had?

 

BC has been permanently banned.

 

forums are dying off it would seem retaining members would be very important especially one that was here for 10+ years, this is what I don’t understand with these car forums - well I understand but it’s why everyone left and went to fb - the banning aspect sucks but now when you need as many people to stay/join as possible it’s a bad business decision

 

Yes and no. Obviously it looks fantastic and is significantly faster. I prefer the interior and usability of the RX8. In a perfect world I’d like one of each, with the FD being more of a toy and the RX8 being a more daily usable car. Or 13BREW swap the RX8 and call it a day. Maybe someday when I have time for a project.