Moving to LA, need advice from SoCal
 

Hey guys, Canadian here moving to LA in the next couple months for work.

I will likely have to rent around Orange County since that's close to where I'll be working (Long beach, Huntington, Newport area). Would prefer to be closer to Venice but won't be practical.
Any advice on living in this area is greatly appreciated too!

As of right now I am set on bringing my 8 with me from British Columbia. However, I will not have a parking/storage spot for it!
Does anyone know any friends or someone who would have a safe place to keep the r3 indoor?

Would be great to try and make this work since being able to take the black stalion on some California mountain roads would be a dream come true!

Only advice I can offer is to drive the Angeles Crest Highway! It's an absolute must for any RX-8 owner (though I have not had the opportunity to do it in an 8). I used to drive it regularly when I lived in LA; now I make time to do it if I'm out there on business. (Though driving it in a rented car is not really all that fun. The Mini Cooper is pretty good, though.)

Angeles Crest Highway

baxamas: welcome to SoCal!
when are you thinking of making the move? Orange county is an amazing place to live (been here over 30 years) and I think you'll really enjoy it. The cost of living is crazy high but if you can swing it, it's a fun place to be with perfect weather, great roads, and tremendous scenery.

As for storing your 8; that could be a tough one.
If you're renting a place, do they not have a carport, assigned parking, or garage?
From the places you listed:
Newport will be by far the most expensive, followed by HB, then LB.

One of the perks to living in SoCal is you're really in the Rotary Engine capital of the US with a tremendous number of owners out here and tons of great rotary shops.
If you ever need work done, I would HIGHLY recommend Master Yoshiya over at Neptune Speed in HB or Louie at DNA in Santa Ana.


+1 for Angeles, just don't be an idiot and crash your car out there like someone does just about every single weekend.
Pacific Coast Highway is a blast to drive and don't forget about Ortega Highway.

Anyways, let us know when you make the move and hopefully we can be of more assistance.

Thanks for the responses! Great info there.

Unfortunately I am required to use a work vehicle so that will occupy my parking spot :/
The plan is to move down for April but I will update here since I open to any recommendations.

Sounds like I must make it work though, very excited to drive some of the best roads in the world.

you're welcome.
keep us posted and we'll be happy to help.

also, if you're in SoCal that means you better make plans to be at SevenStock in the fall!

You know, some of those roads are SO good, you might consider renting a Mini or Miata (or something else fun to drive) one day just to experience a couple of legendary roads. Wouldn't be too expensive considering the enjoyment of those drives.

Some of you may remember that early in the RX8s life, Mazda shot RX8 promotional videos out on the Angeles Crest Highway, with multiple cameras fitted on the car for multiple angles of view, high and low as the car flew through all the twisties. Mazda has long since taken these great videos down off their website, quite a shame. Did anyone here ever copy them ?