Any previous 2007+ RX-8 Owners here?

3437 Views 34 Replies 11 Participants Last post by McRib 1s Back, Mar 4, 2014

fly2low

Discussion Starter · Feb 16, 2014

First hand thoughts and comparison? Thanks.

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I had an 05 for about a year and a half. I really liked the car. Hands down the best handling car I have ever driven. It drives like a bigger Miata, but with more grip. Not much torque, but the car was not slow by any means. The power was fine if you rev the snot out of it. Revving to redline is considered maintenance on rotary engines

Gas mileage was poor, ~17mpg using strictly premium. A really light foot would get you up to 19mpg.

The interior was a good place to be with comfy, supportive seats and a good driving position. The ride was comfortable and quiet. The interior materials were poor, the plastics scratched easily and the upholstery looked kinda crappy. The back seats were surprisingly useful, but not a good place for claustrophobic people, just because of the small rear windows.

Reliability was fine, the rotary will sip oil, but just check the level as a habit when you stop for gas. Gas aside, running costs were nominal. The one I bought had been wrecked and modded by the previous owner. I didn't realize until I already owned the car that the frame was likely bent and I couldn't get the car aligned right. I still think if I had bought a different RX-8, I would still have the car.

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Cligedy

· #6 · Feb 18, 2014

In that case, the RX is faster, handles better, and I prefer the driving position and seats. Rear-wheel drive is the best-wheel drive.

The FiST is hugely more practical, with much lower running costs (I hate paying for 18" tires) and much more cargo area. It's a toss-up which is a better daily driver as the RX is more comfortable, but is crazy thirsty and has pitiful torque.

One thing that always bugged me about the RX8 was that driving it up into the mountains was always disappointing. As soon as you started to gain any altitude, the engine lost a lot of power. It felt like it was down by 40-50hp. I don't expect the FiST will have that problem

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Cligedy

· #10 · Feb 20, 2014

That's a tough question to answer. Like I said, if I had bought a different RX8, I would likely still have it. I swore I would never buy a FWD car, but the FiST is really good. I liked the idea of flogging new cars around an autocross for free, so I went to the Ecoboost challenge. I walked out ready to buy, it was so much fun, there was no comparison to my G35S. The lower costs make it a no brainer to autocross. With the RX8, I would have had to make some sacrifices to get the car to be truly competitive. Just a set of wheels /tires would have run an extra $500.

I do know this, I always felt a little guilty driving the RX hard, like hey, that hard launch just cost $2 in gas and 5% my tire life. I can thrash the FiST and still get 24mpg.

The great news for you is that you'll have a fun car either way.

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Cligedy

· #15 · Feb 20, 2014

Depreciation has not been kind to the RX, they are a real steal right now and are cheap enough that they make a very reasonable weekend ride.

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Cligedy

· #19 · Feb 24, 2014

McRib 1s Back said:
I spend/waste money on cars, but it's a passion I don't have to justify to ANYBODY.

That must be nice, my wife is very open minded and reasonable, but always has the veto hammer handy

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