Astor

test both and get what you like the best. I prefer the aggressive look of the RX, heh, I always thought Miatas were girl's cars. Just make sure you really can afford, $900.00+ or so payment/insurance, fund for tires, not to mention those mods, a place to live........

elusiv

you seem quite indecisive.

the MY04 will be a bit more pricier than the current 03's, granted it'll be faster.

although im not pretending to know you're exact financial situation, i dont think u know what u really want given your circumstances. in any case, i suggest u figure out what your limitations are before u randomly start choosing a car.

Optimus

Very well said SpYnalChRd81

WilliamT

If you want a 4-seater and want to heavily modify the car, maybe you should consider other 4 seaters in that price range such as the Subaru WRX STi and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

They are also in the same price range as the S2000 and RX-8.

The insurance may be higher than the S2000 and RX-8 just because the demographics for those cars are geared toward a younger audience.

khoney

If you make even the slightest mod to a Suby, kiss your warranty goodbye. Even if you 'unmod' it before you take it in for service, they will go over your car with a microscope looking for evidence of a mod so they can deny a warranty claim. My coworker was given the shaft by a dealer in town because his 'tires were excessively worn' and he had a K&N air filter. He made complaints all the way to the Regional level and ended up having to take his car to Houston to get a blown turbo fixed. Sold it the next week.

Xlorn

Just got my new 8 a couple days ago and I'm loving it. My previous car was a 1994 Black & Tan Miata with the hardtop (which I owned for 10 years, or one-third of my life), which was an absolutely awesome car. Oh yeah, brownie points if you can guess how hold I am.

A good friend of mine drives a 2002 Honda S2000, and I've had the pleasure if driving it for a short stint.

All these cars need to be test driven before being bought, you really got to feel them for yourself and grab the one that picks you out. Just try not to fall in love with the first one you drive, really set out to make a driving comparison of all. (They are all Nymphs, so try not to linger too long with only one.)

It's really hard for me to pick a favorite, they are so very different in feel and personality.

The miata feels like it has so much more horspower than it does. Feels like a go-cart (especially the earlier generations)--and I mean *go* cart in best way possible. The phrase "Zoom Zoom!" is the Miata. It's the Miata's soul. :D (Well for many a Mazda autocrosser).

But if I was going to do a driving comparison I'd drive it first, otherwise the horspower difference will be more noticeable. But man the miata can be driven *very* aggressivley around corners with hardly any suprises and a tremendous classic, sports car sound and feel (just ditch the stock tires asap). May want to keep in mind Mazda has announced the USA release of the Mazdaspeed Miata on their site. If you are contemplating or involved in autocrossing, IMHO you'd be a fool not check it out.

The S2000, *to me*, is a high tech, futuristic, super revving, high horsepower version of the miata. It has more "edge" in every way. It feels just slightly less forgiving than the miata (again I've had limited experience in one as the driver, lil more as a passenger with a good driver at the wheel). If money was no object I would have both in the garage (but would probably want the mazdaspeed miata this time around--the 8 has spoiled me ;P)

In the miata and s2000 you feel like you are going so fast almost entirely from not really being shielded from the environment :P Very much a race car feel in both cars. Little deeper more classic-sounding ehxaust "tone" from the miata that sounds wonderful reving, while the s2000 has more of an aggressive VTEC "rasp" to my ears (come to think if it sounds just as good revving in a different way. Handling on both cars is impecable. Very much a drivers race in an autocross. Neither car is about drag racing, but if that's important to you, then the s2000 would be your pick (I can't talk about the Mazdaspeed Miata, haven't been in one yet).

After 10 years in the miata, the RX-8 is a BIG breath of fresh air. It was just time for something bigger!! In the best of both worlds I'd have either a miata or s2000 AND the rx8. The fact that I nearly bought another miata though speaks good for the car. Just my opinion: the RX-8 feels like a sport sedan "Hunter-Killer". It feels part BMW until you move into a corner nice and deep and then it holds on like no car it's size has business doing while still playing the part of James Bond--looking refined all the while. It has just enough power to take care of business and to feel the part of sophisticated-racing machine.

I'm nowhere near getting use to the Mazda 8's size, I'd be eaten for lunch by miatas and s2000s on the autocross. So if you see any wise *** remarks, about some guy that got his 8 "whooped hard" by a miata, I ASURE YOU ITS PROBABLY ME! (And you know that type of **** causes all kinds of weird purchasing decisions when read on a message board).

I try not to get cars that have alot of understeer, but in really tight situations it looks like the 8 might be prone to that in stock form. Not sure about the s2000, but the "cool" feeling of a miata is the amount of *exact* oversteer you can dictate at will, and that's just *barely* an exaggeration. Not sure about s2000, I was kind to my friend's tires ;P If I remember correctly he was at a driving class in his s2000 and was having slight oversteer difficulties (my guess is the VTEC takes a bit more practice, but can be learned and the oversteer "corrected". Oversteer in a Miata, with a little help from the Force, can make you feel like a Jedi Knight of Oversteer. You just "use" oversteer when desired.

If this was going to be my first car I'd start with Miata/S2000. Drive em and see which picks you out. I'll wager it won't have anything to do with HP, Torque, Drag coefficients, blah, blah. Everyone should own a true roadster at least once in their lives. And no reason to just drive those, try on the Mini Cooper S (its fun to go to www.mini.com and build one even if you aren't looking to buy right now or maybe the BMW Z3 or Z4, Porsche Boxer or anything else that puts a grin on your face.

One thing that might discourage s2000 prospects is the expensive and relatively benign effect of modding. It's *not* easy to add horsepower or torque to an s2000 unless you have deep pockets! I've read this and my friend has been telling me that for quite a while now (the s2000 owner). But if you only plan on doing minor mods and like the performance as comes with the s2000 (and still having numbers better than the miata), that shouldn't bother ya. If you like drag racing, get a flyin maita turbo www.flyinmiata.com Strap on their $5900 bad boy turbo system and smoke all cars in a straight line. Suddenly your eating stock vettes like it ain't no thing.

I think mods are coming out at a good pace for the RX8, I'll wager that by this time next year we while have a wide assortment of toys to add to our 8's. You can search these boards to learn more about mods for the 8.


How was that for a politically correct review on *my* favorite cars? :D

Laters,

Xlorn

Ike

That's pure rumor, and the kind of stuff I hear on forums all the time. While some maybe even most dealers will deny warranty claims due to even slight mods, there are others out there that will not. It really depends on the dealer, and sometimes who the regional rep is. This is true with no matter what car manufacturer you buy a car from. By the way, my Subaru dealer has a performance shop and you can add aftermarket performance and cosmetic parts onto the sale of the car as financable options, and they certainly don't deny claims from mods they installed.

By the way, very nice review Xlorn.

Ike

zerobanger

you do know that the subaru dealers in the bay area are denying warranty claims on the transmissions that keep breaking? One of the local dealers gets on average 5-6 STI's back for a transmission breaking and they deny the claim and say its "ABUSE". I think its a bit crazy that subaru can design a transmission that is not strong enough to keep from breaking on heavy use, market the car as a ralley car and then deny claims when the transmission breaks.

Ike

Ummm, I haven't heard a single report of a USDM STi tranny going. Why are you just making stuff up?

zerobanger

EXCUSE ME?

Im not making anything up. Its the dealer in walnut creek. The reason I know is they sell Mazda and Scoobie cars. They said they get about 5-6 per month.

Please dont accuse me of making stuff up. While I dont necessarily like your posts, im not so immature as to make things up.

Ok?

Ike

Is it just me or did you edit out the 5-6 per week part in your first post and now it's 5-6 per month... Did the dealer tell you they just claim it's abuse and deny the claims automatically as well? Think man, think!

shift_zoom8

So what does that say about Ike's statements about WRX STi reliability?

Anyone got a toilet ready to flush?

Ike

The WRX tranny has had some problems in the past, the STi tranny is totally different and has had very little problems to date. You guys are pathetic...

zerobanger

read my post below:

zerobanger

Here is my post:

you do know that the subaru dealers in the bay area are denying warranty claims on the transmissions that keep breaking? One of the local dealers gets on average 5-6 STI's back for a transmission breaking and they deny the claim and say its "ABUSE". I think its a bit crazy that subaru can design a transmission that is not strong enough to keep from breaking on heavy use, market the car as a ralley car and then deny claims when the transmission breaks.

Show me where I said weekly, please

Ike

Right where I added it, since you edited it you may have actually wanted to reword it so it made sense...

zerobanger

MAN YOU ARE SUCH A FREAKING LIAR. I DID NOT EDIT THE POST

Ike

If that's the case and I'm just over tired I'm sorry, but you're still full of it. The STi tranny is just fine.

zerobanger

GO BACK to page 4 and show me where it said "LAST EDITED BY ZEROBANGER".

You are looking really bad in my eyes. First you call me a liar about what I said, then you accuse me of first saying weekly and then changing to monthly, and then accuse me of editing my post.

Thanks.

zerobanger

And so are my FD's Apex seals (right now)

Ike

If you edit soon enough it doesn't show up as edited. Anyhow, see above, if you're not full of it whoever you talked to at the dealer is. Besides what the hell does the STi tranny have to do with what I said, or this thread?

zerobanger

OH you are really pissing me off. I did not edit the post, furthermore I have never seen a forum that doesn't note that it was edited.

You are tired. re-read some of your comments and then read what I wrote and just maybe you will understand.

If you want to say the service department at Dorito Mazda/subaru in Walnut Creek California are Full of ****, then cool, just dont accuse me of lying.

Ike

I like cake!

zerobanger

Why does it matter? What do you want me to say?

John Smith ASC Certified Mechanic # 25, license # 608241S, works M-F from 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM Excluding holidays. TAkes lunch at 12 PM.

Just get over it. Do what you will with the info.

Ike

Isn't it neat how that works, when you quote something and then it changes... Hahahaha!