So, after a long hiatus when I had to stick with the beater car while work/family/house and such took priority, I'm finally starting to save up and plan to buy a lightly used RX-8 in the next year or so.

So, to my question: any reason to prefer the series I over the series II? I'm going to get a used one to avoid the initial depreciation hit, and currently my thinking is to by a lightly used '09 grand touring (maybe an R3) once the family European vacation this coming fall is done and paid for, but '08s are of course slightly cheaper. '08s also end up with a warranty that's actually longer.

Thoughts on whether to prefer buying an '08 vs. an '09 used?

 

Series two engines have an updated oil system that gets the oil across the entire rotor now, not just the edges like the series one. They also have a different gear ratios (not sure if that is good or bad)

Though it is still yet to be seen if the update to the oil feed system will make the engines last longer.

 

There is a sticky with a list of a bunch of things that where changed. Get the S2 if you can afford it. I like the steering wheel more, some don't. My last RX7 was an 84 so the S2 reminds me of FBS3 (84-85 RX7).

 

It is your preference, this isn't really a question you should be asking us ;P although I know when buying a car that nervous feeling sets in and you just want to ask every question possible to make sure you are buying the right car/model. Search like the person above said and you'll find stickies on what is changed. IMO I don't like the series 2, it is just not better looking which is should be as an updated addition. The interior looks hideous and the exterior is a step back as well. That is my opinion and that said, just test drive both and see which one you prefer. You won't regret buying an 8 though

 

Okay, found a GT to sit in today, and officially no RX-8 Grand Touring for me. At 6'2", the sunroof makes the roof essentially touch my head. The ones without the sunroof, however, still fit fine, and I have to say, the R3 really looks wicked...

 

any series 2 Patrick. You get the better oiling and a stronger tranny along with some other improvements. The R3 is nice but make sure you sit in those seats!

 

They're a little tight, but not bad. I'm curious if I could convince a deal to put the seats from a grand touring into an R3 for a reasonable price...

 

Keep in mind there is no Cobb AcessPort for the series 2 yet, and there may never be. So if you plan to mod the car take that under consideration.

 

It's true that there's no accessport, but I'm not that interested in modding. I'm mainly looking for a great-handling, family-friendly daily driver. That means 4 seats and 4-ish doors are a priority, a manual transmission is greatly preferred, and in the price range I'm looking at (20-30k new, 15-low 20k's used), there are just a few categories that I see:
1. The hot hatches (Mini, MS3, VW GTI)
2. The pony cars (Mustang, Camaro, etc.)
3. The budget rally cars (WRX, Lancer Ralliart)
4. The budget sport sedans (128/328i, G37?)
5. RX-8.

One thing that's worth noting is that for all of the media's kvetching about how low on power the RX-8 is, it's in roughly the same power range as many of the others in this list (ralliart, wrx, hot hatches) with the exception of the the pony cars and the G35 (which all push 300bhp or so). It's mileage isn't that different from the G35 or the rally cars, either.

As I'm not a fan of retro styling or pony car handling, that leaves a bunch of cars that don't really excite me and two others: the G35/7 and RX-8. The G35/7 has a really nice combination of performance, luxury, and space at this price, and the RX-8 because of it's top-of-the-line handling, styling, and uniqueness. The RX-8 is about $5k less than the G35/7, and damn the R3 looks awesome...

 

Get a Series 2 if you're not interested in modding. A lot of nice little updates

I would premix anyway but that's just me!