Time to admit I'm old? Sorry, I'm only old if you count orbits around the Sun. In that case, I'll be 'celebrating' the end of my 51st ride at the end of next week (Aug 15th).

I've had Mazdas off and on from 1981, starting with a 1981 GLC-SE, but drooling over the RX-7 GSL-SE sitting next to it at the dealer. I could afford the car payment, but the insurance payments would nearly double that for the year! Fast forward to 1987, I lost the GLC to 137,000 miles and terminal body cancer, but rescued a 81 RX-7 base model. The -7 and hundreds of miles of road in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were nirvana, but only five months a year.

Then, I got married and had to grow up. Chevy Celebrity with a "Iron Duke" 4 cylinder rattler. Urgh. Automatic trans. I thought it was all done, then the Celebrity decided to start dropping parts at random. She Who Thinks She Must Be Obeyed was the catalyst for a momentous day when she said, "we need a minivan, what about that one?". She was pointing at the most irresponsible model our friends at Toyo Kogyo ever produced: the 1989 Mazda MPV with that silky smooth 3.0L V-6, RWD, matched with a 5-speed manual! A van that thought it was a sports car, and did a damned passable imitation of that for the 196,000 miles it lived here. I'm man enough to say I wept when it went to the wreckers, the victim of a snapped exhaust valve and body rot (too many years in rust-belt states like central NY). The emergency buy became my main driver, a 96 Grand Caravan.

The low point of my driving career came three years ago, a 2005 PT Cruiser. What the hell was I thinking? Late May this year, after enduring yet another trip where I couldn't manuever that tinny slushboxed POS inside the turn radius of the Grand Caravan, I snapped. The hell with it, I don't CARE if I'm "upside down" on the loan for this craptacular '30s throwback, I want it GONE, NOW! The search for a real car began in earnest, with the RX-8 in the fore, but every time I thought I'd found one, turned out it had something wrong. BMW Z3? Roof too low. Same with the MX-5, same with practically every ragtop I could name, same thing with any sports car with a sunroof. I'm a solid 6'2" 190lbs, and too much of that height is above the hips. The dealer with the Z3 mumbled in disbelief at the bulge of my head pushing up the roof canvas. And that was with the seat fully back, reclined as far as it would go.

The end came, of all the unlikely places, on Ebay. The listing showed a staggeringly bright yellow 2004 RX-8, manual transmission, low miles for the year and a tantalizing lack of mention of a sunroof. I'd been burned by that one four times, and I was going to see it in person so I could scream at the idiot who listed another one with a hole in the overhead. The car was as bright as it appeared in the photo, no sunroof(!), a clean interior(!!), and no signs of undertray damage like the last two -8s I'd seen. The dealer wanted to sell me a new Mini, asked me what I wanted in a car and gave in graciously when I said, "A Wankel". Clinched the deal with $1500 higher than bluebook on the still upside-down PT, and I drove off the lot without a backward glance.

I have a "driver's car" again.

 

I'm 47. I don't own an 8 yet, but I'm actively looking for one and am going to check out a VR '04 this weekend. I've test driven several before and love the feel of the 8.
Right now I drive an '03 SRT-4, bright yellow. I love the car, but after 5 years, I want an 8. Rear wheel drive, 6 speed, front/mid mounted rotary, exceptional handling - what's not to love? The 8 does seem more "mature" than the SRT. Heck, I'm getting near 50, so I gotta look more sophisticated. Actually, I'm surprised at the amount of the 20-somethings who own an 8. I always thought it would appeal more to the over-30, corporate, yuppie crowd. After all, the trunk can hold two golf bags, can't it?
My wife drives the mini-van, so the 8 is practical enough for me, plus I can haul my two sons in the back.

 

Welcome guys, there is also a members over 40 thread managed by member "Jethro Tull". Feel free to go there and sign in.

 

59 here... still active, autox, run, top down etc.
It's how you feel.

 

+10

Post of the month!

 

I'll bet I am one of the oldest in the club at 66. My 2004 is a six speed and I drive the hell out of it. I am fortunate enough to be in very good health and my wife of 28 years just turned 49 says I look much younger. I feel blessed to be at my age and still have the health to enjoy driving a great machine like the RX-8.
I have loved road racing and have attended many Daytona 24's and 12 Hours of Sebring Races going back to the 917K's and 512M super cars.

 

Ha, not even close, PaPaBear! Our oldest member is over 80.

As alnielsen stated, here is the "RX-8 owners over 40 thread":

https://www.rx8club.com/lounge-4/rx-8-owners-over-40-a-114625/

New boomer members, go there and post your age, and I'll add you to the list.

 

Oustanding. Gotta tell the wife whats in the future.