Anyone out there move from a Miata to the RX-8? If so, any thoughts?

I have a 99 Miata and absolutely love the way it drives, lots of fun, however, I'll need something with back seats some time in the next five-six months.

Since the Miata is such a blast and has been flawlessly reliable, I like the idea of getting another Mazda when I have to switch cars. Any feedback on making the move would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

I've got a Miata and love it. I test drove an RX-8 and wrote it up here - http://www.miataforum.com/ubb/ultima...;f=11;t=012714

If you like your Miata you should love many aspects of the RX-8. I won't ever get rid of my Miata because nothing really fits the roadster bill as well. But if you like great handling, amazing brakes, and a car that feels small, nimble and has a power band that's smooth and can really scream, then I'd suggest you grab an RX-8 test drive ASAP.

Just my 2cents worth - good luck!

 

I have moved to the RX-8 from my last three Miatas. I went from a 90 Sport, to a 97 Sport, and finally to a 99 10AE. ALL were "better" cars than the one they replaced (the 99 was the best handling/driving car I have ever owned).

My 10AE was absolutely pampered for it's entire life, and my son thought I was going to cry when it left my house for the last time, with a new owner who is going to leave it outside and let the cats sleep on it!

Then, the RX-8 showed up in my driveway (okay, I put it there). I have to say, I have not even thought of the 10AE since it arrived (Blasphemy!). I went to an autocross on Saturday where my old car was competing (I didn't drive) and found I didn't even have the urge to drive it, because I didn't want to take a minute out from driving the RX-8!

I can't even believe I said those things, but the 8 is SUCH a wonderful car to drive, AND carries 4 people in absolute comfort (GREAT seats - WAY better then all of the Miata seats), I don't miss it the way I thought I would.

Hopefully, in some small way, this was helpful.

 

I have a 99 MX-5 and a 1 week old RX8. Love the 5 and love the 8 but to be truthful now that the 8 is here I found the 5 noisy as hell (I do have a CAI and aftermarket exhaust) even with the hardtop on (it is winter in Sydney). I never thought I'd say it but the 5 is going on the market in Spring and I don't think I'll miss it much. Sure I can't have a top down ride but in all other cases the 8 will suffice. Do it...you'll have no regrets.

 

I wrote up a review of my new RX-8 and compared it with my '00 Miata. Take a look: http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8375

 

The only thing I can say is... it's not a Miata! Test drive both and see.

If you want the Miata driving experience in something with a back seat, try a Mini Cooper S. Don't expect the same reliability, however. The RX-8 is unproven and we have heard a few negatives on here, but I would still expect it to be more reliable than a Mini.

 

yeah, well...we were set on the mini S for a while, but after several drives and borrowing a co-worker's for a day of tooling around town we cancelled our order. It was just too cheap-feeling. Fun? yes, but just not worth the money in our opinion.

Instead, we sold our 99 miata and are impatiently awaiting our rx8. The rx8 is considerably more expensive than the mini s, but unlike the mini s, we feel it's worth the price.

That said, I'm seriously missing the miata!

 

You will miss it almost every day of your life... on cool, starry evenings... on sunny days in the springtime.... I know if I ever traded or sold my Miata, I would end up regretting it!

 

I sold my Volkswagon Cabriolet in '91. During the ensuing hardtop years I pined every day for the convertible experience. My mantra became, "Life is too short to drive anything other than a convertible". Then my convertible drought ended and I got a '02 Miata LS. Tons of fun. Every hardtop I've driven since, including the RX8, just isn't as much fun, sort of like going from a full color plasma screen tv with home theatre sound to a mono B&W box.

 

I posted my thoughts here.

The RX-8 is similar to the Miata in that you don't steer it where you want it to go, you "think it" where you want it to go. Both feel light and nimble, and both need the revs high to scoot. The RX-8 is much more quiet, can't go topless, can hold 4, and has more body roll. For me, as great as the RX-8's handling was, I'll upgrade the shocks and possibly the springs if I ever get one. The RENESIS is a far more smooth engine than the almost trucklike (sorry, just my opinion) Miata 4 banger, and is just far more civilized in any way.
If you like the rawness of the Miata, the RX-8 won't satisfy you. If you like the nimble, light, RWD athleticism of the Miata, you will like the 8. Obviously if you like the Miata because it's a convertible, even the sunroof doesn't come close.

 

Amen!

 

I have a 97 Miata (and a 93 RX7), and Dad has a 10AE. The RX8 is the only other car that i felt immediately comfortable in. the first time i shifted into first, the 8 reminded me of the 10AE. amazingly the clutch feels lighter than either the 97 or the 10AE.

finally getting over the 1000 mile break in period, i took the same roads with the 8 as with my miata. with each curve, i never once thought of the two rear seats. at times, i wish my Miata was this smooth over uneven pavement. and the power delivery...there is nothing like a rotary engine. it never strains to get to redline. it is deceptively quick. the Miata, still a rev-happy car, seems to be straining at the higher RPMS, although i will never hesitate to hit redline on it.

driving the 8 (andthe RX7) makes me wish for a rotary in the upcoming NC. the engine is so light and willing to rev to insanely fun levels. even the low power unit of the renesis would be more than adequate in a Miata. oh well, this is just a pipe dream at best.

with that said, it all depends on what one is looking for. and Rich said it already....

santino

oh yeah...the mods on the 97 are the usual ones: JR CAI, JR header, FM hi-flo cat, FM duals...Tokico Iluminas, Autopower rollbar.

 

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses. It is helpful to get some feedback from others.

I know I'll miss the convertible when the time comes, especially in the spring and fall. But I also know that I will need a back seat for a baby seat in the near future, so the inevitable will come. I know my Miata has a passenger side airbag cutoff, but a back seat seems safer for a child so I'll make the compramise, I am just hoping to loose all of the fun out of driving.

The 8 is still my leading contender, by a long shot, but I'll probably wait a few months for the local Vegas market to change. Right now its a one dealer town and the next closest competition is 120 miles away in Utah. When I visited the dealership last week they were totally uninterested in me and had an apparent take it or leave it attitude regarding the "Market Value Adjustment" and dealer bloated add-ons like a $1200 armor-all job called "Desert Protection".

Again, I really appreciate the feedback. I am glad to hear that Miata owners generally find the car a ball to drive. It appears the best compramise of fun to drive and 4 seats.

Thanks

 

oops typo in my last message... what I meant to say is that hope to NOT loose all the fun out of driving.

Thanks

 

I had a '94 red base and now have an '02 Ti SE. I absolutely love driving my Miata. As someone else posted, you just "think" where you want to go and it goes there. The initial reason I decided to get an RX-8 (and I'm keeping the Miata) was that my wife doesn't like the Miata for trips of any length (she picked it out, too!). So, I decided on the RX-8 for a primary travel car. Wifey has a G500 that I hate to drive even though everyone who doesn't own one loves it. I suspect I'll drive the 8 most of the time and save my Miata for starry evenings and spring days...and some trips to the Gap. It's just such a neat car, I can't imagine giving it up. Maybe that will change once I driven the 8 (mine is still "on the water", due the last week in August). The Miata also will likely be set up as more of an autox car once I can afford new shocks and some Hoosiers.
So, if you can, keep the Miata and get an RX-8 to keep it company!

 

Another ex-10AE driver here. I'm finding that straight out of the box the RX-8 has far higher levels of grip than the Miata ever did. It's a blast to chuck around, and I find that I'm carrying an extra 5-10mph through the familiar twisties on my regular commute without even thinking about it.

I expect there will be times when I'll miss the wind in my hair, but that's why we kept my wife's '02 Miata. :D Meanwhile, I find that running with both windows down, AC on fresh/face/fan2/maxcold is just perfect. With the 108 degree temps we've had for the last couple of days here, I would've been burnt to a crisp in the Miata.

 

I'm replacing my '97 Miata with my RX-8 that I've had for about two weeks now. Both cars are extremely fun to drive. I really appreciate Mazda placing "Fun to Drive" first ahead of more easily quantified measurements like HP, 0-60 times, etc.

Both are very responsive and handle extremely well. You get more of a "plugged-in" feeling in the Miata. It feels like you know exactly what each part of the car is doing and how it's connecting to the road. There's a very tight feedback loop between you, the car, and the road.

The RX-8 is a smoother ride, but you still get the feeling of being in the road-car-driver loop. It feels so "confident" on the road. Push it through twisties and it just follows the line you want; it almost dares you to push it harder.

When pushing the Miata, you have to compensate for how the car is hanging on to the road. The joy is that the car feels like an extension of your body, your brain instinctively knows how to manipulate that extension, and the car responds.

When pushing the RX-8, you find the car going exactly where you're telling it to go. The car feels like an extension of your BRAIN, and your body is confirming that it's doing what your brain is telling it to do. The joy is feeling like YOU are doing what the car is doing.

The feeling of power-on-demand and smooth delivery of power iin the RX-8 is hard to convey. The Miata is good at giving the sensation of speed (light, low and convertable), but the sensation is somewhat dispelled when accelerating. The RX-8 will feel slower than it actually is on a straight, open road until you need to accelerate or pass someone. On a lonely stretch you want to set the cruise control (at 90ish) on a Miata. In an RX-8 you'll want to alternate between 75 and 110. Actually going 100 MPH isn't nearly as fun as going from 80 to 100 over and over and over.... When accelerating with the rotary it feels like engine speed and road speed are directly proportional; spin the engine faster and the car speeds up proportionally. With a piston engine it feels like the car is "catching up" to the speed of the engine when you put the pedal down. Hard to explain.

I'll miss having a roadster, but I'm really enjoying the smooth power on the RX-8. I usually hold onto a car for a while and expect to be in the RX-8 for about 5 years. Ideally by then I can have the best of both worlds with a Renesis Miata or a convertable RX-7. Until then I expect to get as much enjoyment from this one as I did from my Miata. So far it has been a blast and I've enjoyed every mile.

SGC

 

I had a '99 1/2 Miata (they labeled it as a 2000 model) but lost her to a freak accident. I was set to buy an '03 Classic Red LS w/black leather interior but the dealer and my brother got me to try the RX8. End of story. Didn't even test drive the miata and now own a Velocity Red w/Black and Red interior...feels like you're riding in a roller coaster! kewl!

There are days I wish I can pull the top off the 8 and when I pass a miata I still consider how I loved the roadster experience. But damn the RX8 is badass and more livable. I'll eventually need the backseat once me and my future wife have kids. And I'm hoping the 8's reliabilty holds up so my future kids can also say "dad your car is bad ***!"

I let my 2 year old nephew sit in the RX8 and first thing he said was "WOW" with a great big smile. That's how you feel when you're driving one, like a 2 year old...but remember to drive responsilbly.

 

My current car is a 10AE Miata, and before that I owned a '94 Montego Blue. I agree that there is no greater joy than driving a roadster down (and up) a twisty mountain road. At the same time, there are also many compromises: no back seat, lots of noise, feeling stiff after a long interstate trip, etc. That's why I'm seriously considering trading my 10AE for a RX-8. It's a little more comfortable but still lots of fun. Too bad I can't afford both.

 

If and when I buy an RX-8, the only thing I would consider selling is the hardtop for my Miata!

Can't wait to test drive an RX-8! No, I haven't test driven one yet--It would kill me. With a new house (well it does have 4-car garage) that still needs some more furniture, new SUV, second boy on the way, Christmas splurge, and new well pump, I know I'll have to wait before I should buy another new car.

Luckily, I have a 10-year old red NA, which I won't feel much need to trade in since it's much more fun than it's worth financially. Since a red NA is or will be a real classic some day, I'll probably hold onto it and give it to one of my sons when they're old enough not to abuse it. To avoid sibling rivalry, I will eventually need another sports car to pass on to the 2nd son. This is currently my best argument so far (no it does not succeed at stopping the eye rolling factor).

As a Miata lurker, this is just the thread I was looking for!

 

Just read in latest Motortrend that a 178hp turbocharged Miata is coming out this spring. Thats going to be a fun car I bet.

 

I plan on getting an RX-8 but I won't be replacing my Miata, just adding a car.

I love having a convertible and the Miata fits the bill but after two weekends with the RX-8, I love it and have to get one.

Kirk

 

I can't really add anything else -- everybody's already done such a fantastic job of comparing MX-5 to RX-8! It's all true. My advice: Keep the Miata, and get the RX-8. Best of both worlds. Trust me.

 

I have a 95 M1 and was considering parting with it when I was looking at getting the RX8. My wife wouldn't let me. She doesn't drive it, in fact it is too uncomfortable for her, but her observation was the the Miata was too much a part of me and that I would just end up buying another Miata later. So I kept it and after having both for a while, I'm sooo glad that she wouldn't let me part with the Miata.

There was an excellent post about the Miata being an extension of the body and the RX8 being an extension of the brain. So elequently stated! The Miata is a sensual car to drive, not too much thinking involved because it communicates tactilely (sp?). I find myself thinking more in the RX8 because the sensory input isn't as strong.

As a result of having two different driving experiences (sensual and cerebral), my precision driving has improved greatly. Both of the cars have similar balance and behave the same at the limit, but I concentrate on different aspects of being at the limit in the different cars. The little skills that I pick up in each car transfer to the other car.

I love my RX8. I love my Miata. I've had the RX8 since August and I thought that I was going to put the Miata into weekend mode, auto-x and track days. This hasn't been the case. Now, I just drive more, both cars are getting about equal mileage.

I think the RX8 represents a forward thinking and bold statement of technology and how great a car can be today, in 2004. The Miata is old school, raw, loud, harsh, gutteral, the best formula from the 50's and 60's.

Bruce

 

Ok I guess I'll chime in here.....

Am I the only one that STILL owns his 10AE Miata and RX-8? I could never give up my 2 seater..the feel of the wind in your hair and face, the nimble handling, and the better gas mileage! :p

Anyways, the 8 does feel a lot like the Miata. Although with the mods I have done to my 10AE, it could run circles around the 8. I am not stating the 8 is a bad handling car, it probably handles better in stock form than did my Miata did. With a few "modifications", I'm sure the 8 can be turned into a great handling beast I guess I have the best of both worlds; take the 8 on those rainy or sweltering days and take the Miata on the other days. Even if I did sell my 10AE (NAH!), I could still drive my fiancée's '00 Evo-O Miata