I've been a long time Miata-lover, and have basically just been counting down the days until I can afford one of my own. Now, my wife and I are looking to replace our 06 Sonata (great car, comfortable, very reliable) with something more fun to drive.

I got the opportunity yesterday to take an 06 Miata with a 6-speed MT out for a test drive on some country roads (The dealer gave my wife and I the keys and said, "Take a half hour if you want to."...I couldn't believe it) and I took full advantage of it. I was literally grinning ear-to-ear most of the time and even laughed out loud on a few turns. My wife fell in love with it, too...even saying she'd buy the car that day if they could make the financing work.

Here's the pickle, though...we both love the styling and the semi-practicality of the RX-8. I've read various opinions and experiences with the Rotary and am convinced it's reliable as long as you stay on top of the maintenance (coils, plugs, oil changes) and making sure you take precautions as to not flood it, but I have to wonder if the constant (and somewhat pricey) maintenance is something that's worth dealing with for the experience of owning and driving the 8.

As things stand now....We can either get an NC in the next few months...or replace her Sonata with the 8, and I can get a cheaper NA or NB on down the road. She also likes the new Mustang and Camaro...so many options.

Thoughts? I welcome any and all opinions on the matter.

 

If you don't need the practically of an RX8, go for the NC.

 

well, i was with you until you said the mustang and camaro are on the list, that's a bit ridiculous if you're into miatas and 8's. don't get me wrong, they're nice cars, but COMPLETELY different drive than a miata or an 8.

have you test driven the 8? if not, i'd recommend it. if you were grinning ear to ear with the miata, the 8 will make you wet yourself. it's more upscale, and like you point out it's more practical (4 seats and a decent trunk).

the maint. COST isn't bad...i mean, just more frequent oil changes, and where i live they're $20-$30...so it more depends on how many miles you drive and if you are religious at the 3k mile change.

so i'd vote 8. i like miatas, but unless it's a 3rd car, i can't justify the size.

 

I've owned 3 Miatas, and own an RX-8 now. I wrote about this some time ago:


The Miata is really two different cars: with no top, on a twisty 2-lane road, it's maybe the perfect car. The engine is like music to your ears as you rev it and change speeds, driving comfort is terrific (if you fit, of course), handling is spot on, and you feel like you're driving one of the most fun-to-drive cars you can buy—at any price. On a sunny day—or at night downtown—the combination of air and sounds makes it feel like an intoxicating drug.

But… take the Miata on the interstate and it's not such a fun car. For one thing, you're basically going more or less straight for hours at a time; the Miata comes to life when its negotiating a series of tight curves. That driving position that feels almost perfect when you first get in? It gets to be fatiguing after a few hours because you can't adjust it much. With the top up (or, for that matter, down) the noise—the drone—gets to be annoying after 10 minutes or so. Especially at speeds over 65mph. (Earplugs—or Bose Noise-cancelling headphones—help a lot.) And while the Miata will drone down the interstate all day at 80mph, it doesn't really like to—you can tell the car is out of its element and would prefer to be on a little back road tooling along at 50.) With the top up, it can feel cozy sometimes, but more often than not it just feels claustrophobic—particularly if you're in there for more than an hour or so. I once did 15 hours from NJ to Chicago and knew what Lindbergh must've felt like climbing out of the "Spirit of St. Louis"—even a 2-hour trip gets fatiguing. But… on a nice day with a twisty 2-lane, there's no car I'd rather be driving. (Of course, how many really "nice" days and nights are there? Top down is no fun when it's hot, hazy and humid.)

The 8 is much more comfortable, particularly on long trips. It feels as at home on the interstate as it does on a twisty backroad. And while the cabin is not large, compared to the Miata it feels spacious. But on a country road with the sun and clouds, you miss not being able to drop the top. In a perfect world, I'd have both cars—the Miata for beautiful days and nights on 2-lane roads and downtown, and the RX-8 for everything else.

Hope this helps!

 

I vote camaro

 

i love miatas, and i wouldn't mind having an nc. whether you go w/ an nc or an 8 really depends on how much practicality you need and if you're willing to deal with meticulous maintenance and quirks of the 8. i would say if you're married, and if you're not old (as in retired empty nesters), practicality is almost a necessity. kids aside, the occasional ability to shuttle friends or families is really nice to have. that said, the 8 isn't THAT practical; more elderly people and bigger people tend to have difficulty getting out of the back seat. gas mileage also not great. if you do go w/ the 8, however, i would buy it used. as much as i like mazda to sell more 8's, used market for them is so good, they're such great values. buying an nc new is acceptable to me, 'cuz the used price differential isn't that great. are you thinking of the soft top or the hard top?

i also LOVE na miatas. i love the pop-up headlights and the door handles, and they're just such pure sports cars. and they're SO cheap. the prospect of having both an rx-8 and an na miata is pretty sweet

as for the camaro and mustang, if it comes down to those two, the mustang is the clear winner

 

For what ever reason, the NC kind of left me cold. I had one for a year. After some wandering around, I went for the the best of both worlds, an RX-8 and a 2001 Miata SE. The NC seemed like it got a little too polished and lost a lot along the way. It sat a little too tall and the ride was too soft. To me, the NB is more like a Miata should be. It's noisy, with a few rattles and a hoot to drive. I've never driven the NA, but it seems like another I'd love, maybe more than the NB.

 

I traded in my 2000 Miata on a new 2005 RX-8. Both were awesome, but for my daily driver vehicle I needed more room. I love my RX-8 and have had ZERO problems with it.

"New Yorker" pretty much said it all. Both are great cars, but in VERY different ways.

I test-drove an NC and was not impressed. Truthfully my NB drove much better.

In a perfect world I would own an RX-8, a restored or super clean NA miata with some upgrades, a 4X4 SUV or crew-cab pickup, and a motorcycle. Yes, if I could I would own one of each, for all the different kinds of driving I do.

But, guess which one would be my overall favorite ?

 

I will get the new 8 R3 and find a working condition NA for a project car, that way you could still drive both car and have fun with it.

 

I did something along those lines. Besides the RX-8 and NB, I have a Grand Cherokee. Instead of the motorcycle, I have a 40' diesel motorhome

The Jeep and NB are towable, 4 down. Unfortunately, the RX-8 isn't.

 

Seems to me it also comes down to whether you like the characteristics of the rotary engine or not. All of the other things people have said are true, and I was also shopping for both when I chose my RX-8. I drove both a 2008 MX-5 PRHT and a 2009 RX-8 home. For me, the MX-5 was way too cramped inside (leg room--my knees were right next to the steering wheel on each side). If not for that, it would have been a harder decision, especially since they were practically giving away the MX-5 to prepare for the arrival of the 2009s. Disregarding the lack of space in the MX-5, I personally find the RX-8 to be one of the sexiest cars ever made, and it was clearly faster than the MX-5 when I drove them back-to-back, as long as you wind out the RX-8. They felt very similar to me from a handling perspective, which is not terribly surprising given that they're based on the same platform (shrunk down for the MX-5). But the rotary engine is a blast! If you don't mind the lack of torque and love winding it out to 9,000 RPM once in a while, go for the RX-8. Of course, you will get significantly worse gas mileage with the RX-8. The best I've managed since March of 09 is 22.1 mpg in pure expressway driving at 70 mph.

 

Both are great cars, but it is important that you drive the RX8. Once you drive it and get to experience the rotary engine, you'll know whether or not its for you.

Driving a Miata around Hawaii on my honeymoon was a fantastic experience... but then again most of us aren't lucky enough to LIVE in places like that!

 

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I hope to drive one soon, perhaps this weekend. There's a nice 2004 quite cheap (11,500, i believe...around 50k miles) where I'm headed for lunch on saturday...maybe i'll get a chance to stop in and give it a whirl.

One thing i'm curious about, though. I asked the salesman when I was "test riding" in the new RX-8 about the issues with flooding...his reply was that, "Well, the new ones don't have nearly the issues the early RX-8's did because they don't have a manual choke. The old ones had a manual choke on them and that's why they flooded often." Sounds like bullshit to me. Manual CHOKE on a modern car? Really?

 

Yeah, thats dealer bullshit/ignorance.

 

...had another dealer tell me, when I asked if he knew whether or not the 2010 v6 Mustang had a locking rear-diff...that he wasn't sure but he didn't think so...that most newer cars were shying away from them aside from bigger trucks and SUV's, and it wouldn't make much difference in snowy driving (which was why i asked about it)...where do these guys get this stuff?

 

that salesman is just a dumby. The flooding was due to a weak starter and under powered battery. The rotary needs a big umph in power to get it started compared to a pistion engine.

The 09+ are really refined and should last a long time. With a beefier transmission, extra added OMP injector, and many other changes its the best rx8 to buy on the market.

But the resale value of the used ones are such great deals it makes it hard to pass up. Only difference is the 04-08 rx8's you will need to watch out for known problems more compared to the 09+.

 

the idiocy and ridiculous things car salesmen are willing to say never seize to amaze me

 

You'd think they would want to know a little about their products, but most are just salesmen who happen to be selling cars. It's rare to find a car salesman who knows more than me, and I'm no expert.

Used RX-8s are a good value. There is a lot of bang for the buck. I ended up with a 2007 GT. So far, it's been an excellent car.

 

Yes, most salesman are idiots. Mine actually was pretty good. Not a car nut, but he knew the RX-8 pretty well, and even said that they make sure the potential buyer knows what he or she is getting into when her/she starts looking at RX-8s. They want to make sure the car is right for the buyer so they don't have to deal with the issues later when the buyer does something stupid.

 

If I could have only three of the four, the motorcycle would go.
Miata with top down is the closest of any car I driven (any car under $80K anyway) to the thrill of a bike.

Oh by the way, instead of a 40' diesel motorhome, I opted for a 40' diesel houseboat, on the San Joaquin River in Northern California.