Hi all!

I've been lurking around the club for quite some time, but finally decided to go ahead and click on that "Register" button instead of that "Search" button for once! I have been driving an RX-8 for almost 3 years now, and I'm still loving every bit of it, good and bad. Long story short, I have gone through 2 8's now and am on my 3rd one. Here's a brief rundown of my 8 history:

1st 8 ('06 VR GT) = crazy amount of miles (i.e. 65k in 2 yrs... ) from driving to and from internship/work (all on ORIGINAL ENGINE ); got a good deal and traded it in for an '08

2nd 8 ('08 VR GT) = finally got full MS bodykit fitted on, but was TOTALED 4 months after purchase due to a "fight" with an Avalanche...

3rd 8 ('09 AB R3) =

I'll post some pics as soon as I get to know how to use this forum well

Oh, and before I forget, I just want to say THANK YOU for everyone here for freely showing what's going on with this very special car! Everything from revving to 9k daily to "how to change your spark plugs" to premixing (even though I don't do that with my R3 now because of the 'newer' design engine...) has been very helpful from the start! No 8 owner should be without these advices!

 

beautiful! thats the best color...after phantom blue of course

 

oh man, 3 8s, you seriously have an addiction...just like the rest of us

 

Hello and Welcome ..... . Personally Im not a fan of the new one (R3) , but thats me .

Good Luck ......

 

wow lot of 8s, NICE!

 

Nice collection of RX-8's you've been through. I LOVE the look of the 09's, it's just a shame I won't be able to afford one! I'm saving up for the RX-Next.....*I've got a LOOOONG time to wait.*

 

please explain the avalanche story...

 

And pictures if you have them.

 

wow! That's awesome that you've stuck by the 8's for so long - Congrats on yet another one - and Welcome to the surface!

 

I am very grateful that I have had only one 8 the entire time I've driven 8s, and I want to keep it like that

 

What do you notice most in terms of a difference in overall driving experience when comparing your R3 to your series I cars?

 

you really need one? in a fight who would win ...the 8 or this
:-P

 

wow, 65k in 2 years, thats nuts. but it seems you are doing well for yourself. congrats on the cars.

 

Welcome. The R3 has grown on me, nice job. Most people wreck their 8's and get a new car all together. Nice to see that you stayed with it.

 

At first I thought OP's car had been swept away in an avalanche or something then I saw he was from Florida and realized he was talking about the truck haha

 

Welcome to the addiction.....nice to see ur sticking with the 8......glad to hear of someone searching before posting....many of us like u already haha!!!

 

you aren't a new guy at all then! going through 3 8's already!

 

Thanks for the welcomes, guys! Yeah, going through three 8's definitely shows that I have some sort of addiction that drugs nor therapy can cure...just more redlines and I should be just fine

The main thing is the handling. Granted, stiffer suspension on the R3 would make any car have less body roll...but for me whose coming from no modding experiences before, the less-body-roll all by itself makes the car feel some much more communicative with you as you drive :-) The shifter feels a bit more crisp relative to series I's, but overall it feels about the same. The gear ratio change is definitely noticeable, performance and gas-mileage-wise. I don't know...maybe it's just me, but I feel like the gear ratio change has done nothing but bad things to the car... The car doesn't accelerate faster, yet MPG got slammed for me... (avg 20-21mpg for my two series I vs. avg 17mpg on R3)

However, despite of all that, the one true thing that I notice is the car's appearance! The series II's look grew on me very quickly after only owning it for a week (the color helped), but it just can't compare to a full MS 8 of any color, especially the MS front bumper. I don't know...I just like the roundness and cleaniness of the MS front...

 

/\ As the car ages you will get better gas mileage...

Wait, you got swept off by an Avalanche or was it the Chevy Truck?

 

^i'm pretty sure it was a truck!!!

 

It was indeed a truck! I don't have a pic for it since the damage was minimal...I was so mad (and sad) to see my 8 all smashed up like that. Pic will follow soon...

 

^yeah u should know by now that it's "pics or it didnt' happen" haha

 

Oh, it happened... The first pic shows the Accord that caused all hell to break loose. Teenage driver on cellphone...what else is new? No one got hurt, thankfully...except for my lovely 8...

I don't have a pic of the truck, as its damage was nothing compared to my own car.

 

im more nuts. I've owned my car 1 year 2 months and it went from 20k miles to 71.8k miles. wow.!!!!

 

WoW!! that first pic is great!!

Too bad for your car.