Hey there guys, I have a tough decision to make. For the past 3 years Ive driven and loved my 92 Stealth R/T TT. Ive put lots of money and mods into it, its a beast.

Over the past 6 months ive driven it, the more i drive, the less i find myself inlove with it. Its just ALL of the little things that need to be done to it to bring it up to my standards (nickle and dime ****). Still its a great car, and handles great with the coilovers I've put on it.

Now my questions are many:

How is the reliablity of these cars? I realize they're young but still you get my drift.

Can they be driven in the snow IF needed?

How do they take to modifications? Major and minor.

Seeing as I'm used to gobs of power/ boost and awd grip, do you think I would be happy with this car?

Fuel consumption when you drive normal (no spirited driving)?

I have more questions but I'll hold off for now.

Thanks for reading/ answering my questions in advance and dealing w/ another noob!

p.s. heres a pic/ info of my current car:


Mods:
exterior - 99 front end conversion, Oem style CF hood, 18X9 Blitz technospeed z1's w/ BF Geforce kadw's, 94 rear bunper, 97 hoop spoiler (not in pics), 5000k HID hit, Varad red led kit (came on the car)
Interior- AM steering wheel, greedy weighted shift ****, short shifter, lots and lots of stereo stuff, prosport gauges (oil pressure, water temp and boost)
Engine - Polished ypipe, Turbo XS RFL Bov, ESP downpipe, manual boost controller set at 12 psi.
I think thats it

 

Why did you make a Dupe thread @ 8:20 when you received an answer to the same questions at 7:40 ??? You should delete your post in this thread and all this will go away.

 

Disclaimer: You sound like a reasonable and intelligent person - something this board DESPERATELY needs more of, imo. Because I like you, I'm not going to feed you long answers full of BS; I'm just going to give you straight & honest answers.

It's pretty hit or miss. Based on what I've read and what I've seen, the Renisis is either a lemon or a tank - no real grey area. Some people here go through engines like candy. Others (like myself) abuse the living **** out of it on a daily basis and calmly replies with "is that all you've got?"

I live in Texas, so I wouldn't be the one to ask.

Not very well at all. You can empty your wallet on top-of-the-line intake, exhaust, flywheel, clutch, underdriven pulleys, headers, and every other bolt-on under the sun, only to find youself a carlength or two ahead of a stock RX8 in the ¼mile.

Probably not. It's got the least amount of "go" in it's price range. I think you'd be much happier with an Evo or STI. Not only do they take nicely to mods, but they've got that boosted AWD feeling you know & love.

Another crapshoot. Some people here can get 20 or more if they take it easy. Then there are people like me who can drive on any type of fuel with any degree of "spirtedness" only to find themselves getting 14mpg city&hwy.

We have no problem dealing with noobs that aren't morons. You're actually a breath of fresh air. Sadly, though, I don't think this is forum you want to join. If you're looking for a mean, fast, hard-corning sports car that can be slowly modded into a beast over time, you're shopping for the wrong car. The RX-8 is "quick" but not "fast" by the standards you're probably used to. It's not much of a "tuner" car either, as the only real mods that do jack squat are the addition of forced induction or nitrous, but then you throw reliability right out the window!
As much as we'd love to have another another intelligent person on these boards, I think you'd be much more at home on the STI or Evo forums.

 

Reliable = Ive had no problems

Snow = Get snow tires

Modifications = Minor

Power = Not what your looking for

Gas = Sucks it in. I get about 16 mpg, but then again its my weekend car
so it does'nt bother me much........

 

Well thank you for the kind words and the honesty. :D
Im no new comer when it comes to cars, but this is a platform I really know nothing about other than the top gear reviews.
But what im looking for is a light nimble car, and i will not have anything to do with an evo/sti. I'm just not a sedan type of guy

As for gobs of hp I would say that my car makes about 330-340 at the crank and puts down about 270-80 to the wheels so I dont need TONS of hp(although it is fun). If it was fesable to get the rx8 to around 260-70 to the ground eventually I would probably be pretty happy.

What other cars would you suggest? Probably the g35/350z and s2000, i believe are the other best cars in the class.
The think w/ the 350's is that there is just.... so many of them, and the last time I drove one(when I worked at an Infiniti dealer) the interior felt so cheap and flimsy that i couldnt beleive it. s2000 on the other hand im not sure if I want a convertable or not, other than that i have no experience w/ them.

Ugh this is tough. I think i need a day to go and drive a crap ton of cars =P

p.s. A random question, what is the bolt pattern for the wheels? It would be awesome if it was 5x114.5 so I could keep my Blitz's if i bought one :D

 

The G35 is a lead sled. The 350z is better, but only 2 seats, and cars mag comparisons have always favored the 8, especially for its suspension. The s2k is nicer, but a bit more expensive than the 8 by about $8k, and again only seats 2.

 

These cars are VERY reliable, until they break down. :-/

With good snow tires, they'll go just fine in most snow.

Are you better at driving, or pushing the gas pedal? If it's the former, you'll LOVE this car as it drives VERY fast. If you use the pedal-on-the-right to make up for lack of driving prowess, you might be disappointed. What kind of car do you drive now? Imageshack doesn't show up from work for me...most of the time. I see your list of mods, but no idea what kinda car it is. Maybe attach the image to your next reply?

They take to mods VERY VERY Well - unless you're talking about mods making power. Mods to the exhaust do VERY GOOD things to the sound of the car. I had a guy who works in my building tell me "That is easily the best sounding import car I've heard."

They take to mods to the suspension very well, too!

My car gets right at 17mpg almost no-matter how hard or soft I drive it.

 

ahh.....

I went from a 3000 Gt VR4 to a Diamonte to an Eclispe.

The the RX8.................

The RX8 brought back that feeling again of the GT. Just not quite as tight in handling. After Mods its is far superior.

The car is much smoother and handles much better. I think you will like it if you like to drive.

If your a city boy from light to light you need a Cobra or MOPAR.

Main problem has been with the Automatics.

 

> How is the reliablity of these cars? I realize they're young but still you get my drift.

Average but their is still a question regarding the engine, there have been some failures and Mazda still dose not seem to have it completely corrected, only time will tell.

> Can they be driven in the snow IF needed?

I drive mine in Chicago snow running Ultra performance all seasons. The better the snow tire the better the car will do.

> How do they take to modifications? Major and minor.
Minor modes deliver no real hp you'll need to go to FI. From what I have seen 300whp is readily obtainable and 400whp is possible but not many have made it at this time.

>Seeing as I'm used to gobs of power/ boost and awd grip, do you think I would be happy with this car?

This is a very personal question based on your likes and dislikes. A stock RX will probably handle as well if not been then your modded Stealth. The handling and body dynamics are very good. Breaking is one of the best. gear box very good. The power on this car is weak. Torque is very poor only 159 and hp is about 232. What helps save the car is its light weight. This car will be slow compared to your stealth but will be more fun to drive.

> Fuel consumption when you drive normal (no spirited driving)?

This car drinks fuel like a drunken sailor. On the highway I see 18 to 22 mpg. In the city that drops to 11.5 to 13.5mpg. This is the most fuel hungry car I have ever driven.

 

i agree with what everyone has said.

i average about 20mpg. and i definitely have fun on my commute. also, the flow of traffic is about ~80mph, so to see cars doing 90-95 is not uncommon on my commute.

all the car magazines must love the 8 for a reason. :P the only place i seriously feel the lack of torque is in 6th gear. unless im above 4.5k.

 

Reliable - Minor problems, nothing drivetrain realated. Engine ? Mine seems fine for 35 K miles.

respond to mods - in N/A , nothing give ya major boost. Maybe with RB flash u can get the most out of it, but only about 10 hp the most.

Snow - You will be fine with Good All-Season tires in light snow (like less than 3 inches), anything more than that you need snow tires, I will get a set of snow tires and I'll post the results up after winter.

Power - hmm how to say ... lets put it this way, you will not feel a lot of *push your *** in the seat*. but if you *know* how to drive, this car can go really fast. Mazda Engineers are really good.

Gas - So so , not great, my Father's CX-7 gets better mileage than I do, and he is Turbo, but he does not *zoom zoom* all the time like I did. so ... if I go all highway its about 270 per tank of gas. City only about 160-180

 

honestly, i have no idea how

 

definitly not the car For power, but you can get it by adding a turbo, afterall, it IS NA

 

oh! And it's also vastly-superior in every way, to an E55, according to Tigster.

 

OK, so - let me see if I've got your checklist right...

- Nimble
- Fast
- Not an STI
- Not an Evo
- Reliable
- Decent fuel consumption
- Moddable
- Not a two-seater (preferably)
- Maintains traction in less-than-favorable weather


MazdaSpeed3?
Faster than the 8 with that noticable FI feeling you like. Doesn't handle as well as the 8, but it still corners pretty damn good. It's FWD so snow is no problem. 5-door 4-seater. No major reliability issues known so far.

Mugen Civic SI?
Fast as hell with that vtec roar everyone loves. Once again, FWD, so it'll be controlable in snow, but it'll still take a dry turn with agression. It's a Honda so it's going to last a damn long time, and it's not a 2 seater.

Lexus IS 250?
AWD with lots of auto-crossing goodies like shift buzzers/lights that can be programmed to go off at different RPMs per gear. Toyota engine, so it'll definately last you. Stock suspension is luxury tuned so it might take some work before it'll be up to your standards, but it should be worth it in the end.




That's all I can think of for now....





Quick question - have you driven an 8 yet? I don't mean a test drive either, I mean seriously driven one? RX-8s come stock with souls. The car will talk to you if you're willing to listen. Take the time to get to know one and make your decision based on how well that goes.
That's how 90% of us got our cars.

 

I think that an evo or STI will suit your needs much better.

 

Way to read, Gish:

 

I agree, as long as you can live with the looks of those cars they will fit what you're looking for much better.

 

a used 993 S.

 

The IS is definitely nice... it's a sedan which he said he's not looking for. Also it's slower than the 8 stock and doesnt handle as well. Well, it doesnt feel quite a nice as the 8. Mind you I havnt felt the AWD, but my friend's feels like it has a lot of body roll and doesnt feel quite as nice in turns as I expected. Depending on how much money he wants to put into it, he could get the 8 rather quick. For cheap bolt ons it might not be great, but get a nice turbo kit on there with a good tune and you'd be rather well off. Also nitrous works well from what I've read of CRH's threads.

One thing to note is that in his first post he mentions over time he's been less in love with his car, while many people here continue to enjoy their 8s more and more. It might not the the quickest, but it's very fun to drive pretty much all the time. If you can sacrifice the lower reliability rates and below average fuel economy, it should be able to do what he wants. This especially applies if you consider the cars in the same range he mentioned.

Take a test drive, try to find some good curves to take it on. Depending on the dealership he might be able to take it out on his own. They let me test one on my own at a dealership near me and I had just turned 18 at the time. So, he might be able to get a good test drive.

 

RX-8 and S2000 both fit that bill, but the RX-8 is more useful. (4 seats)

Both the G and Z handle their weight well but, compared to the RX-8 or the S2000, they have a good bit of weight to handle. The G and Z are good-handling cars (the Z better than the G), but in stock trim, "light and nimble" is a stretch.

I would drive them all, (RX-8, G, Z, S2000) if I were in your shoes.

BTW, Do you have plans for the car other than daily driver? (1/4, road race, autocross etc.)

 

I know, but I'm just letting him know that, though he may not see himself as a sedan guy, these two cars fit his wants, thus he should take a look at them and maybe test drive them.

 

Reliability: No major issues...just squeaking brakes (fixed for free under a TSB) and a plethora of rattles here and there. 18.5k miles on mine.

Snow: Do NOT try to drive these cars in even a dusting of snow if they have stock tires. You might as well be on skis. All-seasons are probably a reasonable bet unless you live in the snow belt.

Mods: I've only done appearance mods to this point (aside from some coilovers I have yet to have installed), so I can't speak to this, but the consensus is that there is little benefit from bolt-ons. FI makes power, but people tend to blow engines it seems.

Handling: I've never driven an AWD sports car, but I have never driven another vehicle that comes close to this car's handling, and I have a modified Miata. The chassis and steering response are superb.

Power: Straight line...not so impressive, but it's plenty fast for what I need it for. You have to use rotary engines differently than piston engines...the power is very linear and you need to wind it up to make max power. That's fine though, it loves to be revved and the sound is great.

Mileage: I average 19mpg in mixed highway/city driving, getting up to about 22 on all highway. Not too bad.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Hey Mag, where are you located? Maybe one of the local owners can take you for a drive.



...and for what it's worth, if I were you I wouldn't dismiss the Evo or STI just because they're "sedans." They might have 4 doors, but so does the 8, and I wouldn't feel right calling any of them a "sedan." The Evo & STI are rally cars; lightweight and nimble econo cars that have been injected with steriods, trimmed of all fat, and forced to take aerobics classes 14 hours a day.
I would go to all 3 dealerships and test-own an STI, Evo, & 8 for a day or two before making any decision. The S2k & Z are 2 seaters, so I'd avoid falling for either of those if you can, and if you've got the cash for a G, go for a feeling you're more used to and get the twin turboed BMW (335i or something like that).

 

I live in southern NH
And if it'd surprise you two seats dont bother me that much =P I had planed to take the rear seats out of my stealth any ways(I've had maybe 3 people back there in 3 years lol). Plus you dont have to worry about being a soccer mom for your friends.

As for the STi/Evo, I just cant really stand the looks of them. When I was younger and had my SVX for my only car I really wanted an STi, but as ive gotten a little older my tastes have refined and I just cant see myself driving one.
Ooooo boy, lord help me if I could afford a 335xi haha


I just wanted to thank all you guys for taking your time to hop in and intellegently chat cars with me. Even if i dont end up w/ an rx-8 i might stay cause you guys are fun to talk to. A rareity on forums :D