I'm not sure if this is the correct category for this, but I'll give it a go.

I'm looking to buy a new to me car, and the RX-8 is one of the cars I'm looking at (looking for a 4 seat RWD car).
How I plan to use my next car:
Daily driver, all year round. Winters are very cold, and snow stays for quite a while where I live.
Commute to work in light city traffic.
Occasional long distance highway travel (approx 8-15hrs 1/yr)
AutoX in stock on R compounds

I'm looking at used cars, but preferably low mileage. If someone could point me in a good direction for RX-8 info, it would be greatly appreciated. I am absolutely terrible at internet searches, so some patience please. So far I've just heard some rumblings about the power ratings on early cars, and see how well the car does in BS autoX results. I'd like know if there is anything specific to look for as far as model years, equipment packages etc. I am also in Canada, so if there are any differences in Canadian market cars I should be aware of.

I'm also looking at some other cars, so if anyone has any experience with one of these compared to an RX-8 I'd like to hear about it.
03-04 G35s (more expensive)
98 BMW M3s (much older)
I've taken a couple of RX-8s out on test drives, but not the others yet.

thanks

 

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/rx8-faq-new-owners-116484/

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting.php

beers

 

Remember the RX 8 will be cheaper on insurance.

 

You will need to get dedicated snow tires on separate rims for winter. An Older M3 won't have a warranty and be very expensive to repair.

 

If you're looking for basic info on the car the wiki article is pretty good and contains a link to another article about the basic working of the Renesis engine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_RX-8

If you were to google "road test" and "RX8" you'll find a lot of the magazine articles that have been written over the last few years as well. Edmunds.com is also not a bad place to start.

I had a 1997 M3, which is the same E36 platform as the '98. There are a few similarities between the RX8 and the M3: fabulous handling and road holding ability, a somewhat usable back seat and trunk, etc. Neither are straight line drag racers, but both really shine out on the twisties. The M3 also needs dedicated winter tires.

But by and large they are very different ownership experiences. The M3's inline V6 generated a lot of torque at relatively low rpm's. If I were feeling particularly lazy I could leave it in 4th and drive it almost like an automatic if I didn't drop much below 20 mph. The RX8, by comparison, has plenty of get up and go, but it's not a car for a lazy person. Wind it up, make your shifts, and it will reward you. The M3, while by no means heavy or ponderous, subjectively just didn't seem to have the "light on its feet" feel of the RX8. Both can be tough on your clutch leg if you get stuck in stop-and-go traffic.

Shaun is correct about cost to repair. Nothing major went on mine (I had it about 4 years), but there were lots of little issues and computer tweaks, and everything you have done at a BMW dealer - even routine maintainance - is going to cost you. Also dealing with the attitude of people in the several dealers' service departments (they evidently feel they are doing you a huge favor when you are permited to buy one) wear's thin quickly. Hmmm - great car, crappy dealer support; where have we heard that before?

In its day the E36 M3 was world class and deservedly remains an icon to many. However, I no longer miss it (much) now that I've ditched the SUV and am in an RX8.

I have no experience with the G35, but I traded in an Infiniti G20 for for the BMW, and will say that the Infiniti dealers were by far the best I've ever dealt with. They always treated me like a long lost relative.

 

Where in Canada are you from?

 

^^ my guess would be Winnipeg by his userid..

Get some good snow shoes man! Thats the only advice I have and you'll be fine out there..

 

^^ ah good call...Me seems to be a bit slow today :-P

 

Thanks for the info so far.

And yes, I am from Winnipeg (based on my user name), try and guess what car I currently drive

So far I've pieced together...

Model differences
No real difference in performance, other than some small weight changes between the various 6mt models. The Shinka has different shocks, not sure if much better, but since I plan on AutoXing the car, I'd probably change them anyway.
A sunroof will interfere with a helmet on taller drivers, and is probably the worst option for weight.

Engine Power
Hard to find any info in the flurry of posts on this topic. I thought I heard that Mazda de-rated the early RX-8s engine output. Did those engines get a boost in power thru the various updates, or are they actually lower power than the later 04 or 05+ models? Still searching.

Auto racing performance
One of the better cars for AutoX. Although 968s and 350s are still very good in their class, and I personally think the upcoming BMW 135 might be pretty awesome depending on how it's classed.
For track competition, it doesn't have the HP legs in stock form to keep up with 350s & other cars better in straight lines.

Synthetic Oil
Nobody knows anything concrete.

If there are any glaring errors in there, or anything else really important I missed, let me know.

 

Hey! that happened to me too!

 

All right, finally found it. I skimmed over it several hundred times while trying to bypass all the forumspeek.

The original HP rating of 247 was derated to 238 and has remained there since. So all 6mt models are the same in power regardless of year (except for typical manufacturing tolerances between cars).

 

Yup. BTW nice job searching. Too many new folks here don't really search well.

You are correct there are no power differences between any of the manual transmission cars regardless of model year. They all make the same power. The autos older than '06 have a 4spd trans. and a lower power engine.

As far as synthetic or not you're right on. Most people are fine either way but Mazda does not recommend it.