thevictor390
Teen Wankeler
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
- Messages
- 11,892
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Car(s)
- '17 Mazda MX-5 RF, '89 Toyota Blizzard SX5
I love the RX-8, and its versatility is nearly irreplaceable, but it is not a car I want to deal with maintaining as it ages. It's also a bit harsh in traffic and on bumpy roads. So after a bit of test driving and a lot of searching, I settled on the replacement:
I drove a few cars before settling on the MX-5. Civic Si: I just couldn't get the hang of the turbo lag, torque steer, and high bite point on the clutch. 370z had a dated interior and the clutch was truly abominable. It had some sort of compensatory spring that kicked in halfway through the throw that did nothing but prevent you from shifting smoothly. Toyota 86 was a lot of fun and easily my second choice, but it felt a bit cheap and was not the most comfortable commuter car.
As soon as I drove an RF, I knew it was the one. There was almost not adjustment period from driving my RX-8, and yet a lighter clutch and steering made it more relaxing to drive. It's quiter than the RX-8 at speed and more comfortable over bumps without losing any of the playfulness. Oh, and the roof comes off. That's basically cheating.
So, knowing exactly what I wanted, I spent quite a bit of time scouring the internet. I am not a negotiator, I fall in love and make terrible decisions. So I cast a wide net and looked for the lowest advertised price I could find in the country. Eventually I contacted a dealer in Florida who had a new-in-stock 2017 model for such a steep discount I couldn't refuse (and I even got a bit more below advertised price). It was a long painful purchase and shipping was not cheap, but when I brought my quote to local dealers, we were usually over $6000 apart. It was worth the extra time and effort.
Time will tell if I can handle daily driving such a small car. Driving itself is not an issue - it is in every way a better commuter than the RX-8. More comfortable, more efficient, more features, and just as fast. But interior storage space is somewhat limited, and rear visibility leaves a lot to be desired. Winter might be a struggle, at least I can't imagine it being worse than the RX-8.
This is my first car to even have automatic headlights or climate control, so I am pretty overwhelmed by things like lane assist, blind spot monitoring, and real time fuel economy charts. Haven't really formed a final opinion or explored all of the features in the head unit. The system does use a large front-facing camera which was placed in exactly the spot I would have wanted my dashcam, so installation was made a bit harder than anticipated. Luckily, the one and only 12V outlet is located deep under the passenger footwell, making it a nice hidden spot to plug in the dashcam semi-permanently instead of messing around with the fuse box like I had to do in the RX-8.
And, obligatory:
I drove a few cars before settling on the MX-5. Civic Si: I just couldn't get the hang of the turbo lag, torque steer, and high bite point on the clutch. 370z had a dated interior and the clutch was truly abominable. It had some sort of compensatory spring that kicked in halfway through the throw that did nothing but prevent you from shifting smoothly. Toyota 86 was a lot of fun and easily my second choice, but it felt a bit cheap and was not the most comfortable commuter car.
As soon as I drove an RF, I knew it was the one. There was almost not adjustment period from driving my RX-8, and yet a lighter clutch and steering made it more relaxing to drive. It's quiter than the RX-8 at speed and more comfortable over bumps without losing any of the playfulness. Oh, and the roof comes off. That's basically cheating.
So, knowing exactly what I wanted, I spent quite a bit of time scouring the internet. I am not a negotiator, I fall in love and make terrible decisions. So I cast a wide net and looked for the lowest advertised price I could find in the country. Eventually I contacted a dealer in Florida who had a new-in-stock 2017 model for such a steep discount I couldn't refuse (and I even got a bit more below advertised price). It was a long painful purchase and shipping was not cheap, but when I brought my quote to local dealers, we were usually over $6000 apart. It was worth the extra time and effort.
Time will tell if I can handle daily driving such a small car. Driving itself is not an issue - it is in every way a better commuter than the RX-8. More comfortable, more efficient, more features, and just as fast. But interior storage space is somewhat limited, and rear visibility leaves a lot to be desired. Winter might be a struggle, at least I can't imagine it being worse than the RX-8.
This is my first car to even have automatic headlights or climate control, so I am pretty overwhelmed by things like lane assist, blind spot monitoring, and real time fuel economy charts. Haven't really formed a final opinion or explored all of the features in the head unit. The system does use a large front-facing camera which was placed in exactly the spot I would have wanted my dashcam, so installation was made a bit harder than anticipated. Luckily, the one and only 12V outlet is located deep under the passenger footwell, making it a nice hidden spot to plug in the dashcam semi-permanently instead of messing around with the fuse box like I had to do in the RX-8.
And, obligatory: