When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Before I got my FD I was actually considering the RX8... then I was like, "why should I get 'almost my dream car' when I could just get my dream car?". I don't think I can justify an rx8 at this point, though I commend you for running two rotaries! The 40mpg highway I can get in the ND was big for me. I would love to one day put an NA 20B in an rx8, though... maybe I'll sell the ND when I need four doors for a family and can switch to the rx8 then (do child seats fit lol).
Surprisingly the fuel consumption between the NC and 8 isn’t too different. Sure, it’s not as good as the NC, but it didn’t provide the added power and smoothness the 8 gives. More than anything the added rigidity and smoothness is very welcomed in a daily driver.
To answer your question, yes, child seats do fit. Rear seats come with child anchor points. So if you ever do reproduce 1 day, you could fit child seats back there.
However, you might run out of space quick if your offspring grows quickly. The 8 is after all NC chassis based. I’d recommend a real 4 door car if the time came for little people.
the Rx8 story is really frustrating to read now. they were only allowed to build the Rx8 if it could be a platform for some other car, so they did know it was going to be a miata.
its sort of a typical badly run/Ford business story. Ford took over in 1996, and stopped all the development (and fired the engineers), and then in 1999 had an emergency because they had no new product in the pipeline...
the Rx8 starts with some neat stuff, but ended in something nobody liked, then they drew the sketch on the napkin, and result is good, but not great.
Before I got my FD I was actually considering the RX8... then I was like, "why should I get 'almost my dream car' when I could just get my dream car?". I don't think I can justify an rx8 at this point, though I commend you for running two rotaries! The 40mpg highway I can get in the ND was big for me. I would love to one day put an NA 20B in an rx8, though... maybe I'll sell the ND when I need four doors for a family and can switch to the rx8 then (do child seats fit lol).
I have an FD and an RX8 and a 7 year old. Seats fit well in the 8. You will go through three phases with the backward facing seat, the five point harness seat, and the booster (that's where we are now.) I love driving my 8 and am willing to deal with the poor fuel economy for it to be my "family car." My FD is a 93 so no passenger side airbag. I waited until she was big enough for the booster seat to take for rides in that car. One big advantage that the 8 has is you can easily reach in the backseat to help them with something quickly and never take your eyes off the road and maintain one hand on the steering wheel. Comes in handy as most big sedans and SUVs can't do that. Now, I only have one kid. You could do it with 2, but one would be directly behind you at that point you would need figure out if that would work. When she was in the 5 point harness (about 3.5 years0, anyone taller than 5'8 in the front passenger seat made it really tight for her leg space.
Elise seems like a good swap for a luxury-stripped RX7. Can be had N/A, with boost, and in limited numbers with impeccable handling. Not a tail-out car, but a car happy on the limits with a dedicated fanbase and a cult following. Prices are about a near-swap in most of the globe for a decent car, and most people that have heard of an RX7 have heard of a Lotus Elise. There's always an S2000 but that's a less exotic choice and will fade with time.
I dig the newer Lotus cars, REALLY like that they use Toyota drivetrains, that fixes a ton of the reliability issues that their old cars had from their own engines/fuel injection.
For me the Lotus would most likely be too small, I'm 6'6" and it would be VERY snug I have a feeling. Also the FD does seem to have more cargo room for a weekend getaway trip.
But I think that's definitely a good candidate for discussion.
lol an RX7 dude glad Lotus used Toyota engines for reliability!
Luggage space is honestly the reason I went RX7 over Elise. Literally the exact same price when I was looking, base Elise vs decent FD. If the Elise had room for 2 bags it would be much more popular with the "It's not just me alone on weekends" crowd, aka most of us
I have an FD and an H2 SUT. Sent the FD out to have it built.
I bought an AP2 S2000 to offset the H2's fuel bill every week but the S2k has done more than that, its actually very similar to my FD in the sweeping corners on the road I have to drive on every day. Especially since the S2k is lowered on coilovers with sticky summer tires on squared 18" wheels.
When the FD is finished and back home, I'm not sure I'll sell the S2k. It really surprised me on how fun it is to drive.
I love how the s2k drives But still partial to how the FD looks.
And agree the H2 is over the top. I know (hope) that the satellite dish is on the neighbor's house, but would give bonus points if the H2 was rocking the dish. haha.
I sold my yellow H2( I bought as a joke) late last year and miss it every day. Having 3 small boys I miss its convenience and overall comfort. I'm currently looking for another one to have duramax swapped and then we will sell our 15 Yukon XL that we keep just for trips.
Also, to anyone who saw me post about being disappointed in my Macan Turbo, I still hate it. Its small, has no ***** and just lacks any excitement.
I sold my yellow H2( I bought as a joke) late last year and miss it every day. Having 3 small boys I miss its convenience and overall comfort.
You need a minivan!
(Owner of 2015 Honda Odyssey EX-L and no kids)
Will haul 4x8 sheets of plywood, 12' long pieces of lumber with the hatch closed, and 7 adults in amazing comfort while getting 26 MPG.
I don't understand why people force an SUV into a minivan role. It's like having a covered pickup trick that can also haul people with a low load height and tons of features.
But I also get cars for me not what other people think .
Will haul 4x8 sheets of plywood, 12' long pieces of lumber with the hatch closed, and 7 adults in amazing comfort while getting 26 MPG.
I don't understand why people force an SUV into a minivan role. It's like having a covered pickup trick that can also haul people with a low load height and tons of features.
But I also get cars for me not what other people think .
Dale
We rented one over the summer in Miami when we did a family vacation. Ill admit it was nice. Im not sure I can stand the site of one in the driveway though and zero chance my wife will daily drive it. Lol
Now that we are empty nesters, my wife has agreed to trade her pickup on something like a newer Land Rover.
We are really happy with my wife's GLE63. The brand news now have the all digital/touchscreen dash which is just that much more awesome. Land Rover interiors just don't do anything for me but I do like their exterior styling.
I love how the s2k drives But still partial to how the FD looks.
And agree the H2 is over the top. I know (hope) that the satellite dish is on the neighbor's house, but would give bonus points if the H2 was rocking the dish. haha.
Will I be missing out if I got anything other than the R3 Series 2? I'd prefer to get a series 2 (I see a few of you own S1 cars) and ideally a R3, but they are becoming harder and harder to come by. Are they that much different than the Series 1 cars (other than the reliability upgrades Mazda did from factory)?
Will I be missing out if I got anything other than the R3 Series 2? I'd prefer to get a series 2 (I see a few of you own S1 cars) and ideally a R3, but they are becoming harder and harder to come by. Are they that much different than the Series 1 cars (other than the reliability upgrades Mazda did from factory)?
You'll probably get a lot of different opinions re: S1 vs S2. I don't think the reliability difference is necessarily as huge as some make it out to be personally. I do like the S2 6 speed much more than the S1 6 speed.
R3 from the factory comes with recaros and some suspension upgrades. You lose the sunroof, heated seats, and maybe a few other of the GT trim creature comforts. I daily my 8 so personally I prefer having the creature comforts and I like having the sunroof.
The 08 anniversary models have a similar suspension setup as the R3s but are S1. They also retain all of the GT trim features.
The S1 shinka models also have upgraded suspensions though I think they may be slightly different than what the R3/Anniversary have. Not as sure on those.
Anyways when I was looking I looked at a few R3s, a few S2 GTs, and a couple of 08 anniversary editions. The anniversary edition resonated with me the most so that's what I went with.
Will I be missing out if I got anything other than the R3 Series 2? I'd prefer to get a series 2 (I see a few of you own S1 cars) and ideally a R3, but they are becoming harder and harder to come by. Are they that much different than the Series 1 cars (other than the reliability upgrades Mazda did from factory)?
Ultimately it depends on what you want out of it.
To give you a scenario, at the same time and the same dealer, they had 2 RX8 series 2’s. 1 GT and the other an R3. They both had roughly the same amount of km’s at the time with the R3 having slightly less. Luckily they are both series 2 so the revisions they’ve made from series 1 is what you really care about. The other things are just your preference on what you want in your car. This being said, everyone was after the R3 (for obvious reasons). I lucked out since I was the only one who showed up on that awful snowy day. All the appointments for that day canceled before I got there since everyone wanted to drive the car. I was more worried about how the car looked underneath. They claimed it never saw winter. Only 1 way to find out. Since you really couldn’t drive the car I asked them to bring it into the bay and lift it so I can take a look underneath. Once I saw how immaculate it was, as well as some aftermarket goodies even they weren’t aware of, I jumped at the opportunity.
I didn’t have to drive it. It only had 53k km’s on the clock. She had plenty of life in her since I looked over the entire body of the car. Never sat in it, never checked for anything else really. With the km’s so low, the car doesn’t have to be driven crazy or do crazy testing (I know some have some sort of religious belief they have to get compression tested and various other things…)
Its now 3yrs later and she has 94k km’s on her. Daily driven. Had her krowned since she sees winter duty. Thankfully that stuff works fantastically.
About the only thing that failed on me after 1.5yrs of ownership was the Bose amp. Which is a very common thing for a vehicle that was 10.5 yrs at the time. But I took it out (PITA since you have to get to it within the interior) and I sent it out to get it repaired. The service is so common for those Bose amps, there’s a specialty shop in jersey that does it for all the Bose amps from all car manufacturers. In about a week I got it back and reinstalled it. Works brand new! That’s it. That’s the only thing that’s failed on me unexpectedly.
I expect her to keep going for at least another 6-8yrs before I either trade it in, or decide to restore it and keep it for a while longer.
id highly recommend the R3. It’s so much better than the other trims. The seats alone are fantastic. They’re a slightly more plush seat compared to the rz’s I have in the FD. Handling is fantastic! Firm but not as stiff as the FD. About the only thing I really notice is the added weight. Otherwise, it’s a super reliable daily.
Didn't know about the Bose amp issue... sounds like a time bomb.
I like the way the R3 looks (compared to the S1 RX-8)! I find it weird that people get rid of the stock R3 wheels.
Yep, Bose amps from all manufacturers around that time (mines a 2010 but basically anything between 2006-till present) have this issue. I found it alarming and funny when I saw all the models Bose have provided audio for. If the amp was just for the audio portion of the sound system, I would’ve considered upgrading the entire system. The system though is tide into everything on that car. It would cost a lot to rip everything out and put in something else. Plus you lose some functionality from the stock little display it has. It was far much easier and cheaper to get the amp refurbished. The audio is pretty decent for a sporty vehicle and since it wasn’t meant to be a Rolls Royce regarding sound suppression , the audio is more than adequate for what I use it for.
A lot of people get rid of the rims because despite them being forged, they’re not as light as you think they are. I’m pretty sure they’re at about 20lbs or just shy of it. Don’t get me wrong, that’s pretty decent for a 19” rim. Especially it coming from an OEM. However, it’s a lot of wheel for a relatively small car. If the Mazdaspeed 18” rims didn’t cost a small fortune (the nice ones with the chrome lip and bronze finish), I would source those out and run the lighter wheel. This being said though, for street driving, I don’t mind the wheels at all. Plus, you could actually claim you’re running a Spirit R RX8.
Im not sure who designed the stock 18’s but the 19’s for the R3 were made by BBS.
There’s the kicker, the Spirit R is basically our version of the R3. So as long you have an R3, you could technically call it a Spirit R. Yes, yes, some of the components are coloured differently, but they are just that. Different colours.
09-29-21, 10:12 PM
I don't think I can justify an rx8 at this point, though I commend you for running two rotaries! The 40mpg highway I can get in the ND was big for me. I would love to one day put an NA 20B in an rx8, though... maybe I'll sell the ND when I need four doors for a family and can switch to the rx8 then (do child seats fit lol). 
