Mazda Miata: Miata or RX8?

They are totally different cars. The Miata is a convertible two seater with
a piston engine. The RX-8 is a four seat four door coupe that is larger,
heavier, faster, quieter, smoother, with poorer gas mileage.

If you want the thrill of driving one of the best handling cars ever built,
buy a Miata. You don't have to get a new one. I bought a used one and liked
it so much that I traded it in on a new one.

There isn't much you can do to improve the RX-8, but there are plenty of
things you can do to any Miata to make it perform like you want. Take a
$10,000 Miata and add a Flyin' Miata turbo and you will have a better
handling and faster car than the RX-8.


"AM" <com> wrote in message
news:c8ldmp$netvigator.com... 
Miata 
choosing 
or 

In article <c8ldmp$netvigator.com>, AM wrote:
 

They're completely and utterly different cars. You really will
have to drive a Miata to decide.
 

I thought they were comparable. Even if the Miata's
transmission was much worse than the RX8's it just wouldn't
matter.
 

Why is that?
 

No. Miata's love cities. Occasionally stopping next to a the
exhaust of a big diesel engine is annoying. But that's city
life. If you can't stand the smells and sounds of a city, but
can't move out, maybe a livingroom on wheels is a good
solution. If that's the case, a Miata wouldn't be a good
choice. Something like a Lexus IS 300 maybe? It's still RWD
and doesn't handle like a complete pig.
 

My seat adjusts just fine. My previous Miata had ABS, my
current one doesn't. There are only a couple times during the
year when ABS is nice. My father's Buick Roadmaster station
wagon has all sorts of "features" like ABS and load-levelling
shocks, and electric adjustable seats, and an adjustable
steering wheel that my 2003 MX5 doesn't. That doesn't make it a
viable alternative.
 

I just bought a 2003 MX5, so that tells you my answer.

For the price different between an RX8 and an MX5 (about $7K,
last time I checked) you can add one helluva lotta features to
an MX5. You could have a 6-way electric adjustable seat custom
molded for your butt, and have enough money left over to add a
turbocharger that would be truely scary.

Regardless, the top on the RX8 _doesn't_go_down_! [It's also
nasty ugly, IMO.] Therefore, it's not even on the list of
alternatives to the Miata.

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! ... If I had heart
at failure right now,
visi.com I couldn't be a more
fortunate man!!

In article <c8ldmp$netvigator.com>, com
says... 

I have driven a Miata but not an RX8, so I can't compare the two. I will
say the Miata shifts just fine.
 

Get a hard top. You get better visibility and less noise. But, why get
a Miata if you aren't going to go topless?
 

Miata's have adjustable seats and ABS is an option. I'm not sure why you
are comparing these two cars since they are quite different.
----------------
Alex

AM wrote: 

Having driven both, I would have to say that the RX-8 does shift better, but
only marginally. Redline MTL and a nice Voodoo shift knob will improve the
Miata to the point where there's virtually no difference.
 

I assume you mean the TOP will be up most of the time, right? :-) And the
answer is 'no'. The Miata is about the best 'city' car ever made. Small,
zippy, easy to park. Nothing better than zoooming around downtown Seattle
on a warm summer night with the top down. (Note: Women love this car! I
get stopped almost daily by pretty girls that want to tell me that they love
my car!)

If you're planning on leaving the top up all the time, why on earth would
you considering a Miata? Even here in cold and rainy Seattle, my top is
down almost every single day from March-October. Even in the deepest
winter, my top is down on sunny days, just with the heater on. If you're
the sort of person that's not going to be putting the top down at every
possible opportunity, then the RX-8 is the car for you. The Miata's
convertible top is one of the best manual designs I've ever seen. Putting
the top down or up is a 5 second job at the most, especially now with the
glass rear window. Even if you're prissy about the top, putting the boot on
or off takes only 3 minutes at the most.
 

Last time I checked, seat adjustment and ABS were available on Miatas. I
know my '91 had adjustable seats, and my '99 has both ABS and adjustable
seats. Be warned; some tall people don't enjoy driving a Miata. I'm 6'
tall with a 32" inseam, and my '99 fits me like a glove. If I were any
taller, I think I would be uncomfortable with the stock seats. My best
friend is 6' 5", and he has driven my car. He enjoys it, but he wouldn't
want to do it every day. Also realize that if you have back problems,
arthritis or things of that nature, that the Miata is not the easiest car to
get in and out of.

Personally, I would not buy a brand new Miata. There's so many good, used
ones available on the market, I don't see any reason to pay the premium on a
new one. I've bought two used ones so far, and my third used one is coming
soon. I'm shopping for a replacement for my '99 black-and-tan. I really
want a 2002 Blazing Yellow SE to replace it.

Unless something radical happens in the future (like I win the lottery), I
highly doubt that I will *ever* buy a different car. I have never driven
another car (and I've driven quite a few) priced under $50k like I remotely
like as much as I enjoy my Miata's, and that includes the RX-8. I've been
driving a Miata daily for 9 years straight now.

Regards,
H.

Sorry for the confusion - what I meant with the seat adjustment question was
actually seat height adjustment.

Thanks for your responses - they've been genuinely helpful.

In article <c8ldmp$netvigator.com>, "AM" <com> wrote: 

1) The MT in the Miata is very short throw and *generally*
considered one of the best around. But a lot of us with 6-speeds
(not all) have issues with it being balky in 1-2 or 2-3 shifts. I
find mine annoyingly so. The RX8 I test drove was smoother.

2) If you drive with the top up, yes it curtails the enjoyment.
The blindspot to the rear is very bad. So I have my top down 90%
of the time, basically as long as it isn't raining.

3) ABS is an option. You are correct that it is one seat height
fits all. Ditto on the wheel. I find the seating position to be
fine. Well, the windshield header does seem to always be in line
with the stoplight. But a small price to pay.

Okay, that answers 1-3, now what I consider to be more important:

Ask yourself how much you want a convertible. If you really
don't, you want another car. True, the Miata is one of the few
light, inexpensive, great handling RWD cars out there. But at
least to me, it is at least half about being a convertible.
Convertibles are a compromise. It is noisier, rougher, and a
lot more visceral (for good and bad). Will you always be worried
about someone tearing the top to break in? You have to want one.

Price is always an issue. An RX8 will run $26K on up. You can
find new Miatas for $17K (lots of discounts and incentives). How
much does that matter to you?

The RX8 does not have a proven reliability record. It is a gas
guzzler. The Miata is bulletproof and economical.

Having written all that, I really enjoyed my TD of the RX8.
It was smooth, handled very well, made great engine sounds. Sure,
they are different cars. But I can see someone cross-shoping.
But which is best obviously goes with your own priorities.

Good luck!

Thanks to Dave and HardwareLust for the extra comments.

Everyone's personal views as owners really helped me to get a better
picture.

Thanks again.

"AM" <com> wrote in message news:<c8ljdf$netvigator.com>... 

Ah. Even after reading your explaination, it took time to understand.
You need to drive a Miata to get it. It would be like putting a
height adjustment on a kart. Adjustable stearing would be the same
issue. It really isn't needed.

One of the things that kills me is the electric mirror and window
adjustments. Outside mirror to outside mirror is less that 6'. I
could easily manually make the adjustments while driving, but my Miata
('00 LS) has electric windows (controls in the center console) and
electric adjustable mirrors (controls in the instrument cluster).

One problem for me with a conververtible is the dirt. The interior is
always dusty and after a long trip with the top down I do feel dirty.

Driving with the top up and the A/C on would be annoying because the
A/C steals so much power that my shifting goes to hell, so the car
behaves no better than any other small car. If you plan on having the
top up, go with the RX8.

Joe