Petrolhead daily driver but still sensible?
Discussion
Chainsaw Rebuild said:
Without meaning to be rude op, getting over your problem with BMWs is probably the best thing you can do. They are by and large good cars and you will get a lot more options.
Been there done that. I'm basing on my own experience instead of others.So I can't agree with your last sentence. Looking at the RX8, it would be everything I would need really, apart from the rotary. I
'm also guessing the rotary is what makes it expensive to run.
Mazda really missed an opportunity to offer it with a V6. When they had to stop selling the car in Europe because of the rotary, which eventually killed the car elsewhere too, they should have been smarter and put a V6 in it and continue to sell it. Could even call it something different. Wouldn't be the first time they used basically the same body with different engines and called it different models. The car would have had a much better life and be a bigger hit with a V6 I think.
Pity. As it's a practical, fun to drive RWD manual that would fit my needs very well.
'm also guessing the rotary is what makes it expensive to run.
Mazda really missed an opportunity to offer it with a V6. When they had to stop selling the car in Europe because of the rotary, which eventually killed the car elsewhere too, they should have been smarter and put a V6 in it and continue to sell it. Could even call it something different. Wouldn't be the first time they used basically the same body with different engines and called it different models. The car would have had a much better life and be a bigger hit with a V6 I think.
Pity. As it's a practical, fun to drive RWD manual that would fit my needs very well.
^ The problem is that an RX8 with a V6 wouldn't be an RX8.
Others have tried engine swaps; when I considered it the expense was phenomenal and most sources I looked at suggested you'd ruin the handling- even a normal 4 cylinder engine (eg, from an MX5) would increase weight at the nose significantly more than the rotary engine and mess up the balance.
Cheaper to consider an RX8 engine a consumable part and replace or rebuild it a few times than to pay for a non-native engine... which is why I didn't buy one.
Anyhow... I think your firm "must haves" are not achievable at your budget. What would you be willing to change?
Others have tried engine swaps; when I considered it the expense was phenomenal and most sources I looked at suggested you'd ruin the handling- even a normal 4 cylinder engine (eg, from an MX5) would increase weight at the nose significantly more than the rotary engine and mess up the balance.
Cheaper to consider an RX8 engine a consumable part and replace or rebuild it a few times than to pay for a non-native engine... which is why I didn't buy one.
Anyhow... I think your firm "must haves" are not achievable at your budget. What would you be willing to change?
Just not worth it running a RX8 as a daily. Your concept of considering the engine a consumable could work for a weekend car. But not a daily. Because it's not just the engine. It's the fuel consumption. The oil consumption and the bother of keep feeding it. The high maintenance in general. Way too expensive to run and way too demanding for a daily.
On your search for RX8 swaps, did you find any kits available though? What sensible engines? A V8 is definitely not it. Way too much, specially for a daily.
On your search for RX8 swaps, did you find any kits available though? What sensible engines? A V8 is definitely not it. Way too much, specially for a daily.
If you're put off by the expense of running an RX8, an engine swap isn't worth it.
Even Mazda engines don't fit easily and the engine management/instruments need rewiring. I've heard of people using Honda S2000 units but they aren't cheap to buy nor fit.
Seriously, if you consider an RX8 too expensive to run then an engine swap will be ruinously expensive. I figured out would cost me around £5000 to make a good job of it, in addition to the cost of an RX8 and the engine.
I would seriously start with a better car. If not FWD, would you consider AWD?
Even Mazda engines don't fit easily and the engine management/instruments need rewiring. I've heard of people using Honda S2000 units but they aren't cheap to buy nor fit.
Seriously, if you consider an RX8 too expensive to run then an engine swap will be ruinously expensive. I figured out would cost me around £5000 to make a good job of it, in addition to the cost of an RX8 and the engine.
I would seriously start with a better car. If not FWD, would you consider AWD?
By the way, the talk about budget, it's not really only a budget talk. Even with a bigger budget, what I would want is a manual, more reliable Maserati Granturismo for example. Which of course doesn't exist. But I would like something fun, RWD, manual but also somewhat grown up. Regardless of budget not many options anyhow.
ChrisH72 said:
Going AWD opens it up quite a bit.
Japanese:
Subaru Impreza or legacy
Mazda6 mps
German:
Audi TT, S3
Golf R32
Italian:
Alfa brera, 159 with the 3.2v6 engine.
I don't suppose any of those are particularly cheap to run though.
Nope, I wouldn't think so either. Japanese:
Subaru Impreza or legacy
Mazda6 mps
German:
Audi TT, S3
Golf R32
Italian:
Alfa brera, 159 with the 3.2v6 engine.
I don't suppose any of those are particularly cheap to run though.
Also many of them are not cheap to buy either.
And the Subarus are just too ugly.
And the Golf is probably the last car I would ever buy.
This is the thing about RWD as well. By specifying RWD, it's more certain that it won't be just some boring hatchback or common car. Somehow RWD seems to only go into somewhat special cars. At least in the modern age. I'm trying to have some petrolhead fun during my commute here.
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