if you want handling and a good clean car that you can have fun with.. i would go with a miata.. they handle great and if you want to fix it up you can put a LS1 in them for only about 3-6k depending on milage.. but yeah don't spend all you money at once.. i'm selling my celica and only going to use about 4k for a car and pay off bills.. but good luck with the sale

 

Really comparing tiburon to rx8?

Rx8 is lacking in power/torque but buttery smooth revving to 9k never gets old, just as the great handling doesnt. I'm far from a fanboy (I've owned an 8 for two years now) but driven back to back with an s2k it is clear both cars are very similar. Some suspension mods and you'll be surprised what 8s can hang with in the turns.

GT trim is full power/leather/heated seats + fogs/sunroof etc - Reliability really isn't that big of a deal, check/change oil regularly like any car enthusiast would be more than happy and you're fine. Back seats are surprisingly comfy given the size of the interior (nothing like the evo's though, duh:P)

NA rotary reliability has been a proven stronghold. Happy driving

 

Me too! Free car for 4 months and 7k miles later lol =-) I got my fair share and moved to another car.

Best deal I ever had lol

 

i've had experience with both the tiburon is gutless even the v6 and i dont think its worth 10k by any means. rx8's are great handling cars but like previously said gutless. they are not the greatest on gas and drink A LOT of oil. i would get an older m3 for that price range they are powerful handle and good gas mileage and resale value. the e36 is an awesome chasis and i personally would love one for a dd

 

Decision made,
The Tiburon was already sold by the time I got to the dealership last night. I wasn't too happy that I drove about 30 miles to find out it was no longer on the lot. The internet sales guy was clueless.
My new daily driver until next summer is ( drum roll please ) a 2004 RX8, 6 speed, black, sport trim, navigation, fog lights, 39,500 miles, purchased for $13,750. I had it checked out at a competitors Mazda dealership and everything looked good. All previous service had been done there and the service rep. showed me all the previous service records on the vehicle. I had the latest factory reflash done, which seemed to help with the acceleration a little bit. This was part of a new service recall put out last month. The vehicle was very well cared for. I can't see anything wrong cosmetically. This should do a great job getting me around for the next year.
Thanks for everyone's input, and I will try to get pictures up ASAP.

 

That's a great price I think.
Have fun!

 

I think it was a pretty good deal. Excellent retail was right at $18,000. Excellent trade in was $13.050. They had a price of $15,995 on the windshield. I offered $12,500 and they came back with $14,600. I told them I would look around and they called back within two hours with $13,900. I called them back to let them know that I was going to look at a 2006 Tiburon GT priced at $13,750 and they said that they would match that price on the Mazda. I'm sure they made tons of profit on the guy who traded it in. They are a BMW dealership and have plenty of cushion built into their new car prices. All-in-all I think I came out ok.

 

I think that I will be doing some light mods in a couple of months. Possibly coilovers, an intake, and an exhaust. I might also look at Cobbs accessport for the RX8. I might also do some exterior items such as a nice spoiler. I'm not going to go crazy with this car since the rotary engine can be fussy. I'll probably spend more money on a high quality sound system than I will on performance mods.

 

That's a pretty f***in' good deal. Hope you have fun with it.

 

Congrats, the rotary makes an awesome noise with a few breathing mods, and it should be completely reliable. Be sure to keep her topped on oil and enjoy!

 

wow... thats a bargain!

 

Pictures as promised.

 

wow, thats pretty cheap. rx8's are really sexy cars. i actually got to ride in one and was fairly surprised. congrats on the purchase.

 

My buddy has a rx8 and regrets ever buying it.

 

It's not a perfect car by any means. The torque is not exceptional and you do have to keep the revs up to get the most out of the car. But it is fun keeping those revs up (how about 8500 for redline). If you have not seen a HP curve for one, it is pretty interesting. It is pretty much a 45 degree line going up all the way to redline. There really is no plateau.
They are not great on fuel and I also expect to be adding at least a quart of oil between oil changes. By the way, the service department does not recommend synthetic since the car does burn oil and synthetic does not burn well. They also recommend waiting until 7500 rpm to shift. This cuts down on the carbon build up. And if you start the car, you should let it get to operating temperatures before shutting it off again. This keeps the engine from flooding. They say that the biggest problem with these cars is when little old ladies buy them and drive them like you expect a little old lady would. He said to drive it like a sports car, and I intend to.
I'm putting in a dyno plot from Cobb tuning for those that are interested.