PistonHeads Shed of the Week - Guess?

[Honkytonk]

Let's not forget theres an area of America literally called 'The Rust Belt'.

[oberlo]

Question; As a first time rotary owner would you buy the shed (I say that, but the number of sub £2k rx8s with rebuilds is surprising!)and then run it till the rotary goes and then buy an R3

Or

Buy an R3 straight up?

[oberlo]

Welcome oberlo.

The one that gives you the chance to drive more rotaries.

Given infinite budget I think having more 8's would teach you more about the nature of the car, give you a chance to get your hands dirty and learn it mechanically, plus then you've got a whole other car for bits if(when) it pops.

'run it till the rotary goes' is probably not as bad as you think either. They need rebuilding eventually, as all engines will, but the cost of doing so is cheaper than you'd think, partly because they're so mechanically 'simple'.

I don't think the R3 should be the 'end goal' necessarily either. The S1 may be slightly older, but it's cheaper to get parts for and look after because of it. There are a lot (LOT) of differences in components/parts etc, but they are practically the same car.

[oberlo]

It really depends on what you want from your car.

Whether to buy an R3 or an S1 comes down to whether you prefer the styling and bits that come with it over the styling of the S1. I, personally, prefer the looks of the R3, the stiffer chassis and the recaros, but everyones tastes are different.

Ultimately as has been said above, a rebuild on a rotary engine (just for a 'return to stock' kinda build) is only about £2.5k, which is far cheaper than a lot of piston equivalents.

[oberlo]

Wow, guys thank you so much for the considered responses.

I'm set on the RX8 for sure, I like how involved the RX8 is -encouraging maintenance and giving you the opportunity to learn a lot. The only thing my old 335i taught me was that you can buy an RX8 for the cost a replacement headlight!! But not an R3 however..hence my post!

@Honkytonk You are right in that they seem so close to each other, I just don't get how the S1 RX8's are so cheap, even with rebuilds, over an R3 that will (as per the 10 on autotrader right now) have not had a rebuild. Maybe I'm focused on rebuilds to much!

But I can certainly see the appeal of the R3 with the xenons and such..to the point where I actually tried to PM you @Dr.FrankenRex about a cheap R3 I'd seen on autotrader! but as my account is new it would not let me lol.

I feel like I need a big test drive to see if the 200-300% price difference of the S1 vs R3 is worth it because my head is bouncing all over the place!

[Dr. FrankenRex]

I've sent you a PM Oberlo

I don't know where in the UK you are, but I would bet that someone around you has an RX8 that they'd gladly take you out for a drive in. Likewise, if you find yourself down near Evesham you're welcome to have a go in mine

[oberlo]

I can certainly see the appeal of the R3 with the xenons

All, the UK-spec S1 231's have xenon headlights, as standard, too.

[Delanor]

Some RX-8`s have xenon low beam headlights and high beam headlights.

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Del.

[New Duke]

Wow, guys thank you so much for the considered responses.

I'm set on the RX8 for sure, I like how involved the RX8 is -encouraging maintenance and giving you the opportunity to learn a lot. The only thing my old 335i taught me was that you can buy an RX8 for the cost a replacement headlight!! But not an R3 however..hence my post!

@Honkytonk You are right in that they seem so close to each other, I just don't get how the S1 RX8's are so cheap, even with rebuilds, over an R3 that will (as per the 10 on autotrader right now) have not had a rebuild. Maybe I'm focused on rebuilds to much!

But I can certainly see the appeal of the R3 with the xenons and such..to the point where I actually tried to PM you @Dr.FrankenRex about a cheap R3 I'd seen on autotrader! but as my account is new it would not let me lol.

I feel like I need a big test drive to see if the 200-300% price difference of the S1 vs R3 is worth it because my head is bouncing all over the place!

Welcome and good on you for asking questions!

I'm going to try to avoid starting a flame war as some of my favourite people own S1 RX8s for very good reasons

But my personal advice would be that if you can afford to buy an R3 and still have a £1k or more cash in the bank? Then buy an R3, without a doubt. The scale of the differences between the models is always underplayed on here, and few people seem to really know them all. But as an example Mazda's own documentation on the subject is 300 pages long. In addition to being the latest RX8 in the UK, that's why the price difference.

If money is tight, then don't push yourself just to get an R3 and buy an S1.

If you plan on buying a broken car that you plan on treating as a DIY project... then buy an S1.

If you plan on heavily modifying everything about the car.... then buy an S1.

If you plan on stripping it down, ripping out the interior out and build a dedicated track racer... then buy an S1.

And if heated seats are more important to you than the grip level of the front seats (mmmm toasty bums)... then buy an S1.

Otherwise... R3.

As others said do try to go for a ride in both models (in as stock form as possible) if you can before picking one. You're mega far away from me. But if you fancy heading to Essex anytime we can make a day of it and zip around some country lanes between pubs.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

Some RX-8`s have xenon low beam headlights and high beam headlights.

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Del.

raises hand

Some of us have MOT-legal bi-xenon projectors too

[30405]

Depending on where in North Somerset you are you're welcome to get a ride along in my, apparently massively inferior ( ), S1.

Tbh, I think it all comes down to style. Now the R3 guys have weighed in on how bad the S1 is i'll say that I sometimes get the R3 confused with the Mazda 3. Because they look the same.

If you need me I'll be hiding in a bunker until the heat dies down.

[Ollie]

Lets just throw out the cost of replacement parts for R3s and flee... That'll show em! Also some of the nicest looking 8s have been S1s... Its like theres not really an aftermarket for R3 body kits...

[New Duke]

I like the Mazda 3! It's a handsome car. Nigel might be buying one soon. Clearly a natural evolution from the R3 he used to have

[Ollie]

Prefer the mazda 6 over the 3 personally.

[GreySilver Beast]

There is an all New 6 due out in 2 years time, which will be bigger than the current New 3 Saloon that has a huge Boot

[Ollie]

Ahah. Id never buy a new car. Too much of a big loss on first investment.

[GreySilver Beast]

Give it time Ollie, you are only 27 years old and Happy Birthday

I didn't buy my first Brand New Car until I hit 26

[New Duke]

Ahah. Id never buy a new car. Too much of a big loss on first investment.

I thought the same until I heard some of the discounts Nigel has negotiated on new cars

He's the Car Dealer Whisperer. Impressive are his skills.

[GreySilver Beast]

I don't even want to know of the "methods" Nigel puts to use to get cars.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

Lets just throw out the cost of replacement parts for R3s and flee...

I mean... I got nothing... Unless you need front wheel bearings (that are cheaper for the R3 than the S1) then it's megabucks for R3 bits :'(

[Ollie]

Aha. That's weird.. At least R3s are likely to hold value/increase in value.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

The wheel bearings are cheaper as Mazda changed the design between the two. The S1 has the wheel speed sensor built in to the hub, whereas the R3 has them separate. The reason the new hub costs less is because you don't have to replace the sensor as well

[oberlo]

Thank you for the advice and hospitality guys, really useful info with the xenons because I honestly feel like I can't drive without them in certain places (with no street lights the halogens just don't cut it for me!)

If only I had bought an RX7 instead of an Astra Gsi when I had the chance, I wouldn't have this first world problem as I would of kept the rx7 forever or at least taken my appreciation gains and just bought both lol.

The S1 doesn't look like it can get much cheaper that's for sure. Not sure about R3's as I haven't tracked them very long on autotrader but seems like the consensus is the same?

The real question is where does the 40th-anniversary edition sit in the debate of s1 vs r3?!

[Dr. FrankenRex]

I don't personally think either the R3 or the S1s are going to get any cheaper, I'd say they are at their bottom. That said, I think the PZs are actually tracking upward very slightly as you could find PZs for less than £1k a while back and they are getting harder to find south of £2k now (for ones worth buying at least).

With regards to the 40th, it'll be a divisive opinion, but I don't get why someone would spend R3 money on an S1... Just seems bonkers to me. If you want an S1, get a PZ is my thought process.

[Ollie]

Never seen a 40th go for R3 money unless it was pristine and super low mileage. I don't doubt they have though. The PZ is definitely the better option though for S1s. In most cases with an 8 you have two options... Buy a rusting shell with a solid engine or buy a clean shell with an engine thats likely to require a rebuild. Now... Rust repairs can get pretty expensive very quickly.

I will say its unlikely the S1s value will change. All we will see is good shells valued over good engines as time goes on. Where as the R3/Numbered edition S1s may possibly go up in value "eventually". Sadly I can't see what happened with the FD RX7 happening with the 8.