Mazda RX8 -V- Honda S2000 -V- Toyta Celica

WIZE

Hi Guys

im currently saving and in the next few months I plan to buy one of the following listed in the title for around 8k

Do any of you have experience driving any of the following and would recommend any of them?

pippip

For driving experience and no need for passengers I'd be going

Honda
Mazda
Toyota

Max Power1

pippip wrote: »

For driving experience and no need for passengers I'd be going

Honda
Mazda
Toyota

For exactly the same prerequisites I would go:

Mazda
honda
......
toyota


I dont think the celica is in the same league as the other two tbh

pippip

Yeh celica not in same league.....now what to replace it with?

djimi

Surely it depends on which Celica? GT4 would be comparible, no?

ShadowHearth

League or not, but maybe OP likes it.

If I would not need more then 2 seats I would go s2000.
If I do have an extra income, which cam go purely on car maintenance, not doing a lot of miles, find good example of rx8, then Mazda it is.
Not a fan of Celica myself, but it would be clearly the cheapest option of them all.

Cee-Jay-Cee

The S2000 is clearly a cut above the other two, the Mazda is unreliable, very thirsty and expensive to run although it is the most practical and best looking of the 3. The celica is a good car but they're out classed by the Honda and the Mazda in terms of power and styling. My choice would be the S2K

Veloce

I'd go for the S2000.

Max Power1

CJC999 wrote: »

The S2000 is clearly a cut above the other two, the Mazda is unreliable, very thirsty and expensive to run although it is the most practical and best looking of the 3. The celica is a good car but they're out classed by the Honda and the Mazda in terms of power and styling. My choice would be the S2K

The mazda isnt unreliable - it just needs to be maintained correctly.

Similar to the k-series rover engines, they werent prone to HGF they just required proper maintenance. Something irish motorists dont seem prone to.

MetzgerMeister

RX8 is my choice.

ION08

Ive a feeling you havent properly researched RX8's and Rotary engines so based on that id advise you to go with an S2K

Personally Id have an RX8

Gary ITR

Max Power1 wrote: »

The mazda isnt unreliable - it just needs to be maintained correctly.

Similar to the k-series rover engines, they werent prone to HGF they just required proper maintenance. Something irish motorists dont seem prone to.

So change his post to the Mazda needs a ****load more maintenance. The S2k is leagues ahead of the other two in terms of performance and handling

The RX8 is nothing but a let down, it offers nothing to warrant the extra maintenance unlike say the RX7 which will give you a massive smile. The S2k can be dogged and ragged and all it'll ask for is an oil change when it's due plus you can use it for short journeys without flooding it

MetzgerMeister

You can also use the RX8 for short journeys without flooding it.

maidhc

I had a Celica for a while. They are fine, but well down on power compared to a S2000.

How about a BMW Z4?

Gary ITR

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

You can also use the RX8 for short journeys without flooding it.

We had at least three towed to our garage due to flooding after short journeys, that never happened with a Celica or an S2K

MetzgerMeister

Gary ITR wrote: »

We had at least three towed to our garage due to flooding after short journeys, that never happened with a Celica or an S2K

I'm willing to bet that they were all either pre mid 2005 or didn't have the combination of an upgraded starter, battery and ignition leads. They had to at least have had RE7C-L leading plugs and RE9B-T trailing.

ION08

Gary ITR wrote: »

We had at least three towed to our garage due to flooding after short journeys, that never happened with a Celica or an S2K

I know of an s2000 which had bent pistons. That never happened with an RX8

MetzgerMeister

ION08 wrote: »

I know of an s2000 which had bent pistons. That never happened with an RX8

LOL

To be fair though, the 8 did suffer from it's own version of bent pistons in the form of apex seals wearing and causing bad compression.

Ferris

S2000 is the best car/engine but they are woefully overpriced. I bought an immaculate '07 rx8 for less than what lads were asking for '99 s2000's (rough ones at that).

Had a couple if issues (coils, cat) but the car has been reliable. Apart from that its reasonably quick and the handling is unreal. I can't wait to track it actually.

Also the s2000 is hardly a Prius. 25mpg vs 20 for the rx8, no no biggie unless you're doing big miles.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I owned a Rx8 and drove a s2000. I would go for an s2000, its convertable if your into that sort of thing, its reliable, economical, has good residuals and is fun to drive. The Rx8 is more practical but suffers from some reliability issues (not such an issue with later models with the new starter motor) and it cost a ton in petrol (20 mpg is dreaming if you do any city driving), the 190 version is not fast enough it needs to be the 230 model. Celica would not be for me.

Both good cars, the s2000 is a two seater convertable the rx8 is a 4 seat coupe....totally different propositions.

Ferris

They're not that different. There is limited choice out there when looking for rwd cars with a bit of power and reasonable tax. The s2000 is the safer bet but you pay for it.

Enthusiast owned 2004 s2000:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honds-s2000-rare-2004-247bhp-s2k-type-s/5338176

€9250


Enthusiast owned 2004 rx8, with a rebuilt engine and the one I'd buy if I was looking.

http://www.irishrotary.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7542

€4200

5k buys a lot of fuel.

ION08

Ferris wrote: »

They're not that different. There is limited choice out there when looking for rwd cars with a bit of power and reasonable tax. The s2000 is the safer bet but you pay for it.

Enthusiast owned 2004 s2000:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honds-s2000-rare-2004-247bhp-s2k-type-s/5338176

€9250


Enthusiast owned 2004 rx8, with a rebuilt engine and the one I'd buy if I was looking.

http://www.irishrotary.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7542

€4200

5k buys a lot of fuel.

Yes exactly, people love giving RX8's a hard time because of fuel consumption/rebuild issues but they are priced accordingly.

I think the Rx8's good looks catches most peoples eyes and when they see the price think "ooh i can afford that" :rolleyes: ....

They think they can get highly specced 04 rwd coupes with 230bhp and leather, xenons, Bose, climate control for 4 grand and then expect to treat them like Corollas! ... By all means if you want better reliability go ahead and pay double for a 5 year older s2000

djimi

Ferris wrote: »

Enthusiast owned 2004 s2000:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honds-s2000-rare-2004-247bhp-s2k-type-s/5338176

The Monster sticker on the hood; what on earth would possess anyone to want to do that

Max Power1

djimi wrote: »

The Monster sticker on the hood; what on earth would possess anyone to want to do that

What's that coming over the hill, is it a monster?

Ardennes1944

As me and MM said to each other before, I'd love to just buy an RX8 to park or put on a plint on my drive, and wax and polish it to hell, just so i could look at it even if i couldnt afford to drive it. Great looking cars, theres something about them!

da6xsi

Go test drive an rx8 and an s2000 and im sure youll fall in love with 1 or the other.

Personally id go s2000 but nothing wrong with the rx8 considering how cheap they are.

8k though id look at different cars a lot of bargains to be had when youve that much cash to play with.

id be in the dealers hassling all of em trying to get the best possible bargain for my 8k

good luck with the search anyways

MetzgerMeister

OP - if you are mechanically minded and you want to look after the car yourself and fix problems yourself, the RX8 is an excellent car once all these things are taken care of.

If you want a car that you don't really have to worry about get either the S2K or the Celica but out of those 2, I would certainly be going for the S2K.

Max Power1

da6xsi wrote: »

Go test drive an rx8 and an s2000 and im sure youll fall in love with 1 or the other.

Personally id go s2000 but nothing wrong with the rx8 considering how cheap they are.

8k though id look at different cars a lot of bargains to be had when youve that much cash to play with.

id be in the dealers hassling all of em trying to get the best possible bargain for my 8k

good luck with the search anyways

If I had 8k to spend on a car like that I would buy something more powerful like a cl600 or an m3 or a 645i

Cant go wrong with an rx8 in the 4-5k range

djimi

Max Power1 wrote: »

If I had 8k to spend on a car like that I would buy something more powerful like a cl600 or an m3 or a 645i

Im sure most people would but there is a bit of a jump in the running costs from those cars and the cars that the OP has mentioned to be fair!

Chris_Heilong

If it was me it would be the S2000, the celica shouldnt even be considered, maybe an MR2 instead.

Max Power1

djimi wrote: »

Im sure most people would but there is a bit of a jump in the running costs from those cars and the cars that the OP has mentioned to be fair!

Aside from tax, I dont think so tbh
Especially from the Rx8 to any of those cars I dont see much difference in mpg

djimi

Max Power1 wrote: »

Aside from tax, I dont think so tbh
Especially from the Rx8 to any of those cars I dont see much difference in mpg

Tax would be nearly a grand more expensive, and maintenance costs would be higher also (in terms of the cost of parts)?

MetzgerMeister

Max Power1 wrote: »

Aside from tax, I dont think so tbh
Especially from the Rx8 to any of those cars I dont see much difference in mpg

the difference in MPG is nuts when you see the difference in actual performance between an M3 and an RX8.

unkel

For the price of an S2000, you could have a Porsche Boxster. I know which I would pick of those two

If you go in with your eyes wide open, the RX-8 are very good value for money. Modern RWD sports car for a few grand!

bigboss1986

Hi there.
I have Celica VVTLI 190 2000 and RX8 2004 230 BHP taxed as 1.3 .RX8 doesnt pull well from low RPM so let say if u are switching from diesel you will be disappointed.You cant really compare celica and rx8 .I use RX8 on daily basis (baby seat at the back ),she drinks a loooot of petrol in town (Galway)l 15-16l/100km ,celica 9-12l/100km.RX8 isnt really expensive to maintain if you know how to do it.If you go for rx8 make sure It has FULL SERVICE HISTORY(not like 90% cars in Ireland-''When did you change oil? -It is Toyota you dont have to change oil'' ).Also there are rx8 with engine rebuild wich would be good option.

Soarer

Supra 3.0 TT like this one.

gambithh

celica is you want the cheapest,most comfortable etc.I had this and an s2000

S2000 is much more a drivers car,unpractical hairy rwd in the wet,its also a handsome looking best with an oem splitter and hardtop.
Hers is mine


have it 18 months only thing I replaced was a sticky front caliper.does about 25 - 28 mpg.its a hoot to drive!

High purchase price yes,but they seem to depreciate very little because for such a simple car they seem to be a rare sight on irish roads.

Don't know much about the rx8 so cant comment.

would a DC5 integra type r best the best compromise of all three?

RootX

If I hadn't bought mine last week, this is the one I'd be going for

http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=53016

The guy selling it is a rotary expert.

ION08

RootX wrote: »

If I hadn't bought mine last week, this is the one I'd be going for

http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=53016

The guy selling it is a rotary expert.

My God that is gorgeous! Far nicer than any s2000 (but thats just me)

JohnBoy26

Max Power1 wrote: »

The mazda isnt unreliable - it just needs to be maintained correctly.

Similar to the k-series rover engines, they werent prone to HGF they just required proper maintenance. Something irish motorists dont seem prone to.

here we go again the poor maintenance by Irish drivers leads to all these issues argument. The truth of it though is that it's more down to design issues rather than poor maintenance in most cases.

Now in not saying that is entirely true of the rx8 but in the Rover k series it is. They were a very badly designed engine with a very fragile long bolt setup which along with it's poor block design and poor cooling system was the perfect recipe for hg failure that no maintenance could prevent.

The hg failures didn't only effect Irish mg rovers but all rovers even in Britain where most cars are religiously maintained. This issue was also one of the reason for the car maker's demise.

Tragedy

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Now in not saying that is entirely true of the rx8 but in the Rover k series it is. They were a very badly designed engine with a very fragile long bolt setup which along with it's poor block design and poor cooling system was the perfect recipe for hg failure that no maintenance could prevent.

Almost 20 years since the first instances of K series HGF, there is still no indisputable cause for the majority of them. To be blunt, there are a number of things that have caused HGF on the K Series (almost all of which had been fixed over time), but none of them come down to a poor block design (the K series was quite literally a revolutionary engine back then, both in design, performance characteristics and weight) nor a poor cooling system.

The hg failures didn't only effect Irish mg rovers but all rovers even in Britain where most cars are religiously maintained.

As a member of mg-rover.org and the 75 and ZT owners club for many years, I can assure you that the vast majority of HGF that I have personally seen have been due to poor maintenance, and far more commonly, poor previous repairs.

In my case, my MG ZT KV6 suffered HGF and is on it's way to suffering HGF again. I know exactly what the cause is now (a slipped liner, the KV6 uses protruding liners and it's been known for a liner to slip very rarely) but I took it to 4 mechanics and two specialists, none of whom diagnosed it correctly - despite one taking the head off, skimming it and fitting a new head gasket.

My girlfriends K series MG ZR was bought knowing that an MLS gasket had previously been fitted. Despite this, it started losing coolant and judging by the exhaust smoke - it was getting into the combustion. Knowing the engines fairly well, I figured it was likely to be the inlet manifold gasket rather than the headgasket (and I also fitted a new rocker cover gasket as these tend to leak unless replaced with an uprated part). Upon disassembling the inlet manifold and rocker cover, it became clear someone had tried cure the coolant loss previously - by stuffing sealant all over every single gasket.

This issue was also one of the reason for the car maker's demise.

No it wasn't, MGR went under due to chronic mismanagement and fraud by the Phoenix Four. I suggest you start off educating yourself by reading this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/aug/11/rover-phoenix-timeline

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I maintained my rx8 perfectly and it still spent more time in the dealers than my driveway. Weak starters, leaking seals, low hanging suspension parts that snag on bumps, flooding despite being warmed and reved etc....some cars are just unreliable, no oil changes and waxing will fix that. And remember you cannot buy one new, so it's the sum of all owners.

Great car, but not reliable.

MetzgerMeister

If I was to buy one and I wanted one that I knew wouldn't flood no matter what and was incredibly well maintained, I'd buy my old one back from the guy I sold it to 2 years ago. He still has it and he is still treating it like a normal car like I did once I upgraded the starter, battery, ignition coils and leads i.e. not worrying about it being warmed up etc. before turning off.

ION08

I had one for a about year, put around 10k miles on it ... not a single days trouble with it.

Still miss that car to this day

Jimmy Bottlehead

OP, I had the same dilemma just under 2 years ago, was dead set on an RX-8 but in the end I couldn't promise myself I'd give it the extra care it needed, plus it would have absolutely robbed me on fuel.

The Celica is a nice motor, but just isn't in the same league as the other two.

I ended up plumping for a Honda S2000 and two years later I still love it to bits.
Needs next to no maintenance, they're pretty rare, are a blast to drive, aren't too bad on fuel (28-30MPG average), and nothing compares to a top-down drive on a sunny day or a warm night.

Plus, they're a sexy little bitch when they're clean!

Have you considered the Opel Speedster / Vauxhall vx220. Rare enough in Ire but available in UK.

Larbre34

RX-8 is most energetic drive and can be uncomfortable enough to live with, S2000 reminiscent of old fashioned Brit sports car, which isnt a bad thing

Unless you have another €8,000 support fund to run an RX-8, go for the Honda and enjoy.......

cpoh1

It really depends on what you are looking for!

Weekend fun car? S2000 no questions - drop top, low running and maintenance costs as its ultra reliable. The S2k is raw, loud in vtec and crabby at the limit on backroads.

Weekend car with daily performance? The RX8 will give you better practicality than the s2k but it wont feel as fast or as loud (I always found the rx8 to be very tame noise and feel wise coming from hondas).

If its the latter above and you are considering the celica, have a close look at the dc5, super handler, better engine than the s2k and massive boot even with the seats up. The k20 engine is better on juice than all the options above too.

RedDeadMarshal

S2000 9000rpm vtec but that's nothing special IMO
I Would go Mazda but again it's a rotary engine so it has no pistons.
If it was maintained well then you're in for a treat but if it isn't well maintained then it's going to be a disaster. Be prepared though to spend a lot of money on petrol and oil. They drink more oil than your average piston driven car. Mazda recommends using dexelia oil 5w-20 only. As for the celica it's the only front wheel drive in your list and the most economical. go for the 1.8 vvti-l which was the same engine used in the lotus and it's an awesome car but I would go for rx8 or s2000 if you would like to practice diffin or drifting.

MetzgerMeister

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

vvti-l

VVTLi

RedDeadMarshal

thanks mate I knew that didn't sound right haha