Fun autocross car that can fit a baby car seat? Rx8?

[Fred Sullivan]

My wife and I are expecting our first child in may and its got us thinking about switching out the miata for something that can carry a child seat as I may be the one dropping off and picking up the little one. I'd like to keep the miata but if I can't I was thinking a rx 8 would be the closest thing that might do. I'm open to suggestions maybe an evo? I tried a wrx sti and it didn't grab me.

My question's are:

Has anyone tried to do baby hauling with an rx 8 or am I completly off base?

How reliable is the engine really? My first car was a first gen rx7 and went 260,000 miles before the engine went bad but scanning rx 8 boards makes me a bit nervous, it seems like they may not be as robust as my old one was.

What about maintance, my old one was change plugs, wires, coils before it needed it and top off oil between changes. It ran great right up until it didn't.

I don't put very many miles on my cars so the poor milage isn't a big concern, but it also means I can't justify an additional car.

[Jeff Stuart]

I'm not sure about the whole car seat thing, but my RX-8 is for sale if you decide you want one. I've had fairly average-sized adults in the back seat of mine on various occasions.

All of the things you mentioned for maintenance sound about right. You're right to be nervous about the engines, but the good news is that with mine, that bridge has already been crossed! I had the engine replaced under warranty at about 67k miles, and it sits now at 71k (with 29k miles and about a year left on the engine warranty)

Email me if you're interested.

[KJ Christopher]

Loved my RX8 - Steve O'Blenes has it now in STX trim. Looks like at least some fit in the back:

[Ed Holley]

I'm not sure about the whole car seat thing, but my RX-8 is for sale if you decide you want one. I've had fairly average-sized adults in the back seat of mine on various occasions.

All of the things you mentioned for maintenance sound about right. You're right to be nervous about the engines, but the good news is that with mine, that bridge has already been crossed! I had the engine replaced under warranty at about 67k miles, and it sits now at 71k (with 29k miles and about a year left on the engine warranty)

Email me if you're interested.

Hmmm...can't imagine why the engine needed replacing "at 67K miles". I knew raising that rev limit to 10 grand was NOT a good idea.

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

My wife and I are expecting our first child in may and its got us thinking about switching out the miata for something that can carry a child seat as I may be the one dropping off and picking up the little one. I'd like to keep the miata but if I can't I was thinking a rx 8 would be the closest thing that might do. I'm open to suggestions maybe an evo? I tried a wrx sti and it didn't grab me.

My question's are:

Has anyone tried to do baby hauling with an rx 8 or am I completly off base?

How reliable is the engine really? My first car was a first gen rx7 and went 260,000 miles before the engine went bad but scanning rx 8 boards makes me a bit nervous, it seems like they may not be as robust as my old one was.

What about maintance, my old one was change plugs, wires, coils before it needed it and top off oil between changes. It ran great right up until it didn't.

I don't put very many miles on my cars so the poor milage isn't a big concern, but it also means I can't justify an additional car.

Kid seat (forward or rear facing) is not a problem - with a rear facing seat the passengers seat will need to be forward a bit more than usual. We had a kid seat and three adults in our car on a number of occasions, its not an SUV, but it will get the job done. One warning, the behemoth stroller that many first time parents get will not fit in the trunk, sure the trunk itself is a good size but some wiseguy engineer made the opening to small. :unimpressed: We had a separate smaller stroller for the RX-8.

Reliability can be an issue. We were fortunate, in five years of Solo and 80k+ miles only a HVAC control and evap pump replaced under warranty. IMHO stay away from a 2004 no matter how good the deal or updates done, the later cars seem to have less issues. Chances are many used cars will have a replacement engine already, but it should be covered by a warranty.

[Fred Sullivan]

Thanks guys. That photo is exactly what i've been looking for. I've been going through pages on rx8Club and haven't found a photo that good yet. All this car seat stuff has my head spining. My mom used to just put her arm out every time she stopped to keep me in the seat. Makes me wonder how I ever made it.

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

When the child is of age for the forward facing seat I recommend the Recaro. But up until then almost any convertible (base with snap in carrier) will fit.

[Richard Jung]

May be more than what you've budgeted for, but I'm selling a bascially showroom new Evo 8 for a friend (Chuck W.). Has ~12k miles, and new stock Yokohama tires. Plenty of room for child seat and more. $22.5k, less $ than an FRS with a lot more power, forged alum suspension, momo wheel, recaros, enkies, Brembos,etc. ;)

Rick

OR

Forgot I'm going to put up my BMW 330ci up for sale. Fits child's seat, and has 60/40 rear split. Factory M-Technic body. Will come with stock wheels instead of the SSRs in the pic. Fun comfortable family DD and AX car. $8,750

I'll put an ad up for both soon.

[Jayson Woodruff]

I ran my kid around in my first gen MR2 for more than the first year. Removable rear facing seat.

Also ran him (3-4yo) around a bit in Ken's MX5 when I'd have it for a period. Air bag is switchable.

Jay W

[Fred Sullivan]

My buddy gave me his old rear facing infant seat, it fits and is really easy to get in and out. So that was good news. I think I'll do like Jay did, at least in the beginning and see how it works out. If I can't get by with the miata it buys me some time so I can hunt around for something else.

Thanks Rick for the suggestions. I'd love to have an Evo some day but its out of the budget for now. I like the BMW too. (my dad has the same one) Wife says no to the 2 door though.

A big thank you to everyone for their ideas. I appreciate it.

[Craig Naylor]

A two door really isn't that bad once your kid is in a front facing car seat, by that point they climb in on their own. In my personal opinion it's actually easier, the B pillar jam isn't in your way, and you have better access facing the seat, than reaching over the seat to strap them in.

[Richard Jung]

Thanks Rick for the suggestions. I'd love to have an Evo some day but its out of the budget for now. I like the BMW too. (my dad has the same one) Wife says no to the 2 door though.

A big thank you to everyone for their ideas. I appreciate it.

Good luck with your search. Had a couple of people already interested in the Evo. I saw you mentioned the STi, but the newer WRX seems to be competitive in D Stock?

[Arthur Grant]

Positive side of two door is you don't worry about them opening a door, even if your sure you activated the child safety locks, same for windows. In an accident you know the door isn't coming open. Down side, loading and unloading, and possible extraction in a emergency situation. My two door with children was a Cadillac Coupe DeVille, but I have to be honest I always felt the kids were better off in that car than our 5 door station wagon. (Chevy Impala and Buick Estate Wagon).

[Will Kalman]

And with an RX-8, you can put the kid(s) in it and get gas mileage that's almost as good as a van!

[Fred Sullivan]

Test fit a rear facing seat in a bunch of cars the past few days with my wife and learned the seat makes for a tight fit. Some cars I thought it would work for sure were a no go. Long story short it, loads in and out (no B pillar) and fit the rx 8 the best (even better than her Mazda 3). It also allowed us both to use the front seats still.

We can wait, but if we find the right one we're going to jump on it. If anyone comes across a series 2 R3 I'm in the market.

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

We can wait, but if we find the right one we're going to jump on it. If anyone comes across a series 2 R3 I'm in the market.

If you are looking for that model it should be based on the fact you like the trim level, because its not a quicker car. ;)

[Jeff Stuart]

We can wait, but if we find the right one we're going to jump on it. If anyone comes across a series 2 R3 I'm in the market.

Did you get the email I sent you about mine?

Why are you looking for an R3?

[Mihail Milkov]

For cars that have only two seats, is there a law that prohibits putting a child seat in the passenger seat?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-dr ... e13848927/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jayson Woodruff]

For cars that have only two seats, is there a law that prohibits putting a child seat in the passenger seat?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-dr ... e13848927/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No. While it's highly advisable to turn off the air bag, it's not required by law. Modern 2-seaters should have an off-switch, most 4 seaters have an easy defeat (disconnect seat sensor on Prius).

There's lots of 'recommendations' that get passed on as laws these days. Even in the actual laws, there are lots of built in logic loop holes (i.e. if the back seat is already full of kids, your allowed to put one in the front seat).

There's been a lot of rapid change in car seats these days making it rather difficult to match kids to cars. Seats are getting much bigger and kids are required/recommended to stay in them longer. Right now we can't fit three kids (8,5,2) in the back of any mid-sized car, so it's either monster car, van or put one in front (which means both parents can't travel). We even tried the suposedly bigger prius V, but it's bigger door bulsters actually makes the rear passenger width narrower than our gen2.

Being in the name of safety of kids, I guess no one wants to argue against it.

Jay W

[Fred Sullivan]

Jason:
My understanding is that the R3 has a stiffer rear bar, a special set of bilsteins ( I'm sure not ideal for solo but would be better than stock valving ) and a half inch wider wheel. I thought that would be better than the lighter weight series 1. I Wouldn't be surprised if I was off base, is there a gearing issue? My wife and I do like the trim level and seats. Car would be for street class. ST is a prep level I'm not ready for.

Jeff:
Sorry I missed your first email, I don't check that one often enough. I got the second and will be getting back to you.

[Jeff Stuart]

Jason:
Car would be for street class. ST is a prep level I'm not ready for.

FWIW, I won SK2 with mine in 2011

Also, I think the R3 wheels are just an inch bigger in diameter, still 8" wide though, which just means more expensive tires. AFAIK, the gearing is the same, other than the difference in wheel diameter, but the top speed on mine in 2nd is already 67ish, so that's probably a bad thing. I don't know anything about the difference in shocks, I bet Jason does though.

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

Jason:
My understanding is that the R3 has a stiffer rear bar, a special set of bilsteins ( I'm sure not ideal for solo but would be better than stock valving ) and a half inch wider wheel. I thought that would be better than the lighter weight series 1. I Wouldn't be surprised if I was off base, is there a gearing issue? My wife and I do like the trim level and seats. Car would be for street class. ST is a prep level I'm not ready for.

Jeff:
Sorry I missed your first email, I don't check that one often enough. I got the second and will be getting back to you.

You have been given some incorrect info:
Stabilizer bar (front)
26.5 mm

Stabilizer bar (rear)
16.0 mm

Wheel size (in)
18 x 8.0 (19 x 8.0 on R3)

Yes the shocks offer different valving than standard, but those should be replaced with a set of $600 Koni Sports anyway. No idea why you would want a bigger rear bar.

The series one, actually 2005s in silver if you want to get specific, are the fastest. ;) The newer car will weigh more, and the heavier/taller 19" wheels of the R3 negate any gearing advantage the final drive change brought to the party - yes with brilliant new rules you can buy smaller diameter 18" wheels, but the guy with the base/sport series one or two can run even lighter 17"s. Also steer clear of moon roof cars, weight in the wrong place and helmet clearance issues even for many smaller drivers. If you like a dressed up interior consider the 2008 40th edition, it has 18"s and Bilsteins.

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

FWIW, I won SK2 with mine in 2011

Also, I think the R3 wheels are just an inch bigger in diameter, still 8" wide though, which just means more expensive tires. AFAIK, the gearing is the same, other than the difference in wheel diameter, but the top speed on mine in 2nd is already 67ish, so that's probably a bad thing. I don't know anything about the difference in shocks, I bet Jason does though.

The final drive and trans changed in the series two. It changes the top of second gear (the only one that matters for Solo) by 2-3mph. In our 2005 we could get 62.7mph (data and radar verified) on the limiter in 2nd with a 245-35-18 V710, and there was not a single year at nationals we did not hit the limiter. Based on that I would have stayed away from the series two (for stock class on R tires), as a sub 60mph 2nd is not enough. However, now with the lower grip street tires and often taller aspect ratios, a series two would be less hampered by its shorter gears.

[Jeff Stuart]

The final drive and trans changed in the series two. It changes the top of second gear (the only one that matters for Solo) by 2-3mph. In our 2005 we could get 62.7mph (data and radar verified) on the limiter in 2nd with a 245-35-18 V710, and there was not a single year at nationals we did not hit the limiter. Based on that I would have stayed away from the series two (for stock class on R tires), as a sub 60mph 2nd is not enough. However, now with the lower grip street tires and often taller aspect ratios, a series two would be less hampered by its shorter gears.

Interesting, I didn't realize they changed the final drive and trans in the series 2.
I've always run 245/40 street tires, not 245/35 DOT-Rs, though that wouldn't account for 5mph, so I'm probably remembering the top speed in 2nd incorrectly. Come to think of it, 62 does sound familiar. It's been over 2 years since I've autocrossed mine.