I drove an rx8 before and it was awesome. Things to keep in mind though is that it is a rotary engine which may not be as reliable as a conventional piston engine and you have to take it to an experienced mechanic. Since the engines are so rare most shops will not know how to work on them. With the old rotary engines you had to replace the seals every 100k, although the new ones may be better. Also, it is RWD so you will have to be careful in the winter if you get snow where you live. Another Mazda alternative that you may be able to get for about the same price is the Mazdaspeed 6. I think this car is even a little faster and it is AWD with a conventional engine. I think they came out in 05 or 06. I just bought a Mazdaspeed 3 and I love it.