https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/6-litre-ls-swapped-mazda-rx8

2 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

I wouldn’t buy it. That car 5 years ago sold for as little as 2000 Euro here in Germany because that engine is not reliable. There’s precautions you can take, like using a specific oil and doing frequent oil changes etc. (the information is online in case you want it), but if the engine fails it’s gonna be expensive to repair. So, you might get lucky or you might not, if you’re not then you face either selling the car for a fraction of what you paid for or an expensive repair bill and after that you can have the same problem again. It’s a nice looking car, no doubt, but I wouldn’t be taking the risk. If you want a reliable sports car then get a Nissan Z350 or 370. They sound much nicer, too, in my opinion, of course that’s subjective, and it’s not a rotary engine. 
 

Another alternative would be the second generation of the Toyota Mr-2, but the stock engine is prone to overheating and since Thailand is hot I can’t really recommend it unless you swap the stock engine for a V6 from Toyota which doesn’t have the overheating issue and is a popular mod. You can find information about that online as well. But you would need to find someone who can to the swap, depending on how much the Mazda is, it might be possible to get it done for less what the Mazda is and the MR-2 looks infinitely better than the Mazda in my opinion. 
 

Or you just get a third generation Mazda MX-5. Perfect 50-50 weight distribution, awesome handling, and it’s a convertible available with a retractable hardtop, if that’s your thing. The car was in the top 10 list of Car and Driver’s from 2006 until 2013. It’s available with 170 bhp.

Or get a wrx 

 

 

Rotary emissions are about 120c hotter than standard combustion engines. Typically this is apparently not a problem..... but if you are stuck in a Bangkok traffic jam?

10 hours ago, DavisH said:

Or get a wrx 

 

 

Or a Honda S2000.

4 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Or a Honda S2000.

Unfortunately, there are very few in Thailand. The rex is common and garages can work on them. 

4 hours ago, DavisH said:

Unfortunately, there are very few in Thailand. The rex is common and garages can work on them. 

Yeah, it’s probably because of the luxury tax. I think the S2000 just cracks the horsepower at which it’s considered to be luxury, if I’m not mistaken. As nice as it is it’s not worth the 200%.

On 5/2/2021 at 11:11 AM, 1FinickyOne said:

that maybe there will be 'stipulations' when you try and enforce the warranty?

 

That if you are planning on so little usage it might be cheaper to rent one when you do want to use it? 

Rent an RX-8?  From where, exactly?

On 5/2/2021 at 12:33 PM, pedro01 said:

call Mazda and ask the price of a new gearbox or engine, also ask the price for new wing mirror, headlights, rear lights.

The body parts and lights' prices would be his insurer's problem, not his.

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Rent an RX-8?  From where, exactly?

you might want to start your inquiry at car rental places and /or asking a mazda dealer if they know of any place... 

1 minute ago, 1FinickyOne said:

7 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Rent an RX-8?  From where, exactly?

you might want to start your inquiry at car rental places and /or asking a mazda dealer if they know of any place... 

I was asking you because you're the one who suggested that's what he should do!   Not unreasonable to presume, therefore, that you know a source to get a sports car (very unusual at any rental company in Thailand) that'd be at least nine years old.

Here's an rx-8 for sale. https://www.facebook.com/300garagelife

On 5/9/2021 at 7:52 AM, DavisH said:

Here's an rx-8 for sale. https://www.facebook.com/300garagelife

 

That should be a crime - those cars are beautiful out of the shop - that one looks awful.

 

But it's cheep!