essenbur

I'm going to get my first new car ( just graduated college yeah) and I'm either looking at a toyota tacoma or just going with an urge and spend a bit more and get an RX8. I've noticed that a lot of the cars are going at invoice or a bit under which is cool. I just have a few questions.

Is the resale of a Rx8 decent? Since Ford owns Mazda ( might not mean anything I don't like fords bad experiences)

This a good daily driver car? I would drive it like 30miles a day or more.

Insurance high?

I love the way it looks and don't have much to take care of and would like a nice sporty car.

I know I could find this looking around the site but humor me

Thanks
Matt

PaulieWalnuts

Resale: It's about the same as any new $30K car. Drive off the lot and you just lost at least 20%. However, it's not as bad as all of the "everybody gets employee pricing" deals going on. I feel sorry for the people who recently bought that new $38K SUV that is now going for $25K. Talk about resale crash.

Daily Driver: Yes, excellent. I put a ton of miles on mine and it's a great balance between comfort and sport.

Insurance: Very good but depends on the company. My insurance is about the same as my Mazda Millenia. In comparison a Vette or other 2-door car would have been a lot more.

So, you're thinking of either a Tacoma or 8? That's a pretty big difference. Most people ask about something pretty similar. You sure you want a sports car?

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Whoa, that's quite a difference in cars you're considering.

One of the things to consider with the RX-8 is that it is not as 'low maintenance' as a Tacoma. (my gf has a Tacoma PreRunner)
The RX-8 needs to have its oil checked every so often as it intentionally uses oil to lubricate parts of the engine. (aka burns up oil)

Are you worried about mpg? The RX-8 is a sports car after all...it'll get you anywhere from 10-18 mpg if you're doing any agressive driving or lots of street driving.

Do you want / need the truck to pull / tow things?
How much are you really willing to spend? Does the RX-8 really fit your budget?

Hope this helps you out a bit. If not, feel free to ask more questions; lots of useful people on this forum

essenbur

I don't really tow anything just thought it'd be practicle to get a truck. My buddy got a Tacoma and It seemed nice, but I don't tow I live in Socal so I just wanted a cool sports car to cruise in.

Checking oil once in a while isn't bad I use to own a 67 VW Microbus and I'd check the oil on that every time I went out. As I was reading the forums maybe add a quart every 2-3k miles?

I usually drive average but would like something to have some get up when I need it and add some fun to daily drives to work or up to LA. I don't see to many people with RX8's which is cool in my book.

Any more pointers?

essenbur

On a other note affording the car my salary is close to 60k so I don't know if that'd be an issue.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Please don't take this the wrong way but I see people with 6 digit salaries that cant afford an RX-8! :eek (see my profile for occupation)

It all comes down to how well you manange your salary... Do you spend $$ on unnecessary stuff, do you have a large mortgage / rent, etc.

If you can afford the car (payment, premium gas, and insurance), I say GO FOR IT!

This car is much more fun then a Tacoma (even though those are GREAT trucks)

PaulieWalnuts

Uhhhh, you think that has anything to do with the fact that the average house in Newport Coast is, what, $900K?

essenbur

I can't afford a house in Socal, so I rent and I don't buy too much junk who knows

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

buy it! it truly is a magnificent machine. :D

nzarnow

Get the RX-8, just make sure you get the MANUAL!

essenbur

My head says not to, the rest says BUY IT hmm think about it at work haha

anomaly

I know exactly what you are going through.. I've owned 3 honda accords, an eclipse, a tacoma prerunner and my wife has a toyota highlander. My '98 accord was having problems, (v-tec issues, transmission, etc) and I was very close to buying another Accord EX V6. So, I'm pretty used to low-maintenance vehicles and I drive around 70 miles (mostly open car-commercial like roads) each day roundtrip to my office.

I was torn between another responsible, low-maintenance (boring) car - or something I would enjoy and be proud of. My wife and I have both had tacoma's - hers was mechanically sound but had interior/electrical glitches and minor annoyances. Mine was like new when I sold it but terribly boring. I would get attention of nascar loving, domestic-beer drinking, hunt-fiend rednecks that were too drunk to tell it wasn't a chevy.

I fell in love with the 8's body style and always wanted an RX-7, ever since driving a friend's.

On my way to the Honda Dealership to buy another accord, a titanium grey '04 w/ 13k miles was sitting on the road at a chevy lot. After running the carfax and pre-arranging financing w/ my bank - I bought the 8.

The first thing that jumped out to me was how fun the car is to drive. Everyone says that but it's hard to explain until you drive it to work a few times.

Now for the "bad" part.
400 miles into it, the check engine light came on. I really started reading the forums about all of the people having problems and got that sinking feeling that I had just made a huge mistake. The dealership flashed the PCM, the light went off but came back on the next day.

Tomorrow, I take my 8 back to the dealership to have the check-engine light remedied. The light is steady and car runs great, so from what I read and hear it's likely I need a new gas cap - or - at most - to have the CAT replaced - either one will be under warrany and won't cost me a dime. I get to drive one of their cars home if they keep my baby overnight - no sweat, I can drive a lame car for a few days.

So, to my point - even though my 8 has had a small glitch, I couldn't imagine NOT having it. It's definitely the coolest car I've owned and I absolutely look forward to that 45 minute drive to work each morning and it's not because of my job. =)
Plus, I got such a good deal on mine, I expected a mechanical problem to be remedied.

You will get plenty of stares, so - if you are like me and not usually flashy - that's something to get used to.

My insurance only raised $70/6 mos

My wife loves the car - and - she's 7 mos pregnant.

I average around 20 MPG, use nothing but premium fuel - and it really doesn't "feel" like I'm spending that much more on gas than w/ the other rice rockets I've owned. Even if you are - don't go out with the guys, one day for a $8 mexican meal and you've made up your difference in gas price likely for half the month.

And.. most importantly - the stereo kicks ***. Go buy/burn a mix of your fav cruising tunes, stop and go to the dealership tomorrow to get your 8. It's waiting for you to pick it up! Get some oil and put it in the trunk of your new rx-8. You gotta feed her but it's not bad at all.

Gambit

I don't think the resale value is that great right now, but who gets rid of a car after a year anyway

Works fine as a daily driver....just not in the snow unless you get new tires

insurance is low for a sports car...my friend with an STi pays almost double