There's really not that much trouble with the 8's and the little bit there is... is totally worth it. ... I said totally, gosh.

 

It's a good pic and I like the "super agile" comment.

 

If you are a student I would recommend holding off on getting an 8. Especially if it's the only car you'll have. In fact, I wouldn't recommend this car as an only car for anyone. My main ride for commuting and such is a beat up Chevy i have had for 15 years. It got me through college, repairs are cheap and infrequent, uses little gas, and just keeps going and going even though it's falling apart. The point is, it serves its purpose very well. As fun as it is to drive, I try not to drive my 8 on a daily basis just because i don't want to run it into the ground. Another thing to consider is how your 8 will hold up to college lifestyle (I'm assuming by school you mean college or university of some sort). One thing I remember from college was everyones complete lack of respect for other's property. Just something to think about.

My recommendation is focus on your studies buy an 8 after you graduate and are securely employed. Think of it as a graduation present to yourself.

If you decide to get one anyway, maybe think about throwing down another couple grand for a used second car that you can drive everyday and not worry about running it into the ground. Good luck though in whatever choice you make.

 

I commute to college with my rx8 daily. I take my 8 wherever I go. It hasn't failed me once. Flooding is a non-issue, gas mileage is a negative, but the rotary experience outweighs it, imo. As far as reliability, I consider it very reliable. Mazda built the Renesis while having the goal of rotary reliability. I've had a few minor problems here and there, like condensation in the tail light, broken sun visor, but nothing serious. Like someone said, it's all under warranty, and they'll give you a loaner. I won't be 20 for a while, but they don't hesitate to give me one, as long as I have my driver's license and proof of insurance handy. I don't know if that varies by dealership or location, but maybe you should check in beforehand with the closest Mazda dealership near you.

I say go for it, but make sure you put in the time to take care of it. It definitely gives me motivation during the day to study and work harder. And all that attention doesn't hurt either

 

Seriously, keep your car...the RX-8 is great, but it's still a car... Put any extra cash you have on your tuition--make it count.

That is the best advice I can give you, but I wanted one too...theire irresistible, I know.

 

Nada trouble for me
goin over a year and a half now

Workin in Vegas 5 days a week ( about 22 miles same as you )
and 2 days i'm off, I drive to LA and back almost every week

 

I understand what you are saying. But I have to get another car sometime soon anyways.

 

I appreciate the advice. It's definitely giving me something to think about.

 

Get something used to hold you over until you graduate. Enjoy school and your friends. When you grad more than likely there will be something better out and you'll be glad you waited.

 

I'm on 18K with zero problems. Great car. While I don't dispute people will have problems I question if some of those people on that site even owned the car. Even the Hondas and Toyotas were getting quite a few bad reviews.

But as some of the other people mentioned it may get trashed at school. Barf is hard to clean.

 

Suppose you have a clear $600 dollars a month to pay for a new RX-8: Take the money that you would have used to pay for the car, put half in a CD account and let the interest roll over, then if you must get a new car, get something really cheap, using the other half of the money.
Make sure the car is new so it has a warrenty, like one of those $13,000 new Mazdas. In five or 6 years, you will have built up enough in the CD account to pay lots of cash for your new improved RX-10, and your new car will have been paid for, so you are no longer in debt. Insurance costs will be lower because you are older, and life easier until you graduate. After you have graduated and started a new job, you will now want to be finding a mate and the new RX will be more useful, and it will tell your truer status.

These cars should come with a warning label - they will attract chicks. These cars attract chicks because they say you have a beautiful, expensive vehicle, and therefore, you have good taste and a beautiful expensive income, that the chick can help you spend. They say that you are successful, intelligent, available, and are earning a comfortable surplus. You will make a good provider. If you are a student, living off your parent's income, it will be unfair to the chicks, sort of like false advertising, and it may impair your ability to pay for the classes that will put truth to the advertisment.

As an alternative - get that RX-8, since you or your parents have lots of surplus money. You can afford the new racing tires, the higher insurance and re-tagging costs, and premium gas prices. You can attract cheerleaders, playboy bunnies, and find that trophy wife you have always wanted. She will have spent a million and a half for her sweet sixteen party, her Dad will be an oil company CEO, who takes vacations to run for Congress. If you drop out of school he will give a job as a CEO in his company. Reliability isn't a factor since you already have your own mechanic, and while he is doing the up-keep you can find time to improve your Polo skills in-between classes. I believe Vanderbuilt University has a polo team....

 

yep, sounds like you should purchase a Honda Civic.

 

I love the 8 except for my 13 MPG...going for the flash...my car has 4000 miles on it!

 

I understand completely.

RX-8's are awesome, they're an excellent "bang for your buck." Maintenance is not much different than any other vehicle...but you will go through a lot of gas.

Also, I'm glad to see everyone giving such great advice. Save, save, save!!!

 

Ok I think I'm leaning towards spending sub-$17k now, which kinda kicks the 8 out. But I am still adamant that I at least want something fun-to-drive. I mean if I'm going from a beat-up '99 Altima to a Civic, it's like going from vanilla to french vanilla.

 

To me I'm curious as to where you live?.. does it snow alot or are you lucky and have little to no snow. Me I live in MA and well it snows alot ova here obviously lol, so the first thing I asked was "does this have seasonal or performance tires?" the salesman said performance but was dead wrong since he was well a dumbass overall (I knew more about the car than him ugh!). For me thankfuly if it ever really snows ALOT I have public transit right at my corner. So its something to think about again if it snows in your area, heard alot of semihorror stories of lack of traction on snow (though they had performance tires on who would of thunk it?!).

If your steering away from the 8 now what you gonna look for? If your looking near 17k you think about a Scion Tc? Great milage and has a sporty look AND its not a Civic. Was gonna buy one myself till I foolishly asked my salesman at the Mazda dealership "oh really how much is this Rx-8". Scion has alot of cashback bonus and financing for college students and first time buyers but mainly for college students (last time I checked they had a 1k off for you students ugh!). They are rare in my area just like my 8 so far. I have other idea's but they are not in the sporty realm more along the lines of pimpness haha..

 

This is actually really great advice. This car is amazing! I just got my RX8 last week, but I had to wait. I've been drooling over this car since it came out. But I had to finish my degree and get an awesome job before i could get it and I am glad i did. If not, I wouldn't have had the fun I am having now. I would have been stressed out about gas, insurance, oil changes...etc. Now, I have the time and the money to pamper the hell out of my baby. Just wait, man. We'll still be here when you get yours. Then roll with us.

 

The 8 is my only car, so what? A car is meant to be driven. It has never failed me and probably never will. Why? Because I take good care of it. Study the precautions and the manual and you should never have a flood. Park far away from other cars so you don't get dings. Don't drive the car into the ground and you should get decent mileage. Get the car you truly desire and you'll be a happy camper. In the end, its all about how much $$ you can dish out.

 

Then dont buy it. Go get a Geo

 

I'm lucky enough to live in Southern California, so yeah, no snow. Thanks for the Tc recommendation but I just don't like that car at all. Looks too, for lack of better word, girlish. Also its FWD, and it's a Toyota (I don't like the numbness of Toyota steering).

I'm looking at '05 WRX's now, hopefully looking for a sweet deal on a low-mileage base model and hopefully without a spoiler.

But thanks for all the help to everyone in putting me in perspective. I'll get a RX-7 when I graduate (hopefully I'll graduate). I have a strong feeling Mazda is gonna revive the 'ol RX-7.

 

Oh really! Iv'e seen used ones go for 20k

Wait a year and you can get one for 17

 

Lets see,,,,21,000 miles and never missed a lick.
The dealer put in a new steering wheel Air-Bag because it rattled.
2 new air filters. 6 oil changes. 6 tire rotations.
Sounds pretty low maintenence to me.
What more do you want,,and it is fun to drive!

 

I find this to be a good answer from an RX-7 site. Although RX-8 is probably more reliable than RX-7, the gist is similar, I think:

RX-7 Reliability

By David Lane, dlane@peabody.jhu.edu
Every now and again we get a message from someone who is probably just trying to yank our chains with this "blown engine" stuff. I will use the most recent one in a very loose way as a model, but there is nothing personal here.
First its:

"Should I buy an RX-7? I hear the engines break all the time."

Then we hear a bunch of justification to somehow "prove" this is the case by comparing the number of times the term "rebuild" is mentioned in various news groups. Finally, we get a whole list of high mileage cars that have been owned for a period of time by the writer--and the implied challenge: "Will an RX-7 be as reliable as this BMW/Volvo/Toyota/etc?"
I think we are asking the wrong question here. But to answer directly, PLEASE do not buy an RX-7. Buy anything else but an RX-7. You will hate it, and you will bombard this list of generally caring people with question after question about why your car does this or that. Eventually you will probably blame all of us for "convincing" you to do something you were in doubt about in the first place. Don't do it.
You see, people who own RX-7s are not conflicted about them. We don't have to justify our choice of car by bragging that it went a zillion miles without an oil change. Normally we brag that we change the oil religiously. We also brag about the aesthetics of owning, driving, and competing in our cars--even though some of them barely produce a hundred horsepower. While some of us may eventually decide to buy a Supra, or a Volvo, or a BMW, we almost always end up regretting the loss of our rotaries. We consider it to be a sacrifice to the gods of practicality, maybe, but never "trading up to something better."
Next time you are out on the street, check out the number of older RX-7s there are out there. See who is driving them. You might be surprised to notice that many of these high mileage cars on the road are still in use as daily drivers by secretaries and college students--not just enthusiasts. Also, most of these cars were not originally bought by BMW types--rather they were purchased by "value oriented" people who are not always the sort who baby their cars. Many have had a rough life, and have soldered on amazingly well. You can see it in the faded paint and door dings.
The 3rd gens were not designed for that crowd. They were priced out of that range. Besides, most of their capabilities are wasted doing yeoman duty as stop and go machines in rush hour traffic.
Can you overheat them and have them keep going? Nope.
Can you let them knock like a New York Taxicab and have them survive forever? Nope.
Can you hop them up to double their horsepower and expect them to live as long as a stock engine? Hardly.
Then why might you want one?
Maybe because every RX-7 is a well balanced, responsive, rear wheel drive sports/GT car that is a delight to flick around.
Maybe because with average care, a stock machine is quite durable and does, in fact, last a long time.
Maybe because, as I have said before, the great cars are not the perfect ones. The great cars are the ones worth repairing.
So, if you are going to put a Toyota Camry in the same sentence with an RX-7, buy the Camry. If you think a Volvo is a better car than an RX-7 because the engine is more likely to survive a broken coolant hose, buy the Volvo.
If you think a Supra is a better car because you prefer its balance of attributes--fine. Buy the Supra.
There is only one reason to buy an RX-7. It is simple, really. You drive it. You grin. You want it. You buy it. If you are unlucky and you lose an engine due to age, abuse, or simple bad luck, you start pouring over the catalogs and drool about the extra power you can have built into the new one. Most owners fret for only a few days before getting to that stage.
Earlier I said I thought questions about reliability were the wrong questions when considering an RX-7. The right questions are: How do you want your car to respond to you? What excites you? In addition to transportation, what would you like to do with your car?
If the answer to these questions does not differentiate between an RX-7 and a Camry or Volvo or BMW, there is no reason to buy the RX-7--or to waste our time.
If, on the other hand, the answers to those questions point you to an RX-7, we will stick by you as you bring your older car up to snuff. Once there it will last a long time. You will be proud of it. You and your car will work together to make driving much more than just "getting there."
And you will get frustrated when people try to boil the entire experience of sports/GT car ownership into something as monolithic as "is the engine more likely to need replacement in an RX-7 than in another type of car.
If you have to ask, you are trying to judge something with your head which was designed to be treasured by your emotions.
It's not going to work.

 

Turnkey reliability?
Fun to drive?
Cheap?

Can you say MIATA ???!!!!

Seriously, you should be looking over on the miata forums.