My recent post consisted of me asking questions about the Rx8 and if it was good for my first car. The majority of the answers came out 'no', as it would run my wallet down even after I made the 10,000 purchase of the 2004 model. Gas milage and maitn would take that into account.

With that said, I really want to know other cars that have the same look, or similar for that price range. The Rx8, I think, was a great find and a great car yet not for me. I do not want to be generic and get a honda civic, or a random 1990's car. Can you guy's help on my search?

PS: I already looked at the Miata, I really do like it except for the fact it is only 2 seats. I will be 17 next year and I'd really like the space.

Thanks again Rx8 Community,

Jared

 

oh **** just get the RX8 and live with the consequences. dont be a wuss. remember no pain no gain.

 

For $10k, you could go with a lot of things... But like was said in the previous thread, it's not going to be a sports car. However, if you don't want something generic that everyone else has... Here's a few ideas I would consider... (Sticking with 4-doors for insurance and passenger comfort)

1) 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer (Base) w/ ~50-60k miles.

• Should be about your $10k mark
• Great reliability
• Decent fuel economy
• Decent insurance
• Fun/cool/sporty with potential for mods/upgrades later.

2) 2004 Subaru Impreza Sedan (RS) w/ ~50-70k miles.

• Also should be about your $10k point
• Fun to drive, sporty
• GREAT reliability
• Okay gas mileage
• Also, being up north, it's got AWD for the winter road conditions!

3) 2007-2008 Dodge Caliber or Jeep Compass w/ ~50k miles. These are AWESOME! I just about bought one a couple years back for a commuter car.

• The Jeep has a cool flip-down speaker pod on the liftgate for tailgating.
• Good fuel economy
• CHEAP insurance
• Inexpensive to maintain
• Pretty reliable
• Should probably find one in this price range that has quite a few bells and whistles. (Steering clear of the SRT... Yeah, that maintenance/insurance thing again)

 

SNAP!

Look dude, (being serious) your obviously interested in an RX. But you have honeslty come to the wrong place if you want some hand holding.

Seems like you are obviously a young guy, so Ill try to be nice.
Step 1: get in an Rx and take it for a drive. Have a go.
Step 2:Do some reading. Like really. I know you will say you have but if you creating these sorts of threads, you obviously haven't done enough.
Step 3: Before someone shoots you down (Like above) stop asking silly questions. You are dealing with the uber obsessed and dedicated on this site. And....well, it kinda sounds like you are creating threads to get attention.

Nuff sed?

 

I understand where you are coming from and completley get it. It may seem like I am looking for attention but I can assure you I am not one of those. I also never said I did reading, I just looked up prices. Hell, I even asked what a rotary engine was on my previous thread! lol. I do like your idea to test driving the Rx, which I may try. My lessons for my permit only start tomorrow lmao though, so I have a little.

As I can tell you are deffinitly right that the people on here are dedicated to their Rx's but they have provided me great information to helping me on my search so far.

Thanks,
Jared

 

Also, thank you to the other 2 above! I really appreciate it, especially the pictures. The Lancer was something I looked up actually previously but I do not know why I strayed from it as it is still a nice car. I really like that Subaru as well, living in NJ with all the snowy winters, AWD is probably my best bet.

Thanks, keep the suggestions coming please!

Jared

 

a used boxster

 

Test drive! Drive the RX-8, Lancer, Imprezza, GTI, etc. Hell, drive a minivan. Drive all the cars you can get your hands on, then drive the RX-8 again. If the thing that grabbed you about the 8 is its looks (as it sounds from your posts), there's nothing wrong with that, but what you're buying when you get an 8 is not looks, but a fine tuned sports car. After driving all the cars you can you'll either find that a 'normal' car is good enough, cheap, easy to maintain, etc. or you'll find that the experience driving the others is a gigantic let-down and you must have the performance of the 8 despite the extra hassles.

You're buying your first car so its understandable that you're excited and good that you're asking questions. The reality though is that you cannot shop for a car using magazine rankings, pictures, or internet forums. You HAVE TO test drive. You may find that when you sit in the 8, that you can't get a comfortable seat position or something else seemingly trivial, but it's the little trivial stuff that will really get on your nerves a few thousand miles down the road. Maybe you find that you really like that GTI's leather interior and extra trunk space even though it looks like a breadbox on wheels. This is stuff that you can't really understand until you're in the car turning the wheel and pushing the buttons.

Make a list of a dozen or so cool cars you might be interested in, then add to that list a few more mundane options (Civic, Camry) for comparison then get out there and drive a couple every week. Chat up the guys at the dealership and see what else he's got on the lot that sounds interesting and drive that too. By the end of all that I'm pretty sure you'll know exactly which car to buy.

Or you can do what most of the rest of us did and snap up the first cheap POS that you can get your hands on and love it anyway simply because it's your first car.

(By the way, my two cents...Don't get an 8 as your first car. Get a Mazda3 instead.)

 

Remember high performance cars even if their four door will make the young ones pay over $1000 in insurance a year.

 

Dare I say Crossfire? Also Lexus IS300.

 

With that being said, before picking your car, call for an insurance quote.

 

Buy a S2k. If u can't afford it then go for a civic

 

Whats your reasoning for steering away from the 8? Is it from the forum members or the fact that insurance would be outrageous? If the insurance doesnt bother you than just go with the 8 since we all know thats what you really want. You seem smart enough to learn as much as you can for the maintenance and upkeep part of it. With any newer car, the parts and labor is going to be more money so a Lancer or WRX will probably depending on the model, cost as much in insurance, parts and labor but maybe a little better on the gas money.

 

blue over 1000 is an understatement. Apparently from what I was told its closer to 300 a month so 3600 a year.

try reading this http://www.leaseguide.com/articles/a...e_bestcars.htm

 

Get a laner, I'm selling mine for 10000, is a 08 gts, pm me if youwant to check it out... or look for one in your are is very reliable, and is a 5 seater!

 

I stand corrected. I forgot, when I was a kid and had a POS civic, I was paying aroung $225 after an accident so I can only imagine a sportscar with a clean history.

 

you can also compare averages here

http://www.insure.com/car-insurance/...ults-2010.html

 

Thanks again guys! My reasoning so far is partly from the forum members and mostly from the price/insurance/gas milage. 10,000 is at the top of my price range but I am sure my taste will lower as I start to drive. I guess test driving the cars I want would also be my first step. Should I go to a dealer and test drive a newer Rx8 or would that be different than a 04' which is what I was planning on getting originally.

 

I agree with this post for the Lexus IS300, great cars! YOu can go many routes with modding them, four doors, very nice inside, comfortable, spacious. They are really good cars you should take a look into them.

 

Calibur,

I agree with the IS300 suggestion. It's still RWD so you gain experience there, it's power output is lower than the 8 but not massively lower, it's still 4 doors, considered a sedan by insurance companies, it's got pretty good handling for a sedan (though a bit numb on the steering feel as most lexus's are).

2004 IS300s are in the $4,000 to $8,000 range, which isn't bad at all. If my wife and I weren't so personally against Toyota, I probably would have gotten one for a 'beater'.

And I recognize that you are already (mostly) steering away from the RX-8, which is a route that I encourage. You are still ont he forums though, and that isn't a bad thing. This is a fantastic community, so when you ARE ready to own an 8, you will already be a member. So this part is a bit belated, but didn't see a link or quote from one of the regulars in the other thread either, so just tossing this out there. Might be beating a dead horse with it, but just some points to think about, some of which carry over to whatever car you get.

From my New and potential owners start here thread:

 

Thank you guys again so much for the tips. I actually JUST got back from my first driving lesson. It was pretty cool, nerve racking, and scary. My instructor was a bit rude and would yell and or get pissed off at me for doing things wrong and he talked SO fast it was impossible to understand him. All in all, he said I did a good job which I feel kind of comfortable with. I do not think my driving was very good though haha. Having driven now, and knowing the road a bit, sports cars seem a bit scary for me. Do you think that's just the beggening nerves settling in?

Also I will continue to look into the ones you guys listed like the lancer, lexus and more, thanks so much again!

Jared

 

lol... i got my permit at 14 and license at 14 and 1/2 and i didnt think it was nerve racking... then again my town is about 1/100th the size of yours.

and looking back seeing 14 year olds driving is more nerve racking then being 14 and driving...

/end story

 

agreed... My dad let me start steering at 6 and driving full on at 14 in my sisters MT 95 civic.
That would scare the **** out of me to do with a 14 yr old now!

I have found that people who's parents didn't let them drive, and just relied on the 'driving school' to teach their kids, were scared to drive and were really bad at it.

I would recommend you get as MUCH seat time as possible, anywhere you can.

 

You are going to want to test drive the specific car your interested in. A used 8 will feel a little different than brand new so driving a brand new one will not be productive, besides I dont think a dealership would really want a young kid test driving one new. A sports car is only going to be more scary if you drive it like an idiot like slamming on the gas or going around corners too fast.
I dont know what I was thinking earlier when I said insurance would be a little over a thousand. I guess I was really tired but anyways DocBeech is correct about a more realistic price range.

 

I spoke with a friend of mine that has a 17 year old he is insuring. In a ford focus its costing him 190 a month, and thats with a year of driving records, good student discount, defensive driving, having passed a driving course, and putting the module that tracks driving habits in the car. Thats on a 10 year old ford focus hatch back they paid 2grand for