redcivic is full of crap and doesn't know what he's talking about.

He's a Honda troll on the forums.

 

I have been down the modded Subaru track twice the first being a stage 3 WRX when they were first introduced years ago, and then most recently a Forester XT modified with lots of STi parts (suspension, wheels/tires and engine/power parts) all running off an excellent Cobb AP at Stage II 93 octane with all the additional parts in a box to go VF39. It was an awesome wagon, super easy to work on, reliable as the day is long, and many, many tried and true bolt-on performance parts with excellent EM soultions.

So....after all that work of sourcing parts, modding and demodding my FXT a couple of times, selling all my parts a couple of times I finally realized that making it faster was not making me happier and I demodded one last time and sold all of my go-fast parts again in prep of getting rid of the car. Its funny, when you have had cars that will run a mid 4 second 0-60 time, you learn to expect a certain level of performance from your vehicles, but you also finally realize that there are other things of value that make owning a car enjoyable that have nothing to do with shear power alone.

I was looking at a 2006 Sti, have driven them in the past but just was not turned-on by the car. I considered buying another EVO, this time an MR, and then stumbled across the RX8 at a dealership while test driving an MS6. I drove the RX8 after the MS6, and was utterly amazed that I had overlooked the RX8 all these years. It is by far one of the best handling, and most fun to drive cars I have owned to date, and I have been fortunate to own many nice cars. Fit finish and looks of the RX8 are also very nice compared to the utilitarian look and feel of the Sti and Evo.

The RX8 is not a power-house by far, but I have to tell you that when I am running through the gears to redline on a tight curvy road, the powerplant is a perfect balance to the cars awesome handling and braking capabilities. The power factor is really only an issue on the open road or at stoplights. I simply avoid showboating (not easy to do when you are driving an EVO, or MCoupe)as I know this is not the RX8's forte.

It is a very different driving experience than a 300hp Sti, and I imagine for some it could lead to dissapointment depending on expectations. For those that value more than just power alone though, the RX8 is hard to beat when it comes to an out-of-the box sports coupe that can be flogged through the twisties like few other cars. Big smiles for sure.

At the end of the day, I certainly do miss the rush of a modded turbo engine, and the feeling of power superiority it can bring. On the other hand though I also love my new RX8 for what it is. I think it really depends on how much you value the power factor.

 

first of all, let me say that I don't own either STI or RX-8. but here is my two cents.

The STI is a Boxer motor, Turbo charged, with 300HP. AWD. and 4 doors.

The RX-8 is a Rotary motor, N/A, with 232 HP, RWD, and.. i guess...
2 + 1/2 + 1/2 = 3 doors???

My car is a 2006 Mazda Miata (the RX-8 and new MX-5 share alot of things, thats why i'm on this board) But of all the engines that have been experimented in a miata, i must say. V8 Power in such a small car is just a death wish. Turbo Charging an Inline 4 is just plain old, and done to death. Now a Rotary Swap... i would wet my pants if i could get my little miata (2,450 Pounds) up to 9,000 RPM.

When it comes to motors, the Renesis has 232 before you do any power mods. and as they say "Turbo is the great equalizor" so a Turbo Rotary VS a Turbo Boxer... it would be interesting.

I suggest you go with the 8. but you've heard all of the good things about the car, and none of the bad. i think this should be equal.

Sedan = Easier access for passengers.
Rotary = Sometimes has a bug or two
RX-8 = (while not the highest) high insurance
STI = (Until you get Turbo for the RX-8) Faster

 

I am over 50, would like more power but it would probably get me in trouble. I drove my 8 to the grocery store 3 times one day, just to drive it (and get some stuff of course). I don't race or track but once took my co-workers and boss for a drive to dinner and took a corner that made my bosses eyes pop. I will have to replace Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll with Sex, RX-8, and Rock and Roll.

 

It's my opinion, take it or leave it. You attack me, I'll attack you, that's the way it works.

Anyway, do your research and you will find the facts. The RX8 is a great car but not something you keep for more than a couple of years. Bias goes both ways, look at all the threads where people state they are getting rid of their cars and right away people start bashing them for being disappointed in their RX8's. I have owned a lot of good reliable fast cars and this is the first car besides the Z28 I owned to disappoint me so much reliability wise. Not to mention all the people that have posted how hard it has been to sell their RX8's. I don't see how the people who pay sticker will get out of their RX8's without being upside down. The guy I bought mine from took a $9,000.00 hit after only putting 12k on the odometer. Just some honest input to consider. Once again, the RX8 is a very nice car for what I paid but try and find someone who owns an RX8 with over 20k on the odometer that has not ever visited the dealer for some important issue. Oh, and trust me, I think the visor/tail light issue will get old real quick when warranty runs out and we are spending a few hundred dollars a year to fix them out of pocket. Just my thoughts.

 

Your opinion is always negative. Do whatever makes you feel less miserable.

 

13k on the odo, no issues. Purely fun to drive every day, and makes my morning commute much more enjoyable that it would have been in my previous vehicle. The 8 really is an incredibly fun car to just blast around in, and will likely make you want to find some reason to "run out" (like going to the grocery store 3 times a day. lol)


Starts off as your opinion, then warps it's way into an "all owners have problems" tangent. State your issues, and let others state theirs.
And, to make it worse, it starts to sound as though the rx8 is the ONLY car that ends up having issues that send it to the dealer.
Yes, the tail light thing will suck after warranty. Find a problem free performance car that this doesn't apply to. Then trade in ur8 for that.

 

Neither of my Maxima's ever visited the dealer under warranty. My best friend has an STI with over 40k on the odometer, never been to the dealer. Chime in on that. Oh wait, my sister drives a CL Type-S, far as I know (because I handle all of her car issues) never been to the dealer for anything other than a tranny flush. Funny.

 

You're making my point. Each of those cars is ONE example, and I'm sure that someone with each of those cars has had problems. You can't say b/c one example of a good, trouble free maxima, sti, or cl means ALL of them are good, trouble free cars. B/c your 8 sucks doesn't mean they all do.

 

I have 41,000 miles on my 8. I had the passenger visor replaced once and had one tail light replaced for moisture. I have never had one real problem with the car. It is a little more high maintance than a lot of cars but most cars this much fun are. At least it doesn't have the added expence of the AWD.

I almost bought an STI early this year and changed my mind. I did not see the point in having my 8 and an STI in the end. It was too the point that I simply had to sighn my name. I would never give up my 8 for an STI. I did drive the STI for almost a month daily.

 

Haven't had a problem or just decided against the recalls? Seems to me that most problems my friends and I have had started after the engine recall. The visors and tail lights issue depends where you live I think because I drive to work into the sunlight so I use my visors quite a bit. They last a few months and that is it. The tail lights are hit or miss, for some weird reason my right tail light has only failed once early on and my left one twice so far. Mind you all of my problems have occurred in less than 25k of driving this car.

 

Hey Iwntrx-8,
Welcome to the forum, I'm not a usual poster here, but I do come every now and then to read what other 8 owners are up to. Like yourself I was on this forum prior to purchasing my 8. And I also did research on other sites, i.e. maintenance, reliability, funability, drivability, cost of ownership, etc. Try a website like edmunds.com, they have something called True Market Value.
Anyways, I just wanted to post my own 2 cents after owning my stock 8 for two months, and 2000 miles. For the past 2 months/2k miles, I have loved this car every mile of the way. Now, I hope before you go and trade in anything that you know that this car has way less torque than the STi. But what it doesn't make up for torque makes it up in handling. You'll find that people on this forum love taking the "twisties." And that's where I have found how fun this car truly is. I've also recently experienced the feel of revving it past 6k! I'm still babying it, but it's definitely and incredible feeling to be able to push a car up to 9k and how SMOOOOOTH the rotary engine is. You said you're looking for something fun to drive, and you don't really drag race, well the 8 is not for drag racing or jumping off the line, so the 8 might be a good car for you.
Gas mileage: it's stated 18-24, but from experience I've been geting 14-17, but then again I love to shift at high revs, I'm sure you can easily get 18+ though if you drive it normal and shift at 3-4k and drive at 65-75mph, again I drive at 80+ mph of course when there is no traffic on the freeway.
Reliability: 0 problems (::knocks on wood:, although I did bring it in for the 4206 Emissions Recall, ONLY because that recall is tied in with the DMV here in California (stupid emissions regulations!), supposedly it's suppose to decrease the pollution or something, and on top of that helps prevent flooding. Oh, and you might want to do research on flooding issues.
Maintenance: SAME as any other car, only check your oil level every so often, as the rotary is DESIGNED to burn oil. I check mine afer every 3-4 gas fill ups. For some owners they check after every 2 fill ups. Here's a neat fact, did you know each rotary engine is hand-built? That's how special it is =D lol.

Also, just know that the aftermarket mods for the 8 is not as saturated as STi's, EVO's, and all other modifiable piston engine. But there is still plenty of mods out there and dedicated rotary enthusiast tuners.

Well i think that's all i could think of. Like I said, do your research and make sure this car is for you. There are some people on this forum who regret having their 8; sucks to be them. Good luck.

-Kali

 

Well, I have owned three Maxima's so I would say my experience is a pretty good example. Every make of car has lemons. Is that your point? If it is your right, I guess accepting that your new car will have problems is okay with some people but not with me. I guess the word value is subjective. This car looks and drives great but the little problems that seem to plague it taint the ownership experience a little for me.

 

I baby my 8 so I expect a lot from her in return.

 

Alright alright fellas. Enough is enough. I test drove one today. It was an 07 GT w/ 64 miles on it. I took turns faster than my STi can say it's own name. The car didn't even begin to slip and I'm sure I could have pushed it harder. Revving was amazing, the redline never came until I heard that beep but even then I had room to go. The lack of torque was a downfall but the loss in horsepower didn't even bother me. I accidentally peeled out trying to get the car to move from the dealer's lot, haha. Nothing a little practice can't fix. They offered me 20k for my STi but are willing to go higher if I feel it's right. The 07 was at 32k but they were willing to knock out a grand. I must say, I'm not dissapointed in the least bit with this car. As for the 07, I need to see if I can get rid of my STi for a higher price and if I can't, it seems like another RX8 is definitely up for grabs.

 

Sounds like you have made up your mind. Congrats!

 

Almost

 

LOL, yeah, 32k is way too much. I highly doubt I'll be going back there even though the guy did let me test drive it w/o a parent. Man that was a nice 8...Haha. Thanks for the site.

 

I didn't want to get flamed for saying but.... abbid is right. Even that for a Shinka is a grand or two high. Depends where you live I guess. Your a kid?

 

Why would you get flamed for that? Yeah, I'm 17. I'm up in Michigan too.

 

More homework for you here.

32k is way too much - especially going into winter. Saying things like: "well, I like this car, but XXX car is nice too. And if I get that, I won't have to spend extra right off the bat for snow tires." and "Well, I've read about some engine issues . . . " should help you get that price down pretty quick.

But read, read, read. A 17 year old at the dealership (especially if you're actually doing it all by yourself) must look like a giant bullseye to a sleezball salesman. Use that to your advantage.

 

That was my plan of attack when I went yesterday for the test drive in the 07. I mentioned those exact things plus some more. They guy mentioned that Mazda would take off 1000 and they could work out something with my car and they'd buy it for however much I felt was right. Anyway, I won't be getting that 07, I still won't be able to get the rest of the money to cover another 5 grand of it. I found a sweet black one w/ 18k miles on it for 24,000 and black and red interior. I'm gonna be selling my car sometime and hopefully cover that.

Will a dealer just buy your car and give you the money for it?

 

They'll take it in trade, but most times will do their best to screw you. If it's not an ancient beater, you're better off selling it on your own. Go to kbb.com to find out what your car is worth (not sure if edmunds has a similar option) - the trade in value is what you should get from the dealer, but generally doesn't happen.

 

Are you saying they won't just flat out buy it from me if I'm selling it?
Kelley blue book price was at $23,670. Plenty of RX-8s on sale on this forum running for around there. I'm gonna ask around today but that's my last resort. Unless I get some that offers me a killer deal.

 

Depends on what you have, but for the most part no. 04 STi, maybe, but you'd be foolish to do so b/c dealerships do NOT pay top dollar. You'll get more $$ for it selling it yourself.

from kbb.com
"Blue Book Trade-In Value
Trade-in Value is what consumers can expect to receive from a dealer for a trade-in vehicle assuming an accurate appraisal of condition. This value will likely be less than the Private Party Value because the reselling dealer incurs the cost of safety inspections, reconditioning and other costs of doing business."

so you get less from the dealer. It's generally just a matter of convienence to "trade in" a car to the dealer vs. selling it yourself & having to wait for the new whip . . .