i recently found this website and ever since ive been reading all the threads. the fact of the matter is, i love the rx-8 its one of the most elegant cars ive seen in a long time. every aspect of this car is sleek and sporty and i love it...now comes the stupid question. I own a 2003 Jetta GLI, its a nice car, galatic pearl blue, 6 spd. leather interior i actually enjoy driving it quite a bit. Should i trade it in and try to pay the difference for an 8? i mean i haven really compared performance and engineering and saftey but i figured you guys could help. i know this is an rx-8 website and yall are biased but maybe you guys can help me out on this one.

thanks

 

You'll get more for the Jetta selling private party, but go to a dealer and try to work a deal on a trade in. Have you test driven the 8 ?

 

i've seen ALOT of stupider questions. this one is a personal preference. it really depends on what you perfer. for me, a sport car with additional seats was a plus because of our rugrat. you will have to test drive the 8 to see if it is what you want. it will be stiffer then your current vehicle, but not as stiff as others in the 8's class, such as the z. others complain about hp, for the street, it has ALOT of hp. after all, road racing is illegal in most all states. you will find many posts about the 8, it is a very well balanced vehicle, and there is a reason why it won international engine of the year award, not once, but twice. plus, u get to own a rotary engine!

personally, i am quite pleased with our decision. it made driving fun again. i also have no problems with our car. if you can afford to take the monetary loss on ur 2003,, then go for it! you might find that you will be quite pleased. just my humble opinion.

 

no i have not yet test driven the 8, but im sure that when i do i will be even more amazed by it. many people consider german saftey and engineering top notch and when people think japanese they think rice burner which the rx-8 is far from. how would the 8 rate when compared to a german car?

 

I have a friend who loves her Jetta, but also was intrigued by my new 8. I agree that you should drive the 8 first. I unloaded my Saturn for the 8 (a no-brainer). The safety results have been high on the 8, and I consider the engineering top-notch, otherwise I wouldn't have bought one. The performance is perfect for me (not too much to be a daily driver). Ultimately this is your decision, so I'll just say take your time and make it the right decision for you. Good luck!

 

the rotary engine was attributed to a German inventor by the name of Wankel, does that count? :D

 

I have had my RX-8 for several months now and I absolutely love it. It puts a smile on my face every time I see it and an even bigger smile driving it. I also test drove several cars but liked the practicality of the additional doors and the back seats. I have yet to hear someone who isn’t happy with their RX-8. Just take into account that you will lose a significant amount of money whether you trade or sell your Jetta.

 

My wifes car is an 03 vw passat. The interior quality is very high in german cars whether it by a vw,mb,bmw etc. The RX8 is one of the only japanese SPORTS cars that I've seen with a comparable interior. As far as the build quality I guess we'll all have to wait a little longer and see what happens long term but I think you'll find on this site all issues have been relatively minor especially for a first year car.

 

i guess so.

Man, i never realized how much car value depreciates, as a trade in id only get 16,500. that blows.

 

I have a Jetta GLX VR6 5-speed which I like very much. It's a very decent car. Now I have an RX-8 manual. No comparison. The 8 is head and shoulders above the Jetta in every way. I'm selling the Jetta.

 

Have you driven the car yet? Try to get behind the wheel for a few hours. I guarantee that you will come away impressed.
Me, I wasn't even shopping around for a car. But then I make a critical error. Went for a road test in the 8. DUMB, DUMB, DUMB!
That was back in March. Then I figure, OK, I'll just take my time, sell my convertible myself and get top dollar. After all, summer is just beginning and I'm not in any big rush to get rid of my car - which was in super clean condition. Never got around to even putting an ad in the paper. I was so impatient to get into the 8, I accepted the dealer's appraisal.
Moral of this story, DO NOT test drive the car first. Line up a buyer for your car first then do the purchasing.

 

Don't insult the Germans by suggesting that the Jetta is a good example of German quality. My 2001 Wolfsburg was a rattle trap. They're assembled in Mexico by people who make $100 a week.

I traded a 2000 323i in for my 8. I love the 8, but it still doesn't measure up to the standards of BMW.

I have to agree with the test drive comments. Be very careful! If you drive it, you'll buy it.

Don't forget that trading in a car can be cheaper than selling it yourself. This is due to the tax credit you get for you trade. It can often make up for the difference in trade value vs. private party.