Finally have a minute of downtime to sit down and type out a final write up of my RX8.

To start, I was a young owner. I was 17 when I purchased my RX8 with the help of my father (credit of course). This car was my life. It had 20,219 miles when I bought it in April of 2006. When I purchased the car, it had some transmission problems that I was not aware about at the time.

After many visits and attempts to 'rebuild' I finally got a transmission replacement under warranty at 3X,XXX miles.

From there, had a few 'hiccups' but warranty covered it all. Only issue I couldnt seem to shake was a transmission output leak that kept coming back.

I used the RX8 as a DD until 2009 and it had 71,XXX miles. Once the car retired, everything went downhill fast. As some know on this forum, the car just broke all at once. It is still unknown why/what caused the issues, but it was pricey and expensive.

The RX8 needed a new Diff, transmission, driveshaft, and also a subframe & control arm from a midwest pothole that kicked my ***.

This all happened in the midst of a financially challenging time for me, so the car literally sat for almost a year with no movement whatsoever (starting it after a year took 2 hours ).

When I finally saved up the cash to fix everything earlier this year, the car only had 79,XXX miles. So I ponied up and spent roughly $5000 total to fix everything with the help of a friend thats a garage owner in my area. Also did the tires, brakes, and windshield since it had a nice crack in it.

After spending money that took me forever to save, the car drove great, but began with stupid nickel and dimers. My ABS/TRAC light came on, along with other stupid little issues.

At this juncture of my life, I can't continue to dump money into a car that I only drive 2-5 times per month...... Worst part, the car was not paid off, still owed money on it.

So I had to save money to cover the inequity since RX8's arent the best at holding value.

Fast forward to October, I finally decided to pull the trigger and look into other vehicles. My first choice was an 09+ WRX. However, working in the car business myself being comission based, I was having a challenging time finding a loan that didnt have a stupid interest rate.

My brother who works at a Honda Dealership as a Finance Director called in a favor and got me a fair interest rate. GREAT!! but wait, whats the stipulation? "It has to be a NEW Honda.....only".

Well, the only NEW Honda I would drive that would keep my payments the same is a Civic Si.

Sooo..... 2 weeks ago, they located my 2011 Honda Civic Si Coupe and I took delivery.

Im expecting some ignorant comments on my decision, which is fine. But I know that a majority of the more mature members on this forum who have had to face tough decisions themselves in life will understand my decision and more importantly, respect it.

The Si is actually a very nice car considering the $22,000 price tag, and is decently quick and a blast to drive. I still cannot get over the FWD, but it is what it is.

Just some information on my RX8 that some people may find vital.

I was a 5w20 conventional user for the cars entire life. It still had the original engine and had 83,XXX miles at the time of trade in with no signs of problems.

It was on its 3rd transmission

1st replacement - 3X,XXX miles

2nd replacement - 79,XXX miles

My driving style was 'spirited'. I didn't beat on the car or anything of that nature, but I hit redline often and enjoyed the car thouroughly; especially on the backroads near my house

Anyways, thats my story in a nutshell. Its been a fun 4 1/2 years and 60K miles with the 8. I miss it very much and in all honesty, I still log onto 8club way more than 8thcivic to be honest. Nothing wrong with coming back home every once in a while right?

I also attached a picture of the new car too....

 

Hey man, I am coming from a 2002 civic ex and a long list of friends who are huge honda fans (mind you respectable, aka engine swaps and sleeper looks not fast and the furious wings with spinner rims).



For what it is worth, they are great cars and can take a beating beyond what you would expect. The Si engines are great, and provide quite the kick. I cant say that I like the new body style (99 Si was by far the sexiest in my opinion), but it will get the job done quite well.

There is a huge market for modification (read tasteful) and a car that you can use as a DD without worry. Also, dont worry about it being a Fwd. I had my civic with 215/50 toyo wheels all year round and had no problem navigating in the snow hehe.

Good luck with everything man and dont worry, no one can really knock you on making a decision that best suits you and your future/finances

 

sorry to hear you had so many issues with the 8 and you finally had to give it up.
good luck with the new Civic

 

Congrats on a mature and wise decision.

 

You dont have to have an RX8 to be apart of the club Congrats on the new ride.

Honda did a real nice job with the Si's and they handle real well for a FWD.

 

Nobody can fault you for ditching a car that was giving you serious problems.

 

WHAT YOU ARE SUCH A JERK THE CAR IS FINE HONDA SUCKS..............j/k

It's good that you are finding something that you aren't going to sink so much money into just to get it running. I hope you stick around and the Si treats you right

 

There is a GREAT aftermarket selection for this car. Seems like you can make them pretty fast without breaking the bank.

Seems like 8th gen owners are fairly mature, 8thcivic.com seems like a nice forum and everyone seems pry informative. Just have to watch out for the rice urges


Everyone else, thank you for the support! And I intend to definately stick around the forum. Logging onto 8club at work is a habit that would require rehab for me to get rid of...

 

good luck man! sounds like you had a lemon though, a late blooming lemon but still!

a ex-civic owner, they are decent cars. the new si is nice, although i wish you got the sedan (i don't like the 'leaning forward' design of the coupe). keep us posted if you end up modding it!

 

I don't blame you man, at your age I could not have afforded my 8. I come from owning a few Honda's myself. I don't think I could go back to FWD myself but you made a wise decision. Maybe after two years you can get into a 2011 RX-8.

 

Good luck with the new car man.

 

sucks to hear about your problem with the 8.

hope everything goes well in the future !

vTEc juSt kiCkeD iN y0 ! sorry, couldn't resist :D

 

I do plan to begin modding once I replenish the savings account, and mods seem to be much cheaper too

Well, it wasnt necessarily that I couldnt afford it. I couldn't afford the problems that it was having after the warranty expired. At this point, my priority is to buy my first house and the RX8 was getting in the way of plans. I immediately noticed a difference in ownership with the Civic though, especially in the mpg area. Bear in mind, either of these are my DD, I have a car from work which helps tremendouosly.

Thank you!

Dont worry, I say it roughly 8 times per day.

 

Well you not have the best platform but don't let people **** on the handling. I used to whoop plenty of the RWD turbo cars on the track in my CRX. Look, you can make a ton more street able HP than the typical RX8 and still get 20+MPG. You just won't looks as cool doing it

 

Good luck with the civic man. Don't be a stranger.

Making decisions sucks, but you obviously have your priorities straight.

 

Haha, and thats just it. I no longer have the sexiness, but its a whole different animal with its pros and cons. I'm looking forward to modding it soon, it should be fun!

Thanks man, appreciate the support and I definately plan to keep my residency at 8club

 

So, when are you going to go to the civic forum to ask if your Si can beat an RX8, then link us to the results?

 

lmao hahaha...... Maybe I should create a bogie name, then I can comment under my real name and call myself an idiot

 

If you do that, make sure you use diffrent IP's to post from. the admins may catch on.

I dont' feel that you will be griefed for maked a wise decision.
Sorry to hear about the problems the 8 had.

 

Time to go to the Library

 

Smart man