I just thought I'd get some advice from fellow 8 owners.
I currently own an '05 RX-8 and a '90 BMW 535i.
My wife and I will have a baby this Dec. but my wife can't drive manual nor will she try. The BMW is in good condition given its age, but I'm afraid of it breaking down in the middle of winter with my wife and newborn in the car. I've been thinking of selling the 8 and getting a '04-05 Acura TL, but I can't bring myself to actually doing it. The 8 is pretty much my dream car and I've put a lot of money into getting the MS kit and there's no other car like it. But at the same time, its a waste because it sits in the garage Mon-Fri. It's going to be even harder selling the 8 now due to winter coming up. Should I keep the car and exchange the BMW? I don't think I can get a lot for it and money is tight.

 

Right now is a bad time to sell the RX-8, the market is FLOODED and even low mileage 05+ cars can't even fetch 18. I pretty much gave up on selling mine, just going to keep it and enjoy it. You could always find a beater corolla or civic and replace the BMW to have a cheap and reliable car. There are also some good lease deals (at least in the US) on small new cars like the new Sentra for under 200/mo

 

grats & good luck w/the baby to be.

Look into other options. Selling the 8 seems like it sort of solves the problem, but still creates others. At least start shopping the BMW around and see what you can get.


Otherwise, the wifey gets a big ole 'weak, lame' b/c she refuses to learn MT, and the result is:

- loss of money selling the 8 for much less than it's worth or;
- loss of money trading the 8 for the Acura
- you lose a 'dream car'
- someone still has to drive the old car w/questionable reliability

The only true solution is to have a second reliable car anyway. While I completely understand tight financial situations, the end result of swapping the 8 for the TL just delays the inevitable need to replace the BMW.

Not sure how strong the safety rating on the TL is, but maybe that can factor into the discussion. (if it's in the 8s favor, anyway )

 

I second that! You have to do it someday. Do it now. Get a reliable japaneese car like Civic or Corolla

 

Sell the BMW, not because I love the 8. because it makes more sense.

think about it. you already afraid of it breaking down in the middle of winter. that means you dont trust your BMW, if you dont trust it, why not selling it ?

Money could be tight for you but, why not get something cheaper ? Maybe a Suzuki SX4 ? sure its a cheap *** brand but it has DSC and AWD. safer for wife driving and good for snow. for like what? 18 K? no big bills to pay, dont need to worry people stealing your new car. lower insurance.

 

I don't think the BMW can even sell for $8K. What I don't want is to sell this "ok" BMW for another cheap car that I'll have the same fear of breaking down. I guess in my mind is that if I pay $8K for a car, I'm going to get something that's not reliable, so why switch? Ideally I'd have to wait it out until I could afford a "newer" reliable car. A good condition newer model Accord/Camry will run me $15-20K easily. I guess I could scrounge up $5000 for something a little newer.

 

It definitely depends on what you have confidence in, but about a month back my GFs car finally crapped out. Picked up a 2003 Hyundai Elantra with 45,000 miles for 8 grand. So there's stuff out there as long as she's not too picky.

 

if its me I would rather get something not as expensive but new better than keeping the old BMW.

At least with cars like SX4, put 5K down, monthly payment should be little. save the extra money for a few years, then sell the car back out when the warranty expires.

 

my brother has a 90 bmw 7 series. something is usually wrong with it. my 05 rx8 never has a problem. sell the bmw, get a hyundai. hyundai's are excellent cheap cars. really good. rx8 becomes your daily driver, hyundai is your wifes car. she doesnt seem to be an enthusiast about cars, so hyundai would be perfect for her. hyundais have good luxuries, but kinda lack the sport feel. kinda.

 

If you're going to sell anything, sell the BMW. 17 years old - you're right to worry.

I've got a 20 year old Honda Accord. Only let me down once - when a ball joint failed. But after year 10 or so, there was a string of years with a couple of thousand dollars of repairs. Nothing catastrophic: just clutch, CV joints, whatever does not last forever. I might have been ahead of the game had I traded it for something new at 100K miles.

If you really need to sell the 8, sell the BMW too.

Ken

 

Why not just try and sell the 8 for a little higher than normal on the off chance it does sell.

 

drop the beemer and pickup an accord on cheap credit

not sure of the new car pricing but with the new model coming in they'll surely get cheap

you'll have worry free car with warranty plus your awsome 8 to put a smile on your face when it comes to paying the bills

gl

 

if you can sell your BMW for 8K or even 6 K , I say go for it.

You might like the car, but its 17 years old, the worst part is, you dont trust it anymore. So while you have a chance sell it out.

Use those money as down payment for whatever new car you choose.

 

Hey Slowlude! Grats on the upcoming baby

I'm with the others, keep the 8.. just have a peek on Autotrader online, theres so many around here.. I know yours is the best (and it SO IS!) but you're right with winter coming...
Whatever you get for your BMW will be a decent downpayment on something better.. maybe go where you bought your 8, they might be able to work a deal out with you, since they sold you a car already? Just a thought.

Let us know what you decide..!

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'll probably look at replacing the BMW over the 8 because now is just not the time to sell a sports car. The worst thing is that I bought the BMW just 1 year ago on the advice of my brother who is a BMW nut. It only has 70,000kms on it, but its from Japan so who knows what kind of traffic its been through. I'll probably not take car buying advice from family again.

 

Buy a new used car for the wife. Keep the BMW as a winter car.

Really dumb and stupid to sell the RX8. My kid is twelve and we don not have any problems.

You have at least 8 years before you even consider the RX8 as too small.

 

Congrats on the upcoming baby. I hope you keep the 8 (it's the most recognizable in Calgary). Ha ha .. sell the BMW to your brother since he's such a nut