Hiro

Ok everyone, just to start out, I don't own the 8 yet but, I plan on buying one in the next few weeks. This is the thing.... I'm in the military and I'm going to Germany in February. In Germany I can get BMW, Saab, Mini, or Volkswagen for a signigicant amount cheaper. Just to give you an idea...

BMW 2004 325ci for 30,795 here you can get for 26,175 there
also
BMW 2004 330ci for 36,695 here you can get for 31950 there

and thats all tax free out the door brand new.

I take this in consideration but, I'm still set on the 8.

Then came the question of my warranty. Would it apply in Germany? Could someone work on a rotary engine if the warranty wasn't valid. Well, now I've just found out recently that it does apply so if anyone in the military going through a similiar situation wants to email...please do so.

Ok so considering comparisons of price between the german vehicles and the 8 I still would take the 8. Now that I know the warranty still applies, thats a big one, my choice seems that much easier to pick the 8.

Here's the one thing I worried about and I'm sure everyone will agree with me. Besides questionable customer service...which I have no idea since I'm not there yet...is the gas mileage and durability of the rotary.

Since I will be able to take full advantage of the 8 on the autobahn, I know I'll be driving at speeds in excess of 120 or higher for extended periods of time. I'm not sure how well the 8 will hold up and I might be getting worse than 13mpg. The BMWs are made for this kind of thing. Those long road trips going 120 to 155mph or more for extended periods of time.

Also for us americans in Europe, we get our gas rationed. I think its 200 liters a month at the US prices. But if you need more than that then you have to buy it on the German economy for like 4 to 5 dollars a gallon.

My first choice is the 8 but, with the situation I'm going to be in, maybe I should get the BMW. Since I'm in Germany the BMW is cheaper, the service is excellent, the durablity and gas mileage are good as well. The bad points are that it looks like every other car out there on the autobahn and I'm not that enthusiastic about driving a Honda Civic lookalike. I want a sportscar since, I'm only 26 single without kids and this is my chance to do it. There are other things too...but I'll just stop there for now.

Let me know your guys' views. I'm trying to get a different perspective of things. All comments are appreciated thanks.

RussellP

8 should be real good at 120MPH

Ive taken it to 109 and it felt like 75

loco4rx8

I doubt driving it 120mph would make it any less durable, but your gas mileage may be atrocious. I doubt anyone here can answer that question, though, since we'd all be locked up if we drove our cars that fast.

Maybe someone who's taken it on a track or to a drag strip could comment on gas mileage at that high a speed.

By the way, I have very briefly had the car to 120, and it was rock solid. Totally in control. I was scared a cop would pop over the horizon, though, so I hit the brakes, and it responded totally predictably, just like hitting the brakes at 65. I was very impressed.

Hiro

I guess I mean driving 120 or faster for extended periods of time. There you don't have to worry about getting pulled over on the autobahn. They just send you a ticket in the mail. But, there are places where there is no real speed limit. They just regulate the vehicles themselves and have the gentlmens law or something like that. Can the 8 handle these high speeds for long periods of time like the BMWs?

jtimbck2

How can you call a BMW 3-series a "Honda Civic lookalike"?

And something else to consider -- will you be able to bring that EU-spec BMW you purchase in Germany back into the States when you return? NO.

Doogy

Hiro, nice problem to have..........choosing your next new car!

Do you really want to be in a car that looks the same as the next one (both inside and out...agree BMWs are great cars but they are dull aren't they?) or do you want the chance to drive one of the most innovative cars out there???

Have you driven an 8? I've ordered mine and yes the gas mileage is a concern (UK we pay $5 per gallon) but the car is such good value that this offsets the gas price.

All the UK guys who have one (which is only a select few at the moment ... see http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/ for more info) are in love with the cars and they've had everything from BMW,TTs,Porsche,TVR etc so it must be good!!!

Take the plunge and go for it....you may not get the chance again and if you do regret it (which I very much doubt) you can sell it.

Cheers

Doogy

Geek

I have a friend's who are stationed in england and italy...They saw bmw's over there are like honda's in america....cheap and everywhere....Hiro...If your only going to be in Europe for 14 to 24 months...I would suggest buying a bmw for about 1500 when you get there...And when you return to the states buy a current year rx8 with all the trimmings...That way all the bugs should be worked out and who knows what kind of mods will be avalable....

Bigcat44

I have been there (Germany) and I am also in the military. As for the person that said the Saab or BMW you buy in Germany will be Euro spec, my advise is go there before you comment on something you don't know about. No they are not Euro spec, you can get a custom made BMW or SAAB to the point you can go to the factory while they assemble your baby. My suggestion would be to wait on buying the 8, you can get many sweet deals on cars there and the cars in Germany seem to go a little faster! I had friends that brought cars with them from the states that just "seemed" slow. Wait on the 8 and see what you can get made from BMW, I think you might be able to do a little better then your posted prices but I was there a few years ago. You will have no problems bringing back a BMW or SAAB from Germany, they are built with DOT specs in mind and conform to all specs which when you get to the port to ship it back they will inspect. The only times you run into problems are when you get into the right hand drive cars .

renotse

$5 per gallon in UK ....holy cow, and just think about all the whining that the US owners are doing at $1.50 per gallon.

Lawerence

Ahhh germnay...what a great place! Good beer, fast cars and strange people!

Germany is where I have gone the fastest in a car (1997) BMW M3. Let me just say, we were going over 150mph for a long period of time...normally I would be pissing my pants, but the car felt rock solid. And the cars have more HP over there (less strict emissions) example, the 97 M3 had 240hp in the US, while it had 276 in europe. The current M3 has 333hp here and 347 in germany. The 330 also has 10-20 more hp than the US iteration.

Now I have had a chance to ride in an RX8 going 120mph (not for a long period of time though). And it also felt very stable. albiet it doesnt pull nearly as hard as the beamer I was in. Im sure it will still go to 145-150ish and feel very good.

ALl said and done...your going to germany; you have a once in a lifetime chance to get a crazy BMW (without the pesky 155mph limiter) and go pretty much as fast as you can on the autobahn (which is not like people think it is). Go for the bmw, if you really dont like it sell it when you come back and get the 8. But dont pass up your (only?) opportunity to get the germafied beamer.

Jump120MPH

I had mine up to 140mph a few weeks ago. MAN THATS FUN!

Doogy

Yip really bugs me.....if petrol was £1 or so a gallon here then I'd probably have a 5 litre TVR as well as the 8. Ok UK gallons are slightly more in volume but we still get ripped off big time in this country.

It's the only real reservation I have about the 8 but reckon it will be worth the running costs as the car seems so much fun.

Cheers

Doogy

Rotary Nut

The warranty for BMW's in Germany is only 12 months/12000 miles. Regardless of where you purchased/imported the car from. This includes military!

This is because your BMW will be considered a domestic car and is therefor only covered by BMWs domestic car warrenty. I got hooked up in this when I purchased my 1992 BMW 318i (U.S. spec) thru the military sales program. My brake/clutch master cylinder went out just at 12200 miles. When I got my car back in the states and registered it with BMW North America the warranty was then extended to the 4 year/48000 miles.

klegg

I agree, and if you really love the BMW, you can bring it here in the "Grey market"..plus shipping is cheap for the milatery.

Just watch your back over there.

Rotary Nut

Shipping will most certainly NOT be cheap. Especially for a grey market car.

The military will only ship the BMW to the states IF the car originated there, i.e. you shipped the car to Germany (due to official PCS orders) from CONUS and are wanting to ship it back. I was on my own when I had to ship my Bimmer back. It cost me in excess of $850 to ship it to Bayonne, N.J. $1300 if you want to ship to a BMW dealer of your choice. And this was for a US spec car! Uncle Sam would not help a bit other than giving me a list of shipping companys. They would not reimburse me a single penny.

There are bonds that must be posted at the port for non-compliance cars that are equal to the price (value?) of the vehicle! Also I think you have 30 days to bring the car into compliance or it must be 1. destroyed or 2. shipped back to country of origin.

MuzzleFlash

Isn't the UK a net exporter of petroleum?

TiRX8

Buy the Bimmer for various reasons.

Doogy

We probably are MuzzleFlash.........in fact we probably export it to ourselves and that's why it's so friggin' expensive!!!

Oh well it's not all bad here I suppose!

MuzzleFlash

Doogy, I don't want to leave you with the impression that I think it's bad there. I visited London in 1999 and had the time of my life. We flew BA business class (on the company nickel) and felt like royalty compared to the way domestic airlines treat their customers. My favorite place was the Tower of London. Not suprisingly, given my moniker, I enjoyed the royal arsenal and the suits of armor display. I read up a bit on the history before going there and was just fascinated at every turn. To touch a wall that has stood since 1100...to actually stand inside the symbol of the monarch's power...to be in the place that endured the German bombings of WWII. Here in the states we think of places like Monticello as old. In the UK, something that is 230 years old is not old at all.

Back to my comment, I was wondering if the petrol prices came from high taxes or something else. Here in Colorado, we pay 40.3 cents on a US gallon of which approximately 18 to 19 cents is Federal excise tax IIRC with the balance going to the state. En total, amounts to about 26% but we are told it all goes to the roads. The freeze-thaw cycles really tear up the pavement and the mountain roads require heavy maintenance. In fact, we live in a perpetual state of road work throughout the warmer months.

Doogy

No problem MuzzleFlash....am sure we all have things in our own country that get us wound up!

According to Exxon/Esso more than 75% of the pump price is excise duty and sales tax (VAT in the UK) which means in US terms $1.50 per gallon for the fuel and $3.50 in taxes! It's always a big issue over here especially when increases are threatened. We have an additional road tax that is supposed to be for the upkeep and maintenance of the roads (approx $200 per year) and all vehicles except classsic cars must have this.....it can be less though for low emission vehicles.....but the RX counts for the full payment! Still I think it's a fantastic car and will be worth it (he says trying to convince himself!!!)

Glad you enjoyed the UK though and you are correct, we do have a lot of history here etc.

All the best

Doogy