I had a 2004 rx8, but it was a real piece of ****, so i traded it in for a 2006 vw gti. the gti is cool, but everyday since i got rid of my 8, i missed it terribly.

now i know my 8 was a lemon, and not all of them are going to have even a third of the issues i had. my gti has no issues at all, it is very quick, but it is not nearly as fun as the 8. on its best day its still boring.

i know mazda has a 4000 dollar rebate on 2006 rx8's and i found a place that has an 06 that i like....but super far away..not even in the same state

i know i will lose a good amount of money on the gti if i trade it in, considering it is only 1 year old, but i cant get the 8 out of my mind....i absolutely loved it, even though it was at the dealership pretty much all the time.

i know nobody can tell me what to do, but i really cant decide...take the hit on the very reliable gti get the car that i love, and risk getting another lemon rx8...or just deal with the very reliable, but pretty boring gti

ugh

 

I'd keep the GTI until you can break even on it.

 

does the 2006 touring package have the sunroof
listed as this
TOURING PACKAGE M/T

i dont want a sunroof, i like the curvy roof

 

if you autotrade the zip code 08690 there's a ton around, alot for $20,000 and under with less than 15k miles.

 

i think i would rather get one new though. i would feel safer

 

Buy it!

 

Sounds like you had some bad luck with your RX-8. I've had a few things go wrong with mine. But nothing the dealer has not bent over backwards to fix. My first one had a few small issue's. The one I have now has had a few issue's also. But ya know what, I would not trade this car for any other in it's class. This is purely a fun car to drive. It looks great, and it handles like a cat on carpet. God I just love this car!!!!
First off you seem to be regretting (I feel some serious regrets eminating from your post) getting rid of your RX-8. Does this tell you something?
If I were you I would trade that ho-hum kraut can in and get your life back on track with another RX-8. I don't think you will regret the move. I also feel you will be a much happier person inside.
Just do it. You will be a much happier person.


ZOOM-ZOOM

 

touring does have the sunroof.

 

I'd bite the bullet and get the '06 RX-8. I think the first-year '04's were more trouble-prone—odds are your '06 will be no less reliable than pretty much any other new car. (I had an '02 GTI 337. I reallly liked it, but yeah—the 8's more fun to drive. Once you taste RWD it's hard to go back.)

 

buy it!!!

 

i like the tv commercials for the vw gti... i also saw a new gti on the street the other day, and of all the sporty hatchbacks (civic si, ms3), i think it has the most personality. love the aggressive wheels on it- looks like a turbine swirl or something.

that said, it sounds like u did the right thing getting rid of ur old 8 since it was defective. (no point in keeping a lemon, cuz it'll be either a source of frustration or a money pit.) but, u might've allowed your frustration to cloud you into getting the gti prematurely.

buying a car is both a financial and emotional decision.

if u can afford it without over-extending yourself, i'd say get the 8. life is short, and, who knows? in a few years, the next gen rotary might come out and u would've missed the opportunity to enjoy the 8 for what it is during its prime time.

still, if it's not financially comfortable right now, then just wait it out. it's much better to be patient and financially responsible than to be stressing out 'cuz u over-extended yourself. u'll prolly end up losing more money & have to sell the 8 prematurely too anyways.

so think it over, and hope u make the best decision.

 

Life's too short to not get what you really want.

 

i would normally say get what makes you happy, but rolling over significant negative equity would be something that I don't know if I'd be happy with.

As you already know, only you can decide this. If you're really that much of a sports car purist, I can't blame you for missing the 8. And if the GTI is really THAT plain, I couldn't really blame you for the purchase.

 

I have an 04 since 05 and i havent had any problems so iono i just wanna break that bashing on 04's and 05's mazda didnt totally screw up cars from those years. I've never had my car in snow but from what i hear its still safe to drive in snow if you have proper tires and such, but i would think your VW would be better year round, but if you miss your 8 then get it back, i mean you only live once go all out and have fun =)

 

when i sold my 8, i was only down 1000, so i wasnt down too much on the 8.
i have been paying for the gti for 1 full year now and i think the trade in value is 17000 or something according to the web, so i would have to roll money into the 8 loan, but with the cash back they offer on the 8, i think my payments would be very close to what i am paying now.

everyday i had the 8 i loved it, even though there was major problems with it.
2 transmissions
1 clutch (which i had to pay myself, too many miles)
water pump
starter
battery
complete suspension on pass side, that took 4 or 5 trips before they fixed it finally
breaks due to squeaking
heat didnt work

these were just a few things i had in the year and a half that i owned it, and i babied that car. the only reason i got rid of it was because the mazda dealership said they wouldnt fix the transmission anymore if i still had problems.
i had the problem where the gear would grind when it was cold out and the car was cold, which is what broke my transmission...and even after they fixed the trans the second time, the problem still happened, but they refused to look at it.

that is why i traded it in more then anything. i had already paid like 1000 or so for the clutch, just paid 1000 for the tune up with that same dealership 2 weeks before...not counting the 1000 for the tires...so that car and mazda wasnt good to me...so i know it is foolish to even consider it, but it was a beautiful car and i loved it, even with all the issues.

i am going to think about this for a while

 

Maybe it's just me but it does sound like your trying desperately to talk yourself BACK into buying one. I too have found myself in that seat, and usually there is a good reason why your arguing with yourself...otherwise it would be a quick decision. I agree that taking some time isn't a bad idea.

However, it does sound like the main reason why your staying away from the 8 is primarily the previous problems you've had. Yes, i've heard of all the problems some have had, but it really does seem like a lot of the bigger problems have been ironed out lately.

With the likelihood that you'd get a new 8 (new new, not used), i'd say chances are MUCH more likely you'd enjoy this car a whole lot more. Just make sure as others have mentioned that if/when you do pick one up, it has EVERYTHING on it you want...so many people on this forum find themselves trying to add more than half of the factory options after they buy it, only to burn a hole in their wallet and end in frusterations. IE - navigation.

In all, think it over though. I'm sure that in the end, either way, you'll be happy. Just don't continue to constantly dwell on it...that'll drive you absolutely nuts. Make that decision, and don't look back. No matter what.

 

i had always loved the 8, and i never truly wanted to get rid of it. it had too many problems and mazda didnt want to support it anymore. that is why i got rid of it.

now, i cant afford (i dont mean financially, i mean having to deal with a car that breaks down all the time ) to have something that was as unreliable as my last 8...which is unlikely for it to happen again.

my gti is very reliable, as quick as the 8 was, but boring as hell to drive. i always loved the way the 8 looks, how it felt to sit in it, taking it in the twisties. i loved it.

i washed it all the time, my gti has been washed 1 time since i got it. the car bores me and i dont care about it as much

as far as options for the 8, all i want is

2006 silver with a 6 speed manual
18" rims
Traction control with foglights. i dont want a sunroof, i dont want leather, i want exactly how my 04 was, only one that doesnt break down.

my gti is fully loaded, except nav, but i have a garmin aftermarket nav which i love.
i might have found an 8 like that, but i need to see about what they would offer me for my gti and what the best price they will give me before the huge rebate. if the monthly payments would be very close to the same, then i think i would buy the 8.

i am not going to make this decision overnight though, although everytime i see an 8, i point at it to my wife and she does the same. i look over at it, wishing i still had one, and i have even waved to 8 drivers right after i got rid of mine like the old times. although me driving the gti, i highly doubt that had any idea of why

i miss it a lot, and i know it makes sense for me to keep the gti, but i really dont love it like i loved the 8.

when i was getting rid of the 8, i said to my wife, i love this car, i dont really want to get rid of it, but i know i have to, i need something reliable.

 

Don't think. GET IT!

 

If you wanna try to not lose money on the GTI, try selling it privately, you'll do better than trading it in

 

This guy sounds like he has the same problem I do.

The only reason I got rid of my 8 was fuel economy as I drive a a lot. Now I wish I had just kept it(and not because fuel prices came down).

I am also trying to get back into an 8. If the salesman at the dealer would stop dragging his feet I could get a deal done. Its appears that I will have to go to another dealer to get the deal done. The funny bit is the car I want and the dealer I am dealing with are owned by the same company. The one I am dealing with though, doesn't seem interested in transferring the car. I didn't want to have to drive the extra distance. It seems I will have to though.

 

Definately go with the 8. I have an 04 and never had any problems. Try to sell the GTI not trade you'll get alot more out of it. Go for the 8 and enjoy the rotary. lol good luck

 

to this day, i wonder if some poor sap here ended up with my old junky 8...who knows

if you bought an 04 with about 30k-32k miles on it with 6-speed, MS spoiler in silver where the edge of the foot rest has worn carpet. i think there was a small paint scratch that was touched up on the passenger fender and a small ding on the door

let me know (NJ or PA area is where i traded it in), i would like to know if you have issues with it too

 

lol. You sound like the guy who can't stop thinking about one of his old ex-gfs and wants to check up on her to see if she lost weight.

 

i would still have to pay taxes when i register it...at least in nj i do.
i bought my gti in PA and i live in NJ, and i payed the tax when it was registered

 

Most states you still have to pay the sales tax when you register though. Just an FYI.

Edit: Looks like I am too slow.