I'm trying to get a wide variety of opinions of the RX8 as I'm thinking about purchasing one. The only problem is that the RX8 would be my only car and I'd have it for at least 3 years.

Been my daily driver since Aug 2003.

Daily driver, 9 months and 3 seasons in.. (including a Canadian winter :))

Daily driver / my only car

It's been my daily driver for the last month. I've even drove it to Cali. It used alot of gas but thats alright with me.

Yep, daily driver here too, and regularly haul the wife and 2 girls with me as well.
Loving evry minute of it

Daily car, for about 1 1/2 years. No issues at all. Thinking of getting a beater though....just to drive back and forth to work.

only car

It will have been my daily driver for 3 years next month. 40,500 miles. almost 1/4th of those with FI.

Just don't expect to get 45 mpg with the car, and you'll be happy.

I got it last weekend, lol, it is and will be my daily driver.

It will have been my daily driver for 3 years next month. 40,500 miles. almost 1/4th of those with FI.

Just don't expect to get 45 mpg with the car, and you'll be happy.

lol, I've done my research, I realize I won't be getting any better than 18 city and 24 highway.

Daily driver since 2005

By the way, Meagan's not here.

most of the days driver during the summer, stored during the winter

Daily driver and roadtrip companion since 8/04 and 88k after, still happy I made the right choice. No major issues at all

lol, I've done my research, I realize I won't be getting any better than 18 city and 24 highway.

Hmmm, you should buy the car expecting 15 city, 18 highway. You might get better numbers, but you might not.

Daily driver. No issues.

It is my daily driver. some things you should know if its going to be your daily driver.
1. If you plan on driving in a winter climate you need a set of dedicated snow tires, I placed 1000 bucks aside when i bought the car.
2. Your not going to get good gas millage. the new EPA estimates are pretty spot on 16/22. I get 20 on the high way because usually my highway speed is a lot higher than 55. This winter though when i would take a couple minutes to let the car warm up i was getting 14 or 13 mpg. When the car warms up thats a whopping 0mpg. Also if your daily commute involves a lot of traffic you may see lower numbers because when your at idle in traffic that is also a whopping 0mpg. Most of the time i get between 16-18 though.
3. Make sure you have triple A or some kind of road side assistance because i don't carry a spare tire. It really takes the versatility out of the car because without a spare it really does have a decent size trunk.
4. The car is an enthusiast type of car it does need a little babying. But the rewards are awesome. Let it warm up when its below freezing, check the oil every other fill up, and change the oil at the recommended intervals.

Other than those points to realize before you buy the car, the car i think is absolutely amazing. Its a quite looker, drives like a dream. It won't win in a stop light war but honestly when are you going to do that anyway. I like taking turns/off ramps at a little higher speed, the handling is when this car shins. Its versatile, i have gone on weekend trips and it even helped me move houses. It seats 4 people no problem.

I love it

:ylsuper: great daily driver!winter beater honda accord wagon(cheap to keep)only drive the wagon about 1,000 miles a year and drive the 8 14,500 per year.when it snows more than a 1/4 inch i bring out the car cover and drive the honda till the roads are clear than i'm back in the 8! :rock:

Good weather comes out . Bad weather goes in.

I don't use my RX8 as a daily driver as I have two other cars I also enjoy driving. I would have no worries about using it as a daily driver though as it is a fun car to drive - the only issue is gas but to be honest, if you count fun per mile, it all evens out in the end.

Bob

I'm trying to get a wide variety of opinions of the RX8 as I'm thinking about purchasing one. The only problem is that the RX8 would be my only car and I'd have it for at least 3 years.


I purchased my '04 GT used with 11,000 miles back in 06/06.
has been my daily driver since.
No major problems.

As I'm sure most others on the site would agree ...
If you live in a cold climate (lots of snow) you MUST plan to buy a good set of snow tires.

You didn't mention where you are located ... CA FL, IL???
I live in Louisville, KY and the winters are "generally" mild.
I also travel a lot for business.
I haven't purchased my snow tires yet. I have been traveling a lot this winter, and was out of town when the snow hit us this year (lucky me).
But I will be purchasing tires for next winter.

Tires are the main thing I would mention with using as a daily driver.
Well, tires and wiping the smile off your face every day.
Man ... smiling too much can really make your face sore!!!

daily driver for 40,000mi

Daily driver since 8/04.

daily drive everyday i don't ride my motorcycle or when it is snowing or icy then i drive my beater

Daily, winter or shine. Too much fun to waste just on weekends or summer.

As someone else said, it takes some babying. It is well worth it. Just make sure you are okay with letting the engine warm up before you turn it off, even if it means waiting in the parking lot for it to warm up after a 3 min drive down the road. My g/f sighs everytime I do it, but I think of it as time spent with my baby. The car, not my g/f, lol. Shhh

As far as oil and gas consumption, oh well. It is a fun car to drive, and I highly recommend it.

Think you are going to own it for 3 years? That is about what I was thinking. I was thinking I wanted a sports car, and then trade it in after 3 years when I get married with kids. I looked up 04's in kelley blue book, which would indicate the car is 3 years old. Looks like I'll have some negative equity. I may not though if I refinance it.

As someone else said, it takes some babying. It is well worth it. Just make sure you are okay with letting the engine warm up before you turn it off, even if it means waiting in the parking lot for it to warm up after a 3 min drive down the road. My g/f sighs everytime I do it, but I think of it as time spent with my baby. The car, not my g/f, lol. Shhh

As far as oil and gas consumption, oh well. It is a fun car to drive, and I highly recommend it.

Think you are going to own it for 3 years? That is about what I was thinking. I was thinking I wanted a sports car, and then trade it in after 3 years when I get married with kids. I looked up 04's in kelley blue book, which would indicate the car is 3 years old. Looks like I'll have some negative equity. I may not though if I refinance it.

So I have to let it warm up EVERYTIME I turn it off? Or is that only in the winter time? As for having hte car for 3 years, I might even just do 2. It seems like the car still holds its value somewhat well so if I decide to trade it in for another car, it looks like I shouldn't have too much trouble getting another car after as long as I stay in the $20k range.

Daily driver. And the back seat has been suprisingly useful. I could easily take 2 extra friends to the game or wherever.

Daily driver since 10/04. No major issues. The only deal with warmup is from a cold start - be sure to get some temp in it before shutting it down. Don't start it up, move it 15 feet then shut it down. How do I know? Because I was stupid :o:

You may keep it 3 years, but don't be surprised if it's longer. As I told my son the other day, it's been 2 1/2 years and there is still no other car on the market for the rpice I paid that is anywhere near the value. There are several interesting cars for 10 grand more, but nothing around the 25 grand I paid. When one shows up, I'll consider my options, but this is a tough act to follow.

Daily driver and made it through 2 winters on stocks...

I'm looking at a certified one in NJ right now in black with all the options but without nav (something I can live without). It's honestly the RX8 that best suits me and I'm drooling over it right now. Its only got 6400 miles on it, it's an 05, and it's certified with the extended warranty. The dealer is asking $24,000 for it. I'm in CT but my father is friends with the owner of another certified Mazda dealer in CT so he told me that they can just get it shipped if I want the car. The worst part about this whole ordeal is waiting for the police report to get sent in/out whatever, and get my check for my car. The RX8 I found is definetly a prime choice and I can see it being sold within a week.

Honestly, like I've said earlier, the only thing that's deterring me right now from buying the RX8 is the gas mileage, but even then I've been in love with the RX8 for far too long now to let MPG get the best of me :rock: Plus, living with your parents while commuting to school has its perks. If I ever have a problem with the RX8 I can always take my moms car.

Although I own a 97 Probe as well as a 97 Cobr vert, the 8 is clearly my daily driver for almost a year now.

Couldn't hurt to keep a beater for winter salt and whatnot, but if your cool with winter tires and cleaning the salt off regularly, you'll be good to go!

Daily driver and now only car since my S13 was stolen in Dec. :(

My only car.
I only drive on weekends, but I wouldn't hesitate having it as my only car if I drove every day. In fact, the question of whether it's suitable as a daily driver never even occurred to me—it's as reliable as most cars, so why wouldn't it be? :scratchhe

I drive it 26 miles in traffic every other day. It's fun but I've got a bad neck and back and mine seems to be bumpier than $hit. Still love it though and the back seat does come in handy. See my thread http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=112074. Mine never burns oil or at least I don't have to add any between 4k mile oil changes. My gas mileage is about 18 mpg in traffic. Just don't think you are going to carry any large items like furniture. I did get a fully packed COSTCO shopping cart into it though (minus the cart of course).

Just got my 8 a week ago and it's my only car.

Daily driver here for 6 months now. Definitely have to agree on the winter tires set up though if you get snow or all seasons. RX-8 is def a pratical and comfortable daily driver minus the brutal snow.

daily driver since 7/31/03. I take it and the wife and son grocery shopping every week. original tires, original CAT, new battery , new plugs, original coils, new tail lights(moisture thing)

Daily driver for over a year now. 2 hour round trip commute everyday, no problems, perfectly comfortable. I drive the car pretty hard on a fairly regular basis and I have yet to even see a sign of a problem to come.
Perfect ammount of utility for an artist/college student with an active social life (frequently use the back seats), but enough sports car to quench my thrist for thrill.
Great car all around IF you can afford to own AND drive it.

In terms of fun and comfort it's way up there as a daily driver. I look at other people in their blah cars at work and don't think I could ever go back to that.

my DD and only car. i have just over 20k miles on it and its only 11 months old, to this day my friends n family have to PULL me out of the car. i love this thing and i plan on keeping it for a LONG time...when the next gen rx8 comes out, if this bvaby is paid off by then ill gladly go back to the dealer and get another one, especcially if its direct injected, its only flaw IMO.

little tip for u redliners like myself....take third gear to 94 mph (9500rpm) and then downshift into second! its a blast! the revs go beyond what the tach will read! im guessin its seen 11 to 11,500 i dunno what it was, but id di it a couple times (first was by accident) and it has withstood them all! what an engine!!!!!!
just waitin for the clutch to sheer to pieces the next time i do it tho.....

minus the snow, i drive it constantly, i beat the hell out of it and it runs awesome. only rx8 on the planet whos plugs arent black from carbon.......

I've done my research, I realize I won't be getting any better than 18 city and 24 highway.

Cruise at 60....with your sail up.....nice tailwind, and maybe you'll return over 24 on the highway.

Mine's a daily, except in the snow and salt. I don't have the discipline to drive it at 60 or less (hell, even 70 or less) on the highway.

About the highway mileage: I wonder after 3750 RPMs how much the gas mileage is affected- has anyone ever calculated cruising at 3600 vs 3800 for long durations?

It is my "day off" car. I drive my police car too and from work. I only drive it 14 days a month because I only work 14 days a month. I usually only drive it about 40 miles a day.

Sole car. Although on nice days it sits while I ride the motorcycle. We don't get many of those in Seattle, though. :(

daily driver here. drove thru 2 winters so far. 36K miles on the clock, 1.5 years of ownership. 16.5-17mpg in the summer with mixed city/highway and my foot in it.

zoom zoom

drive it 3 times a week or something like that. it's a very good car. have a IS350 and a Jeep liberty only when there is a snow storm.(canada). looking to buy a used rx7 soon I love rotary.

daily driver here too... all over OC and LA in california, been a little over a year with 18,500 miles. had to replace a tranny, but other than that, it's always been able to put a smile on my face. =)

the cool thing is that if i am a bit more aggressive my mpg goes into the 16 mpg range. the bad thing is that if i'm more conservative, my mpg only goes into the 17/18 range. thus, there's no point driving conservative.

I think as long as you have the patience to properly warm up and shut down the car you won't have a problem. If you plan on driving it in winter weather you'll want to purchase snow tires for it, the OEM tires don't do freezing temps. As long as you don't mind paying for the gas. Personally, I wouldn't have this car if I had to use it as a daily driver. But that's just a personal preference.

Owned since December 2003 and has been my daily since then. As there are no winters in Texas, I drive it all year round. 44k miles later, stillin running strong and mostly stock now...

Most of you have basically said go for it, if I can find the right price on one I want, I think I'm gonna do it

It's my daily driver and I even drove it from California to Texas. MPG can leave a bit to be desired but other than that I love it.

Daily driver. Would miss it to much if I didn't drive it every day.

So you don't see replies from daily drivers only ...

This is one of three cars for me. When not patiently waiting in the garage, the 8 runs the road on warm dry days. Never driven in the rain -- never driven in winter. A whisker under 30K miles.

Built in Aug 2003 -- driven off the lot December 2003. Days out of service 0. After you get use to quirk issues, which are minor, the car exceeds all expectations.

Cheers,
Oranje

I bought my copper red Shinka in early November, had absolutely no problems in a very hard, snowy winter in NW Iowa with Blizzak LM-22 on all 4 corners. It is my daily driver, both in town, and lots of hightway miles. I have 8900 miles on it so far. The only problem is, since I know a lot of sheriffs and Highway patrol on a professional basis, I get stopped a lot, so they can look at the car, no tickets yet. All in all this is the best and most fun I have had in 40 years of driving.