Car insurance on the RX-8 is much lower than the competition in that it directly offsets the cost of fueling the 8. So you whine about the high cost of fueling the 8 but you forget what is really happening to your wallet. A breakdown of the total annual cost of gas and insurance makes the cost of owning an RX-8 much lower than almost all the competition...



Assumptions:
1) You drive 12,000 miles/year
2) Fuel cost at $2.25/gallon
3) Annual insurance based on averages from http://auto.consumerguide.com/
4) MPG based on averages from Consumer Reports

 

ding ding ding- we have a winner. good job

 

Very good point... and I'm damn glad my insurance isn't nearly that high... geez.

 

I would kill for insurance that low.

Seriously.

OK, not seriously, but I would, like, beat people up and stuff.

 

This should be a "STICKY" . No more mileage bashing. My insurance is about $400 less and thats max coverage and free windshields all the extras.

 

My '04 RX8 + '02 Explorer XLT = ~$1300 for both my wife and myself (after switching from Progressive to The Hartford).

Middle age has it's advantages :D

 

Dammit! I was all prepared to jump on another stupid mpg thread and instead we get this intelligent one. That ain't no fun! :p

We have three vehicles + homeowners, maximum limits on everything plus $1MM umbrella coverage. The RX-8's portion of that is a whopping $1,115/year, so I'm also about $400/year better off than that model.

Say, that means I can afford to redline it every day! :D

Middle age + the #1 Safeco agent in the country has its benefits!
P.S. We also switched from Progressive.

 

Boy, the S2000 numbers are WAY off compared to what I pay. I have not yet check with the insurance company to see what 8 insurance will run, but I am going to assume it will be less. I am keeping the S, BTW :D

What happened with the S will probably happen to the 8. As prices for used and new ones dropped and they became more easy to get the demographic of the owners changed from mostly older, sunny day drivers to younger drivers. The insurance has been re-rated once or twice in the last couple of years - and may account for the high number shown here. Being able to get a new 04 8 for $21-22k for new car with sports pack opens the ownership experience up to a lot more folks. Folks that may have more accidents and claims and drive the rates up...

Dennis

 

Imagine how good of a deal the 8 would be if it got good mileage and had low insurance

 

An excellent post. Should be stickied, but maybe with "Gas mileage vs. insurance costs" as the title.

When my insurance lists the 8 as a four-door family car, I feel like I'm getting away with something.

Uh, insurance companies -- forget I said that.

 

It's funny that nobody ever seems to complain about the cost of running tires that will get at best 20,000 miles wear.

 

Yo! Philly term, see Rocky (yo Adrian!)
Bottom line, SPG...smiles per gallon. Sorry folks but if you bought the RX-8 thinking that it would give you Prius mileage, or even the EPA mileage...wrong! Even the Prius owners complain that they don't get EPA estimates.

You bought the 8 because it excited you, because it gave you a feeling of Zoom Zoom! How many miles per gallon are worth the smiles per gallon that this vehicle gives you? Factor in the amount that you paid versus some of the other vehicles ( Z, G35, 330 i, etc.) and then decide if you like what you bought versus what you could have paid for the others.

Much like the Miata (which I also own) the 8 isn't the most powerful, the fastest 0-60, but it is one of the best "bang for the buck" vehicles on the market today for a performance-minded buyer. If you don't agree and you expected something else from the 8... then you didn't do your research before buying. The 8 is not a perfect vehicle (name one that is perfect, that is why there are so many models out there to choose from) but Mazda did a damn good job at giving us a car that balances acceleration, handling, and fun. If you want more, you can go out and pay more for something else. The other alternative is give the aftermarket some time (like Miata) to develop and you can hobby the 8 into what you want it to be!

The 8 isn't a Camry, it isn't a Prius or a Z or a Beemer and the rotary is quirky. If you enjoy the 8 for what it is... then you understand what Mazda tried to deliver to us...SPG= smiles per gallon.

 

Is that not a given amongst performance vehicles? Not sure there is much cost difference there.

 

My Potenzas lasted 25000 miles and I beat on them pretty hard. I expect my KDW's to go at least 30k.

My insurance is about $1300/year and on a 150 mile trip I'll average 22-23mpg (assuming it's highway), so I'm way ahead of the pack

 

I hadn't commented about the mpg for a couple of days .... damm

You took the words out of my mouth

Good point Slick8!

 

My insurance is $870 a year and I think the gas mileage is not the problem with these cars, its the people charging $2 plus for gas that is the problem, the car is great I don't care that it drinks gas, but it would be nice to be in the old days when gas was $1 a gallon, maybe even $1.50

 

I remember 19 cents, Lawrence, KS, 1968.

 

I only get 15mpg, and pay about 140 a month for insurance. Not complaining...

 

We're on the east coast, feel sorry for the guys out west.

 

I got anywhere from 60,000 to 80,000 miles per set on the Miata, which I consider a sportscar. Of course, I didn't use racing tires. I consider the move to super-specialized tires for street cars to be an excessive sacrifice of utility, longevity, and ability to cope with weather. It reminds me of the trend in the bicycle industry over the last generation with the move to ever lighter, but less durable components as if everyone is an elite racer. It's referred to (buy us old geezers) as "stupid light". But, that's just my opinion. But still, tire replacement is a cost of the stock car unless you only plan on keeping it for a short time. I just find it interesting that this cost seems reasonable to most, while the gasoline cost does not. I think if it weren't for that EPA sticker, there'd be a lot less grumbling.

 

I WISH my insurance was that low

 

I've had my 8 for about 2 weeks and have just priced insurance. With great coverage, it's under $800. I was shocked, expecting to pay twice that. The insurance agent said that it's just kids who have to pay the really high rates. "Mature drivers" -- that's me-- don't have to pay that much. I asked him about other cars, like the 350z, and they weren't much higher than the 8. I told him that could have bought the Viper.

4-door sedan! Not bad.

 

Damn... I don't know what your Miata came with, but my '96M-Edition also had summer-only bridgestones that were only good for ~20k miles of mildly agressive driving. I replaced them with Pirellis that got about ~25k per set, but I didn't care because for 15" tires the cost was so low. I personally don't mind having low life, high-traction summer tires, but where I think Mazda screwed up is trying to please the
"fast and the furious" crowd with the stupid 18" wheels. 17's would have been just fine, and replacement wheels and tires are much, much cheaper and far more plentiful in that size. The "fast and the furious" crowd just end up buying nicer (or ricer 19" wheels instead.

 

Can you tell me what company. I'm 54 noaccidents or tickets and pay 1100

 

Somehow this became an insurance thread. Be careful when comparing the cost you're paying for coverage to someone else's. Each state has specific, madated coverage and your's may not be the same as their's. Accordingly, some people carry higher limits of coverage than the minimum, and many of the optional coverages (deductibles, car rental, etc...) can make a big difference in total premium charged.
My premium, $1100 per year, is the same premium I was paying on a '96 Ford Exploder worth about $4000. I'm good with that.