psiv92

Hello everyone!! This is my first post on these forums. I have been a long time lurker on here but my first time posting.

I currently am on my third car a VW passat, had a Subaru Legacy for my first car and that quickly died on me becasue of age...

I am looking at purchasing a new car within the next year or so and I have had my eye on the rx8 for a long time but I have also been looking really hard at the audi a4 (05 or newer as I like that body style of the B7). I would most likely be spending around 10k or so on the car.

At the time of purchasing this car I will be starting my first year of college so my question to you all is what would I be the better choice of getting....maintenance wise and gas and such (oh and fun of course ). But in the case of the rx8 finding someone who can work on it and know what he/she is doing could be tough..

I have read the threads and know that the rx8 isnt as bad or scary with problems as people make it out to be and I actually work at a car shop that works on enthusiasts cars particulaly german cars so I do have the ability to work on my own cars or have someone work on them for pretty cheap labor wise.

So I guess any advice you guys have would be great!!

Sorry for the long post

TIA

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

If you have been reading threads, what is your question. What do you what to know.

psiv92

I guess I was just asking for anyones opinion and if anyone has experience with both cars and which they would prefer or recommend getting..

I know it is ultimately my decision but some outside input and experiences dont hurt

Orthonormal

I wouldn't recommend either of those for a college student.

At least around where I live, a $10k RX-8 is going to to be pretty well used and maybe not in great condition. While there are cars that you can buy with high mileage and unknown maintenance history and not have to worry mechanically, the RX-8 is not one of them.

Audis are rated very poorly in terms of reliability, and I expect that repairs are pretty expensive too.

If you have a limited budget to buy the car, you're probably not going to want to deal with unexpected large expenses to fix it. You also shouldn't have to spend time getting your car fixed instead of learning what you're going to school for.

That doesn't mean you have to have a boring car. The Miata and MR2 Spyder are very reliable and fun. If you need 4 seats, I'm sure there are options out there but I'm not the best person to make recommendations. Off the top of my head, you might like a Lexus IS300.

Razz1

I wouldn't get any of those cars for college.

College parking lots are a dent festival

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

If money is at all a concern, get a nice boring inexpensive car, and reward yourself once you have a degree and a job. This especially so if you're going the student loan route. And yes, I (as well as friends) have had Audis. "Had", not "have" and there's a reason for that.

Rx8vsMalibu

I'm a college student with an RX-8.
Yes, it's a very fun car and there isn't much out there for which I'd trade it. However, I wouldn't recommend this car to any of my friends. Most of the college students I know don't care enough to give this car the attention it deserves. Fuel will be expensive, and insurance will most likely be expensive. Parking is a pain. I park in a structure that costs more than parking on the street. When you're running late for class, will you give the car a few minutes to warm up on a cold morning?

Being in college means you'll be busy so you will have less time to spend on the car. You might neglect washing it, or drag out that oil change for another week or two.
Repairs on this car can be expensive, especially when you're paying someone to do them for you. None of the college students I know have an extra couple grand put aside for car repairs. College is expensive. I would say get a cheaper alternative which is known for reliability and has a lot of cheap parts available and use that for as long as you can. i.e older camry, civic, accord, malibu in my case.

Good luck.

psiv92

Thanks for the fast responses! Im thinking that maybe my best bet would be to just keep my passat through college while saving my money and look for something when I have a real job lol..

Repairs for audis are not that more expensive if not the same as my passat...

Thanks for the suggestions I will definitely look into them!

SamPappas

iTrader: (1)

I'm just finished my freshman year of college. I got my 8 over the summer as a graduation present last summer. If you do not plan on having a job during the school year, then I would say that the 8 is a bad choice. But if you do, it just depends on the car man. I found mine for a good price, so I jumped on it. It was bought in May of 06, and only had 47k when I got it. I wouldn't recommend one that is near the end of it's warranty, or just in general has high mileage. But what I can tell you is you won't regret buying one if you do

psiv92

thanks guys!! I really do want one but I think I might just have to wait until im done or at least almost done with school

Jake33

iTrader: (2)

im still in college and all i did was buy a decent beater ($2k) and then spent $13500 on my rx8. fully loaded 6spd grand touring with 37k miles. i work while im in school and make payments on my 8 every month. works out just fine for me, and also builds credit if you make the payments above the amount of what they ask for.

good luck, and dont drive fast on wet roads with this beast with DSC/tracion off lol

Jake33

iTrader: (2)

just saw you youre almost done with school...lol id hold up till your done to get an 8. jmo.