CarAndDriver

After nine years and 92,000 miles under my ownership, my fun, easy-to-drive 2005 Mazda RX-8 Grand Touring 6M wit 103,788 miles has gone to Carmax and soon to auction. With a new engine imminent, it was time to sell it while I still could. If you want to read about my Carmax experience and the $3K I got, go here: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...offers-258441/

I've moved onto a 2014 BMW 428i M-Sport six-speed manual, Black Sapphire Metallic with a Coral Red leather interior. It is my first German car and I was trying to avoid a 3 Series 4DR since they are so common around here. Getting to know the 428i the more I drive it, but it is nice to have full torque coming on by 2K RPM and easily getting 33-35MPG going 75MPH on the freeway while being quicker all around. That said, I would swap out the BMW's steering with the RX-8s though - it is superior in feel, and I can't wait to dump the runflats for Pilot Super Sports.

I think a lot of us early RX-8 owners have moved on and the board seems a lot quieter nowadays, but I really appreciate all the help and advice that everyone has provided throughout the years - it was invaluable. Any messages still forward to my email. So on that note - good night, and good luck!

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Nice upgrade man!

kevinande

Very Nice!

karstman7

iTrader: (1)

amazing to me how those cars change character so dramatically with the changes from eco to sport modes - i can thrash it around in sport and then get 38 mpg on the way to work in eco - considering this for my next car - got one as a loaner (fiancé drives x5)

good luck with the new ride!

CarAndDriver

Thanks and as well to the other posters.

I think BMW makes the best turbo 4 out there in terms of how much grunt it has while offering stellar mileage when you want it. Ideally, it'd be great to program the sport mode steering in comfort or eco pro. I tend to drive in comfort mode most of the time and I'd prefer the firmer sport mode steering.

If you're okay with a one-year old used car, BMWs depreciate steeply since they are overpriced to begin with new. Which one are you looking at? I looked at and drove 2, 3 and 4 Series. It was really hard to find preowned 228i and 328i that weren't badge seeking stripper models.

karstman7

iTrader: (1)

drove both the new 3 and 4 series - liked the 328 most - and performance isn't really dramatically better with the 335 so aiming at 328. on a side note i drove the 4 series coupe and those doors were so long i felt like i was going to smack adjacent cars every time i parked...

CarAndDriver

I found that the best deals were on the 328i due to volume. If you are not in a hurry, set up a saved search on Autotrader and Cars.com websites and app and search daily as well as Craigslist until you find something acceptable. A lot of 328i were cheap base models so it was challenging to find a Sport or M-Sport with HID headlights, nav, backup camera/sensors, heated seats and premium package (my minimum config). Manuals were rare, but the 8 speed sport auto is excellent. The base suspension and seats are lousy and the non-HID headlights are weak. Nothing says stripper like a modern BMW with halogen headlights.

And yes the doors on the 428i are very long. Better to find those wider parking spaces and to open with care.

czr

iTrader: (3)

Good luck with the new drive! It is good that you have the opportunity and means to go the bimmer route. They are fantastic vehicles and worthy upgrade of the driving experience. Thanks for sharing and being helpful also with the posts of selling the 8 via carmax and transitioning over to the new whip. A new engine certainly is a valid reason to switch over.

I am not quite at that point yet. I've had my 8 for over ten years and it has over 106k miles now on the body and most internals and a newer engine courtesy of Mazda at 60k miles. I really don't know what I'd what could replace this car at the current value of $7k with all the history we've had together. That's even with a new engine at $5k if it gave up on me tomorrow. The positive thing is there's lots of good options out there right now