Eish

Sold the RX8 after 8 years of trouble free motoring. Never had a major problem with the car at all. No starting issues, no engine issues, no nothing. 125 000 km.


Will keep coming back to the forum to see how things are going. Great community this one. Helped me install new speakers, wiring diagrams, wiring colour codes and how to take the door panels out and the rear speakers.


This is the parting shot of the car, still a looker after all these years:





The replacement is an alfa





Very different car with its own character. I cannot compare the two at all. It will never fill the gap. Instead, it creates a new gap of its own.





I don't know if the pictures will show (mods help if it doesn't work)
Have a great one

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

My 6MT 8 is 8 1/2 years old now, too, and some people assume it's not reliable, when, like yours, it's been the most reliable vehicle I've owned (tied with a 1994 Honda Civic I owned way back when).

Unlike you, I've yet to find a replacement car I like as much at even twice what I paid for my 8 new, so I'm keeping it for quite a while longer (most likely).

You obviously took great care of your 8, and good luck with the new ride (which we don't have access to in the U.S., by the way).

Eish

Thanks RR.


I waited for the RX9. The Alfa was just partly an accident in that it was offered at less than half its MRSP. I suppose Fiat is off-loading leftover stock. But, when I bought the 8, I had the Alfa GT as a second choice on the list.


Amazing how different these two cars are. I also had a 6MT, I heard lots of stories before getting it but the car proved the sceptics wrong year after year. For the first time we are getting the Mustang this side of the globe. It would have been a good contender for me, but Ford SA is pricing it close to a million bucks (That is about a hundred grand in dollars). Crazy, isn't it.

RotoRocket

iTrader: (1)

Wow, the prices you pay there are CRAZY.

That reminds me of what a family from SA vacationing in the same set of cottages where we own ours on Lake Huron told me last summer (some of the nicest people I've ever met by the way).

We were sharing our cooler of ales and lagers with them on the beach prior to a BBQ and they were listing the prices they paid for everything from cars to food to homes, and it was simply shocking.

And that Alfa is a GORGEOUS car. I've always said that the two Alfa cars we do not get here in the U.S. that I'd consider buying (as different as they are from the 8) are the 159 or GT (and the Citroen C6 for a 3rd option while I'm at it - the 159/GT being sporty front drivers with tons of character and elegant sheet metal & the Citroen for its superbly plush ride).

The 159 looks best in silver or black, too, IMHO, so cheers, mate.

Eish

Just to give you an idea. This is the price of a used 2013 Mustang with 4000 km on the clock, which is partly inflated by the fact that it is an import and has to be converted from left hand drive to right hand drive. But, you can check other non-imported cars like BMW, Merc, which are all assembled here in SA. Same story. We ship them out and discount them. I suppose it's volumes, the smaller the volumes, the higher the price.

Still, it costs an bit. At the current Rand/dollar conversion, it would set you back USD 117 000, for a used Mustang.

2013 FORD MUSTANG 302 BOSS R 1,250,000 for sale | Auto Trader

The Alfa is definitely great in black, I had a choice for silver but went for this one because it is a 4x4 with rear bias. Fuel consumption is seriously bad, that coming from someone who owned an RX8 should be a strong statement. The car has a thirst, very bad thirst.

1.3L

Nice going, Eish! I made a similar move last month, trading in my absolutely stock and cherry (and only 30k miles) 2004 RX-8 on a new 2014 BMW M235i. Couldn't be happier!

Eish

Holy shmoke, a 235. "Hello Beasty!"


Changes inside the cabin on newer cars is quite jarring

1.3L

Yeah, it really hauls a**. Pretty decent MPG, too. Overall average since day one is 25.9 MPG. A recent 160 mile trip up coast highway one resulted in 31.4 for the trip. Yesterday, did a 230 mile mixed driving trip and got 28.5 MPG. Much of that trip was at 75 MPH on a 4-lane highway. I'm amazed that such a powerful engine can deliver such good mileage.