Hello everyone!

I`m in a process of acquiring my own driver license (26 y.o.) this summer (that is a another long story why and how it took me so long) and i need to decide whether or not to save my money for Rx-8.
Being a lurker here for 6 months~, i`ve read (and watched videos) about rotary engine`s disadvantages before creating this thread (messages that kind people pinned to keep newbies like me informed about 13B, they deserve a special place in heaven for that) and i still want to hear from your experience guys about this...
I live in Russia (Siberia) and i happened to fall in love (like many fell before me i guess) with Rx-8 exterior looks (they are just unique) and what i heard about its "forgiveness" during the driving process (excellent handling and weight distribution) which is appealing to me (to the point i started to see RX-8 in my dreams ).
During my driving "tutorials" i was driving quite safe (till the point instructor said F*** it all and lazily given directions while half-sleeping/half-directing which led me to failed attempts at driving tests) and i have a habit of keeping things i own running well (in terms of rx-8 it means i gonna look out for it and drive safely and responsibly... ignoring its tempting behavior and make a proper maintenance regardless of how tempting it is to ignore it.).
So, after all this wall of text (thank you for reading it), i wanted to ask you these things:

1) I going to drive 400-500 km total per month or maybe even more because i met a point in my life where amount of need to drive trumps any newbie fears i had, will Rx-8 serve me well (Here in siberia, where winter is like 6 months long, temperature reaches -30 and -40 celsius while local goverment cuts every single kind of transport because "no money" and you are freezing while waiting for bus for 40 minutes and up)?

2) If i happen to find a manual only RX-8(a year in the future, i`m still saving up), at what speed/RPM i should switch gears? I mean in a "typical manual", it is 0-20 is first, 20-40 for second, 40-60 for third and 80 for fourth... but what are those numbers for rx-8 since it has higher RPM engine (compared to a "traditional" one)

3) The amount of money i can spend on Rx-8 is 6600-7000$ (without "after-purchase" repairs). Is there a chance i going to find a "living and breathing" rx-8 (2004-2007~ with decent compression ratios) for that price without having to bust another 2000$ on a new engine the very moment i "swap money for keys"? We have a lot of RX-8s for 6600$ (in my country i mean) and exporting one from europe/japan/America is going to add 20000$ on top of car`s price (thanks to goverment) which is a huge "no-no".

4) At some time in the future i gonna move myself 3300~ kilometers south on road and i want to use Rx-8 for that, can i hope that it won`t break in the middle of the road (given the fact of proper maintenance, using recommended oil and highest quality fuel available)?

5) IF you find everything that i mentioned/said idiotical or unrealistic or other thing (please specify) (booo, he is a newbie, no rx-8 for you! Drive junk and get off these forums, rx-8 is for the Master Race with 15 years of driving experience only you filthy scum! ), which car gonna replace the rx-8 until i can meet the requirements? My options are coupes only (i have problems with the size of the car and that is why i prefer coupes or even hatchbacks like Golf):
1) Mitsubishi Colt CJO (1999). - compact, affordable (1500-2000$)
2) Wolksvagen Golf IV - (3000$~)
3) Nissan Skyline R32/33 - (3000$ and up)
4) Toyota Celica T-200/MR-2. - (3000$ for T-200 and 6000$ and up for MR-2)
5) Mercedes Benz clk w208 (1999)? (2500-3000$)
6) Your idea.

6) How financially hard it is to acquire another 13B renesis? I heard that it is priced 1500$~ for an engine which is far better then 7500$ of RB26DETT... and who i can trust with these matters (i mean is there a trustworthy site where i can order 13B and ship to my country)?

 

RX8 drivers lust after the Skyline (Godzilla car).

After seeing all those winter snow crashes from Russia, I'd say that all wheel drive Skyline.

Also, Please put some proper snow tires on during winter.

Really, and good luck!

 

Thank you for the response (really, it is good to see a person responding without all the hatered in the air).
Russia has arrogant drivers, that is a big problem here because of 18 year olds getting license and playing need for speed more then actual driving. I am not one of them, i witnessed a man turning to mess after old toyota mark 2 with three idiots inside crashed at high speed and turned poor fellow to blood splatter and whatever left of meat and bones (it was 6 years ago, i remember this lesson and the remains of his head quite well, that is why i drive carefully and not about to ruin someone`s day exceeding speed limits in a car like Rx-8)
Just saying - i am ready to commit to whatever maintenance necessary (of any car, even if Rx-8 ends up as a second one because i love that frontal face of hers) , that is why tires is a thing not even discussed - because that is what driving begins with - a proper set of "boots" for your car!. I tried to pass a driving exam for the first time on the worst possible time - minus 32 celsius outside, piles of snow and ice on the road (yes, i failed to pass but also learned about tires and vehicle handling) so lesson about tires served me well.

P.S. AWD type of Skyline (R32) costs here 8000$ minimum and is like 5~ cars total that can be found across the country (4-5 thousand kilometers away included) and they are "modified" with custom spoilers, intakes, have more HP then default ones AND... what makes me "itch"is that most of themhave lower HP number in the car`s official documents (car passport, for example person says - i got 400 h.p. in here, but in car`s documents it is only 143!) and that might cause a heck of a problem with police (they gonna send you on a LONG and COSTLY "verification procedure", meaning that you lose ability to drive for months and they might ask previous car history that previous owner FAILED to supply to you automatically making them suspicious and potentially stripping you of both vehicle and rights.). Only kind of affordable skyline is R32-33 in average condition for 3000$~ with RWD, which is not as good i take it.

 

You seem to have done your research, winter tires would be a must.
You would need to get a rotary specific compression test before buying one.
Also, if you plan on keeping it a long time, an engine rebuild may eventually be necessary.
It would be a good idea to find a shop that specializes in rotary rebuilds, and what it would cost should it become needed.

 

If you ever do need an engine replacement, the closest shop to you might be in Poland. It might be cheaper to buy another RX8 at that point. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it based on your location. Unless you tell me otherwise, you have no ready access to a rotary compression tester, source of rotary spark plugs or engine rebuild expertise. So if anything goes wrong, you're stuck, right? It's hard to know what you can get for your budget over there, but you're not buying new or even close to new, so you're inherting whatever mistakes the previous owner made, which also adds risk. So ...

I'm not sure what a T-200 is but Celica GT and GTSs are fun. Consider a Honda/Acura RSX-S, those are a blast and don't need anything special.

 

Thank you for the reply, i gonna find and buy a rotary compression tester and learn how to do so (if that does not requires to own a big garage with lifting equipment).
We have many small shops around here selling car parts and a local representative of "Exist.ru" which is an russian online store that is capable of supplying all sorts of car parts (if they are in stock ofc) and almost every driver or repair shop uses its services to get most of things they need delivered and ready for a pickup somewhere in the city.
With this said, i lack any rotary engine rebuild expertise thanks to the fact i have no garage and accessories to extract the engine from the car ( i plan to learn that because from what i saw on youtube, renesis is relatively light and newbie-friendly engine that has a straightforward assembly process that allows me to replace an apex, clean up the carbon buildup or anything that does not require heavy duty equipment or a new engine). Right now however, i`m not in posession of any of these things (no experience and no garage).
Once again you are right - when i purchase a car all maintenance gonna be put on shoulders of ~2 local rotary repair shops.
I will consider celicas, they earned some love around the internet (from what i read) plus i like the Acura`s design so i`m watching out for them too (none of them come close to Rx-8 though, damn japs and their sexy looks ). Scouting the internet for BMWs E-36 and E-46 turned out to be quite interesting - they reported to have very good handling but they require careful examination and decent E-46 (not dead) one costs approximately 6200-7000$ and up (funny thing is that BMW M3 E-36 costs 9000$ minimum while E-46 330i costs 6500$~ and in generally better condition then its M3 predecessor)... so i am keeping both BMWs at "last option" shelf for they break and break and break... not to mention your brilliant phrase " inherting whatever mistakes the previous owner made" that in case of e46 is nothing else but "wagon of mistakes".
New cars around here have a high "maintenance lag", meaning that, for example if someone would buy a new subaru/mercedes/toyota you are stuck with official repair services and even those can take a long time to repair your car because they just don`t have properly certified technicians to handle all this "blingy" equipment. Things are better in Moscow because they have official representatives of automobile brands in there to whip their asses but here it might be another case - lazy, "soon it will be done" approach. Repairing and performing a maintenance of a new car at official, certified repair shops of mazda/toyota/nissan is also costly and to make things worse, many non-official shops assert their price list according to your looks and a car you arrived in, so if you get there in something like 2005 BMW/Merc or sporty-looking coupe you get a higher then normal price list (and don`t even dare to arrive in NEW E-class mercedes sedan or anything 2016 because it screams "RIP ME OFF, I HAVE MONEY" and you get + 40% to repair costs).
You might`ve heard about "Lada" aka "russian car" - 4 letters of doom make up a name of absolutely horrible vehicle to drive that has no AC or or airbags in cheapest configuration and it thinks it is a modern brand (!!!) much like Toyota/BMW/Mercedes benz and announced 20% increase in their car`s price that already costs like a Nissan Juke. Buying new lada is a very bad idea (i can squeeze in the following instead: TWO Rx-8s/Alive MR-2/2005 Lancer Evo/Alive Rx-7/2003 Subaru WRX STi/2005 mercedes benz sedan and so on) and buying an old lada is a death wish (nonexistant safety, 1.5L~ engine that sucks ***, horrible looks and handling). That is why i stay off new cars, "ladas" and prefer to buy a used car (and Rx-8 seems to be worth suffering, as someone said somewhere around this forum: "Rx-8 is a Gun-Toting-Anti-Marriage-Freedom-Party Machine and we love it this way!" and that is best Rx-8 description i heard! )


Yes sir, i live in a big city (not as big as New York or even our capital, but at least it is a city). You are right, engine rebuilds might be necessary but i wonder whether or not it is efficient enough to justify the monetary expenses in comparison to outright replacing an engine (I heard that renesis 13Bs are generally cheaper then popular platforms like RB26DETT/2gz-gte/4g63) .
We have ~1 or 2 of those shops that are ready to work with rotaries, however i am not sure about the queue (for example, in St.Peterburg which is near moscow and 3000~ kilometers away from me we have 3~ shops specializing on rotary engines but if you are stuck in 3~ month long queue before they even start working with your car) which makes things look awkward-ish (but i still "scouting the area" for shops so i might find more).

 

Yes sir, i live in big city (not as big as New York or even our capital, but at least it is a city). You are right, engine rebuilds might be necessary but i wonder whether or not it is efficient enough to justify the monetary expenses in comparison to outright replacing an engine (I heard that renesis 13Bs are generally cheaper then popular platforms like RB26DETT/2gz-gte/4g63) .
We have ~1 or 2 of those shops that are ready to work with rotaries if you are willing to suffer long queue (for example, in St.Peterburg which is near moscow and 3000~ kilometers away from me, they have 3~ shops specializing on rotary engines but if you are going to use their services - you have to wait for about 3~ months before they even start working with your car) which makes things look not as bright.

Thank you for the reply, i going to find and buy a rotary compression tester and learn how to check compression ratios myself (if that does not requires to own a big garage with lifting equipment).
We have many small shops around here selling car parts and a local representative of "Exist.ru" which is a russian online store that supplies all sorts of car parts (if they are in stock ofc) and almost every driver or repair shop uses its services to get most of things they need delivered and ready for a pickup somewhere in the city.
I lack any rotary engine rebuild expertise and accessories to extract the engine from the car and put it back (planning to learn how to do that because from what i saw on youtube, renesis is relatively light and newbie-friendly engine that has a straightforward assembly process that allows me to replace an apex, clean up the carbon layers or anything that does not require heavy duty equipment or a new engine... just a set of "straight hands and brains"). Right now however, i do not posess any of these things (no experience and no garage).
Once again you are right - when i purchase a car all maintenance gonna be put on shoulders of ~2 local rotary repair shops.
I will consider Celicas, they have earned some love around the internet (from what i read) plus i like the Acura`s design so gonna watch out for them too (none of them come close to Rx-8 though, damn japs and their sexy looks ). Scouting the internet for BMWs E-36 and E-46 turned out to be quite interesting - they reported to have very good handling but they require careful examination and decent E-46 (not dead) one costs approximately 6200-7000$ and up (funny thing is that BMW M3 E-36 costs 9000$ minimum while E-46 330i costs 6500$~ and in generally better condition then its M3 predecessor)... so i am keeping both BMWs at "last option" shelf for they break and break and break... not to mention your brilliant phrase " inherting whatever mistakes the previous owner made" that is nothing else but "wagon of mistakes" when it comes to e46.
New cars around here have a high "maintenance lag", meaning that for example if someone would buy a new subaru/mercedes/toyota he is stuck with official repair services and even those can take a long time to repair your car because they just don`t have properly certified technicians to handle all this "blingy" equipment. Things are better in Moscow because they have official representatives of automobile brands in there to whip their asses but here it is opposite case - lazy, "it will be done soon" approach. Performing a maintenance/repairs of a new car at official, certified repair shops of mazda/toyota/nissan is quite costly and to make things worse, many non-official shops assert their price list according to your looks + car you arrived in, so if you get there in something like 2005 BMW/Merc or sporty-looking coupe you get a higher then normal price list (and don`t even dare to arrive in NEW E/S/CL-class mercedes sedan or anything 2016 because it screams "RIP ME OFF, I HAVE MONEY" and you get + 40% to repair costs).
You might`ve heard about "Lada" aka "russian car" - 4 letters of doom make up a name of absolutely horrible vehicle to drive that has no AC or or airbags in cheapest configuration and it thinks about itself as a modern car(!!!) much like Toyota/BMW/Mercedes benz and announced 20% increase in their car`s price this year (it costs like Nissan Juke already). Buying new lada is a very bad idea (i can buy the following instead: TWO Rx-8s/Alive toyota MR-2/2005 Lancer Evo/Alive Rx-7/2003 Subaru WRX STi/2005 mercedes benz E-class and so on) and buying old lada is a death wish (nonexistant safety, 1.5L~ engine that sucks ***, horrible looks, handling and it can`t drive straight). That is why i stay off new cars, "ladas" and prefer to buy a used car (and Rx-8 seems to be worth the suffering, as someone said at this forum: "Rx-8 is a Gun-Toting-Anti-Marriage-Freedom-Party Machine and we love it this way!" and that is best Rx-8 description i ever heard! )

 

There are rotary compression testers for sale here, but I don't know if it's prohibitive to ship it there.
I bought one for $340 USD, but haven't used it yet.
All you need to be able to do to test it is to jack up the front left side, take the tire off, and remove 2 spark plugs.