I posted earlier about buying a 2010 RX8 Grand Touring. And, after multiple responses and learning a lot, I'm still lost.
Pros: beautiful body, an upgrade from my current car, great interior
Cons: low mpg (but only slightly less than my current car), seemingly high upkeep for a high schooler with limited income, possible engine problems that would majorly suck

If I were to buy it, and the compression test came back fine and everything engine-wise was up to par, would it be worth it for 12,000 (much less with savings and trade in)? After depleting my savings, would I end up scrounging for change to get repairs far too often?

 

Regardless if it's an RX-8 or not, never ever empty your savings into a car. That's equivalent to throwing it away because the car will lose value with time.

 

its a 2010 with that comes the better oiling system. this means its not going to be prone to the engine failures of the pre 09 models.

I would get a newer one if I could find it.

 

x2. With very rare exceptions, cars depreciate and are not assets.


While the series 2 RX8's have considerable improvements in their design, it's still a sports car with a race-derived engine. This translates to an insatiable appetite for gas, and like almost all sports cars, it will require more mechanical attention than a commuting appliance like a corolla. I think Mr. RIWPP was spot-on with his assessment that "if the idea of potential engine failure scares you, the RX8 is not the car you" (paraphrasing - can't recall the quote verbatim).

As much as I don't want to steer anyone away from an RX8 (after all I do own one, so I would like the resale value to be as high as possible), I don't think you'll be very satisfied with your choice in 2-3 years time of paying for gas and insurance. While this next sentence will most likely go unheeded, a miata is what I would honestly recommend if you are interest in learning how to drive properly rather than looking the part (which there is nothing wrong with - everyone has their own opinions and taste). A miata can be had for next to nothing (hell, for $12,000 you can get one that someone has already turbo/supercharged), have a nearly impeccable reliability record and you can put the money you saved/will save on gas/insurance towards seat time at your local track/autocross events learning how to drive.

Best of luck with you on your decision.

 

+1 on what Loki said.

2010 for 12k is totally worth it considering how many mileage on the car, and its condition, and left over warranty.

 

At the risk of sounding like a parent: do your homework. Read the thread at the top of this forum about new and potential owners carefully. It will tell you a lot about what you can expect from an 8, both pro and con. Then, when you fully understand everything in the thread, sit down and think carefully about your current financial state and future prospects (part-time or full-time) for income and weigh that against your day to day expenses. Once you have done that, you should have a better idea if an 8 is really the car for you. if you decide in favor of the 8, re-read the thread and form a game plan for maintaining it properly. Also, get the VIN and contact your local dealer. They can tell you what, if any, problems and warranty repairs have occurred with the car and whether or not all recalls have been taken care of. Good luck deciding.

 

So, assuming the compression test comes back great and the car as a whole is in near perfect condition, what kind of average annual maintenance costs am I looking at (aside from regular check ups and oil changes)?

 

I think its totally worth it, considering it is a Grand Touring too. But I just don't want to be driving it around the city and it just randomly shut down on me, but I also don't want to put in time and money into tedious upkeep for it. Catch 22 pretty much Currently I have my dad's old (haha its 2 years old) 2012 Dodge Avenger SE, and, although its a nice car, its inline 4 engine is underwhelming. I've always had my eye on rx8's, and now that I've seen this one, I'm not sure if I can pass it up. Plus, I'm not sure that it will even break down on me. It could be in great condition and I'm fretting over nothing. But then again.... So if you were me (high school junior with next to no income (but doesnt pay for his own oil change and insurance) and not a lot of time due to extracurriculars to spend on this car) what would you do??

 

What would I do at 17... My first car was a worn out Alfa Romeo Guilietta Spyder. At 17 one is not really expected to make intelligent decisions. That's why they assign parents to yell at us in those difficult years.

Maintenance of an 8 isn't that tedious. If you keep the ignition in good shape and take it out for a high rev run every now and then to blow out the carbon, you should be OK. It's not like the 8 has a GM ignition switch.

At 17 you're more likely to get stranded because you wrap your car around a tree than from it breaking down. That gives you more conflcting arguments to ponder - the 8's more likely to get you in trouble than a dull car, but it has very good crash ratings.

Ken

 

get the 8 bro.

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Your not even out of high school I know you like the car and want it so bad you can taste it but truly it's not a car for some one as young as you. Mine is a 04 never had a major problem but the little problems I have had have been in the range of $300 to $600 to fix and that's with me doing the work. The other problem is finding some one the knows what thay are doing to fix it and not soak you for it. You've got a lot of time ahead of you pass on this for now till your out of school and have a steady income that gives you money enough to play with. Better to pass on it than have it sit in you driveway because something unforeseen hapened to it you can't afford to fix. I love my 8 and don't want to turn off a potential brother but this car can eat money and takes major devotion.

 

Look, I'm sure it's a great car. 2010s are much less prone to failure of the oil kind, but you will still want to stay on top of ignition. I would be comfortable saying that it won't crap out on you just like that for the next 3 years. And even if it does, the engine core has an 8 year warranty.

For 12k, it sounds like a good deal...
* if the compression test and inspection checks out
** if the car doesn't also have a crazy number of miles on it. You haven't stated the mileage
*** it's not an automatic
**** it has a clean record

Buutttt... you have next to no income.. and you want to buy a sports car. I'm not going to say anything, just tell me what you think of that sentence. It's about $50 in gas alone to travel 250 miles.

 

Well it's at 72k miles and an automatic, which by your comment doesn't sound too good. And I get about 200 a month for keeping the grades up (thanks mom and dad) but it's not located in my city so id have to travel to get a compression test.

 

Bud $200 a month isn't enough. A auto is far more prone to have problems not sure with the S2's wich I know this is but this isn't a vett or a charger $200 won't even do a stock ignition change and at 70k if it hasn't had it it more than needs it. Pass on it for now again I say better to pass than stare at it in the drive unable to drive it because you can't afford to fix it.

 

Do you want to be able to do other things in life besides owning this car with the $200 a month?

 

That $200 probably won't even cover the insurance on it for the month for a 17 year old.

If you only have $200/month to live off of, I hate to say it but you should look at getting a more economical car. I spend about $80 week just on gas.

Unless you just want a car to look at in the driveway? Then $200 should just about cover it!

 

yehh.. if you're going to put all your money into it's probably not the best decision... like others said, with fuel, insurance and potential repairs it might be hard or nearly impossible for you personally to maintain...

 

For 10k (I highly advise against spending all your money on the car, I had to pay about 1500 in the first 2 months of owning mine for various reasons and registering/ taxes can be pretty expensive) you could get many other cars known for being a bit more reliable and still sporty. Sometimes I wish I had gotten an s2k/ Miataspeed (I love convertibles). I would recommend at least looking into those as well as a Si/ accord v6/ maybe even American "sports cars" if you're into those. RX-8s aren't really busy/ poor teen friendly. Trust me, I'm 19.

Judging by the good grades statement, you'll be able to get an awesome sports car eventually but don't rush into it like I did.


All that being said, I love this car while everything is working well but it seems like there's always something I could/ should/ need to buy for it.

 

with 72,000 miles on it, you probably will need to change coils, wires, plugs and other wear items. Sorry but your $200 isn't going to even get you close to what you will likely need to spend right out the box. This is not the car for anyone with such limited budget (even if your dad is paying for the insurance). Pass on this until you have better income.