90% sure an 8 is my next car, but some questions....
 

Hello all, first post :)

I'm in the market for a new car. I'll get to a point that will be addressed and discussed before I go on; I am 17, have been driving for two years, and if the 8 turns out to be my next car, it will be my fifth. I'll address all of my cars first:

1st car: '90 Toyota 4Runner. I sold this car before I got my license.
2nd car: '94 Mazda MX-3 GS, 5-speed, with a 1.8L V6. My first car when I got my license; my baby. This is the car that I tore apart learning about cars. It was a beater when I bought it, but I turned it into something great. I bought it for $1500 with 192K miles on it and it ran like a champ till I stopped driving it at 198K. I learned how to perform basic engine care, do oil changes, replace head gaskets, change (insert car part here), and much much more. I also installed, by myself, a muffler (with a little help on the welding; it was actually a beating), SRAI, short throw shifter (at 3AM, without a jack :wallbash:), and an entire sound system (radio, front and rear coaxial speakers, an amp and wiring for subwoofers, and an amp and wiring for my other speakers). With the lowest displacement V6 ever mass produced, the 135HP rating seemed weak. I soon after realized that its gokart-like weight made it faster than it put off. To this day, it had the best throttle response out of any of my cars.
3rd car: '02 Acura RSX, 5-speed. My grandma bought it for me since she thought my old car would explode :p It was a fun little car, but I can't say much about it; a guy ran into me and totaled it. I had it for two and a half weeks. But, with the insurance money, I bought my...
4th car: '03 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T, 5-speed, my current, and so far favorite, car. It was my first experience with FI, and I felt like I could never turn back. I love it to death.

Sorry about that; I like to talk a lot, especially about cars :) So, let's get to the point: since I did get in a wreck, my insurance went up. Being a teenage boy and having a wreck add up to RIDICULOUS insurance costs. I had to drop full coverage on my GTI because it's categorized as a performance car. There were plenty of other cars I wanted, but they would all fall into the same category (I'm a bit of a speed freak; aren't the rest of you? :p). Then, I remembered my friend had owned an RX-8 and that insurance classified it as a sedan. The extra airbags and doors, coupled with a tiny 1.3L engine ;) has brought down all of my insurance quotes. I had narrowed down my choices to a MS6 and the 8. I took a wild guess and figured the MS6 insurance would be sky high. Going with an 8 is a big step for me though; I never thought I would leave forced induction after my awesome experience with my GTI. So, I guess this is why I am here.

Personally, I have never driven an 8. I plan on doing so soon. I don't know if this will happen or not, but I feel like the 8 will seem slower, but only because my FI car has more torque. I'm guessing that the high revs, smooth power delivery, and large powerband would make the RX-8 feel like it was less powerful, but in reality, is a faster car without noticing. If I could get some input on that theory that would be great. I'm not looking for a racecar, I just don't like going slow on the highway :)

So here come the actual questions. I should say though, I HAVE read the potential buyers thread multiple times, have read the new owner's guide, and also have done extensive research on the rotary engine. Before I make your mind explode, I'll get to my questions and let you all get to answering and input and criticism and how I'm too young for this :P
1. After selling my GTI, I will have approximately $10,000 of my very own hard earned money to pick up an 8. In my area, I have found about a million 8s that are in my price range, granted they are 04-06. I would like to spend $9500 tops on it so I have some room to get a compression test done beforehand (all cars I buy go through a long time family friend/mechanic to make sure it's all good) and, from what I've read, replace the cat, plugs, wires, etc... Just in case. Is that too low of a dollar amount to pick up a good car?
2. How many miles are too many miles on a rotary engine? Most that I have found range from 60K-100K miles. I know that a lot of it deals with how the owner took care of the car, but I'm looking for a general "do not pass" line.
3. I live in Dallas, Texas, and it is HOT here. I have read that there are sometimes problems with overheating of 8s. Would the removing of the coolant from the throttle body and connecting the top and bottom coolant lines be something that I really need to do? What other measures should I take to prevent overheating?
4. What are the absolute most important things I should find out about the car before I buy it? I know there is a list of stuff to ask about, and I will inquire about those things, but I'm looking for the big defining points that would make or break the deal.

I'm sorry about writing a novel here, but I just want to make sure that I have every last thing in line before I make a buy.

Thank you so much if you made it through this whole post, and I look forward to your comments!

Sam

Well Sam, seems like you've done your research and have earned yourself some answers :)

1. For under $10k, you can find yourself a pretty decent 04, and maybe even 05. For a compression test, you would need to use a rotary specific tester. Dealers charge around $1-200 for a test... Find out the maintenance history of the car before you start spending money in parts that may not need fixing (plugs/ coils can go for anywhere from $100-300+, so search around!). For the CAT, I'll respond soon...

2. Miles are worthless to judge. Some people go through 3 engines before the 100k mile mark, some reach 100k+ on their 1st. Due to the extended warranty (8years/100k miles), I'd go with something on the safe side of 60k miles. 04 warranty is up next year, FYI... There is also an 8year/80k mile CAT warranty, so keep that in mind, also.

3. Read up on all engine cooling mods. Were I you, I'd do everything I could to make sure the engine stayed nice and cool.

4. Important things- maintenance history. In order for warranty to be approved (MOST of the time...), you'll need those.
Compression. Why purchase a low compression car? Really??
Suitability. Make sure you take one for a test drive. Test out the different trims for one that suits you best. Read a thousand times over people regretting purchasing the GT package and finding out that the sunroof was too low for them to fit comfortably...

Just make sure that you get what you want. Don't rush a sale. Know how to maintain the car (seems you already have an idea!). And for the love of Wankel, DON'T start threads about oil, gas consumption, and mods/ moar powa!!!

Good luck, and hope to see pics of your 8 ;)

My eyes got tired before I finished reading but I can you that it will feel similar to the rsx in the sense that all the power is up top. In the rsx, you feel slow until about 6k rpm when the vtec kicks in, in the rx8 it happens at about 5k and stays there all the way to 9.5k. Although it's not as noticeable as vtec kicking in, you should feel a little thrust (I do, at least). Personally I'm not a big fan of FI engines..the power just feels fake. I've always been a fan of Honda's for their high compression/high revving NA engines and I guess that's what got me attracted to the 8.

Also, some insurance companies like to classify it as a 2.6L to get more money..but even then, it still does have cheap insurance

Thanks for the responses guys! It's nice to see a community that actually helps people in a kind way instead of most car forums where if you don't know one small detail, you're considered a failure at life.

I'll start looking into more ways to keep my engine cool. Will it be bad if I make efforts to cool it off for summer once winter rolls around?

Addressing waleed786: That helps me get a better concept of the power. But I'm going to be frank here: Will the 8 be faster than my GTI? I know the 8's HP rating is higher, but that doesn't always matter. What I love about my GTI is how I can drop a gear and get my turbo spooling quick, making good power when I need it. Will dropping gears (let's say 6 to 5) at 65 MPH put me in an ideal powerband where I can really pull? Sorry I don't know approximate RPM ranges for speeds in different gears, especially since I have never owned 6-speed. If you could come up with a better analogy that would be great.

I'm going to go test drive an 8 tomorrow to get a feel for the car; I'm really excited! I'm still picking around different listings, paying close attention to the mileage/year and how much detail the seller goes into about maintenance.

I bet you'll change to 100% sure an 8 is your next car after the test drive. Good luck.

if you want to vroom vroom while going 65mph you would downshift to 3rd.3rd redlines somewhere like mid or high 90s and you shouldnt ever need to redline any other gear.

also fwiw i live in houston and didnt do any cooling mods last summer and i was okay.

Gear max MPH
1st: 42
2nd: 67
3rd: 93
4th: 120(ish)
5th: 140(ish)
6th: 168 (higher than aero limits allow)

At 65mph, you are at 3,500rpm in 6th, which is too low for much. It isn't even ideal cruising RPM (though low end of acceptable)

You can downshift to 5th for about 4,500rpm, which is viable, but hardly ideal for passing power.

You can downshift to 3rd, at 6,500rpm, which is right above our torque peak and really good at pulling to 93mph, which is higher than any US legal limit

Or you can even downshift to 2nd if you wish, but you only have 2mph to go before you peg the fuel cut-off. You won't get a kick in the pants by your 8, but you will quickly and easily be at speeds that you didn't realize it was so effortlessly attainable by the 8. The power is so smooth, and the car so under control.

Even my wife agreed, that the 8 feels fantastically smooth and planted at 90, better than most cars feel at 40.

Welcome dexxinn.

1. Thank you for reading and doing some research. It's the main reason you've gotten helpful replies :icon_tup:

2. You'll find that an 8 is nothing like any of the cars you've owned. The only thing close is the RSX, but the only things it has in common with a high reving honda is low torque and a high redline. Yes you'll feel the ports open, but it's smooth. In fact the power delivery is so smooth that you'll find yourself going much faster than you think you are. It's not fast per say, but it's certainly fast enough to get you in trouble. Because of the torque and turbo, your GTI will seem "faster"

3. On the same subject, none of your other cars offer the handling and drivers feel that an 8 does. Once you drive, you'll see what we all rave about.

4. There are plenty of 8's running around texas. Check the SARX and DFW threads. They are good guys and are very helpful.

5. Phren is right. A downshift to 3rd will put you smack in sweet spot of 3rd. A downshift to 4th will be less eventful, still give you passing power, and be less jarring on the drivetrain though not as fun.

6. Make sure the previous owner has maintenance records. Don't rely on word of mouth.

7. Enjoy your test drive. :icon_tup:

The RX-8 is unique. Try to leave your comparisons and expectations behind, and just appreciate the RX-8 for itself. Take it all in slowly, listen to it's chirpy idle sound, feel the way it "becomes" you when you drive it. The car is much more an experience than a list of numbers and statistics.

Don't get to slack. People will pounce if you fail to show that you tried to solve the issue on your own (ie research)

Not really. If it gets too cold, just put some cardboard over the oil coolers and rad

Nope. Not a bloody chance... in a straight line ;)

Like Phren said, drop to 3rd or 4th. Remember that the peak horsepower is around 8krpm/ torque 6.5krpm

I guess tomorrow I'll be saying "congrats on your purchase" ;)

Thank you for saying that it is experance. All the other cars I have ever owned lost there apeal after a few month, but when it comes to my 8 I love it more and more every day.