I've been leasing a Saturn ION and I'm looking to move up to an RX-8 this year or next year. I've been very pleased with the Saturn; it's no sports car, but I had a 2-hour commute before and it was wonderful (reliable, quiet, fuel-efficient, etc.). Additionally, I've been very pleased with Saturn as a company. Getting the car was cake - I went in on a Saturday, told them what I wanted, and walked out with the car later that afternoon. Zero hassles, very friendly service people. I even get free maintenance on it for the duration of the lease (oil changes, free car washes, etc.). OTOH, my wife is leasing a New Beetle and that had to have been the worst car-buying experience of my life. It took them weeks to find a car (our only requests were that it was green and automatic) and they kept jacking up the price. Lots of delays, excuses, and other things made it a poor experience.

If you've leased an RX-8, how was your experience? What kind of perks or service plans do they offer with their cars? What are your payments like? The Saturn was a steal; I got it for $1,000 down and $206 a month for a 4-year lease. Best car I've ever had! I almost don't want to leave but the RX-8 is calling to me. Saturn also has set prices for their cars, so there's no negotiating (which I hate). It's like shopping at Staples or Best Buy - the price you see on the shelf is the price you get. What did you like about your lease? What did you hate? What bugged you? Fire away!

 

Errr, not sure about leasing, but if customer service matters to you at all, then RUN don't walk away from Mazda.

The 8 also gets horrible gas mileage, has a lot of rattles, and is a biatch to maintain.

But, if you can handle all that, it will repay you ten-fold in smiles

 

Ooh it's such a tough decision. The Saturn has been the most hassle-free car I've ever had. Lots of glass to see out of, no problems to date, smooth & quiet ride...but the RX-8 just screams "I'm fun" Customer service matters a lot to me because I'm not very good mechanically with cars yet and I like being able to drop it off, have it fixed, and drive it home fixed and shining. Plus with leasing the payments are sooo much nicer than buying new.

What kind of maintenance issues are there? I'm poking around the site reading up on the pros and cons right now, but if you could give me a laundry list that'd be great