6speed8

I bought my RX-8 September 2003 - Sunlight Silver 6speed Grand Touring. It had most of the 'issues' Catalytic heatshield, Muffler heatshield, A/C amplifier, Headlight and tailight housings, coils replaced, spark plugs replaced twice. water pump, catalytic sonverter, complete exhaust system (the CAT fragmented and pieces were cought inside the muffler!) The console cover, the A/C *****, and all the flashes. Somewhere around the M or N flash the car got pretty good fuel mileage - Around 20mpg, but then the O, P, S etc.. dropped it to about 17 mpg.

I never flooded it and the engine was still running strong when traded in (58,000 miles). The trade-in and resale value are pathetic, especially now with high fuel costs.

I bought a 2008 Scion XD - not as flashy, or fast or as good a handler as the RX-8, but it sips fuel and gets me from point A to point B with some nifty stuff the RX-8 lacks and there are nooks and crannys everywhere to hold Cell phone, iPOD, Blackberry, and such.

I cannot imagine owning a car like the RX-8 without this great forum, almost everytiime I had an issue and the dealer acted surprised, I was able to give clear and concise detail of symptom, cause and resolution.

I hope Mazda gets a Rotary to get 80 mpg then I might own one again someday, but for now, I refuse to support the record-profit-making oil companies. Good luck and happy motoring!

Razz1

With the money you lost on the trade in...........................

The Scion will never make up for the loss.

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

Sorry for your loss .

champi0n

iTrader: (1)

You just put yourself at a huge loss. You could have drove the RX8 for another 3-4 years before losing as much money as you did in about 10 minutes to "save" gas.

And if you dont want to support oil companies, don't buy cars and dont buy fuel.

rot8tn

im trading my car in next month for a 2008 white scion tc im sick of filling up my gas too on the 8

superglue

Hope you got a really good deal on that Scion for the reasons mentioned above.

superglue

Didn't you consider that when you bought the RX-8? Do people just buy cars on impulse?

mysql

i bought my rx8 because they were giving away a free 2 gig ipod with every $35,000 or greater purchase. I figured it was a great deal.

chrism

have fun with that....and did you realize the tc drinks almost as much gas as an 8?....my buddy just traded from a tc to an 8 as an upgrade.....have fun with fwd

6speed8

I never expect to make money on any car. least of all an RX-8. I am not compaining about it, I was just stating fact. When I bought it gas was around 1.60 a gallon, so fuel cost was no issue. You can say what you want, rationalize all you want and you can defend your purchase, but in the end the RX-8 is just a nice car, with loads of issues. The fact that Mazda just upped the warrantee AGAIN (from the original 50k, to 60k then 100K, is indicative there is a MAJOR issue with the longevity of the engine. The only other car companies that give
100k warantees are Hyundai and Chrysler - Nuff said.

Enjoy your car and I'll enjoy mine. Everyone can't have an RX-8, there isn't enough oil in the world - (just Kidding)

DOMINION

Haha you guys should come to Vegas, Everyone an there Mom has a big and I mean big a$$ truck or SUV ballers!

champi0n

iTrader: (1)

People don't realize or understand long term finances, especially with "imaginary" money so to speak. People only see the $10-20 they save at the pump. And the 3,000+ they lost on selling their car doesn't mean anything to them because its not "out of pocket" cash.... when in fact they now have to own this new car for 3-4 years before they break even back to where they would have been if they kept their car.

So now they have a crappier car and put themselves in more debt for no reason.

The better option if you wanted to save money on gas would be to take the ~3k you've already "sacrificed" and put it towards a hybrid conversion... which in 3 years you would have paid for the upgrade rather then break even to where initially...

champi0n

iTrader: (1)

When was any car considered an investment?

Loads of issues compared to what? The introduction of the internet for millions of people to share information makes people think cars have more issues? The RX8 is an enthusiast car for drivers... more people are going to want to get together and share experiences on these types of cars vs others.

I've owned many cars over the years and the RX8 has been the most reliable by far.

In business when you extend a warranty or guarantee, it's because problems are few and far between. You'd go bankrupt giving free repairs to every car you sold. The rotary engine is the most reliable engine around.

There is way more then enough oil in the world even if we got 1mpg
Don't believe the hype that we're short on fossil fuels.... price has risen 300% or more in fuel in not many years... production cost and inflation may account for a 10% increase if that.

Say it with me... monopoly.

xsnipersgox

only thing i want to add is i am working in houston.. and my in cousin's husband is an oil trader.

Fact:
there is plenty of oil
Oil are all being speculated
Oil Companies are not ripping you off (a little hint, oil profit is made via volume, take the population of the world that uses gas, if they make .1 cent per gallon, they'd still make billions of dollars, they have record profit because there is record car ownership)

Myth:
we are running out of oil
Bio Fuel is the solution

jzief128

iTrader: (1)

You guys are so harsh on anyone who decides to trade/sell their 8. It's almost like you feel as if you've been personally insulted. The only time no one is given a hard time is when they get a "better" car (M3, Cayman, etc.).

People have all sorts of reasons for getting a new/different car. Different strokes, for different folks...right?

Razz1

Buy the Access Port and get a 2 MPG increase or over a 5 buck savings per week.

superglue

That's not what's going on in most of these posts. We are just trying to point out the falacy of saving money by a) trading in an RX-8 and b) buying a brand new car just to save some money at the pump.

Trading in your car is financially a bad idea, personal sales will net you thousands more. Also, purchasing a brand new vehicle that will depreciate as soon as it's driven off the lot in order to save $25-50 a month in gas money (and that's being generous) is not a good idea either. Buying a 1~2 year old certified car will get you the same warranty coverage and save you thousands of dollars depreciation.

Saving money by getting into more debt, it's the American way.

superglue

double post damn internets!

User24

iTrader: (1)

Every single day I read these "bye bye" threads from people trading away rx8 for inferior vehicles. Some of them are forced into it, while others are misguided into thinking that their new sedan, nissan350, or honda2000 is a better vehicle, when they in fact are not. Fortunately we are nice enough to allow them their fantasy reality on their final goodbye post.

As for the people who let go for "gas prices": The time to enjoy rotary is now, not later. Gas price will not go down. These $4.60 gallon are a bargain for rotary compared to what will happen in the future with $12-$15 prices. If you let go of rotary now for gas you will never come back.

Most rx8 driver know now is the time to shut up and enjoy while it last.

Looking around on the streets I can tell when people are giving up rx8 and when people are buying into rx8 depending on how many I see. Most of the recent, new-school influx into rx8 are regretting already. Some of them will be flushed out of rx8, and most of this used stock will keep exchanging hands for years due to rotarded behavior. Perhaps the rotarded who buy 2009 end up best off as long as we don't see $12-$15 too soon.

The truth is, nobody cares to hear about it. Why can't people just leave rx8 quietly? Seems nobody cared to state it outright, but there it is. The problem with "don't read - don't click" logic, is that it is not possible to not click, not read. Everyone who comes to rx8club must click on everything, must read everything. That's the only way to explain how anyone made it through any one of those 17 page or 45 page topics.

Somehow, I cannot click through enough threads, cannot read enough threads, cannot redline enough, even when the power rx8 threatens to sear me to a crisp, I cannot stop myself from buying more and more gasoline. I see the $12-$15 ahead and I must focus to keep driving harder, faster, with more predicion, yet try to expend more fuel for more power constantly. There's something there that keeps saying if only I drive a little harder, it will come out and swallow me whole, and devour everything in a grand display. These "bye bye" topics keep popping up in my memory, and if only I can stay in redline long enough maybe I can erase them all, or warp the space to keep them from appearing forever.

Flashwing

I think a lot of the ownership with this vehicle comes down to priorities and what you're expecting to get out of it.

The RX8 was my first new car purchase and like everyone else who buys a new car we expect them to hold up and not have to invest any serious money into repairing them for AT LEAST 50,000 miles. Beyond that, it's only a matter of time in some cases.

Some of the 2003-04 owners I cannot blame for wanting to get out from under their car due to the various issues of items breaking and needing repair. Still, these kinds of issues are seen on pretty much any and all first year production vehicles. Hell, look at the Mazdaspeed 6 as an example....there have been a ton of TSB's and reflashes for loss of power and other issues.

The point being, any first year production vehicle is going to have problems...period.

Some owners are simply not up to the task of dealing with a car like the RX8 that makes demands and has needs. I'm not saying the OP is this way, but a more often than not observation.

Yes, the EPA mileage readings were wrong even when I bought the car in 2005, yes the HP amounts were not as advertised...no amount of crying was going to change that and this car was too much fun to fret about 30 hp.

Again, it comes to expectations. Until technology yields a 250+ whp vehicle that gets 40mpg or higher, gas will ALWAYS be an issue with performance cars.

I admit, I was looking for something totally different when I test drove the RX8 and I knew next to nothing about the rotary engine so I'd consider myself an ignorant buyer. I just knew I loved the way the car felt and it was easy to drive. This car become what I needed, and not what I wanted. Honestly if i did it again, I'd just have bought the RX8 and avoided all the other test drives.

The key to purchasing the right vehicle comes down to expectations, research, avoiding first year models and accepting the fact that cars can and do break. Even the best kept and cared for vehicle will break if driven all the time. I'm proud to say I've got 52,000 miles with the origional tranny, motor, and the car has survived 2 phoenix summers, several track and autocross sessions and is my daily driver.

If anything, I'd trade this car in and buy another one.

neXib

That's why I'm sacrificing a bit of the sensible stuff to get an RX-8 now. As we pay like 9 dollars per gallon here already, it's not gonna be cheaper. So now is the time to get the dreamcar before it's too late. And no, it's not gonna make me money

One is a bit ignorant about economics if you trade in the RX-8 in a newer car JUST to save gas money.

DOMINION

Not true, Every Car but the RX-8 sucks and thats why we are here. Anyway everyone knows the Rotary drinks Gas like a booz hound and they buy it turn right round and bitch about it to the other owners like well, US lol Dont buy a Jet if you cant afford to buy the fuel. Some People are sooooooooo smart it makes baby Jesus ->

Flashwing

I was a bit surprised at the gas mileage when I purchased the car as it was clearly NOT the same as it was rated. Still, it is a sports car and gets crappy mileage as a result. Again, an expectation that I had but I would have been happy to be wrong.

My issue with people selling their RX8 is these one feature buyers. Selling the RX8 just because it's bad on gas, or just because it doesn't have 300+WHP, or just cause it's this or that. Some owners just get hit over the head with repairs and bad performance...while it's sad to see them move away from Mazda I can't say I blame them.

If the RX8 held it's value, sure selling it for gas savings would make sense. On the other hand, keeping your same payments but extending your loan another 2 or 3 years isn't saving you any money. People who buy hybrids fall into this trap as it takes 5 years or more to break even with gas savings. It might look like you're spending less, but the money is just going to a different place.

When I have to start choosing between buying groceries or driving my car to work, I'll consider selling my RX8. Even then I guess I'll just have to lose some weight for better MPG!

KrylonFuzion

Not to be a jackass, but I gotta say, you are going to regret selling your 8 at such a low price.

Let me explain- remember back in the good ol' days when gas was cheap and America's cars reflected that? I'm talking about the muscle car era, of course. People didn't mind burning massive amounts of fuel to keep their motors running, cuz it hardly cost them a dime. However, during the oil embargo of the 70's, many people were scared/conned/suckered into selling their beautiful/powerful gas-guzzling works of art at more than likely rock bottom prices, and opting for high mileage hondas and so on- can anyone refresh my memory on what a convertible 1970 Plymouth Cuda goes for these days? . My point is, fuel prices rise and fall all the time- for god's sake, we live in a capitalist society based on supply and demand! you shouldn't have let a few spikes in prices at the pump scare you away from such a unique and fun-to-drive car. So, if I can help anyone reading this who hasn't already ditched and burned their 8's, it would be this: learn from the past. I run into countless older guys who would love nothing better than to go back in time and stop themselves from hocking their Chevelles, 67-69 Camaros, and Chargers.

bigireland

soon as i get this paid off, i'm getting a metro/sprint/bicycle/skateboard/something and at worst the rx8 will do weekend duty.. i'm keeping my 8 til i'm dead..