Sorry to see you go...others are right. The benefits of gaining fuel economy will be insignificant compared to the fun and the coolness factor of your 8. Good luck.

 

agree with just putting yourself in more/longer debt when trading in just for better gas mileage... seems like the monthly payment they make is a permanent "bill" for them much like paying for utilities and rent. guess they never paid off anything to appreciate actually owning something and not paying more interest rates and premiums...

 

Sorry to have to break this to you, but you'll probably never see your previous gas prices again. I think the time when USA is excluded in high environmental taxes on gas is also going to end soon, and the demand for gas is not likely to fall much in the future. The main reason for that is that the Chinese are pumping out cars at a high pace, there used to be one million bicycles in Bejing, now I'm not so sure

I think it's as simple as this, if you are depending on long commutes, don't get an RX-8 if you can't afford the gas. Otherwise, keep it and love it as the dear car is it, cause the future might be Priuses

 

As bad as the 8 is with gas mileage, i would have never gone with a scion as a replacement.

Scion's are good cars dont get me wrong but you went from a sporty car to a car 17 year old kids get that are bought by their parents because they graduated high school.

I know a someone with a TC, but shes a 17 year old white girl that can hardly see over the steering wheel.

 

The OP is an original owner of an RX-8...bought in 2003. A charter member in the RX-8 rotary club if you will. He has had the car for going on 5 years now and has had numerous problems with the car...least of which was gas mileage. Any other car with the problems he had would be bashed into eternity, and a lot of the problems has nothing to do with the engine.

He seems to have enjoyed it and even thanks you guys for being a great forum. And you bash him. People's situations change, like his did. He wanted a newer car, is that such a bad thing? He wanted something with more room, is that such a bad thing? And getting better gas mileage is a plus in any respect.

Personally, if I had the problems he had with a car, ANY car....I would seriously consider getting a new/different one once the warranty is up. Can't anyone say (and truly mean) good luck to him with his new purchase. After all, his "Good luck and happy motoring!" is met with:
"People don't realize or understand long term finances, especially with "imaginary" money so to speak."
"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."
"Didn't you consider that when you bought the RX-8? Do people just buy cars on impulse?"

While I find the technical information on this site to be incredible, the general decorum and respect is lacking. I tend to visit miata.net for intelligent discussion with people who love cars and come here for technical knowledge. However, I may start visiting one a little more.

 

Most of us are trying to point out the facts that the oddball reasoning in getting the new car to save money on gas is not saving money at all.

It's like saying, he guys i'm going to trade in my super hot wife with fake ***** and a perfect 10 body, for a short and average chick that i save $10 a week on because she likes to stay in on friday nights. (Meanwhile your first super hot wife that everyone wanted, took half your **** when she left).

If people traded cars in at the first sign of a problem or issue, no one in the world would keep a car longer then 2-3 weeks.

 

they are getting on to him because he traded a perfectly good car and went into more debt just to gain a few mpg. it doesn't make any sense from a monetary point. with the money he lost on the trade, he could have bought a beater and kept the 8. they are not mad at him for getting rid of the car. they just know he could have done better.

 

But if you're looking to keep a car long term your money way ahead 8 years down the line. Switching from the RX. Based on my driving and consumption I could take a car like the Mini and be ahead after 3 yrs.

I myself like the RX but this poor guy had a laundry list of what went wrong with his, maybe he just wants a car that will run with out the headaches and repair issues. This is a personal preference matter that has no wrong or right choices.

I would also be very interested to hear about this "$3K hybrid conversion" for the RX you speak of. Please elaborate.

 

Maybe he didn't want a beater...

Plus his 8 was probably already paid off. You don't know what his commute is like. If he drives a lot it might in fact be cheaper. You guys are rushing judgment too quickly. Ya'll don't know enough.

 

I did my homework before buying my '07 last year, BN.

I waited a few years until Mazda worked out the bugs. I've had none of the issues that the OP experienced. I am premixing at half the recommended rate, as insurance against long-term internal engine wear, but that's mostly for psychological reasons on my part.

My 8 was purchased as a recreational vehicle, not a DD, so mileage isn't an issue. Many people own airplanes, campers, etc., that gulp gas, but it is considered a recreational expense. I only drive my 8 4,000 miles per year, at most, and it's garaged for winter. I bet I spend a lot less on gas than most people do on movies, concerts, etc. It just depends on what you enjoy doing and how you choose to spend your leisure dollars. I choose to spend some of it on a tank or two of gas for my 8 every month. And I get about 18 mpg combined city/highway driving. Not as good as my DD, but then because it's a weekend "fun car", it's not an issue.

I also plan to keep this car for as long as possible. It could very well be the last brand-new car I ever purchase. Resale isn't an issue. At least for me, my daughter can sell it once I've been buried. Or drive it herself, it will probably have less than 80k on it when I am too old to drive or dead! lol.

 

I don't think this post came from a place of blame or throwing words on the car, he clearly loved the car and missed it despite its obvious negatives but we all know every car has negatives.

We just choose to embrace ours as the positives far outweigh them.

All I can say therefore is thanks for being a part of the community we wish you all the best in your new one.

 

To the OP. You do what you think is right for your situation. I for one probably won't even put a "See yah" post on the board as unless you get an M3 or something everyone rags on you.

Um you can buy another car and save money. I currently have about $8k equity left in my car (had $14k from my last vehicle). Thats to be expected after only 2 years with the type of demand these cars have.

I can currently buy a Civic LX for a little over $16k invoice and with the mileage and gas costs I could pay it off in 2 years (1 year less than my current loan) for $20 less per month than I'm paying now (had I known gas prices would be this high I would have been able to just buy one in cash 2 yrs ago). Not that I would at the moment. Then after another year or so of saving money (roughly $525/month factoring in fuel) I could buy a used cayman, Z4, elise, etc (all of which get better mpg than an RX8 btw).

We hit $6 a gal and I will consider it. The 3 year penalty box would be tough though.

 

agreed....

 

Many hybrid conversions of conventional piston engines are in the 5-7k range, the majority of cost is on the high pressure tank and labour due to each conversion being "custom".

While you can get tanks that cost $10,000 - 20,000.. a decent size CF tank would cost $800-1,500. The rest would be spent on regulator/lines/piggy back ecu. While some would always pay someone else to do the work, most of us don't.

Although it would be interesting if mazda decided to offer kits or parts for sale that they have already produced.

 

true

 

Just leave him alone..you f-ing losers! It's his car.....he should be allowed to do whatever he wanted with it. If he wanted to pee on it, he could for all we care.....

All rub horse **** all over................he could do that also...... !!! or talk **** about it......... What do we care...??

Why are you guys defending or arguing with him??? Are you losers that insecure about your cars??

If you're confident and secure about your car, you don't need to say a word!!! Do you hear?? A WORD!

 

+1
Off topic:
Even if i was to all of the sudden come into a large sum of $ or get a hella promotion, the 8 would still remain in my fleet...with some sick upgrades though Unless its pretty much paid off, there is really no financial gain from selling the 8. You buy an 8 you better be in for the long haul or you will fo sho lose money.

On topic: the guy bought a car that fit his lifestyle and personality, good for him. Not everyone is cut out to own an 8, until you have exprienced it, you dont know ****!

 

sorry to see u go, but congrats on the new car since it makes u happy. to my knowledge, the only production car that could get 80MPG was the honda insight. and they don't even make those any more.

 

Gotta love knee-jerk reaction. I think you have been schooled enough about the fact that you will not recoup the depreciation loss with a so-called fuel efficient car.
But the bolded sentence got me thinking, if this is your principle, then perhaps you might want to not drive altogether and take the transit or cycle. Now that will make a better stand.
Anyhow enjoy the tC. It's a nice car. Quite sporty looking.

 

I feel ya. Thats why I'm looking for a Miata under $3K

 

I think you missed the point. The point was that mileage was his main stated reason for swapping, it then becomes unlikely that a new car will improve the cost unless he buys it cash, which he might, but it's still not weird that people say it, because it seems that many people get fooled by the bank managers bills

 

i wonder how do people buy this car without putting MPG into consideration.

 

Because 15mpg at 2.00 a gallon is a lot different than 4.09 a gallon. Or higher.

 

I totally agree with bigireland. I plan on keeping my car for as long as I live. Modifying, learning, and rebuilding my rotary car to my image. So instead I will buy a second car in the future and park my antique Rx8 if I have to. Heck car insurance is cheaper with my Rx8 than my 2003 toyota Sequoia when I used to drive it.

 

Is it really?

Even if you had to fill up once a week every week. That's only ~$32 more dollars per tank, which adds up to a whopping $1,664 a year. If a $1600 swing in annual expenses is really that painful, then a gas hog sports car was never a good idea to begin with.

For reference, my cable+internet bill adds up to more than that.