Does the gas mileage of the RX-8 ever make you contemplate selling?
 

I'm really torn, I love the car to death but the gas mileage is BEYOND horrible!

I could pick up a new gen V8 car and get better mileage by quite a bit, which is sad...

Ever think of selling your baby because of the bad gas mileage?

I'd be happy to consider an alternative, if there's another sporty car that I can put friends in the back of and they'll still be my friends when they get out.

Ride a bike.


Srsly.

sometimes yes, after only commuting around san francisco for like 30 minutes, all the hills and low gear driving, i'm sometimes almost down a 1/4 tank....sigh.....but most of these sports cars never get "great" gas mileage, lol

When buying an RX-8, one knows that the gas mileage is not very good. That's why you should own a DD first, then buy the 8. Not only because of the gas mileage, but because issues tend to arise with the car, so you need a back up so the car can be repaired without having to waste money on a rental. The 8 is meant to be a toy, not a DD. Though some of us do choose to use it as their DD (I am one of those who chose to use it as my DD).

No. I wouldn't have bought it in the first place if I cared about gas mileage.

I pay about $6 or $7 a gallon right now in Germany and have never thought about selling the RX8 since buying it in 2006

These threads always amaze me.

Buying an RX8 and then complaining about the gas mileage is the same as buying a metro and then complaining because it can't tow much.

The fact that the RX8 gets shitty mileage is talked about in every article every written about the car since 2004.

^ Amen

Yeah, it doesn't bother me either. Knew the kinda mileage I'd get when I bought her. (It's pretty much always somewhere from 16 to 19, 75% highway / 25% city.)

selling my child? not usually. selling a kidney? sometimes.

:rofl:

Nope. And if you do.. You shouldn't of bought the car in the first place. It's a sports car.

No.

I don't like that it doesn't get good mileage (mine is not horrible, just not too good), but this alone would not make me want to sell it.

I was getting 24mpg highway with my 04

The RX is actually my first car, I had 2 motorcycles before and my parents drive Honda's so gas mileage was never a concern lol

I knew of course the RX-8 had some bad mileage, sort of equivalent to a V6 car, but hell the Audi RS5 coming out near the end of the year has a 4.2L V8 pushing 450hp and gets about 5mpg better :P

I'm just saying, not complaining, has the thought ever crossed your mind?

Oh, and coming from a motorcycle background, the high maintenance of my RX doesn't bother me. I'm a DIY guy anyways (aka cheap).

GOO!

http://content.ytmnd.com/content/5/6...8f730e629e.jpg

Knowing that I was purchasing a rotary engine car, I new the gas mileage would be not so great. But, I sacrificed the gas mileage for the perks of the engine and the 8's performance.

I've been in a 3cyl Metro hatch towing a 71 Chevy Nova 4 door...

You are right sell the 8 and get a prius.

^ :lol:

If you really want to get nitty gritty, you can compare yearly cost of ownership of the RX8 compared whichever vehicle you would consider replacing :

1. Calculate how many miles you average a year
2. Use: (miles per year)/(avg miles per gallon) = Gallons used per year
3. Use: (gallons used per year) * (price of gas) = Cost of gas per year

For total lifecycle cost compare:

1. Insurance
2. Cost of tires/brakes and other wear and tear items
i.e. $500 for set of tires that last (for example 40,000 miles). If you drive 8,000 miles a year, they tires will wear out after 5 years. The yearly cost of those tires would = $500/5 = $100 per year
3. Maintenance costs (would use the factory manual as reference)
4. Risk of failure - i'm not going to get into this one =P

Anyway, you'll end up with yearly cost figures that you can use to compare the RX8 to other cars. Factor in your own qualitative assesment of how much you like the RX8 vs. "other car" and determine whether or not it's worth it to you.

If you were to buy a newer car for MPG reasons. Consider how much money you'll spend to buy the new car, and how long it will take to make up that cost in money saved in mpg.
i.e. lets say you sell your RX8 for $10,000 and buy a different sports car for $15,000. Your RX8 gets 15mpg and this other sports car gets 22mpg. If you're still averaging 8,000 miles a year and both run on premium gas (lets say it costs $3.10 per gallon).
8,000/15 = 533.33 * 3.1 = 1653.32
8,000/22 = 363.64 * 3.1 = 1127.28

1653.32 - 1127.28 = $526.04 saved per year based on mpg alone so you would have to drive this 22mpg sports car for about 10 years to benefit from the superior mpg to cover the cost of the extra $5000 you spent to get the 22mpg sports car.

*whew*

I get 18mpg in kansas city but i can deal with the cost of gas. It puts a smile on my face every time i drive it. You cant put a price on that. But also i have 3 cars that dont do good on the mpg's. But I would never ever sell it of that.

no but it makes me think about shfting

I traded in my 2003 Mustang GT which was getting extremely sporatic gasmilage. When I first got my Mustang I could average 19-21mpgs. towards the end she was managing anywhere from 12-16mpg(and all I did was add a Cold Air intake for performance). Although the RX-8 has so far averaged 16-17 for me it's consistent. My Mustang pissed me off because it was always getting worse with each tank of gas. Aside that, you won't find an American car that can handle like the RX-8(Z06 vette aside, and even there I don't think the handling is much greater the Z06 is just faster). If I could do it, Z06 all the way. Otherwise, I am keeping this car for as long as possible.

Sports cars and gas milage shouldn't belong in the same sentence. If your primary concern is fuel efficiancy then avoid a sports car at all costs.

K&N drop in, Flow Master 44 ,premix , and a ECU re flash and I avg 22 city/highway so I am very happy

well put ochoskinka

Gas mileage is pretty much the only reason I wouldn't go with another 8 for my next vehicle. Sorry...it's 2010...barely getting 20 hwy is unacceptable. Hopefully the 16x can address this.

Gas mileage is pretty much the only thing I ignore when selecting a vehicle. Sorry...it's 2010...gas costs more than it used to. So does going to a movie, going out to eat, going to an amusement park, going golfing, etc...

Gas is an entertainment expense for me. And far more satisfying.

No.

There's no variable that would even cause me to consider selling Sheila. I will say however, that I might consider purchasing a "gas-saver" as a daily driver. Never would I consider selling though.

this is why some people shouldnt buy the eight. they just always focus on the bads, never think about the goods.
no car is perfect just saying.

just for the record, people by bottled water knowing its more expensive than gas and they still buy it. have you seen them complaining about how expensive bottled water is? never.

Getting used to 12-13MPG with an Infiniti and the same with the RX8 while babying it 99% of the time. I knew what I was getting into. No, I have never even thought about selling the RX8. I have recently thought about saving up and getting an economical daily driver withing a year or two though :) .

This.

All who owns a RX8 should know it's not a considered DD.... there are those who risk the chance ignoring important details from experienced owners, but everyone does what they feel like it's right...

Granted this car is no Prius, but damn i STILL dont grasp all you who get such atrocious mileage. I get easily mid 20's cruising at US highway speeds. I am living in europe right now and spend the MAJORITY of my time on the highway cruising 6th gear ~6,000rpms...... and i stay in the throttle in non-hwy driving. and i STILL get 18 mpg.

I have most certainly been able to produce as little as 13-14mpg in the past, but i drive this beast like i stole it out here and have no issues...

Mixed heavy city driving can take a good stab at gas mileage. I probably get on it once or twice when I take the RX8 out (if I'm lucky). So when you actually think about it, it is driven hard probably 99.5% of the time, or less :rofl: .

Most sporty cars over 200hp get poor economy because we hot rod them. The rx8 is a little worse by 3 or 4 mpg but consistent. The competition generally use 91 octane, I use 87 so there is some equalization there. The rx8 also has lower insurance costs which help. My Lincoln only averages 17-19(same as the 8) with its 3.6 v6(265hp) and 1 sec slower than the 8 in the 1/4 mile. The 8 is so much more fun to drive the extra gas is worth it. I always think fun per gallon(fpg) with sportscars. That's all that matters and the rx8 is one of the highest rated. I only drive 7k/year so gas cost is not a big problem. Gas was $5/gal 2 years ago about $270/gal now, so we should be happy now and banking the savings.:)

When you finally do buy the Prius, make sure that your first mod is a pair of serious Brembos.

No. I don't even measure my mileage. I bet it gets better mileage than my 7, but I don't measure it either.

Of course it helps that I work at home and only drive 2 or 3 times a week.


:rollingla

No, I knew what I was getting into before buying the car. I like the Wankel engine and the dynamics of this car way too much. To me Fun factor > mpg. If you need a good mpg car, this is not the car for you.

Nope, the idea has NEVER crossed my mind in almost 5 years of ownership. Honestly, not once.
I did not buy this car for it's fuel mileage so it's mpg's will never be a reason for me selling it. I knew what I was getting into when I ordered it.

If I wanted better gas mileage, I'd buy a second car (something cheap). I wouldn't sell the 8.

never crosses my mind as well, once you enjoy the drive you forget about the mileage pretty easy

Seems to be a general consensus here... interesting.... :lol:

After owning my 8 for over 5 years, I've boiled it down to this: it's not the MPG that's the issue; it's how many gallons a month are you willing to buy. I have co-workers who drive cars that get 2 or 3 times the MPG of my 8, but their monthly gasoline bill is still higher than mine. It's the commuting distance, dummy :-)

-1.3L

I am seriously thinking about it. Gas mileage is a big minus, but what I am getting in performance for the gas mileage is pretty sad. Without beating on it, I can only average 20 tops in regular driving. The dealers and I are $2K away from finishing the deal, so I still have my RX-8 for now.

Never thought about ditching my 8 due to gas mileage...
I have however thought of:
-ditching for a R3 =p
-ditching because I had the 8 for 5 years now...
-ditching because driving the 8 in very, very bad snowdays (I drive the 8 all year round even in -30 degrees celsius) make me wish I had an AWD car...

Gee...I can't imagine why? It's like posting in a VW forum and asking if they love their VWs.

:crying: Oh noes! My car actually burns gas. Maybe I should have opted for the RX-8 Hybrid model.

BTW - You have to pay to play. And boy does my 8 put a smile on my face every time I play. :)

Amen good sir :)