Anyone here ever wonder about the worth and availability of the 8 in the distant future like in say 10-15 years? Ive been contemplating about the fate of my 8 after i graduate from college. So ive owned my 8 for about 6 months now and thought of it as a short term car when i first got it.

I originally figured i would keep it for about 2-3yrs then sell it after i graduate college and get my own apartment. And since i live in NYC i really wouldnt need a car. But since i got it its so fun to drive, gets great looks everywhere i go and seeing how close knit and small the rotary community is, im actually thinking about holding on to it for as long as possible. Really what i want to do is be able to keep it stored for a few years at my parents while i start a life after college, then when i own my own home hopefully have the time and funds to really build it (as in porting and maybe even FI), which would probably be within the next 5-10yrs, of course everything is variable.

But as a side note, i really think it would be great how rare the Rx8 would be in that time in the future. Thinking about the logistics now and looking back at the worth of FD Rx7s, the Rx8 would be a rare car to have in the future, considering it is Mazda's last production rotary vehicle and is now discontinued as of 2011.

Ive seen bone stock automatic FD Rx7s in my area go for around $15k and built ones in other states going for close to $30k. Driving around its rare that i see another 8. And im sure there will be even less of us in the future so i would assume that like the FD in the next 10yrs the Rx8 would be a sought after and rare exotic sports car, meaning the value would go up significantly and being an owner of one would be a great badge to have. Just a little thought/rant that ive been going back and forth on with myself.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. You are right in thinking that the RX-8 will be a "rare" car in the not too distant future, but I sincerely doubt that it will ever be worth much.

It will be rare as compared to say a 3 or 6, but not all that uncommon as compared to other higher performance cars. The reason I say this is, at least here in Canada, where even 20 year old Miatas with well over 200, 000 km go for $5000-$6000, I have watched as the value of the Rx-8 has plummeted. I bought mine used in 07 for $25000...today it might be worth $11000 or $12000. I was also contemplating purchasing a 350z or G35 at the time, but went with the R instead, guess which car(s) is holding it's resale value better. Even more horrifying, more and more, I am seeing what look to be former civic owners moving up to RX-8's because, in all honesty, a like year civic is worth as much or MORE than a same year RX-8

I'm not saying that the RX is a bad car, by all means enjoy it while you own it. Have fun with it. But don't buy it as an investment, that is a losing proposition. You mentioned the FD RX-7...totally different animal. Those cars never became used car cheap (much like the 4th gen Supra). You rarely see them on the road, and if you do find one for sale, it is still big bucks. Those will be collectable, actually, they already are. Therein lies the difference for me, though, the FD I wouldn't want to drive, for fear of getting a stone chip, whereas with the RX-8, I am not too worried if I get nicks and scratches. One is fun to look at, the other, fun to drive. Just my $0.02

 

You have a few points about resale value of the 8 right now because i know most 8s are going for pretty cheap. But it doesnt mean that they cant become a collectible car just like the FD Rx7 or the 4th gen Supra, in say 10-15 years. I never bought my 8 as an investment nor do i plan on making a profit off of it. Like you i was also looking at G35s and 350z's before i got my 8 (something sporty and rwd).

I dont know how common G35's or 350z's are in Canada but here in Queens NY, almost every rich high school kid who has a drivers license gets a 350 or G35 and there commonplace here on almost every street. (anyone from queens care to disagree with me? lol)

The Rx8 however is quite rare, ive seen few and were far between. Since Mazda has discontinued the Rx8 i do think that sometime in the far future the 8 is gonna be sought after.

As the dynamics of supply and demand work, if there is more demand than supply, prices usually skyrocket. Who knows the case with the Rx8. I know that for the immediate future its going to be getting cheaper as it stays on the used car market.

The Rx8 being the last vehicle in production with a rotary engine, I dont see why rotary enthusiasts/car enthusiasts in general in the far future wouldnt try to dig up a series 1 and rebuild/FI one. Or collect a Shinka or series 2 R3.

 

the reason why the rx8 will never have the same rarity as the FD is because of how many were produced, 13,517. where as i think they sold 100k+ rx8s in the US.

dont think of a car as an investment, especially a rotary. own it because you love it and drive it because you love it... and then keep buying engines because you love it.. its definitely an abusive girlfriend that teases alot.

if you want to retain as much value as possible... get either a spirit r from japan(btw they extended production into 2012 for the spirit r, so 2011 is the last year for the us) or get a 2011 R3 in white(available in canada) powder coat the rims goldish bronze, re upholster the recaros in dark red, and paint the headlight housings black, and boom a spirit r rx8.

....or you could just get a 2011 R3 and call it a day. As far as S1's are concerned, i think the 40th annys and shinkas in copper red and black cherry will fetch the most, with the 40ths on top.

also, if you look at the other side of the pond in Japan, from what ive heard rx7s are like civics over here and more and more keep going for sale. (keep in mind they had them from 1992-2002). From what i hear also, people in tokyo need to pay for 2 parking spots for them because they are 5mm or 15mm(something stupid) too wide, which makes people not want to pay the exhorbant fees to keep them.

 

I expect that the RX-8 once will become a collectors item.
In 1965 (as a young Dutch student) my 1st car was a 2nd hand BMW 600, which was sold in Germany a couple of years before new at USD 3.500,- listprice.
In the USA you now can buy this 1958 BMW 600 for USD 49.500,-

http://www.carsablanca.de/Marktplatz...600/3818547792

 

thats an easy one. they would much rather get the FD, considering how more rare it is. Its plenum of tuning options compared to the FE, not to mention that the 13B comes factory turbo'd and the renny cant handle as much boost, which means engine swaps which means money and problems.

also im pretty sure you can get muuuch wider tires on the FD.

the topic is hot in debate whether which car is better. The FE does almost as good as the FD in some places, but that is combated with the fact that it has less power and can push the car more without consequences.

Ultimately i belong to the school of thought that the rx7 will always be better. I dont know if it is 90s nostalgia or the lower weight of the rx7 and how it has a lower center of gravity and a plenum of tuning options etc etc etc.

stock vs stock
which would be better at autox you ask me? Rx8.
which would be better at a track you ask me? Rx7.

Its all what you want to do with it. ALLLLL of these things impact on why the rx7 community dislikes the rx8 and how it wasnt really an advancement.

this doesnt mean the rx8 is a bad car, its actually very very good and i wouldnt sell it for anything(maybe a 2002 spirit r)

 

eventually, it really all depends.. it depends on what the next rotary vehicle is. Similar situation to FC's. they are older than FD's, but still has not generated any kind of value(they are 25 years old, while the newest is 20years old). I believe they had considerable amount more sales than the FD's but i see them all the time on craigslist for 2-4k in running condition, with nicely tuned modded ones under 10k. The convertible FC's(slowest rx7 ever in US. In japan they came turbocharged) are the least desirable.

FD's are to be had for the price of a 20-50k mile rx8. 12-18k

 

That's probably mint condition, would you really have kept that car for 47 years? It's hard to imagine keeping anything that long. Maybe because I'm only 26 lol.

As they say in the auto industry, "There's an *** for every seat". Find a buyer who wants your car bad enough and you can name your price, but that's a rare occurrance.

 

Automobile Magazine has a bit of a different take:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShmXGz8tN-Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Need to factor in the rate of inflation too.

Titanic made $658,546,990 in 1997. Adjusted for inflation that's $1,074,258,200 in today's money. 40% difference in 15 years.

 

Losing half its value in 5 years? That's typical, possibly better than typical, depreciation. What's the problem?

What year is yours? And what trim level? I bought my '06 new in '06 for $25000. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it's worth half of that today. But even if it is, I'm not selling.

Ken

 

I want to keep my 8 long term for me, not for a resale price. I want to one day pass it on with a running engine to my kid so he/she can enjoy it as much as i have.

 

I wrote this up in a different thread on this same subject (there are a few already) and still believe it to be true...

 

I think as long as you keep the car in good condition and good working order, the value will go up as it become rarer and rarer.
I will probably never sell my R3 cuz I always wanted a garage house with many cars and a big door in my living room where I can drive my car into.

 

This is somewhat of my dilemma. My 8 has alot of nostalgia behind it being my first car and all. I actually want to keep it and pass it along providing that i can make it last as long as possible. It is an actual drivers car.. theres nothing else like it, and ive driven evo's and plenty of hondas.

 

Ken, mine is an '04, top level GT trim (don't know if Mazda used the same trim levels in the U.S. as they did in Canada). I don't know if 50% depreciation is typical, maybe for a "regular" car, but I was hoping for more from the RX. Like I said, in Canada, or Ontario at least, used Miatas go for stupid money. I'm talking beat wrecks drawing top dollar. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the RX, I guess the Miata/MX-5 really is Mazda's halo car.

 

It will be a rare car because they're stopping production. It could go up in price or down...we don't know for sure. Only time will tell.

 

Of course the 8 is a "rare" car but it's rare for a reason... it couldn't sell due to it's "reliability issues." Mazda didn't bother producing as many as the Miata or the 7's because there wasn't a high demand for them. So even if the car is rare, not many people want them unfortunately.