Insurance category
 

I don't know how they class cars for insurance in America but what insurance group would the Rx-8 be classed in? The Rx-7 was group 18 in Britain so will the Rx-8 be similar to the Rx-7?

Hmmm... I can't see it being much lower than that... Anything faster than a milkfloat starts to get higher groupings.

I think that until you hear otherwise the RX-7 is a close comparison... OTOH, the RX7 was more expensive, so that might have pushed it up a tiny bit... mabe they'll mark it as 17/18.

It can't get much lower than that though as a top end Honda Accord is 14/15.

(BTW, I think I sent you a message in the forum "private message" thing.... didn't see a reply, did you see it?)

I don't know if it carries the same weight in England, but the fact that the car has more than two seats makes a significant difference in insurance. There was even a difference between the base 2 seater FC and the 2+2 FC.

---jps

Probably does make a difference.... but not on the scale "Mazda Man" is talking about.. it's all very complex Eh!

There is a scale of 1-20 that the insurers here use as a basic measure... but there are so many other factors that load it... each car is different, but you don't get to know that actual details other than the 1-20 grouping.

OH, here's a thought...

What about HOV lanes... I heard that some places say 50% full... isn't that 1 person in a 2 seater?

heh heh heh... here we need at least one more passenger... and i think in some places in vancouver you need like two passengers or something...

:D i like that idea, a two seater is always allowed in the HOV lane...

Saturn Ion coupe

What is the insurance category on one of these? Almost the same idea as the RX-8 except front-wheel drive (and downmarket, obviously).

http://www.forbes.com/images/2002/04...on_415x237.jpg

Afaik insurance companies take theft, replacement cost, collision repair prices, hp, number of seats, etc into the equation.. I think the RX-8 will be in similar category as the G35 coupe..
BUT maybe if it will be classified as a 4 door then that will drive the cost down? :confused: So now we're looking a BMW 325, maybe a WRX or Saab 9-3 sedan?

Apparently Lexus gave the SC430 those microscopic seats in the back purely to reduce insurance premiums (also the shape of the rear seats is designed to enhance the Mark Levinson stereo).
I am sure the RX-8 will be counted as a 4-door/4-seat family vehicle with premiums set accordingly (in the USA).

BTW the next Lexus RX300 (i.e. RX330) will just be called the RX (all Lexii will drop the numbers after the model letters). Wonder if that will confuse anyone...

Hopefully since the car has a good number of safety features including the car's 'cage' of bars in the rear and front to prevent impact, including lots of airbags and stuff...

It will keep the insurance LOW :)

You mean passenger impact correct? :)
I wish that insurance companies would give out breaks for people taking advanced driving courses.. That would be a good incentive to keep the skills sharp. Also I wish personal collision history would have a bigger effect on the premium than two 15km/hr speeding tickets.. :rolleyes:
I think the insurance will be in the "sports sedan" category.. Which should be cheaper than "sports coupe" or "pure sports car".

If they drop the numbers from the lexii
 

how will people know how large your engine is?

I think since the car will be classified as a 4dr it will drop the insurance considerably. However, it is an RX-8, I wouldn't look to be saving too much.

Lexus dropping engine size numbers from names
 

The only Lexus vehicle with multiple engine sizes is the GS (300 and 430). The LS, SC, GX, LX, RX, IS, ES all only have one engine size per model at the moment (all either 3.0 I6, 3.0 V6, 4.3 V8 and 4.7 V8). Maybe Lexus will drop the GS300 in future or have the larger engine as an optional item as opposed to a separate model name.

Remember when cars had names? Falcon, Valiant, etc. Then they went to letter/number nomenclature. Whats next? Punctuation!

Mazda !
Ford ?
Chevy $%^&

It all depends on what the Europeans like BMW and Mercedes do;) They're the ones that started it

Patent that idea - I want a Mazda ! !