13B-MSP

Hi! I'm currently debating which car to buy... insurance is one of my factors.

How is the 8s insurance rate compare to RSX-S, S2000 and 350Z ??

Thanks for all your help.

SpYnalChRd81

I don't own an 8, but I know enough to make an educated guess that it's not going to be much difference between all those cars you mentioned.

Although I haven't researched (dunno where either) so i may be wrong.

For those who don't know, insurance rate depends on several factors:

1) How old are you.

The young and old generally have to pay more while the middle-aged pay less.

2) Type of car.

Of course, all the high-end sporty cars you mentioned are all going to be much higher than your average family car.

3) Which insurance company you are going through and how much you want to cover.

I may have missed another, but these are generally the most important.

Anyways, my advice is think about whether or not you are at least going to need to fit 4 people from time to time.... or if you are ONLY going to have 1 or 2 people in your car every time you drive.

Personally, I would never be stuck with a 2-seater.

I have 6 immediate family members plus other commitments, and carpooling is definitely a plus in L.A. traffic.

In other words, get a Mazda RX-8.

CERAMICSEAL

Correct me if I'm wrong , but I believe type of engine, costs of replacement parts, number of doors are also factors used in determining insurance costs. This should put the 8 in a better spot than the others. For example, insurance companies are aware that the last RX-7 was turbocharged. I think insurance costs were a part of the equation used by Ford and Mazda when formulating a new rotary car.

MEGAREDS

Consensus seems to be that the four-door factor helps. The agents I spoke to when insuring my 8 all said that. I think it should be easy enough to find out. Try www.progressive.com.

FirstSpin

First, to get the real "skinny", I'd suggest you call your agent and tell him what you want in the way of rate comparisons. However, I can share with you what I experienced in Texas, when I recently bought my 8. My older car was an '01 Mustang GT coupe, hard-top, V8. My insurance went down by about $150 per year when I switched to the new 8.

I'm 51, haven't had a ticket in 16 years, have had one accident (in 1993) and my insurance company settled with 4 fraudulent-claim bastards who were absolutely fine at the scene but who suddenly developed a need for wallet-transfusions. Since that was 11 years ago and I've had NO claims since, that should not impact my current rates. I carry 50/100/50 liability and have collision/comprehensive with $500 deductible. There's some medical coverage stuff in there as well. I also have uninsured motorist's coverage. I'm not upside down on my note so there's not any "gap" coverage on the collision/comprehensive (I'm not sure you can get that in Texas anyway.) Point being that I operated the Mustang safely and carried "normal" insurance so my starting point is not "off the curve". Relative to the starting point (the 'stang) I saved money on the 8.

I've posted this before but don't mind repeating myself. My agent (and this could be BS, it could be some Texas-only thing) and it could be universal; but he claimed that the car was arbitrarity assigned a risk-class of 16 (vs. a risk-class of 18 for the Mustang.) He said that, in the absence of significant claim data, they don't know what it's going to cost them to cover this car. If they lose money (lots of claims) then the rating will go up. If they make money (and suffer a complete business-mind-collapse) then they will lower the rating next year.

For what it's worth, I get the following discounts: multi-car coverage; home-auto coverage at the same company; annual driver's safety course discount; anti-theft package discount on the car --- and the car is appropriately classified as a commuting vehicle, not driven by anyone below the age of 21. These do save some money over time. If you don't get these discounts, talk with your agent and see if they are available.

One quirky thing about insurance in Texas. This is only hearsay so I'll speak in vague terms and I'll be the first to acquiesce to correction on the issue. When an agent gets your new business, his "cut" is very high -- something like 60% of the first year's premiums. The next year, and each year thereafter, his cut drops to the 10% of premiums range. This gives the guy major incentive to get new business and protects the mother-company by continuing to pay him these smaller residuals over time. Point being that guys writing first-time policies are more apt to be flexible, in order to get your business and the whopping percent commision on the sale. If you're not particularly loyal to an agent and feel that your agent is not particularly loyal to you, I'd suggest you shop around and see what his competitors can do for you.

Good luck whatever you do, and please let us know how your insurance costs wind up (relative rankings, not dollar amounts of course).

Haus

My suggestion is that you shop around. Call all of the insuance representatives in your area and find out what their rates are over the phone. Once you have quotes from them, go to your current insurance agent and get their quote. If they're higher than their competition, give him the competition's quotes and see if they'll come down.

That was my strategy until I talked to my insurance agent. I live in Kansas City, MO, am 32 and single with only one vehicle. All of the competition's quotes were over $105 per month. What I am paying is $68.90 per month. Yes, it's true. I asked my agent why I am paying such a low rate and he gave me a simple, obvious answer: He transferred my old policy to the new car. That's right. My new RX-8 on the exact same policy that my '99 Ford Ranger XLT was on. The rate went up about $8 a month, and I keep the DISCOUNTS from keeping the same policy (no accidents on the policy, length of time on the same policy, etc.). Check with your insurance agent to see if they'll transfer your current policy to your new 8. Chances are they won't because they won't make the money that they would make if they just write a new policy, but maybe the quotes from different insurance companies would convince them to lower their price.

Good luck with your quest and please let us know your results with whatever car you decide to purchase.

Sea Ray

My 8 is costing only $100 a year more than a 1997 Volvo 850 GLT wagon. I am sure the 4 door/seats is the key to the lower costs.

Merry Christmas to all.

khoney

I'm paying $52/month for maximum coverage, with a $500 deductible. Just switched to AIG from Nationwide, dropping my annual insurance bill for 3 cars by over $1000.

calve

well seeing how your all experts on this.. I was wondering if you could give me a rough estimate for me.
Im 17, wanting to purchase a Rx8 of course but dont know about the insurance. I been driving for roughly 8 months now, etc etc etc. So how much would i be paying a year. My friend told me around 10 k a year seeing how i only have my g2 and havent driven for a long time. I have 3 cars in my family, but if i do decide to get the 8, id cell my camery 96. Im in CAN btw...

khoney

Call some insurance agents - don't rely on our guesses. Since you're 17, it'll be high - you need a few real quotes to find out how high.

melikeRX8

I'm paying $2900 a year...Welcome to New Jersey!!! Plus, i'm 24, have a 40 mile work commute and live in a thief prone area and the RX-8 is classified as a performance car.

TheTick

I checked rates on the Mini, 350Z, and the 8. The 8 was cheaper per year for me by over 200$. This is due to the fact that it qualified as a coupe because of the 4 doors. : )

cwerdna

Just call up your agent, tell them what coverage you want and have them give you a quote for the 3 cars you have in mind. I looked into the insurance costs that way before buying my Z. It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be.

Omicron

My insurance company, USAA, who I've been with for 20+ years, quoted me $850/yr for the RX-8, $1000/yr for the G35 Coupe, and $1400/yr for the 350Z.

rjenk

YMMV but...

I traded my 2002 RSX Type-S on my RX-8 in November and...

I carried the exact same coverages (just deleted the Acura and added the Mazda) and my insurance dropped over $50.00 per month.

Those extra two doors makes a difference in more ways than one.

But as others have noted, take with a grain of salt as it will vary widely depending on where you are and all of the other factors.

H8RICEBOYS

I plan on going from an RSX-S to a RX-8 also, that would really sway my decision if insurance will be cheaper.

Doug Green

$675 a year in Las Vegas..........

SpYnalChRd81

675 a year in Vegas?????

Oh man, I just got a point on my driving record, and I'm only 22!

I'm probably going to pay over $2000 a year!!

MMGDC

The 8's not exactly cheap, but it's costing me about $150 less a year for insurance than my old Audi TT. Having 4 doors helps.

RodsterinFL

Omicron's figures are about the same info I got from State Farm, my insurer for 24 years. I got quotes (using the RX8 figure below as a base) of $60 more yr on the G35 coupe. The S-2000 was slightly more but not much. The real spike $$$ was on the Z car. This pricing we SHOULD be able to compare- relative difference.

ON the RX8, I pay $362 every 6 months with deductibles on comp and collision. This figure is hard to compare between forum members due to variances on costs between cities and states BUT FYI I just got 2 quotes online last month for insurance with the same coverage. One was Progressive. They wanted $1700 year for me and the car with the same coverage that I currently pay $722 a year. The other company wanted $1800!!!! My inurance now is lower that it was on the Mazda Millennia S. I was told that the insurance rate is primarily based upon the car's base sticker price before options. That makes sense.

Winning_BlueRX8

Sounds to me like you're in for an unpleasant surprise when it comes time to renew your policy.

i3man

Unbelievable. I just got my adjusted policy and only $988 annually...and increase of $132 :p I'm 40 and haven't had a moving violation since 1990. When I had my RX-7 when I was 22 my insurance was $1,700

13B-MSP

Oh, so rx-8's insurance rate is close to s2000's? That puts rx-8 on the high end of insurance rate then.

Sorry, cause i'm 21 years old, and I have to pay for my own insurance. I love the rx-8, sigh.... guess i have to leave the 8 out of my list then.

RodsterinFL

13BMSP,

It is higher than some cars but not others. In my post, I mentioned that my insurance went down with the 8 from a 2001 Millennia S. When I call the insurance company for rates when I am car shopping I always ask for the Honda Accord rate at the time becuase it, to me, represents one of the least expensive scenarios - plentiful moderate perfoming 4 door sedan. When I called about the 8 the Accord was $300 less a year. THere isn't much that is less than an Accord.

Remember too that ANY car labelled "performance" is going to have a surcharge - Mustangs, Z cars, etc. Actually for the car cost the insurance is about right comparatively in the $700-$1000 range (male age 25+). These companies that want $1700 - $1800 are crazy for a male over 25.

Younger males always pay a price - all of us either are or did shell $$$ it out.