Novice Considering the RX-8
 

I am in the market for a new car. I am looking for a car that is fun to drive but also comfortable. I would consider myself an agressive driver but not a speed demon. I am a complete novice when it comes to cars. I know you have to put gas in them and keep the maintenance up to date. I have test driven the RX8 and enjoy the way it drives. I have read the comments about the oil consumption and the MPG issues. I would not have a problem adding oil every once in a while in between servicing and I don't put a lot of miles on a car anyway, so the MPG is not a big concern. This will be my primary vehicle and my driving is probably only 10% highway and my commute to work is only about 10 minutes (all stop and go traffic). My question...

Would the RX-8 be a good decision for me? With my short commute to work, will I have to sit and rev the car before every drive?

Any helpful hints will be great appreciated.

Thanks.

I dont think short commute would be a problem for RX-8. Just be sure to open her up 6-9K every once in a while, its good for the car.

I'd say buy the car and enjoy the ride.
My 8 is my daily driver and I can't even remember what it was like to drive my previous car (Nissan Pathfinder). I look forward to going to work now :rock:
It handles like a dream even in stop and go traffic. The seats are very comfortable (even for me, i'm 6'2"), the steering is first rate and the manuverability is second to none.

I wasn't even in the market for a new car when I purchased the 8. My GF's son had us go to a Carmax lot to look at a celica he was going to purchase. We walked out with him and the salesman to see the car and then waited while they took a test drive. Sitting next to the celica was an 04 rx8. I had never really looked closely at one before. It was instant lust.

One week later I was signing the paperwork for a brand new 06. I've had it for a month now and just love it to death.

Get the your 8!

My hint is that you need to search this forum and other online car information bases and really read up before you make a decision. Explore other options and consider your needs and price bracket. Take a look at some other cars that spark your interest and compare. Similarly priced cars include the Ford Mustang, Nissan 350z, Mitsubishi Eclipse and Lancer Evolution, Honda S2000, Mazda MX-5 Miata, and Honda Civic Si. All these cars have their ups and downs just like the RX-8, so if any of those float your boat, take them for a drive as well, because the last thing we need is more people who bought an RX-8 and then bitching later because they expected it to have more power, better gas mileage, etc.

Since you don't know much about cars, I'll assume you don't know how to drive a manual (correct me if I'm wrong). Keep in mind the automatic transmission RX-8 has a detuned engine, so it has less power than one with the manual. There are also far fewer perforamce upgrades for the automatic. I'm not sure if that will affect your decision or not, but there are plenty of people who seem to not realize that before they plop down cash for an auto.

As far as your specific questions, there really is no special warm-up procedure for the 8. You can hop right in and drive. The issue is when you shut it down. It's advised that before you turn it off, you drive it far enough that the engine temp gauge gets to about the halfway mark. Basically, if you turn it on, drive ten feet, and turn it off, you'll have problems. Otherwise you'll be fine. I drove mine to school every day, which was about 1.5 miles, and by then it was warm enough.

The Renesis engine is designed to inject oil from the oil pan into the engine to lubricate the seals, so it is completely normal and harmless for the engine to consume oil. The caveat of this is about every 1000-3000 miles, you'll probably have to dump in a quart.

The short commute won't be a problem. You don't need to warm up an RX-8 before driving it - you just don't turn it off cold. A 10 minute drive will warm it enough so there's no problem with flooding. Joining in on Rootski's 1.5 mile experience, my local supermarket is 1.5 miles away, and I've had no problem on quick food runs.

A 10 minute commute is murder on any car. Not really long enough for it to fully warm up, boil off condensation, etc. But if you take it out for longer trips on weekends, and let it rev like it wants to, that will clean it out. The 8 will not be different than any other car.

If the time has come to get a nice car, and the 8 tickles you, go for it!

Ken

I'll also chime in. My commute to work is 2 miles, the car is easily warmed up enough to turn off by the time I get there.

when i was in the military my work place was about or less than a mile away i never had a problem with it warming up quick enough. it probably would have taken me less time to walk to work cutting through the barracks but i love driving my car and couldnt leave her sitting all day.

Thanks for all the replies. My short list of cars is the RX8 and the Infinti G35 coupe. After those 2 it really just comes down to a more practical choice. The upcoming Altima coupe and redesigned Accord coupe are the practical choices, though I really want something a lot more fun to drive!

And Rootski, you hit the nail on the head with the manual transmission. I could get you to the hospital if your life depended on it, but it wouldn't be good for the car. And the performance upgrades will be no issue.

I recommend that if you have a short commute & buy the 8 that you take the long way home ....

I think you forgot the Crossfire on your short list...

get a G35 theres a maxipad in the first aid kit if someone ever makes you mad and u need it...jk!! lol

he said "new" they dont make those crap boxes anymore

Welcome to the forum!
If you're going for an automatic then get the six speed and not the four speed.
Read the thread called the little things in RX8 discussion.
Read the stickies at the top of the tech garage sections.
Hopefully you'll make an informed choice.

I bought a 2007 RX-8 about a month ago and have been very happy. I have the six speed auto and it works great. Don't worry about all the talk on this board about you have to buy the manual, the auto is slow, blah, blah, blah. If you're looking for a drag car or stop light racer, the RX-8 is probably not the car for you. I came from a manual Corvette Z06 which was no fun at all to drive in traffic, while the RX-8 is a joy. The car has just enough power, handles very well, looks good and has a really comfortable interior.

I had an 8 for 3 years as a daily driver (about 17,000 miles per year). It's a great commuter car -- comfortable, fun to drive, handles very well. And I completely agree with Black807 --- get whichever transmission works for you, the car is phenomenal either way.

Go for it!! :)

Hellz yeah !!!! I'll drink to that!!! phenomenomennomenal indeed!!!!!

My situation is pretty similar to yours. It takes me 10 minutes to get to work, a 4.5 mile trip in total. The gas milage that my RX-8 makes to and from work is pretty bad... on the plus side, I only need to fill up on gas every 2 weeks or so because the trips are so shot. Sometimes I cheat and just redline the sucker in neutral when I'm the parking garage because there's no place for me to do on the drive to work.

That being said, I usually drive the hell out of it on the weekends, that's when austin highways and curvy backroads really shine. The weekends are a much better driving experience for me- redlines, better gas milage, car washes, etc. Because of my driving habits, I check the oil but don't find myself really adding much between oil changes, maybe half a quart.

Let's see, what else? This is my first manual, and it's fantastic. I don't have anything against autos, but I think the manual was a good purchase for me.

MPG is the only bad thing that sticks out in my situation, but it's not a financial problem for me.

hope that helps. Oh yeah, my opinion: my 8 is the best car I could ever hope to purchase... and did. :)
michael

aer2003,

Get the transmission that you want. I purchased an 06 AT Touring and have no problems with the power. I don't care about smoking anyone from the stops, but can take off when I want by using the manual shift selection. Mileage on my 5 mile commute is about 14 and on the highway 24.

Auto doesn't take any of the pleasure away from driving 98% of the time. Stiil looks great!

I'd still buy the 8, but probably pedal to work were I in your shoes.