Now that used 04's are cheap - younger drivers - good/bad?
 

Now that 2004 RX-8s have quickly depreciated to mid-teen levels, younger drivers are able to afford them more easily. Accordingly, there has been a proliferation of new and very much younger owners on the board lately with their first 8's or in the process of looking for one. I have noticed a lot of newbie posts on 04's asking about various facets of the 8, some clearly more thought out and researched than others.

So is this good for the 8 community? Potentially bad for insurance? Both good and bad?

Just food for thought. Thanks.

I don't notice more young people buying the car now than I have in the past. In fact the younger demographic as a whole doesn't seem to understand and like the RX-8 much.

Based on whats on the the forum you seem to be right. Seems like much younger kid are asking the questions. Is it good or not ? Personally I dont like it , cause I don't like to see many on the streets . Thats my 2 cents. I guest I'm going to have to go get that Bugatti , after all.

same thing is happening on the protege forum that i frequent, except there it's a bunch of high school kids getting proteges as their first cars

makes for interesting social-economic case study methinks

what is a "younger driver" to you?

i haven't noticed the userbase on the forum changing much...

I suspect once used rx-8's are in the 12-15k range, it might be a different story. Right now used Rx-8's are still typically around 18k+ from what I've seen.

Hell I wish my parents bought my 8, but I think when you work for something you have alot more respect for it. Im only 21 and I think I am a young driver but I have a feeling young kids..high school...getting 8s and wanting to be all OMG I have an 8 or whatever is a stage...we will probably see them come and go.

i bought my '04 with 8800 miles on it, 17k flat

i agree trhat i dont like seeing alot of them on the street ..... i like having a car (ie my 8) that is unique or special but thats me .....

I agree with Ike. Seems teens are brain dead about this car. My neighbor's two sons don't even pay attention to my car. They are crazy about their Grand Am's. Whatever. Fortunately the 8 can be expensive to own so hopefully the young punk types will stick with their Civics.

The RX8 is too slow in a straight line to be noticed by the youth of America. Also they see 1.3L and they go off to something with a larger displacement. Its not a car the general young person would be interested in.

I just don't see it really being a problem.

I'd say around 24 and under.

The denial about resale value continues. What people ask and what KBB values the car at and what people get are very separate things. Used 2004 8's are at a point where it costs the same as a new low end car. This opens them up to new demographics.

My concern is that mid-20s and under male drivers constitute the highest crash risk group of all drivers. This has been proven time after time. I just worry that my 8 insurance will go up as a result of this particular demographic. Of course as they destroy them (hopefully not killing others in the process), the car gets rarer.

I'm sure it is the same as the prices of used WRX, 350Zs and EVOs spiral to more affordable levels.

i'd categorize 26-and-under as 'younger drivers'

i guess this isn't the best time to mention that i crashed mine a month ago, i'm 25

Well I changed it to under 25 but you're on the borderline.

So your fault?

Its already started for the WRX.

I also understand your concern. I have a WRX and I am 28 and a nearly clean record now. My insurance is the same as it was when I was in my early 20's. It will happen eventually but I don't see it being as bad for the RX8 owners as it is for the WRX, Evo, etc owners. If the 8 had a sub 6 sec 0-60(in the real world) then I think it would a bigger draw for the younger populous.

hence why my number is more accurate ;)

for the NE i don't think teenagers buy (or are given) sports cars, the winters here really suck, escalades, navigators, denalis are "cool" for kids around here. it might be different in other areas of the country. additionally i think both marketing and exposure affect the demographic (e.g. fast and furious, redline, drifting features on SPEED tv). if you're young and want to tune, i still think hondas are the car. mazda never even mentions the 8 in commercials i see on tv

I suppose that's the upside or downside (depending on how you look at it) for the 8. It isn't going to be high on the list for the Fast and Furious wannabes out there.

Yeah, the WRX has been out for a relatively long time so the early ones are definitely affordable to the youngsters.

How would people know if "young" people like the car or not. Young driver preferences are even harder to understand than older demographics, most of them are still defining what they like and don't like. But the one defining characteristic of most young drivers are cost constraints, so as the 8 becomes cheaper of course more will buy in. The exception will be the performance tuner crowd or street racer types who would likely look at more common options. But most other segments, especially the "what is the coolest car that'll get me laid" segment - which is most of the young guys I knew and know - will flock to it. I think we see them here often.

Based on the reaction I get from neighborhood kids and schools, I can't belive the attention it gets for such an everyday car.

Regardless, I do not see someone looking for a vehicle in the $10K range paying $100 per week in gasoline, on top of a $300 insurance payment as a first time budget car buyer, on top of their car payment, on top of their uneasyness about a "rotary" engine whatever that is, on top of the "heard a lot of problems about RX8" they've read up on the internet about.

Good point. Lets all start a forum and post a lot of negative things about the car so that younger drivers stay away. We'll call it RX-8 Club. :)

haha ^^ gas is a killer I know i spend about 120 a week just on gas...

nope, black ice's fault. i was going slow enough for the airbag not to deploy, so that's.. under 15mph?

And this assumes that the all of the under-25 crowd have common sense and fiscal responsibility? Errr.....NOT!