FreedomKnight1987

The 8 looks awesome and runs great. But I heard that it have some more problems than other sport cars. Since I will go to college next year and I gonna have only one car, I don't want to send my car to the manufacturer all the time. And I also heard that rotary engine has short lives. I want a car that can at least run well for about 6 years. So my question is, will this car be a good fit for a single car college student?

And also, I haven’t learned Manual yet, so I probably gonna buy an automatic. The hp on auto is not that great, so I will likely to add a supercharger or twin turbo on (more likely a supercharge cuz twin turbo will largely decrease engine life). How much power will the car gained if I add a supercharger (tune up as much as passible) ?


thanx

RX8_Ownz

twin turbo or supercharger on auto is just waste.

get a 6mt, man.

BlueFrenzy

Dude I think you are scaring yourself from what you have heard. With any car, there are bound to be a couple of bad apples and these are the ones you heard about. I think that there have been a few that we here at the forum know about (about 10?). You never see the post like "I was at a stop light and shifted into first smoothly, then second .. it was great! I was going 60km/h no problems in sight!"

If you take the WRX, there have been some complaints with the transmission (I think?) ... now is the WRX a horrible car? No ... thousands of people drive it with no problems. If you go to any of the other car forums, you'll hear about that cars "complaints".

Do a search on the progress of commerically available turbos and superchargers (I don't think that they are widely available yet ... someone correct me if I'm wrong). I saw in a recent magazine (Speed ... by Road and Track) an article about the Mazdaspeed supercharger 8. But the truth is, I think most of the 8 owners don't really care about whether it can beat a Viper or 911. It's more about the handling, comfort, and looks.

Go manual ... the 8 is my first MT and after 2 weeks or so, I was alright.

RXE16T

Amen!

mrthundercleese

Dude, the car is sick. Just get it. You wont be sorry. The 8 doesnt have any more problems than any other car on its first year out. And like everyone else said, get the 6mt. You would be amazed at how quickly you will learn when there is no other option! :D

Gambit

Just get it man, and get the manual, this is my first MT car and it took me a few days and I was fine with it. the problems with the 8 are few and far between, compared to some other cars -350Z- and it's got a useable back seat...if ur bringin it to college though I would suggest NOT driving to parties, as I have seen more than one person puke in a car on the way back

goforwand

I love it when people come on this board and say "I heard this about the Rx-8, and it sucks doing this, and rotaries don't last, and it's slow...blah, blah, blah....."

Read the posts and ask 'freakin relevant questions if you want a better understanding of the car!

crossbow

Don't get the car. Your going to college. Get a nice, used, beat up car for college. Something like an older civic hatch. Trust me. Your car will get the living crap beaten out of it during college. Most college students are extremely disrespectful of vehicles, especially new shiny ones.

Plus you can use the money saved to help pay for books, etc. Getting a brand new car for parking on a college campus is a recepie for disaster. It will get dented, it will get scratched, and most likely, someone is gonna puke on or in it.

Instead save the money for the rx8 for a present for yourself AFTER you graduate. It'll give you a nice incentive, and most likely, in 4 yrs, there will be some sort of "tuned up" variant of the current model.

Red Devil

I agree with Crossbow, wait for the car. And use that money for happy hour instead.

czr

iTrader: (3)

These guys know what they are talking about. Everyone I know who had nice cars got them puked in, vandalized, stolen, etc. Get an ok car even a van (hint hint), save the dough, and get an even nicer car when your out of school.

Luftwaffle

From the reliability vibe I'm getting from your post, get a Hyundai if you want a car or don't get a car at all and walk. You want an auto, but worry about not having enough power. That's a contradiction. Learn how to drive manual and then you'll appreciate the control and power. Learn how to walk before you run.

Also, do some rsearch on a bunch of cars before you decide, you may change your mind. Don't buy into rumors and misinformation. Search information on this forum about this car. If you wanna know about another car go to their forum. Don't ask about another car on this forum. We have biased answers for you.

Since you seem genuine about your interest in this car, I'll give you some info as a freebie. But, next time, use the search function a the top right of the screen.

This car doesn't have more problems than any other sports car in terms of reliability. For a first year model, it actually has a pretty good record.

The rotary engine does not have a short lifespan. Any engine or part is the same: the higher the performance you run at, the faster the parts wear down. It depends on how you treat your car. Some require more love than others, but you will not find any engine that you can run at maximum and expect it to last forever.

This car isn't too great for a single college student. You'll be popular and people would be jealous, but I would be freaked out about parking this in a lot. College students suck at driving in general and will run away from resposibility more often that not, if you get a scratch on your car, don't expect to get it fixed by the perpetrator. You'd have to shell out for anything you want fixed. Expect to be keyed and/or egged.

Manual = more power, more control. Automatic = less power, less control. If you're concerned about power, why would you even think about getting an automatic? If you get an auto, you'll only end up with buyer's remorse by the time you want more power.

You want to add forced induction to the car. There are no commercially available options yet. They're coming out slowly and being displayed at shows, but you can't get anything now. And anything you could get would probably void your warranty, so there goes your reliability concerns. Maybe if you got the MazdaSpeed supercharger, you could keep part of your warranty, but God knows when that will come out.

I still say if you want a car, you should get a Hyundai so you don't have to worry about it as much. Otherwise, you can walk or bum rides off friends like I did. :D

Red Devil

Get a nice 2nd generation RX-7. Maintenance isn't too bad, and you'll get a taste for the rotary engine. The when you graduate you'll be ready to make your decision of whether you want to invest a sizeable amount in this type of car. Don't get an RX-8 just for the fad or status, get it because you truly appreciate the rotary and concept behind it.

aggietiff28

I just got out of college and traded in my truck, which I took extremely good care of. It looked like someone had taken a small ball-ping hammer and walked from the front to the back while hammering the car on both sides from all of the door dings acquired from the parking lots and parking garages. I am in Texas and everybody at my school drove big 4x4 trucks or SUVs. They didn't care whose car they hit and most of the parking spaces were just big enough to fit the tires inside the lines for the larger vehicles. I dont know how many times I parked and watched the person next to me get out and hit my truck.

If I were able to buy an RX-8 for college, I would also make sure that I could invest in a bicycle (not good during rainy or very cold weather) and a very close apartment or dorm with designated parking.

The other guys are are also right about the parties. Just as long as you are not designated driver, you will not have to worry about it :D .

As far as parking on campus overnight, you are just asking to have your car broken into if you have a nice car. Car alarm will not help!!! Thieves are quick and since your room is usually pretty far from the parking, you wont hear it going off anyway. We had one of our parking lots vandalized and over 100 cars were broken into within an hour.

I wouldn't want to tell anyone not to buy an RX-8 because I am completely in love with mine, but if it were me, I would wait until graduation or leave it at mom and dad's during the week.

drupnoy1

iTrader: (1)

Totally agree, wait till after college. Or you can do it my way and buy a RX8 right after getting your diploma an hour earlier hehe....