xdrift0rx

i hope i dont get flamed for this.

i go to the rx7club forum much to often, and have been looking at getting one for my first car, but that has slowly been fading due to my parents not wanting me to get such an old car (i'll have an FC/FD one day though, i swear!)

the reason i've been considering an 8 now is because they're much more reliable from what ive seen so far, and sure turn heads just as much as 7's.

when i go to get one, it'll be mid january, around my birthday (hoping to be my gift) and i was wondering if it would be a bad choice getting one. i love the looks and want to drive something manual (stuck driving a 4.4l bmw x5/ tahoe).

hopefully price wont be a problem since i'll be looking for a used one, but how about insurance? if i wasnt worried about college funds etc, i would get a 7, but i dont wanna risk maintenance costs with school costs. also the killin gas prices that seem to jump a quarter everytime you look at the sign.

any input would be nice :]

TopGear8

iTrader: (3)

It was my first car, and I love it.

Falken

Its fine for a first car as long as you are mature enough to drive it. Don't get it because its flashy or fast. When you get inside, you are going to want to drive it fast (it BEGS to be driven fast) and you are going to want to impress everyone with it because it does look fast and it is flashy. Don't get it if you plan to do anything stupid with it, like pretending you are Mario Andretti or someone out of the fast and the furious. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for driving fast, but don't try it unless you know your own limits, the cars limits, and the legal limits.

Manual is harder than you think and the RX-8 isn't one of the "easy" manual cars. I would suggest learning manual on a different car.

Make sure you know how to drive in general before you drive a sports car.

Insurance rates are through the roof for anyone in your demographic, especially if you are male.

Price is always a problem with sports cars, expect to be paying 15k+ for a used one in good condition. 06+ is preferable, there were a few kinks in the 05s and 04s concerning the spark plugs I believe...

Do you have your license? Drive alone for a while before you jump into a fast car.

HockeyRX-8

iTrader: (1)

Falken pretty much explained everything. The 8 is my first car and i love it.

xdrift0rx

im a mature driver, i dont do 75 down the 45 limit road getting out of school(like everyone else). i want something that i can work on (as a hobby) and keep for a long time. i have yet to do anything nuts, but a friend with an FC at my school says theres some nice back roads around here.

as for learning manual i got bored one day and watch videos on tips on how to drive stick, also my dad has driven stick all his life ( these are our first automatic cars)

goign with the used cars, ive seen all 04's for sale and im guessing thats why? i have a decent job as an intern right now. if i play my cars right and work all summer i can make close to 2k a month.

i've had my lisence for a little over a year now, and only 6 months of that was with supervision so ive had 6-8 months on my own. i prefer driving alone :]. unless its with my gf of course =P

i was hoping insurance wont be killer since i have a 3.0gpa so i get like a 45% reduction, then i can take a defensive driving course for another like 10%.

4me2

Used 8's are so cheap now, why not.

Falken

Good that you are a mature driver, good that you don't speed dangerously, but understand that it's much more tempting to do so in a sportscar than in a tahoe, especially with a girl in the car.

If you are looking to have something to work on you should do some SERIOUS research into the rotary engine. It's very different from a piston engine and there aren't as many people out there that know how to fix it. Be sure you know a lot about it before you take tools to it.

Knowing how to drive manual and doing it are different. Hell, I know how to drift a car perfectly but I doubt I could do it in practice. I'm not saying the knowledge won't help, but don't count on getting it right the first time just because you know how to.

The spark plugs aren't a HUGE problem, but they are prone to failure on the early models. Just get them checked out by someone other than the dealership, as well as the spark coils.

Good that you have good grades too, it says something about your maturity. You are still going to feel a pinch the pump and for insurance at the end of the month, no matter how much you make.

xdrift0rx

i've been going to rx7club.com for like 2 years now. i know how the rotary works and what causes failures etc. i want one so bad. i want something DIFFERENT.

as for speeding, the x5 gets up and goes fairly quickly :P ive only stepped on it a few times. but only on a clear road.

thanks guyz. also anything else you can think of would be great.

one more thing. would it be better to buy an rx8 private (like craigslist) or get one through the dealership?

Myriad

iTrader: (2)

I just bought one as my first car. Currently I'm Eighteen, student in college. Started off driving my Dad's automatic Audi, and occasionally driving the BMW M Roadster that we had as a second car. I learned stick in the M, and I can say that it was quite difficult to learn as a first car. From my experience moving from the M to the 8, the 8 is about of the same difficulty, but a bit different due to the nature of the engine. I am also a mature driver, never been ticketed, but I can tell you that I do want to drive faster in the 8/M, it's just a matter of self-control that I don't :P

My insurance is pretty expensive, and I can tell you that you're going to have to pay a pretty chunk of change. Adding the 8 alone cost an extra 160 odd dollars a month to my dad's insurance /w progressive (We have to use them because they're one of the few companies that lets the 8 be on my dad's ins. and be titled in my name, since I had to take a bit of the price in loan). If you don't go that route, and it's titled in your name, you're going to pay a ton of money for insurance, even if you have an impeccable driving record.

I've had the 8 for 24 hours now, and I can say that I am completely in love. It drives great, is fine for what I need it to do. Only thing that I have a problem with is that it uses quite a bit of fuel (I already knew this b/c of this website, of course), but I don't drive all that much so it's not too big of an issue.

jdoo

The X5 is probably faster in a straight line than the 8

xdrift0rx

actually the x5 does 0-60 in 6.9 seconds on paper. (not the exact model, but best i could find)

http://www.trucktrend.com/roadtests/...uvs/specs.html

160 a month is almost 2 grand a year. do you have the reductions for being a good student? just imagine thats only 1000 a year then if thats the case :] i dotn think my parents would have such a problem with that. if tahts the case.

as for gas im hoping it wont be a huge issue. school is about a mile away. then work is about 5 miles. i dont make huge commutes.

Falken

Getting it because its different? Thats exactly why I got it.

I trust you and think its totally fine as a first car I just think you are going to be surprised at how fast you want to drive it.

Jasonawojo

iTrader: (2)

Oh, brings back memories of my arguments about why ha.

The clutch is very picky on the RX-8, or at least thats how I feel about it. Was my first manual car, and basically my first car. Took about two weeks to be decent at it, I still don't think that I'm very smooth, but in many ways I like giving it a rough time!

mdw1000

Our TL has faster acceleration, but the 8 is much easier to get a speeding ticket in. The handling and the smoothness of the rotary engine makes you feel like you are going much slower than you are.

RyanX-8

iTrader: (1)

It is my second car... I am in love with it!!! My next car will be an RX8 for sure! Insurance... I am assuming you are 16 or 17 will be way high. To be honest, unless you have a decent part time job you won't be able to afford it yourself.

xdrift0rx

yea im 17, turning 18 in january. they said it went up 100$ for them to add me to their policy, with 3 drivers and 2 cars...and i have a bad feeling when we add another car its gonna skyrocket :[ would i be better off leaving their plan and starting my own?

RyanX-8

iTrader: (1)

No, your own plan will cost more then 4 cars and 3 people on your parents probably. I am 18, make about $250 a week (part time) and on my parents plan my insurance comes to about 230-240 a month. (I bought the car and pay the gas/insurance) It is all on me. Gas, this car drinks it also... so you have to be willing to shuffle out some cash.. So far, I think it is worth it!! I love driving my 8.

My advice: Get the car and get a job!

RotaryP7

Got it as my first car. Had it before I had my license, a week later, passed the driving test with the 8. Haven't had any problems or accidents. Except for a damn speeding ticket ..

Has worked well for me. And yea, I work part-time, and I can afford it, pretty much. Gas & school is killing me though.

Edit: "RyanX-8, where in South FL are you?"

RyanX-8

iTrader: (1)

Palm Beach

imput1234

iTrader: (6)

The 8 is a great first car, just be responsible.

mdw1000

Only bad thing about it being a first car is that it is so easy to drive compared to most other cars. Most cars will seem difficult to drive after this

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

the clutch is tricky, Im trying to teach my gf how to drive my car and shes been having a hard time. Hell, Ive been driving the 8 for over 2 years now and Im still bouncin hear and there at stoplights.

Learjet_Pilot

COLD WATER

This car is wonderful in many ways, but it costs a fortune. I'm getting 14 mpg; gas is $4/gallon. Do the math to your favorite destination and back. And your favorite destination will be your job(s).

And then comes insurance. It is an easy thing for you to ask your Dad to call your insurance company and ask, before buying, how much the 8 would cost.

Visualize the cost of a set of tires.

You say you can make $2K/month during the summer. What do you do when the Oct 1 payment is due?

I am convinced that although this is in fact the coolest car on the road (short of Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc), it is also the most expensive to operate. Probably higher cost per mile than Hummers and Expeditions! The 8 is the prettiest girl on the block, but she's an expensive date.

WARM WATER

On the other hand, you're a teenager, and don't have real bills like the rest of us. No credit cards, no utilities, no rent, no food bill. So maybe, even with all that I said before, you can afford it. (Funny how you can afford things at 18 that you can't at 25 because of the three credit cards, and the roommate that stiffed you on the rent.)

But DO call the insurance company before buying.

Good luck with your decision.

JRichter

Sure. If I had the ability back then (RX-7 was my 2nd bought car) I would have. The price on these 8's right now are hard to pass up for what you get. Just don't forget to factor in maintenance costs (as with any car, tires included) and not just gas and insurance. Live and learn!

Maaz

its my first car, just got it 2 days ago. I love it. Mine is AT 05