Lets get one thing out of the way. I am not one of those kids. My 3.0 gpa and working at a restaurant speaks for itself. I am not reckless or stupid like the other teens who get the car for speed and drifting. I just love the rx8 and heard alot of good things about it so i really cant see myself getting another car then that. Sure its cool as **** having a sports car in highschool but its not all aboout that for me.

Now i have a question: why is it so hard to maintain the car. is it the rotary or what. Gas is not as much of a problem. I just dont want the car breaking down alot and spending too much money. so what would be the best way to avoid that, other then not getting it.

 

Just get the 8.

 

whoop-de-*******-do.

Just buy something older, cheap and sporty. You dont want to be a slave to your car -- maintenance really does add up on this thing. You should be doing smarter things with your money than buying an RX8 if you're so "responsible".

 

Buy a Civic.

 

the rotary is fine....its the "everything" else that u might be aware of...coils , cats , transmission grinding , flooding , clutch paddle snapping , water in your tail lights , idling ,weird noises , cel lights , coolent lights , engine oil light , ABS light ....and other little little stuffs .....

but i havent heard the 8 breaking down on anyone yet ..like majorly...most of them drive home safe and post on the forum....

if u love the car, get it .....if there's problem , there is a search button.....if u need help , post help....want aftermarket stuff ? google+ebay+ Japanparts.com+ Mazdaparts.com+Mazmart......

edit :
suggestion from me ....i want the RX8 to stay unique.... SO YOU , get a civic & get good mileage in that (yo ..VTEC just kicked in yo!)

THEREFORE, one less 8 on the road makes it more rare for mines !(not that lightning yellow isnt rare enough) ....but if ur NOT in SanJose CA , then i get it :D...i dont care

 

I think you're seriously underestimating the cost of ownership for this car.

Call and get an insurance quote, see what that will run you on an RX-8. Having four doors means next to nothing, they know it's a sports car, and at your age that means insane insurance rates.

Gas will run you close to twice as much as with many other cars, maybe more than that if you use premium gas, which you should. Frequent oil changes are a must, and you don't want to just go to JiffyLube, it's best to have it done at the stealership, which is more expensive but might help keep the engine warranty, if it isn't already voided due to lack of documented maintenance.

You can't just take it to any old repair shop, you need to go to a Mazda stealership or a specialist rotary shop, no one else knows how to work on these cars, and in either case they won't be cheap on repairs. They need frequent tire rotations (about every 6k-7k miles), plug and coil changes about every 30k miles, engine trouble could mean disaster if warranty coverage is denied (which is all too possible if it doesn't have a spotless maintenance history with documentation), parts are quite expensive, the transmission can be somewhat fragile and is very expensive to replace, if you flood it too many times (very possible for a new rotary owner with an '04) you could end up needing to replace the cat prematurely, etc., etc.

Just because you can afford to buy it doesn't necessarily mean that you can afford to own it. Don't say you haven't been warned. I don't think that the 8 is a particularly dangerous sports car for a teenager if you really insist on a sports car, but it is not cheap to own.

 

twice ...is an understatement !

 

Not to mention a case of oil only lasts two oil changes $40 for normal stuff $90 for the good stuff.

$80 per case for pre-mix

$25 spark plugs (each)

$40 per tank of premium and it lasts less than 200 miles

What else is worth mentioning?

 

jus let the high schooler get the car and find out the hard way just how hard it is to own an rx-8. If the way he describes himself is true, let him find out for him self... we all already warned him so if he still stubbornly gets it, it's his problem. I know what it's like wanting a car sooo bad but ending up with something else. Heck I wanted a 350z sooo bad when they came out so I just drove my 626 all the way till the last part of my freshman year in college. I never even thought of rushing into buying a Z because i would be heartbroken if anything happened to it, but here i am today with an rx8 and I'm still very happy about this car as my second car. You never know man, you might end up in another car and luv it, but just get something more practical. Are you even paying for everything yourself? can even working at a resturaunt or whatever i don't know if you can really afford an 8...

 

im 21 i have a 3.7 and i run my own business as well as tutor kekeke

 

rx8 maintenance is a killer as well. here's the basics per year

oil changes $25*4= $100
spare oil to top off $4*4=$16
spark plugs $80
coils, depending mileage you purchase in $100
In my case $40 gas/week* 52= $2080
my insurance ~$1000/yr

=$3376 annually. This is not including flooding tows, melted cats, tires, compression loss/overhaul and mods

VS my buddies 94 Accord coupe

oil changes $25*3= $75
gas @ $20/wk* $1040
insurance $600/yr

= $1750. (almost half!!!!)not many surprises with the honda. Recenly he had a misfire but honda's are common knowledge and was able to get it fixed at a mechanic for $125 labor and parts combined. Good luck finding a rotary expert to fix your car if you have an issue.
----not to mention mods are dirt cheap

 

im 16 and i got my 8 in september. first car and i love it.

 

How is insurance so cheap?

oil changes = 100 makes sense
rest of the stuff = 200 makes sense
gas = 2080 makes sense
insurance = 1000/yr?

my insurance on a Corolla 2009 under my parents name is like 1000/yr, i would imagine with the rx=8 it would be a lot more ... oh and financed for 48 months for me is 790 a month does that make sense?

 

Ur like me. No matter what advice, being young and knowing what you want, having that tunnel vision, there is nothing any of us can do to change that. If you dont buy an 8, your gonna buy another sports car. I would much rather you in an 8 then in another sports car for many reasons.

#1 Its waaaay better then the rest. Rx8 REPRESENT!
#2 Because of its handling, you will have a better chance avoiding accidents caused by others, or even correct **** ups caused by you.
#3 Its safe with the million air bags it has and its low center of gravity makes it hard to flip.
#4 Get it with Dynamic Stability Control because as stated before, it might save your life one day.

Read these forums so you can get a careful understanding of what the car needs. Its a drivers car. Not a car you drive.
Understand the difference between the two and you will be fine.

Things to remember:
- You have 8 years, 100k mile warranty on the engine. Begins at year of car.
- Every other fill up, check your oil. If its halfway empty, top it off. This creates good habit. Keep a bottle of 5w-30 MINERAL OIL in the trunk.
- Buy snow tires if you get snow by you. Believe me, its mandatory. Just today i pulled over by my godmothers house to drop something off.. Sure as ****, i got stuck.
- Open a savings account specifically for your baby. Im not saying the car is a pot full of problems, but sometimes **** happens. Be prepared. This is for every car. Keep $1500 in it at all times just for emergency purposes.
- Enjoy the car.

Good luck kid.

Oh god please dont.

lol... i find so many rx8 owners coming from a 626. Those may be family econo-cars, but man, they sure had the zoom zoom. It handled better then most family sedans back in the day. I really do miss that car so much. You couldnt kill that engine if you wanted too. The sensors (o2 and mass air flow) were a pain in the ***, but you could really make that car shine. Mine was a 1996, black, 20% tints, 16 inch after market aluminum rims from pep boys lol, Pirelli's 225/50's R16's, sporty seat covers and my favorite, after market sound system. 2x Infinity 5x7's, 2x Infinity 6x9's, 2x 12" MTX subs with 1000watt amplifier with built in crossover... **** set off car alarms blocks away.




In college, if i had a long long break in between classes, i would bring a blanket and pillow in the car that day and take a nap in the back seat with the help of my trusty portable DvD player. I watched Jaws so many damn times... and Gone in 60 Seconds was a mandatory. The good times i had in that car back in high school. Believe me... 4 door sedans with a loud system > any sports car when it comes to high school good times. It was a party in a car. We be rollin 4 cars deep everywhere with like 16 people... hahaha.





As well as play PC games...?

 

I play a lot of StarCraft

 

So many people on these forums are jackasses, telling you buy a Civic and ****. And you won't be a SLAVE to your RX8.

My RX8 was my second car, but I bought it when I was a senior in high school. I don't have much of a problem paying for the gas, its not great, but its not AWFUL. Its a little worse than what you expect from a sports car. Its really fun to drive, not that difficult, and the transmission is way friendly. Plus, its not that fast haha.

I say, if your a responsible kid, and can handle topping off on oil between changes and can afford the gas, buy the ******* car. You won't regret it.

Hope I helped!

 

I'm buying the car regardless, but is insurance really 1000/yr like some people say it is? It's like 1000/yr for my Corolla 2009 ... so I imagine somewhere like 5x that for RX8 for me?

 

nope. My insurance company considers it a "four door coupe" so insurance is ridiculously cheap. I pay around $1300 a year with the good student discount. Which you should get with a 3.0

 

my first car was a 85 rx-7 gsl-se never had a problem but then again i know how to work on and take care of a car myself.

 

Yikes! I can't believe how long this thread is in just a day. And such negativity. I feel like I should push my RX-8 off the nearest cliff before it murders me in my sleep.

Yeah...the 8 is probably riskier on maintenance and/or odd problems than a Civic. Not necessarily the car Consumer Reports would choose...although in some years it does get on their "recommended" list.

If you look at required maintenance, it's not much different from other cars. Most of us change oil 3K rather than what the schedule says, but that's pretty common choice. Oil use between changes is not a big deal...less than what cars routinely burned when I was in my youth. Spark plugs get changed at 36K or so, rather than 60K or more like a lot of other cars today. (Vs 12K in the old days.) But you can change them yourself, unlike some cars (like a V-6 Camry) where it's a dealer job. And there's no timing belt to replace every 60K. Don't forget the 8 year, 100K engine core warranty, either.

Thus far, at a bit over 30K on mine, my only negatives have been the lack of interior storage space (small console, etc.) and fear of flooding.

Any car has a risk of being a lemon. And buying any used sports car carries somewhat higher risk...even if it's putting up with your mother shaking her head about how impractical you were.

Ken

 

no question... get the 8, it was my first car and If you can afford it... get it.

I pay an arm and a leg for mine annually at like $512 a month for a payment and about 3,500 a year for insurance alone then add in + gas + maintenence + mods :D + living the college life and I only work 4 months a year. I know how to budget very efficiently...


and if I could teach you one thing it would be...


Make your own decision, people suggesting to buy lower end cars just don't want to see a young teen drive something they have acheived much later in life... Society is full of jealousy. PERIOD.

At least if it was me I sure as hell wouldn't spend $5000-$10,000 of my own money on something I didn't enjoy to get in everyday. It's not like you NEED a car in highschool, but its a WANT, and if you want something then do it the "right" way.

Note: Looking at your financials is crucial both long-term and short term.

and as for that comment on you crashing your car if you buy an 8, #1 drive smart. #2 id rather crash and 8 and live then a beater and die.

.... you only live once.

 

haha i play it from time to time, used to be in it big in high school now i play it about twice a week

hit me up if ya wanna play

 

My 400hp GTO's payments are 150$ cheaper per month then the payments were on my RX8.

 

and as for that comment on you crashing your car if you buy an 8, #1 drive smart. #2 id rather crash and 8 and live then a beater and die.

.... you only live once.[/quote]

I agree with Spence. Don't buy something you'll be disappointed with from day 1. Get the 8.

 

Okay so I just called my company and as long as I put it under my parents name, they consider it a 4 door coupe I would be paying $2000 CAD a year so it's actually pretty much the same amount as I'm paying for the Corolla 2009.

Finance = $800 CAD
Insurance = $200 CAD
Gas = $180 CAD
Other = $20 CAD

Roughly $1200 a month for the RX-8 R2 2010.