RX8 trade-in value about 40% after 2 years
 

I knew they depreciated pretty bad and of course we are in a bad economy but I figured it would be worth at least 50% after 2 years, I was wrong.

Here's hoping it runs great for the next 2.75 years and that I've learned my lesson. I need to buy used, lease or get very slow depreciating cars as I'm going to want a new one about every 2-3 years.

all cars depreciate but i think the early fatalities of engines didnt' help with depreciation at all

Dont feel bad, Ive owned mine for 3 years and Im still upside down, AND I BOUGHT USED!

Just enjoy the car.

Pay cash and just plan for a long ownership. I know the resale is crap, but I figured once I'm ready to let the RX-8 go (2012 at the earliest) it or any comparable car won't be worth enough to quibble anyway. I can write off a few thousand for the pleasure of driving a car I truly love.

I bought my car just so I could be upside down in it.:lol:

all cars are depreciating faster right now. true, the 8 was already hit before the economy tanked but if you look at the dealer's lots now they are starting to give them away. trade-in value is almost nothing b/c auction prices are just going down.

Yeah, I am heavily considering allowing my wife to trade her Mazda5 in for a used CX-7. Mazda5 has the best MPG in it's class, and it is apparently getting harder to find, so that would help with the trade in value, and should be able to find a great deal on a CX-7 (being an SUV).

She does ~9 miles a day, so her MPG isn't a concern for my wallet yet :) Asset value is a bigger concern.

(course, I don't apply the same reasoning to my own car choice, but then, I drive for an entirely different reason :) )

If I were to buy my lease out, it wouldn't be because of resale value, but because of how much I like the car.

I don't think you can truly put a value on pure joy to drive.

i've sworn to a life of rotary.

therefore i have nothing to fear........


did i just type that?

comparing to the 350z, the numbers are close.

If you compare the rx-8 to something of an econobox when gas prices were high, you would lose every time.

Besides the impracticality of the RX-8, the poor MPG, the poor view because of the failed rotary early in, and the very select market of people who are willing to accept of these things for a truly magnificent machine, I'm not suprised...I'm honored. That makes us elite (or really stupid...but in this case, elite).

I wonder if the economy were to get really good, and gas prices were for some reason staying low, if the RX-8 would gain more value.

Yes this is what I have wondered " early fatalities of engines" who was the one that blu-it? Was it all emissions?

Agreed 100% :icon_tup:

then you shouldnt be dealing with cars in general. cars depreciate. no ifs, ands, or buts.

i paid cash for my car. i plan to keep it until its no longer practical. <3 my car.

my cars value went through the floor as soon as i gutted it and put in a nissan motor. im keeping mine till the end unless some idiot wants to throw down about 20k. oh well atleast i can have fun with my car:)

In general, there are just too many cars out there which is a big part of the general problem with the rapid depreciation rates for cars over the last few years. The entire auto industry need to contract big time. People are also keeping cars longer, which I can't blame them for. Over the last few years, wage increases in general are nowhere near keeping up with inflation, so people just don't have the extra money to keep buying a new car and taking the huge depreciation hit every few years.

OP is looking at Trade-In values. This value like wholesale/auction are always very very low on any car. It takes into consideration that the dealer would have to spend average $$$ to prep it for resale + profit margin.
In general depreciation is based on market value at retail. Based on that, the rx-8 is about par for its class.
You should see the wholesale price for a used S-class or an A8 or a 911 Turbo.

From a strictly financial point of view, it never pays to buy a new car. These are initially rapidly depreciating assets. Used, low mileage is the best course. The last two cars I bought were were both 2-3 years old, less than 10k miles, and less than 60% of new MSRP. Still had the new car smell.

Yep - cash (if you can) and keep it a long time. That's what I do. But as soon as 2012? That's only six years.

My last car was 19 years old when I bought Zoomy. And I kept it as a beater. My wife's car is now 14 years old, and still going nice and strong.

If we had not been in a position to pay cash, I'd still have had 15 or 16 years of payment-free ride on my old car, and my wife would have had 10 or 11 years (so far) on hers.

Ken

To me, it doesnt matter how much it loses it's value if you plan to keep it for a long time.

Yup. Despite everything, the RX-8 is not a rational purchase for me; it falls into the sports car category, which means it's a toy. The RX-8 is great, but if another company builds something better suited for what I use the RX-8 for (in other words, RWD, lighter, excellent handling and braking, with a structural roof) then I will replace the RX-8. I love the RX-8 and maintain it like I'm going to keep it forever, just in case manufacturer offerings keep getting bloated like they are now, but if a better mousetrap comes along, I'll probably wait a couple years for it's price to drop and then buy it. I realize it's not the best financial decision, but I'm able and willing to accept the costs.

Now the 3 on the otherhand; I'll probably keep that until it's dead as it falls squarely in the transportation category for me. I bought the 3 lightly used (less than 3 years old, 25,000 miles) to save even more on the up front cost.

Of course, I found out today I could've gotten a comparable mileage and age Jaguar X-Type for close to the amount I paid for the 3. Oh well. X-Type resale is just horrendous.

Mazda will abandon the rotary by 2014 (I give the RX8 a 10 year run at best). It will then be a true enthusiast's car for the next 15 years; you will be able to buy one for next to nothing. After 20 years (2034), they will be like a well-kept Brit MGB, Triumph Spitfire, or 914........you won't be able to afford one. It is a long term investment, but you just wait. :)

^^ Thats my plan

I don't think mazda will abandon the rotary....now they might keep changing little things in it here and ther like in 09 adding an extra oil injector.....maybe adding a twin turbo system stock to the renesis?????haha.....

Mazda is known for their rotary engine I think they will keep it for a damn long time