RX8 vs MS3
 

okay guys sorry if im being annoying i just have a question
as an 18 yr old student who works part time and fulltime summers starting april-september do you guys think its realistic of me getting an rx8.
i was thinking about a speed 3 because its probably less on insurance then an rx8 and its definetly quick. But i am truley in love with this car its just so sexy and im in love :(. i know rx8s dont get the best fuel economy, i was browsing fuelly.com and ppl with ms3s get like 20mpg. i then look at rx8s and its all over the board like anywhere from 12-22 mpg. does it depend on the way you drive or are all cars different? i just have alot of questions ive been browsing this site for a while now probably over half a year and know alot about the rx8. im looking to start the search for a car in march i just want your opinions on what i should do as a student driving to school daily. i live in richmond hill so its like a 25km drive there and 25km back. any of your throughts are appreciated
thanks alot guys

FERA:Eyecrazy:

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/

Check out post #3 particularly concerning affordability.

Hope this helps you out!

yeah ive been through that already. i want one so bad tho what do i do :dunno: i tried winning the lotto but it didnt work

used rx8 prices are also low so you can pick one up for not that much money. though my old rx8 and my current 7 are getting about the same mpg on the highway as funny as that is. I loved the factory warrenty though, went though 3-4 engines and had 2 transmission rebuilds(5th gear syncro went out oddly) . The rx8 requires alot of attention and the speed3 will probably be cheaper on the long run but my god was the rx8 fun on the twisty roads in austin(possibly the reason for all the engines...).

yeah man i know but like im obsessed with the rx8 so im basically gunna end up getting one regardless lol. im probably gunna look for an 05.

The speed 3 is definitely quick, but it's FWD. You can't beat RWD handling. The speed 3 handles very well for a FWD car but it has nothing on the 8 when it comes to the twisties.

As for mileage, the 8 can easily get over 20 MPG on the highway but in city driving it's like 13-15 MPG. So on long highway commutes the mileage is actually a whole lot better than on short commutes.

i assume it does more then 13-15 mpg cuz thats absolute ass mileage i was hoping i could get atleast 18 out of it. its a pretty coasty drive to school i just take a highwaay down mainly

Like the man said, on the highway you should be able to get 18-20.

On your commute you can expect about 20 MPG. But keep in mind that short trips around town will eat a lot of gas. It's not cheap to keep an 8 gassed up, it tends to drink up a lot more than you might expect.

You can affort an 8 until it breaks down lol, but a MS3 isn't cheap either...

yeah ms3s arent cheap there like 15 grand
but i can probably find an 05 rx8 with decent km for around 10 - 11
one in my area right now 68 000km 05 vr gt for 10888

Wrong wheel drive.

dont get me wrong id rather have an 8 like theres no second tthoughts
i was just curious of what u guys think i should do
do you think i should go for it ?

Frankly I don't think that either car is a good choice for a student, if you're like most students you don't have much money to spare and an economical car like the base 3 makes more sense.

But if you really must choose between the speed 3 and the 8 the 8 is the better car, just keep in mind that the cost of ownership is high aside from the purchase price. The gas will cost you, and also if anything goes wrong (and it will with an older 8) they are not at all cheap to repair. The parts are expensive.

The ms3 is not much different on insurance. They see turbo and they are like woo another 500

frankly, if you are worrying about the cost of ownership, then rx8 AND speed 3 is out of your comfort zone. don't bite off more than you can chew.

Yeah bro. buy yourself a cheap ride. Something easy to work on (Honda maybe?). Wait til you're finished school, and by then, the new RX will be out and you'll be laughin! And, if you still want the 8, I'm sure you could pick one up for a copy of your grad diploma semi-used toothpick!!! :rollingla

Don't get your hopes up that a MS3 will be cheaper. We almost bought one for my wife. Insurance was barely cheaper than my 8, they charge a premium for the car itself, and they aren't cheap when you break things.


I'm not telling you not to get either car, but really think about it. As others have said, as a student you might be putting yourself in a financial bind. Not to mention, cars get beat up on college campuses. There are quite a few people on the board who've managed to pull it off though. Just look at your income compared to the cost of ownership. Make sure you'll be able to afford it and your lifestyle. If you can, great and post picks when you get the car

I would probably say that if you are averaging about 18mpg on the 8, then you are probably not driving it the way it should(needs to) be driven

thanks for the advice guys
i really really want the 8 like im probably a bigger fanatic then all of you combined..
i guess when the time comes ill start the hunt see how much money i have and make sure my fulltime job is steady for the summer. i think ill be able to handle it my uncle owns a mechanic shop he worked on my buddies turboed 8 alot so he knowws about rotary and how to maintain them. also theres a shop in pickering ontario mazdees they specialize in rotary and there pretty cheap my friend said. also another one of my friends knows a shitload about cars so maybe he could help me out with the DIYs in plug coil change etc.

also one more question
i currently have 2 vehicles a murano and caddilac in my household
if i get the 8.. is it possible for my dad to say hes handing down his older caddie to me and he primary the 8 so its cheaper? he said im automatically insured on the more expensive car
we were having an arguement for half an hour yesterday
thanks guys

no the caddie will be more for you as the primary than the 8 will be. Its worth more.

I have a speed 3 for a street car and an 8 for a track car. I love the speed 3, Mazda did a lot of cool things to make it fast and drivable. Fastest production front wheel drive car ever... I love saying that :) Anyway it gets 28-29 MPG and we drive on backroads and highways. We live in NH so I don't think anything around here qualifies as city driving! For the street the 3 is very practical with the amount of space inside for friends or even my great Dane :)

Both are very fun cars to drive, but both can get you in a lot of trouble so please keep the racing on track and off the street!
Stephen

the caddies old its a 97... and im not really a "street racing" guy

You can say that as much as you want, but it happens to all of us at some point in your life. It just takes that extra bit of self control to not do it.


i still believe that caddie is worth more than the 8 :lol:

oh no. not again. we get enough shit comparing RX8 and Mazda 6 last time.

its worth like 3 grand lol its a 97 sts
i dont know though its a v8
but what do you guys think i was also thinking gti possibly but i dont know if i like them that much
i think im gunna have to get the 8 regardless im not gunna mod for a while ill save all my money i make working fulltime in the summer incase something goes wrong. working april to sept ill make atleast 5 6 grand

Personally I disagree :) I drive my 8 pretty aggressively and still average descent mpg's

If your averaging 21-22mpg's then I would agree with ya

He said his drive is mostly highway. If you're getting 18 or less on a highway that's on the short end of the sick and is pretty bad IMO for an 8. On the highway you shouldn't be for the most part rally shifting through the gears other than the on and off ramps or if you're in stop and go traffic; you should be cruising. I get 22~23 average on the highway and 18 city driving.

^ agree.
I see the same mpg's that you stated. Conditions can vary from time to time, my Fuelly doesn't lie ;)

yeah well i plan on driving in fuel economy mode to school.
id rather save some gas then rip it down the highway.
but yeah ill be sure to give it the nice revs too
and also its not like im used to getting good mpg on my parents cars anyways
my dad gets like 16mpg on his caddy
and my murano gets 17.8 steadily so its nothing special.

...from what i've noticed after a dozen of these kinds of threads - if you have to ask if the 8 is right for you...you really shouldn't get it.

IMO, the 8 has its disadvantages on paper and IRL just like any other vehicle but the difference maker is when you get inside and actually drive it. A car is always going to be a car at the end of the day - the only time it makes any difference is when you make it something more than just a grocery getter - at that point, nothing said by anybody here will matter. If the vehicle is unable to drown out your concerns of it's shortcomings or fall in line with your priorities then you should really look into purchasing something else...

For me...mpg's, price of insurance, maintenance etc mean jack-shit when i smash the gas. If affordability becomes an issue, i just get a better job - the 8 has a funny way of reprioritizing things...

just my $.02

I just can't see insurance being affordable for either of those cars for an 18yr old. Not in Ontario anyway. Besides, seen too many kids with fast cars do stupid things and wrap them around poles; hate to see that happen.

Well said.

OP: If you want the 8 bad enough, go get it.

Later if you feel you made a mistake, you will learn, and learning from mistakes is all part of LIFE.

Good luck!

You should look into the MX-6's. I just picked one up for $1000 to use as a daily driver so I can save money on gas for the Mustang. They seem to be a dying breed now days :tear: but they're fun cars and cheap. You can save up and get an RX-8 in a few years once you have a better income. Good luck!

i was just talking to my buddy about his old turboed 8 and he said that everytime he pushed it and parked it in the garage it would leak oil? and his bro had previously owned one too and he was in the same situation. is this true?

I don't have a turbo, but mine definitely does not leak oil when I park it after driving hard. Is he sure it was oil leaking? There are plenty of other harmless liquids that you can get a little puddle of under your car....

yea well thats what he said but his car was loaded with problems

I pretty agree with you. you needs to sacrifice a lot to own an RX8. if you can live with that, you wouldnt ask if its right for you cuz you know its the one.

any car leaks oil is not good, rx8 is no exception.
like all the guys said, you need to learn a lot to own an RX8. if you treat it like a Civic, you gonna have loads of problems.

yeah but im a guy that will baby his car
like i know everything about topping oil every couple fillups
plugs coils wires change every 30k
warming up the car before driving and shutting it off. ive done my research

you only need to warm the car up for about 30 seconds when you turn it on. Just make sure you shift under 3500 rpms for at least 10 minutes while driving.

No hes actually about right, i get about 15 mph becuase my drive to work is either 5 miles on the freeway or if LA traffic is bad i surface street home. So i get mostly city miles.

But when i do go on the freeway and take long trips i can get about 20. And it also depends how you drive it of course.

hahahaha this is better than comparing it to the 6 though, a 6 is what my grandma drives... seriously...

i think that im pretty well set on this car though..
the only other car i could maybe consider is a gti but i dont know if i wantt one of those

Get the car then. You'll have piece of mind, at least. Just, think about what these people have told you. Don't start a new thread in 3 months and say "Boy, the 8 is too expensive!" :)

get a miata
-reliable
-rwd
-great gas mileage
-sooo fun

i'm sorta in you situation cept ive had my eight for a while and my commute to school is a lot longer than it used to be and its getting expensive

lol thanks for the advice guys.

A miata would be a great car for a tight budget, is it going to be your first car?

yeah. but im not really a fan of miatas no offence to anyone
id rather go for the 8.