Okay guys, I'm faced with a dilemma.

I'm a 17 year old kid, I've had my 06 rx8 gran touring for almost a year now.
My problem is...paying for gas is really breaking me. I make 100-130$ a week,
cost me around 50$ every 5-7 days (depending how much i drive)

I love the car to death, and I don't want to sell it, but i'd like to be able to save the money i make and not constantly be spending it on gas.

So i was looking into the mini-cooper s, they seem to be fun to drive and get 27-35mpg. This would only cost half of what i pay now. And they seem to be unique like the rx8 (don't see too many of them)

My 8 is worth roughly $16,000

What you guys honestly think i should do?
It's been one of the hardest decisions ever getting rid of such a beautiful car.

I was always thinking of just saving up for a motorcycle and driving that around to save gas.

 

get it the mini s is a great little car man !!!! i want one !!!!!

like this http://images.drive.com.au/drive_ima...ept_81_700.jpg

 

I just grabbed my 09 8 for 18K. Judging by the market in my area at least, your 06 wont be any where near 16K. Unless the market is stronger there. I know book value is 21K on mine. The poor mileage is one of many things pulling the value down.

That all being said. I've driven a few Cooper S models. They are a blast to drive. If you can get one for the right price, ****** it up. One of the best FWD cars I have ever driven.

 

Your 2006 RX8 is worth $16K? Seems a bit high to me, especially if you go through a dealer.

If it's at all possible, save up for a motorcycle and use that. I could never advocate getting rid of an '8, although I suppose sometimes circumstances force that upon people. Have you ever test driven a mini s? There's plenty of cars in the market that get good gas mileage while also offering decent performance. Just shop around and test drive a lot of different options before you make your final choice.

 

My car only has about 25,000 miles on it, and has the appearance package.
It probably is worth less, i was just going by kbb.

Could you guys perhaps show me some unique cars that are worth around 16 grand that get decent gas mileage?

 

Well, here's a few (some don't get great gas mileage haha but I added them anyways):

1) 2002 Chevy Corvette
2) Mazda MX-5
3) 2007 Volvo S40
4)2006 Acura TSX
5) Subaru Impreza
6) Mazda 2
7) Mitsubishi Lancer
8) Kia Forte (It's a Kia but I like the looks and it gets good mpgs)

Just off the top of my head. The Mini S may be one of your best bets for performance, mpgs, and uniqueness.

 

You have a car like the 8 at age 17!

Jeez, at 17 I was still riding my bicycle, lol.

Mini Coopers are cool. Are you trying to break even with a used one or are you able to take upon monthly payments???

 

I got my '8 when I was 18, and I'm now 19. Trust me, I'm counting my blessings.

 

Most likely break even..

And yes I'm very lucky. My Dad saved up since I was born. His first car was corvette and wanted me to have a nice first car too.

 

Talk about blessings!

When I look back in time, a car like the 8 would have been way too much car for me at 18 anyway. So no regrets there.

Also, the bicycle I was riding was a top of the line Giant - back when they first started becoming popular. I thought I had the coolest ride in town, lol.

Then you should be able to search for a used Mini at a dealer - close to the price range of what your 8 is worth - and trade your 8 for it. Just keep in mind the dealer will always offer below true market value.

BTW, your dad rocks

 

Well it really boils down to my grandpa, he raced funny cars, and has owned a ton of hot rods in his days, he knew a lot of people and could get really good deals on cars.

He owns an 07 Corvette right now, with a whole new engine build, producing around 900hp at the flywheel.

 

Spoiled brat...jk, lol

Anyway, just trade the gas guzzling 8 and get the mini cooper you wanted. Post pics of the mini cooper whenever you get it, good luck.

 

KBB price is not accurate. I bought my R3 for 22k when KBB said 28k.

have fun maintaining the Mini since its made by BMW so you will be replacing a lot of parts

 

I wouldn't get a Mini.
They're nice but like Jason said they're owned by BMW so parts are expensive.

Personally, I would sell the 8, save your money for another year and buy the new
Scion/Subaru FR-S.

 

BMW tends to have issues in general, my friends 3 years old X-6 have visit the dealer outside of the regular maintenance more than my 6 years old 8. And yes, their parts are expensive (and unreliable imo). In long run you'll probably spend more on the Mini if you don't plan to trade/sell it. I would keep the 8 and look into improving mpg, mods and drive style.

 

Get an NC Miata(MX-5 2006+). They're like the RX-8, but a smaller version, and 2 seats. Gets amazing MPG and still performs great!! They're obviously not rotary, but the feeling is similar to me. This is the car I would get if I had to sell my RX-8. Go to the dealer and test drive one, and you'll see how amazing they really are.

 

Renesis555 is on the right track here.

Where do you live that you never see mini s's? They're like a plague here. I see more of them than mazda 3's, and those things are everywhere. There were ~400 of them at Deals gap last year compared to the ~125 rx's the same weekend.

The S is kinda fun to drive, but doesn't get nearly as good of mileage as people think. The regular ones do however. They are still front wheel drive, too small to take anything other than a couple grocery bags and 1 other person, a bitch to work on, and expensive to repair. I don't really care for them. Just my .02. Did i mention that they're front wheel drive?

 

One thing to consider is the overall price difference in the vehicles. The Mini-S does provide some good performance but if gas mileage is your concern you might find that paying for fuel for the RX8 would be less money spent over time.

 

used S2000 maybe?
or even 350z?

seriously, you need to up your job.

 

Big fan of the GTI:
http://www.vw.com/en/models/gti/gallery.html

31 hwy/ 21 cty

 

Sabine Schmitz once said "Life is too short for FWD."

 

Get a higher paying job. You can only downgrade by trading for mpgs.

Keep the 8 or get a CX-5 turbo diesel.

 

Oh and be careful of rated mpg. Drive a 35 mpg rated car hard and I bet it's more like 25-27 mpg.

 

you cannot drift a corner in a mini cooper. that's worth my gas mileage all day any day. besides mini is a chick car. might as well get a scion. same result, cheaper price

 

I would venture to guess that your car is worth 13k. I could be wrong. I would keep it and just bend over and take it from your 8. It's not worth selling for the mini. I'd go for a really cheap used bike to save on gas.