Virgil

I know I am 18 and have about 8 years in the military minium ahead of me but I can't get that car out of my head.... It looks incredible! :o

I love Subaru's and Evo's, after all I am a WRC nut but I can't get over the rx-8's qualities: High Rev's, Free-Reving engine, Amazing looks, 30k price point, light wieght, functionality, and much more! :D

Although, an Evo is hard to pass up... damn it, back to square one....

What do you guys think? In my opinion, even if it doesn't meet other people's expectations being able to oogle over your own car is almost as important as how it performs, and the RX8 is definatly an oogler...


BTW, Titanium Grey with gold rims, I really want to get a set of Volk TE37's on it. I am not to worried about aftermarket stuff, definatly an exhaust system (magnaflow or Greddy), some underdrive pulleys (Unorthodox), and some suspension stiffining.

Captain Amazing

Go for it! I too am 18 and enjoy my 8 very much even tho I am broke now. haha

jsh1120

I'm sure it's not what you want to hear, but imho spending $30,000 on an automobile when you're 18 and have eight years in the military ahead of you sounds insane and a good way to insure you'll spend much of your productive life under a pile of debt. But it sounds like you've made up your mind and like many of us you'll have to learn your own lessons. Good luck and here's hoping you stay safe.

shelleys_man_06

This is the only part I cared to read. You have good taste. I have a Ti Gray, but I have yet to put any bucks into it. Good luck with whatever you get.

kreuznach

What do I think? Here it goes ...

You seem to like cars. Apparently you have good taste as well, you did choose the RX-8 You are right, "oogling" over your own car is important. You're making the payments on it, you better like it. Excellent choice in colors, though my personal favorite is Velocity Haul Me off to Jail Red And you sure seem to be a gearhead. Someone who will appreciate the RX-8 and enjoy working on it.

But, (and it's a really big but :p), you're 18. Joining the service at 18, it's safe for me to assume your going into the enlisted corps. Good on ya. The enlisted corps is the only corps. Have you seen the pay scale? Even as an E-4 you'll barely be getting by. Now add the monthly payment and insurance for a $30k car. Financial irresponsibility will get kicked out of the military. Then how will you pay for your $30k RX-8? Maybe you're getting an enlistment bonus. And I've seen some high enough to buy your RX-8. Let's assume yours will be too. What happens when you tire of the RX-8? I know it's hard to imagine, but you will. You've mod'ed it out. Put thousands into it doing so. Depreciation is an ugly thing. Now what's left of your $30k? Look a head. Your first duty station is Korea. Or maybe your doing back to back 1 year tours in Iraq. You can't take your RX-8. You're making payments on a car you can't drive. And those payments are eating up more than half of your base pay. Maybe in Korea you meet a nice little Korean girl or like many folks you ship out and decide you can't live without Mary Jane back home. You get married. Marriage leads to kids. Kids lead to .... it goes on and on.

I know it seems like a lecture ... and it is. But I see this all the time. Airman think that enlistment bonus will make a great down payment on the a new Accord or RSX. Come to find out no-one gets rich being in the military. You will not be over paid. You don't have a guaranteed paycheck. A friend of mine is the repo guy at my bank. I'm sure he has a more cool guy title than repo guy, but that what he is. He has lots of nice shiny new cars in the bank's car lot from airman who bit off more than they can chew. Banks are only too happy to give young people the loans they want. Just because you qualify for the loan doesn't mean you really qualify for the loan.

I'm not saying don't indulge your love for cars. Break off a small piece of that enlistment bonus and buy a used 240sx or an Integra. Have fun ricing it out. Trust me the brand new $30k cars will come. They just have to wait.

Good luck, in both buying a car and serving our country.

RXE16T

Leave the kid be........ if he wants to get into debt so early on in his adult life, let him learn the hard way........ afterall, that's how I learnt.

Good luck with it all and don't lose sight of anything in your life.......

xxdevilzeroxx

hey im 18 and i got one, =)

BlueFrenzy

Bottom line is that if you love the car then get it. If not, move on and join the lancer forums or whatever. Most people that buy the 8 are not in it to out-race the civics, supras, rsx's, etc. We bought the car based on its overall package, sleek look, uniqueness of the rotary, handling and overall driving comfort. I could careless what other people think. If I wanted sheer power I'd get a Viper or some other American muscle car that yells "hey guys, look at my *****".

valpac

iTrader: (2)

I dont want any guys looking at my *****.

Seriously, I agree with your post entirely. Many cars will blow away the RX-8, but that doesnt matter to me either. I love the car. Thats why I bought it.

irish8

Hey Virgil....do what you want. If you feel you are in a position to purchase, afford and care for the care. Go fo it. Just ensure you have thought it out. Is there a strong possibility you could be shipped out of the country for stationing? If so, then maybe this doesn't make a ton of sense.

- Irish

Butch Brown

Put your money in some solid stocks since you won't be driving it anyway. When you are done in the military you will most likely have enough to by the car and have it without debt.

kreuznach

RE: My post above

My old man said the same things to me when I was 20 and joining the Air Force that I said above to you. I said to him thank you very much and did what I wanted to do anyway. Then I spent the next 3 years working 2 jobs to get my *** out of debt. 2 jobs is a bitch and isn't likely an option for a young airman or soldier today. The ops tempo is too high. Deployments are too frequent and long.

Do what you think is best for you. Enjoy it if you buy it. If you find yourself in over your head, none of us here will say I told you so, because we've been there too.

Good luck.

czr

iTrader: (3)

I think we are only assuming this person's financial situation. Maybe he's loaded, maybe he's been saving, maybe he's not loaded. One or two "save your money" comments and let's get back on track. Well, that is highly discouraging and even more important is not the point.

So, Virgil... read these from our forum:
https://www.rx8club.com/violations-53/little-things-9437/
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=46177

Read this from media:
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/comp...39/page002.html
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests...ree/index3.html
http://www.karr-tv.com/agrx8.htm
http://www.drive.com.au/news/articl...FXB1MMNXHD.html
http://automobilemag.com/columns/0401_vilegossip

Watch this:
http://www.familywray.co.uk/rx8vid.htm

Most importantly do some test drives of all the vehicles you are considering and follow your gut.

Hey, you did post on an RX8 forum

Stone

Hey Virg the guy makes a good point about it maybe being to soon. I am a bank manager and I can not tell you how many young people screw up their credit bad doing thngs like your thinking. Now of course it is possible that youvery well could do it and if so ok just be ready to work very hard and go with out becasue thngs change. You can not be sure weather or not you go overseas and you can not always take the car with you. Just think every thing over carfully and make the best choice for you in the long run, there will always be fast cars and later in life you will have no probs of afording them. good luck be safe.

slllygrl10

I purchased my 8 last august and I'm in the military as well and have added about 7K!!! since then about 7-10k more to go.

jsh1120

What do you mean, "none of us here will say I told you so?" One of the few privileges of age over youth is the opportunity to say, "I told you so."

camaro194

good luck with whichever choice you decide upon. Just please dont get gold rims

Audioslave8

"RX8 vs EVO. Ask yourself one question: Do you want to impress the boys or the girls?"


haha i like that alot...it so true

Rxdriftingaction

go with evo!! yong ppl always need for speed !!! ya!!!!!!!!!!!! or ..!! u can buy a 8 and mod it .!! ha ha whatever .. it's ur decision ..!! just don't regret.!! that's all I am saying.!!

Rxdriftingaction

:D I think evo would impress gal too!! but just make them scare .. ha ha .!!

Virgil

I most likely won't buy it in my first 4 years, hell by that time the RX7 will be out and kicking (according to Road&Track it should have 280-300hp, but knowing mazda you never know). I will satisfy my need for speed with a sportbike, although I am a safe and responsbile rider, not like all the guys who do stunts on highways, crash and then drive our insurance premiums up. I will use some of my signing bonus towards a motorcycle and put the rest in a Roth IRA account to save for retirement, after all, by 2045-52 SOcial Security will go belly up and my generation will be screwed, start saving now.

Yes, I am a gearhead and will enjoy working and caring for my car. Puting oil in it will just be more fun for a guy like me.

A bit worried about the clutch/tranny problems, but I think I will purchase the mazdaspeed lightened flywheel for some extra revving...

Gold rims are a quandry for me, I love them with the mat finish and from companies that have race histories, such as BBS (Gold rims on the Blue STi look damn good) and Volk (supplies a lot of the drifting rims, I like a cleancut rim, no frills), I will try and find a picture of the TE's, the look excellent but only on a color like a dark silver, matte black, or white with black accents such as Carbon fiber hood.

Volk TE's

A very clean cut and simple wheel, very well balanced. If I don't buy volks I will buy BBS, f1 quality wheels :D nothing better.

shaolin

Hey look at it this way, I've been in the Marine Corps for 5 years now, I'm 23, and since I was 18 I've owned a 2001 civic EX, a Mazdaspeed Protege, and the RX-8 Sport Package. I've also owned 2 bikes in that time, and a beater car that I got for 500 bucks (93 civic hatch).

You can make it work if you're good with your finances. The whole reason why I got my 8 was because I had excellent credit from my past experiences.

Granted I make more money now then I did as an E-2 when I got out of basic, but I believe that E1-E2 single averages 1200/mo right? With no other expenses you should be able to do it.

Here's a real secret though...Go on deployment....if you can go to Iraq (yeah I know it sucks) but if you go, you'll get hazardous duty pay, combat pay, overseas pay, plus your basic pay....and to top it all off it's a tax free zone. You won't pay any taxes over there. Spend 6-9 months in the sandbox, come home, and then pay off your car.

Virgil

I am in the Army, I leave June 15th for basic and my MOS is Ranger, Airborne. I was able to reserve a ranger "slot" right out of the hole. Enlistment bonus 12k total, spending a year and a half in training. All I can say is that being payed the entire time, along with my bonus, will amount to a sizable amount of cash by the time I get out fully qualified. I will put half of it away in savings for retirement (ROth IRA) and the other half I will use to get myself set up, depending on wether I am shipped off or not. I may get stationed at Fort Lewis and not Iraq if I make rangers for training with the new Stryker brigades, at least thats what I hear on the grape vine. I am not kidding myself about deployment in Iraq, it will most likely be deployed seeing as my training kind of gives me a leg up on possibility for deployment.

kreuznach

Virgil, sounds like you've got it figured out. You've got a plan and a pretty good one I'll admit. I'd even say your pretty smart, but you did join the Army :p (Go Air Force, er ... uh, Aim High or whatever our slogan is now )

I know I gave you a lecture, but it's hard to see young troops make the same mistakes over and over.

Now about those gold rims ... not on a Titanium Gray. Velocity Red definitely. That would look very sharp. Mazdaspeed Gun Metal's IMO would look sweet on a Titanium Gray.