hehe... thanks for all your replies...wow! :o

the pic once more: _-_
I wish I could be more a part of you people....... but alas no more rx8.

So, to answer some questions. even buying the Rx8 to begin with probably wasn't a wise decision financially for me.

But with my lousy credit I was able to get 6.15% APR for 84 months.. ...lousy meaning like 585 credit score.

In that 3.5 months of driving I put about 8500 miles on it. I was spending over $550/mo on gas. Furthermore, I was able to get good insurance $150/mo at geico but then they tripled my rate...because a speeding ticket from a previous car finally caught up to me.

I was able to lower the insurance by half...but that was still like $230/mo.

for the Civic, my credit score was maybe 605....they agreed to give me 6.39% APR (slightly higher) but still 84 months financing.

So my rx8 was actually a little cheaper per month... $325 while the Civic is $340.



In the 5.5 montths I've had my Civic Si coupe...I've put 13500 miles on it........... yeah i drive a lot...

I learned stick shift at almost my 24th birthday...and i fell in love with CARS and DRIVING. I bought myself the rx8 one month after learning stick :D :D :D

The 2006 Civic Si..... very nice car. The safety ratings are actually better... And it's not as low of a car which would reduce chances of getting run over by a big truck/whatever.

The rx8 of course has a better roll rating.

My RX8 had DSC but I never got to experience it in the snow. How I miss the slight drifting I was starting to be able to do (revving high, dropping clutch). And the slight drifting in the rain.....

So, I now spend about $350/mo on gas in the civic with a lot of spirited driving and lots of traffic...so about $200 at least in savings per month for me is HUGE right now.

And my insurance is $150/mo which is another 50-70 savings from the RX8.

Handling? It handles very nicely. Very tight steering and very good stock suspension. The stock tires aren't very good though and they caused me to spin out and get in a little wreck not too long ago. Probably driver error mainly though.... I took a hard turn too fast and then I braked mid-turn. Did a 180 and plowed my front into some dirt/ground

Brakes are very good as well.... 4 wheel disc brakes. Has limited slip differential (helical)

I could probably upgrade the brake pads for auto X use, etc...



I MISS the RX8 just cuz it was so much of an EXOTIC looking car. The styling of the Si is very nice as well, but...the RX8 is definitely more sporty.

I miss the more sporty/lower/suspension of the RX8. In a straight line I almost think my civic could beat the Rx8 with better tires. I'm not trying to get flamed here... I think there have been close races between rx8 and rsx-s (same car as Si). Basically the Si is a very fast car too and may have even more Wheel horse power than the RX8.

8000 redline is still pretty nice, 6 speed.

Anyways.... I LIVE on honda-tech.com, clubsi, and 8thcivic.com

I know of a guy that traded in his Evo 8 for a Civic Si and does not look back--no regrets at all.

Coming from an RX8, I can say I miss the Rx8 a lot and wish I could afford it more right now. RX8 > evo?

 

My daily driver is a Civic. It's been a good car and I can regularly get 32-34 mpg in the city. That's a far cry from a rotary. It really isn't as fun of a car as it's just an econobox. Even adding a turbo and a suspension and a new name wouldn't change that. Mine isn't even an Si and it's 6 years old. Still it's been reliable. I don't get check engine lights for sneezing wrong or because I held it at a certain rpm for 20 seconds longer than what the ecu expected me to! That's my biggest RX-8 complaint. I'm a rotary person at heart so the mileage thing is basically just paying to play. I don't have an RX-8 either but I do have an RX-7. I've had 3 total but this one is an old 1st gen and for me it's a pleasure to get into that car and drive around. It's a far cry from a Civic and I wouldn't have it any other way. It also drives with the proper number of wheels in the proper location which makes it quite fun! I'm also lucky enough to have very short snow free winters.

 

It sounds like you made the right choice for you. That is an increadible rate. It is hard for people to get that sort of rate at much shorter terms. The rates are just on the way up.

There are plenty of people on here that no longer have an 8. Actualy there are a few that don't even have a rotory and have not. As long as you are cool (which you seem to be) no one will mind. Unless the memory would be just too hard and you need a clean break. lol

 

I looked at civics after i had a bad experience driving my 8 in the snow. I hated the interior and exterior (SI model isn't too bad though). I then went to the mazda dealership to look at trading in my 8 for a cx7 with AWD. They were going to give my $21,000 for my 2006 with 4,000 miles (msrp was $31,500 new) What a load of crap!! I ended up buying some good snow tires. Wow, what a great decision. My 8 handles WAYYY better in the snow than my previous car (2004 Mazda 3). With the DSC, antilock brakes, and snow tires.... it drives like a dream.

Good move on the SI though. Its a great car for sure.

 

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you look at an Acura RSX Type S? Basically a Civic Si, except it feels like an RX-8 on the inside (nice interior).

 

the Si has a really nice interior...have you seen it? The cloth seats are actually really nice :o

a big reason i liked the RX8 was b/c they were hard to see on the streets....

RSX's are a dime a dozen -_-

 

Why does it seem to me I have seen this pic before? In another thread.

 

i'm pretty sure I've posted it before...

 

^OK that answers that question. Enjoy your Honda.

 

Hope you enjoy the new car. Sounds like you should have done some research prior to buying.

 

hey, hyogen, i applaud you to have the guts to share all this with us. normally people that are in your shoes wouldn't even bother announcing something like this to strangers, let along an internet forum, or even on a forum that features the car you traded in and took a huge financial hit.

so yeah, best of luck to you in your future financial endeavors.

 

Well the SI is on my list to look at as I need a more economical car for a DD.

It will never replace my 8. My 8 will be around for a long time.

 

All you have to do to appreciate your 8 is switch to another car or two for a week and then come back....

 

An 8 traded for a Civic? Man you must have some heavy buyers remorse. I would if I lost my mind and did such a thing. Too unreal.

 

Seriously, did you read ANYTHING about this car before buying it? Snow tires are your friend (and a good set with rims can be had for under $1k). No folding seat is one of the first things I noticed about the car (that and the thing in between the back seats which limits you to 4 total occupants instead of 5). These factors alone almost made me not buy it. Congrats on your civic, but it never ceases to amaze me the people who buy this car without fully understanding what they're getting into.

 

Ouch, 84 months! You should run an amortization program on that and see what your loand balance will be in 60 months. With the mileage rate you are putting on it, it won't be worth much by then - even for a Honda.

 

Enjoy your front wheel drive dude!

 

Good to hear the RX-8 does well in the snow with proper tires.

But it's a bit unfair to say it's better than a Mazda3 without snows. I almost went AWD last year, then put snows on my Protege5. Now I can't wait for it to snow. I'm sure the Mazda3 also does well...with the proper tires.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience, it might help prevent others from ditching their RX-8s.

But I'm not sure about the above statement. You include a pic of the two side-by-side. And I'm not seeing enough difference in height to count. So I checked the specs, and the difference is 0.7 inches.

Might want to do a little more research before making these decisions. Must admit I'm biased, since I run a research site

 

The Civic Si is a quick car...here's my 8 and my buddies Si:

 

congrats. from a gas guzzler to a gas sipper. I rather keep the 8 myself. That centre console with the dual layer gauges is just weird to me. Plus I want to keep my record clean from owning any FWD cars.

 

It's pretty close, actually.

http://www.safercar.gov/

 

Honestly...just looking at this picture gives me all the reason not to own the Si.



Just look at the two cars. Look at them really closely.

No comparison. :X

 

Bro,

I, personaly, appreciate your honesty! Most in your situation would definatley NOT keep it as real as you just did. Your post has made me appreciate all the litttle things about my car a helluva lot more. Thanks, man. I hope you get another 8 in the future and I hop you do enjoy your SI? The SI would've been another choice for me if I didn't find an 8 I liked...I like the instrument cluster and verticle shift **** on your car...

 

DaveCM
another thought - if he put all the money he saved per month from less fuel/lower insurance into paying down the loan faster - how much quicker would he be debt free ?

Hyogen - depreciating assets like cars are the last thing you want to have big loans on .