RX8 advice...

emurphy

Hey I'm thinking of changin the motor in the next 6-12 months and am tempted to get away from VW. I own a passat and have had problems with leaks, regulators etc.. and just fancy a change so I have been thinkin bout 2 very different cars.

The sensible choice that I like is the Sonata (its jap but not nissan or toyota both of which I dont particularly like drive wise or looks)

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Hyundai/New-Sonata/2.0-Petr/200920192812507/advert?channel=CARS

or the crazy choice is the RX8
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/RX-8/Authoris/200919192733208/advert?channel=CARS

So what should I know about these...
1. how are they insurance wise I presume the RX8 wont be cheap to insure the Sonata probably similar to my passat.
2. are there any known problems with each car?
3. what should I look for if there are problems when I go to view?
4. Not related to these models but in general when going to a dealer currently if you saw say either one of these or any other car for say 10k what would be a realistic offer?

thanks

Slidey

Hyundai are Korean, not Japanese.

RX8 are a sow on petrol and not many garages will want to do engine work on them.

emurphy

ha ha my bad on the korean thing but you know what I mean. Asia haha:D
rx8 bad on fuel yeah I presumed that alright but that doesnt really bother me for a crazy car you dont expect fuel economy

Quandary

Hi OP

I had an RX-8 ( Hi power 231Bhp version) for about a year and i have to say it was a great car - i really enjoyed owning it + it was very reliable.

Now the downside.....

PETROL Consumption is insane!!! If i remember correctly it has a 61ltr fuel tank and when full i struggled to get 250 miles out of it!! If i drove it hard i woulds sometimes only get 170 /180 miles.

Very fun car though but only if you dont mind spending a lot on juice:)

DanGerMus

Rx8 are crazy on fuel they drink oil and servicing can be expensive. They are the epitome of high maintenance.

Quandary

Just for comparison - my m8 has an 03 bmw M3 and he gets better fuel consumption than i used to + his car is 343bhp!!!

emurphy

sounds like it could get expensive other than fuel consumption with engine rebuilds etc.. I can afford the price but the maintanence doesnt sound too enjoyable.
Maybe I should be more sensible and go for the sonata or the other one I was thinkin about would be the celica I know theres a lot of them about but I kinda like them again a more sporty option... really not sure what to do to be honest. I thought the RX8 would be somethin different ya know.

Atomic Pineapple

The Rx8 doesn't need an engine rebuild like the rx7 does, so no need to factor that in.

Apart from fuel and oil consumption there actually quite easy to maintain, if you can do the basics yourself you will be saving a lot.

They have a few common problems like the cat going that could be expensive but general maintenance is not expensive, thats a common misunderstanding

http://www.irishrotary.com/ is a great website where you'll get proper information and not hearsay and common misunderstandings with the rx7 and the rx8

DanGerMus

emurphy wrote: »

sounds like it could get expensive other than fuel consumption with engine rebuilds etc.. I can afford the price but the maintanence doesnt sound too enjoyable.
Maybe I should be more sensible and go for the sonata or the other one I was thinkin about would be the celica I know theres a lot of them about but I kinda like them again a more sporty option... really not sure what to do to be honest. I thought the RX8 would be somethin different ya know.

Hey sorry i mentioned rebuilds but i took it out as it's not true(stigma attached from rx7).
But the petrol and oil are true.
They are a class looking car a neighbour has one but coming from a passat just be prepared for a big fuel jump. But that might not be bad if you do low mileage.
Forwarned is forarmed and all that.

emurphy

yeah they are ****in class lookin motor right enough I can deal with fuel costs only do normal amount of annual milage but may not be able to afford expensive repairs etc.. have to think about it more I suppose maybe the celica as a cheaper alternative... eg http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Celica/1.8-VVT-/200835189819947/advert

Atomic Pineapple

you cant just start and stop them either, they need to be warmed up each time there driven, if you start it and then stop it then you will flood the engine

emurphy

draffodx wrote: »

you cant just start and stop them either, they need to be warmed up each time there driven, if you start it and then stop it then you will flood the engine

ok they're sounding less and less appealing I must admit even though they look great

Quandary

draffodx wrote: »

you cant just start and stop them either, they need to be warmed up each time there driven, if you start it and then stop it then you will flood the engine

This isnt as bad as i sounds - I never once flooded mine although i was careful with it! Just b4 you shut the engine off keep it revved to about 3K or 4K for about 20 seconds!

I miss the car but not the fuel consumption! You should take a few test drives and see what you think - just for the engine noise alone

colm_mcm

emurphy wrote: »

4. Not related to these models but in general when going to a dealer currently if you saw say either one of these or any other car for say 10k what would be a realistic offer?

thanks

Depends on how realistically priced the car was to start. most would take 9, but it depends on lots of factors, largely what the car is actually worth and what others are priced at.

emurphy

Quandary wrote: »

This isnt as bad as i sounds - I never once flooded mine although i was careful with it! Just b4 you shut the engine off keep it revved to about 3K or 4K for about 20 seconds!

I miss the car but not the fuel consumption! You should take a few test drives and see what you think - just for the engine noise alone

why did you get shot of it in the end just the fuel consumption or somethin else out of curiousity?

think a test drive is in order alright.

colm_mcm

you should probably get an Accord by the way (if the RX8 thing doesn't happen)

Quandary

I got rid of it cos the fuel consumtion was killin me:D

I used to travel from sandyford to santry every day on the M50 so needless to say my fuel prices were hefty!

I really do miss it sometimes though:rolleyes:

Oh and to answer your question about insurance - I had mine insured with FBD and they class it as a 2.6 ltr engine. I was 26 when i had it and with a full license my insurance was around €1300. I paid €28000 for the car when i got it but theyve gotten so so cheap now that it would be worth buying one!

Atomic Pineapple

as quandry says dont let the flooding issue put you off, its not a big thing just something to be aware of.

they have become really cheap, so much so that 231 versions are now sub 15k, 192 versions are even falling nearly under 10k, looking into getting one myself soon

DanGerMus

Not paying for cars like this with a loan is always a good idea. At least then all you have to do is feed it. The rewards can balance out the cost as well as expensive cars to run are often very very rewarding to drive.