RX-8 - Yes or No?

[midgeman]

As the title really, I saw one at work today which got me thinking, are they any good? Should I buy one!? Prices seem good but I'v never had a good look at one in the flesh or driven one and always been put off by the rotary engines don't last long thing.

Sold my LCR earlier in the year and know I need to replace it soon. Been looking at BMW E46 330ci (or similar) or maybe an A4 S-line but hard to find a nice one that's affordable. Basically I like German metal also a hot hatch fan, don't fancy the overpriced Golf route again though, something with a little practicality and quick but sub £5k is all I'm looking to spend really and the RX-8 seems to have most of that, some space, not too big, good looks and nice HP figure on paper, doesn't look badly built and it would be coming a bit newer than my '04 Leon was. So do I or don't I!? Liking the look of the Prodrive versions.

Apologies also as I'v not looked through old threads yet..

[loafer123]

No.

[Baryonyx]

I wouldn't, even with someone else's money!

[kambites]

If I needed a full four-seater but still wanted it to be decent to drive, I can't think of anything better than the RX8 for the money.

[sherman]

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

HTH

[papa3]

Tried one from work for a week and was hugely disappointed after all of the hype.

[R8Steve]

Get the E46

Of 50+ cars i've had since i started driving the RX-8 was by far the worst. It's a good looking car and the interior is quite a nice place to be but the MPG and reliability are a joke, sounds rubbish and even the 231 felt incredibly slow.

[DanielSan]

A friend has just bought one as a cheap toy to run through summer, purely on the basis it's something he hasn't had before, and he loves it. Can't speak highly enough. In his words 'it's not rapid in a straight line but it drives brilliantly and when you want to press it's fun to drive.'

He's so impressed he's tempted to buy another one next year as a toy. Only reason he's going to get rid of this one is a lack of space and it won't be used over winter.

[Djdan]

yes for a toy, expect 0 return from your money

[The Flying Ox]

R8Steve said:

...even the 231 felt incredibly slow.

Definitely this. My sister has one of the R3s and it's a lovely car. It doesn't feel anywhere near as quick as it actually is though, which kind of defeats the purpose. Great to drive though. I'd have one in a heartbeat if I was in the market for that type of car (i.e. fairly quick daily driver that seats 4 and looks great)

[Roo]

Cheap cars. Can be bought for as little as a grand.

[panholio]

Worth a look at some fast Mercs for 5k... Just to broaden your search.

[Sten J]

Hell no.

Unfortunately people are drawn in by the low purchase cost, but the inevitable repair bills are frightening.

[Tannedbaldhead]

Djdan said:

yes for a toy, expect 0 return from your money

Unless you've spent zero money on it in the 1st place

[Mastodon2]

Decent when they work, but not an unbelievable drive. The engine is smooth and revs to 9000rpm, but there are no fireworks, no urgency, no VTEC-style surge for the redline. The one I drove was one of the 240bhp models, and it was fairly quick, but not really smile inducing. The MPG was appalling too.

When the engine inevitably fails (because the design of the engine means that they just don't have the lifespan of a piston engine, no matter how you look after them) and costs as much to fix as the car did to buy, you will curse the day you ever bought it.

[otolith]

Are you really fussy about handling? Do you like high revving engines? Do you really need four seats? Can you live with averaging twenty miles per gallon?

If yes to all of them, it might be the car for you. If not, you can probably find something better suited to your requirements.

[Jimmy No Hands]

If I had a spare £2k knocking about, I'd buy a compression tester, try find a half decent one and enjoy it till it blew up. A chap near me has taken up buying the cheaper ones, cleaning them up and trying his luck putting them up at silly prices. Make sense as a bit of fun or a track toy, don't be naive enough to think every single one of them is a time bomb. Don't get me wrong, I think the hype is justified, but if you have your wits about you and you know what you're looking for you can pick up a bargain. Like someone else said, don't expect much come getting rid time. I had a 50k mile 192 and ran it for a year and it had zero problems, started warm or cold. Really good handling practical car.


Economy made me weep mind.

[kambites]

Jimmy No Hands said:

If I had a spare £2k knocking about, I'd buy a compression tester,

That's a mighty expensive compression tester.

[RacingBlue]

Hell no!

[Jimmy No Hands]

kambites said:

That's a mighty expensive compression tester.

Wouldn't be far off for a Snap On one