RX8 Cheap as chips - Worth a punt???
Discussion
I really cant get over how cheap these are, I know they have they problems and drinka ton of fuel but for someone like me who used a car for 50 miles a week max it wouldnt be a bad gamble.
.........to the piont I might opt for one to see me though the summer!!
Anyone had one in the past???
.........to the piont I might opt for one to see me though the summer!!
Anyone had one in the past???
Yep, a superb buy. A friend had one a couple of years back so I was well versed on the revisions made on the 04 model year, (reduction in engine flooding etc) they are indeed cheap as chips but if another £500 means buying a later plate car, definitely do it. We took a 231ps model to Le Mans and back and it was superb. A supremely refined and very well balanced sports car. Not earth-shattering off the line though, it is let down by a lack of torque and everything you read about them being shocking on fuel is absolutely true.
I've not looked, but last time I was offered one it was £2,000 for a 55 plate car... I should have bought it really but I thought they'd 'had their day'.
I've not looked, but last time I was offered one it was £2,000 for a 55 plate car... I should have bought it really but I thought they'd 'had their day'.
Do go into it with your eyes open, I did nearly get one a while back - and figured scare stories couldn't really all be true - but despite my low mileage I actually did bottle it. They're absolutely ridiculous on fuel, as in nowhere near reasonable for the power output, need properly hammering to get decent pace out of and I can't help feeling you would wonder what was gonna happen every time you drove it.
I think it could be good fun, as a weekend car you totally don't depend on and could afford to write off if it died. But not as a more serious commitment - no matter how good they might be on their day, I can't help feeling the overall experience would end up being very negative sooner or later. Just footing 15mpg fuel bills is actually the best you can hope for!
I think it could be good fun, as a weekend car you totally don't depend on and could afford to write off if it died. But not as a more serious commitment - no matter how good they might be on their day, I can't help feeling the overall experience would end up being very negative sooner or later. Just footing 15mpg fuel bills is actually the best you can hope for!
Great for a cheap track toy that does a thousand miles a year. Less good for any sort of mileage, though. A colleague had one and went it started it would do about the same MPG as my 5-litre V8 TVR. Maybe she was unlucky, but that's certainly a real world case rather than 'a bloke down the pub said'.
Part of me is tempted, though. £2k for a good looking, fine handling, eminently practical 2+2 sports car is pretty compelling.
Part of me is tempted, though. £2k for a good looking, fine handling, eminently practical 2+2 sports car is pretty compelling.
Sam1990 said:
I saw an RX8 which had the SR20DET from the Nissan 200SX dropped in place of the rotary up for sale recently, what a stunning combo. Great power and reliability and that chassis, I'm sure the new engine may have upset the balance a little but nothing drastic.
Really? I'm all for converted RX8s, but the SR20 is a horrid turd of an engine. I can't think of any redeeming features, heavy iron block (+ all the turbo stuff), all the ones I have known of have blown up to some degree, they sound awful and aren't particularly charismatic as standard.What I would personally love to see is the Mazda KLZE V6 dropped in. Lightwieght, low CG, shorter than a four pot, short stroke so can be made to rev to 9k reliably. About 230bhp/190lbft with a set of ITBs when dropped in MX5s, so same power and more torque than standard. If you mod it for 9k then I reckon 260bhp could be possible, or you could bung a supercharger on for some grunty yet high RPM goodness, with all that noise...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPJVzlV5Gig
The sound coming back from the woods...
If you can live with the mpg and ved then yes.
Relatively speaking they're good on fuel. Except that's relative to something of similar power being thrashed and unlike 'normal' cars they don't seem to return much better mpg when not being thrashed.
You can get about 30mpg out of them but they rev so easily and are so willing its so easy to turn 30mpg into 20 or less. IIRC we had about 15-16 avg 'in town'. I would forever *start* driving economically and then end up revving it to 9k (again) and bang there goes the consumption! ;-)
Don't worry about the 'oh but they burn oil' tales from man in pub (plenty of piston engines use more).
IMO engine failures are overhyped but they do happen and there is always a risk that a s/h one is being sold because its got a bit tricky to start (which is indicative of impending failure).
FWIW we ran one for 3 years/15k and the only thing that went wrong outside of warranty was a single broken drop link (a headlight level sensor and another drop link failed in the warranty).
Relatively speaking they're good on fuel. Except that's relative to something of similar power being thrashed and unlike 'normal' cars they don't seem to return much better mpg when not being thrashed.
You can get about 30mpg out of them but they rev so easily and are so willing its so easy to turn 30mpg into 20 or less. IIRC we had about 15-16 avg 'in town'. I would forever *start* driving economically and then end up revving it to 9k (again) and bang there goes the consumption! ;-)
Don't worry about the 'oh but they burn oil' tales from man in pub (plenty of piston engines use more).
IMO engine failures are overhyped but they do happen and there is always a risk that a s/h one is being sold because its got a bit tricky to start (which is indicative of impending failure).
FWIW we ran one for 3 years/15k and the only thing that went wrong outside of warranty was a single broken drop link (a headlight level sensor and another drop link failed in the warranty).
Sam1990 said:
I saw an RX8 which had the SR20DET from the Nissan 200SX dropped in place of the rotary up for sale recently, what a stunning combo. Great power and reliability and that chassis, I'm sure the new engine may have upset the balance a little but nothing drastic.
Interesting concept, but surely if you want an entertaining RWD 2+2 coupe with the SR20DET in the original 200SX is a perfectly good option? Dunno how insurers take to engine swaps, but going completely off-topic, I reckon my ideal car would be a Porsche 944 with a nice sonorous 6-cylinder engine shoved in there - maybe an Alfa V6 or a Ford Duratec.
Hardly low volume they made 192094.
I'm not denying they *do* go but there are worse piston engines (Porsche springs to mind).
Warranty direct have rated all the cars they've covered and the RX-8 gets a 'score' of 205 http://www.reliabilityindex.com/ as a comparison a 'reliable german car' the A4 gets 216, an M3 gets 329, an Imprezza 319, an M5 gets 665 and the RS6 gets a staggering 999! (higher is worse, average is 100).
In fair comparison of cars in the same 'league' the S2000 is 58 and the 350Z is 87.
I'd have another one (and worry less about it causing expense) than a modern germanic diesel!
Honestly the worst thing about them is the mpg. The only reason we sold ours was the arrival of a second child and the replacement car is only about 4mpg better!
I'm not denying they *do* go but there are worse piston engines (Porsche springs to mind).
Warranty direct have rated all the cars they've covered and the RX-8 gets a 'score' of 205 http://www.reliabilityindex.com/ as a comparison a 'reliable german car' the A4 gets 216, an M3 gets 329, an Imprezza 319, an M5 gets 665 and the RS6 gets a staggering 999! (higher is worse, average is 100).
In fair comparison of cars in the same 'league' the S2000 is 58 and the 350Z is 87.
I'd have another one (and worry less about it causing expense) than a modern germanic diesel!
Honestly the worst thing about them is the mpg. The only reason we sold ours was the arrival of a second child and the replacement car is only about 4mpg better!
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