What Car Should I Get Next Options

[1994Celica]

Im starting to save some money for a new car, so I need help on wich one to choose. The price range is around 10 k, so far I found these 4 for around that price. Mazda RX-8, Nissan 300ZX, Subaru WRX, Toyota MR. What do you guys think about these cars?

[flyinglizard]

I just bought a 2005 whitewater pearl rx-8 6 speed manual a couple months ago and I'm in love. Don't forget they all have an extended 8 year 100k mile engine warranty now, and getting a rebuild if the engine fails thereafter is actually really quite cheap since rotaries are so simple, only 3 moving parts in the entire engine. Check out rx8club.com and read up on all the details. I was on the fence for a while between the G35, 350z and RX-8 and after driving all 3 I fell in love with the 8. As long as you don't care about gas mileage (or torque ) it's an awesome car. So far my best tank to date is 21.7 mpg and my worst is 9.5 mpg
Here's a pic of my baby:


Car and Driver just ranked the 2010 RX-8 as the 3rd best handling car under $100k, behind the porsche boxster and lotus elise. It's really a blast to drive. But stay away from the automatic, it's a dog.

edit: I thought I would chime in a bit more. The 8's have pretty weak and finicky ignition systems. The spark plugs and ignition coils on the renesis NEED to be replaced every 30k miles or so. If your rotary starts to misfire then kiss it goodbye, as misfiring nukes the apex seals on the rotors (lowers compression). The car also consumes oil, as it is injected into the combustion chamber via an OMP to lubricate the apex seals. Expect to add a quart every 1,000 miles or so. On the 2004-2008 models there wasn't enough oil being injected on the original factory flash, so engine life suffered as a result, thus mazda introduced the extended engine warranty last year.

The reason I was confident that my RX-8 would be reliable and last a long time is that the previous owner was a huge gearhead, bought it new and took amazing care of it, always performing proper maintenance and adding fuel lube every tank of gas for apex seal longevity.

If you decide to get an 8, try to find a single owner one or at least one with complete maintenance history. That might be difficult in the price range you are looking for though. Expect to spend about 14-20k on a properly maintained 8 with low miles 2005 or newer.

I chose to avoid 2004 models when shopping for an 8 since that was the first year it came out and the most popular, so people bought the car who actually weren't interested in cars at all and didn't properly take care of them. Often letting the cars starve for oil and neglecting the ignition system, reducing engine longevity.

Pretty much the only reason the RX-8 has a bad name for reliability is because idiots don't know how to properly maintain it.

I guess you could say it's a PITA to maintain, but I think it's completely worth it for one of the best handling, most fun-to-drive cars money can buy. Plus it shoots flames!

/end rant


This post has been edited by flyinglizard: Oct 9, 2010 - 3:31 AM