Well, I've got it now.....

Rilot said:
Yup. It was me with the 4.2 V8 with better gas milage.
You WILL be spending a lot on petrol, and I'm sorry to say, it doesn't really matter how you drive the car, the gas milage will be awful.

I will say this though. The 192 model is the runt of the litter. You get all the disadvantages of the RX8 such as the awful fuel economy and oil useage but without the 9000rpm screaming and 6th gear.
If you can cancel and get a 230 I would certainly do so.
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Hey,

Do you have a project thread? That sounds very interesting. HP and MPG?
 
Seems a bad choice for an "everyday car"....having driven a fuel-guzzler myself for the last few years I am considering getting a miserable economy box for my every day commute and keeping my "real" car for the weekends.

Might be an idea.
 
I've considered an RX-8 but after test driving the 231 model and arguing with the Mazda salesman (who assured me it'd get 30mpg if I drove it sensibly) I was really put off. It probably didn't help that I testdrove both a Honda S2000 and a Nissan 350z the same day though.

The RX-8 is a nice car and more practical than the 350z, but it's slower, more thirsty, has much higher servicing costs.

I hope you enjoy the car mate, if it suits your needs then so much the better :)
 
What servicing would that be? If it's an 05, like mine, and has had its updates and fixes from a main dealer than there's nothing to do to it (bar oil changes/tyres, etc.) until ~50k when it needs the plugs, coils and wires doing.

The 05/55s also benefit from being the newest cars which fit into the older tax bands (£215/year instead of £400+).

Considering you can get them for less than 8k, if you can handle the petrol and oil, they're a great buy for a speedy coupé on a budget. It is a bit of an if, though.
 
Seraphic said:
The RX-8 is a nice car and more practical than the 350z, but it's slower, more thirsty, has much higher servicing costs.
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Hmm, have to disagree with you on that one! How many other sports cars can you get main dealer servicing for less than £300 a year? This year it's costing me £200 and that include the gearbox oil being changed aswell as the usual stuff.

NS
 
No, thats the consensus of the car buying public, hence why their values have dropped like a stone.
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Since when have the "buying public" been a barometer of whether a car is good or not? If that was the case, we should all get 1.6 Focuses as that seems to be what the "buying public" rate as their no1 car.
 
Thanks again for the opinions guys! I had considered the idea of getting an 03/04 focus for more mundane use. I've always had Fords and they are as practical as they are reliable. I can afford something a little better now and had always loved the RX8's looks. I know its going to be more expensive to run but oil, tyres I can get from my GF's dad who works in the industry. That kills some of the ownership costs. Ah well, its a learning experience in many ways and that (should) be a positive :D
 
hey, if you're happy thats all that matters ;) enjoy it.

COming from a 2.0 mondeo, if you work the RX8 you'll feel an BIG difference in the drive, performance and handling.
 
amigafan2003 said:
Since when have the "buying public" been a barometer of whether a car is good or not? If that was the case, we should all get 1.6 Focuses as that seems to be what the "buying public" rate as their no1 car.
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Since the Focus 1.6 became the best choice for a large proportion of the market? It's practical, reliable, cheap to buy, insure and run, economical, large enough to be a good family car yet small enough to appeal to a younger generation.

Just because what you define as a "good car" doesn't match what millions of others think doesn't make you right and them wrong. It just makes you different. I would argue that the vast majority of the car buying public want the advantages mentioned above, not those offered by a car like the RX8.
 
Just because what you define as a "good car" doesn't match what millions of others think doesn't make you right and them wrong. It just makes you different. I would argue that the vast majority of the car buying public want the advantages mentioned above, not those offered by a car like the RX8.
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Excellent way to make it look like you're totally disagreeing with me when in fact you've made exactly the same point I did :-)

Maybe this statement would be easier to understand:- Just because the RX8 doesn't have the percieved advantages of good fuel economy and low running costs that the vast majority of the buying public deem to be high priority doesn't make the RX8 a bad car.

Since the Focus 1.6 became the best choice for a large proportion of the market? It's practical, reliable, cheap to buy, insure and run, economical, large enough to be a good family car yet small enough to appeal to a younger generation.
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So being utterly characterless, boring, uninspiring, lacking performance and no exclusivity has no reflection on whether it is a good car or not? Are good cars only those that have the points mentioned in your post? Is the deffinition of a bad car high servicing costs and low fuel econmony? If so we'd better lump the Evo's, Cosworths, Scoobies, M3/5's, RS4/6's in with the "bad car lot" then. Is just having two seats a criteria of a bad car? Say goodbye to MX5's, Westfields, Elises etc then.

I stand by my earlier statement - the "majority" never decides on excellence. Their choice is normally fed my poor information, sheep like tendences or what the government tells them - they make the "easy" choices ebcause that's what's been fed to them - hell - look at all the people buying new diesels believing it will save them money even though they only do 10k a year. Or those who look at the mileage on a 2nd hand car first before the overall condition.......

How did we get so far off topic? To the original OP - cool car, have fun driving it - in a fun/cool/luxury* car you tend to forget about the fuel costs :-)

*delete as appropriate.
 
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amigafan2003 said:
Excellent way to make it look like you're totally disagreeing with me when in fact you've made exactly the same point I did :-)
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Yes, in a way i am. But I'm also stating that it exhibits what qualities people look for in a "good car" can be seen simply by looking at what the majority of people drive. You made it seem as though the choice to buy a Focus was a stupid one and that it was somehow not a good car. Something which I'd contest.

amigafan2003 said:
Maybe this statement would be easier to understand:- Just because the RX8 doesn't have the percieved advantages of good fuel economy and low running costs that the vast majority of the buying deem to be high priority doesn't make the RX8 a bad car.
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That I'd agree with.
 
You made it seem as though the choice to buy a Focus was a stupid one and that it was somehow not a good car.
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Aha, I didn't mean it that way. I personally think a 1.6 Focus even though I'd never want one.

Yes, in a way i am. But I'm also stating that it exhibits what qualities people look for in a "good car" can be seen simply by looking at what the majority of people drive.
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You see a lot of Fiat Multiplas out there. There also used to be a lot of Vauxhall Frontera's until they all died.
 
Topper said:
I did not go into this with my eyes closed, far from it
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Yes you did. I doubt its any cheaper to run than my car, perhaps even more expensive, and my car costs MUCH more to run than my previous 2.0 Mondeo. At least twice as much, probably more really.

How many other sports cars can you get main dealer servicing for less than £300 a year?
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BMW Z4?
 
Do you mind if I ask the question what spec is it? (leather, satnav etc) and how much did you pay for it?

Appologies if you've mensioned it before I must have missed it.
 
[TW]Fox;13973222 said:
BMW Z4?
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Really!? Is that supplying your own oil? That's pretty good if not, my 323Ci cost the best part of £350 even with the discount for cars over 3 years old!

Just for info the RX8 is costing £215 for its service this month including gearbox oil change. Last year was £280 but included brake fluid change and a couple of other bits that needed doing. I also get another 5% off the prices above with the owners club discount but could probably get it done even cheaper if I supplied my own oil aswell.
 
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