€10k Mazda Rx-8 v Celica v Hyundai Coupe

cpoh1

Anan1 wrote: »

@OP - You need to ask yourself what you want the car for. If it's for impressing people like the poster above, then the RX8 is better. If you drive very fast then the RX8 is better. If neither of the above applies then the Hyundai Coupé will do all you want while leaving you with a lot of spare cash to enjoy life's other pleasures. Remember, this car is for you.:)

Most sensible post in the thread by far.

OP if you have zero interest in cars from a mechanical point of view stay away from the rx8. They do require babysitting and you will always be on your toes with one keeping an eye on it constantly. Oil, warming her up fully, short journeys - the stuff you take for granted in everyday cars. Even with the newer starter they can still flood if you stop it after starting it cold. That said they are a rewarding drive if you can live with the fuel consumption.

I would be considering an Audi TT, stunning looking cars, more reliable in the tradional sense than an Rx8 and will have plenty of poke for what you are looking for in a road car coming from a run of the mill saloon. The 1.8T VAG engine is a cracker and the interior of the TT is one of the best around for any money. It has the looks and once kept well decent reliability (based on the golf chassis so lots of suspension parts compatible and the 1.8T engine is in loads of cars) wont be an issue. Residuals will be better than the rx8 too.

Viper_JB

cpoh1 wrote: »

I would be considering an Audi TT, stunning looking cars, more reliable in the tradional sense than an Rx8 and will have plenty of poke for what you are looking for in a road car coming from a run of the mill saloon. The 1.8T VAG engine is a cracker and the interior of the TT is one of the best around for any money. It has the looks and once kept well decent reliability (based on the golf chassis so lots of suspension parts compatible and the 1.8T engine is in loads of cars) wont be an issue. Residuals will be better than the rx8 too.

I'd agree with the TT but wouldn't buy a pre 06 one and you won't getta post 06 one for less then 18,000ish. Pre 06 and I find the ride to be bone shatteringly uncomfortable, but that's personal prefference - I own an RX8 so slightly biased, but what may be worth a look, if you want a real drivers car would be a MX5 - bit hair dressery but get it on a nice road on a nice day and you'd probably not want to be in anything else, very fun car.

PS. Reguardless of what you decide, have a test drive in a RX8 before you decide it's not worth it, might change how you feel about putting having to do a bit more maintainence on your car.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

owned a 2004 RX-8 from 2005-2005, nothing but trouble. Flooding all the time (and no I didnt do short runs), battery problems, ground clearance problems, starter motor problems. Its also not as fast as the BHP would suggest the lack of torque means you have to drive around like a spa at high revs to have any acceleration potential. Depreciates like bank shares, fuel consumption is shocking for such car around town and the fuel tank is small.

Very good stereo, looks good, tyres are cheap enough. Lost 15k on that car and was glad to be rid of it. Get a e46 M3 for that sort of money.

Freddiestar

I'm researching this car and have found a nice black 04 with 44k for €10,950.
I was all set to buy it this Saturday but am thrown by differing opinions on this thread re: reliability.

Going for another test drive on Saturday and based on this thread I will ask about the starter motor and also a compression test.
Petrol & oil costs are worth paying for this beautiful car but..... should someone who doesn't know about engines apart from oil/water checks buy one and expect to be happy with it?
Also there was a hole in the sidewall of the tyre which he plugged, from what I've read this is a big no no and these tyres are around €200 a pop.

Coils are done,serviced,NCT'd 2 years....stunning looking car, but...too many buts, HELP!

muckwarrior

Is that 44k in kilometers? If not then €11k is at the very top of the price range for an 04. If the coils and starter have been done then the only other major worry would be compression. If you're planning on actually giving the guy close to that price then he should have no problems paying €100 odd to get it compression tested for you.

Also, when you're test driving don't just give it a 5 min run around the block. Drive it for long enough to get it hot, and make sure you go right through the rev range. Hesitance at high revs can be a sign of a bad cat. Another thing is, after the test drive, turn it off and leave it for about 5 minutes and then start it again. If it takes significantly longer to start than when cold this can be a sign of poor compression.

Oh and if you do agree on a price then deduct €200 for a new tyre

Treehouse72

Freddiestar wrote: »

.should someone who doesn't know about engines apart from oil/water checks buy one and expect to be happy with it?

Just my opinion as a risk-averse motorist, but the fact I'm not into the technology of motoring was one of the things that persuaded me to give up my interest in the car. My problem is that I wouldn't notice slight changes in the car's performance or recognise strange sounds from the engine in the way a car nerd would. I also wouldn't trust myself to do minor maintenance work like replacing coils and sparks as many RX-8 owners do to cut down on costs. So while I would trust myself to drive it properly (no cold shut offs, correctly revving before turning it off, keeping it oiled etc), I am just too concerned about it becoming a money pit with all the emotional upset of and never being 100% confident in it.

If money was no object though I'd have 7 of them in different colours, one for every day of the week.

Shamo

I've a 03 RX8 228bhp for about a year, always look forward to driving it in the morning and going home.

Freddiestar - The fact the coils are done is good, as he/she obviously knew to get them done. I did the coils, spark plugs and coil cables myself when I got the car as I didn't want to give Mazda ridiculous money for the job. Make sure it's the 228bhp model too

The starter motor's are weak on 03 and 04s (not sure about 05), meaning it ticks over longer sometimes when starting. I've never had a problem with it flooding or any engine issues. You can get it upgraded as mentioned before but i've not felt the need to do it yet.

irishrotary.com has great information on them if you're worried about anything. The admin also owns a 03 rx8.

I get tyres from camskill - cost me €450 for a set of Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta (excellent reviews). Don't need to pay the prices they charge locally.

Vertakill

I think the OP has enough money to spend on something better*.
It's mad to be thinking of a Hyundai Coupe when you have 10k to spend.

The thing you should be wary of is that, while you have 10k to spend on a car, you have to compare the cost of running the cars you've mentioned.

The RX8, regardless of anything anyone is going to say here, will nearly always cost you more in the long run (unless you buy a banger of a Celica/Coupe). There is no debate here.

Both the Celica and the Coupe will usually be cheaper in maintenance/running costs.
Throw the S2000 into the mix and you've got another great, fast, reliable and cheap to run car.

But if you've taken all that into consideration, and it's not a problem, then you should open yourself up for other choices such as the 350Z or the e46 M3.

There's some great cars for that kind of money for sale these days!

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1437271


* My opinion of something better may be different than RX8 owners' opinions!

galwaytt

Viper_JB wrote: »

I'd agree with the TT but wouldn't buy a pre 06 one and you won't getta post 06 one for less then 18,000ish. .......if you want a real drivers car would be a MX5 - bit hair dressery but get it on a nice road on a nice day and you'd probably not want to be in anything else, very fun car.

Well, I'd be thinking the opposite - having had 2 TT's, I can't see any reason for buying, say, an 05 car, when it's identical to a 00 one. So buy one condition only, forget the reg plate, and pocket the difference. You'd get a fantastic TT for 7.5k, and as someone has mentioned, it has the interior everyone else aspires to..........as for the MX-5, hey, I still have mine, and I'm no hairdresser !! Brilliant car, and can be bought very, very cheaply these days.

Vertakill wrote: »

... then you should open yourself up for other choices such as the 350Z or the e46 M3.

...I could be completely wrong, but I suspect OP isn't interested in a big tax bill, hence the 1.6/1.8 tax bracket size he's looking at.....

Vertakill

galwaytt wrote: »

...I could be completely wrong, but I suspect OP isn't interested in a big tax bill, hence the 1.6/1.8 tax bracket size he's looking at.....

You could be dead right. Maybe the OP will clarify that.

I try to look at the tax rates as optimistically *gulp* as I can, but also comparatively rather than thinking; "Over 3ltr, €1,566, omygosh!".
So, it's about €1000 difference between the RX8 and the Z/M3 for a years tax.

If the OP doesn't abide by a few the RX8 cardinal rules, then he could be creeping close to that in bills! :P

I can't attest for the M3's reliability or the Coupe, but the Celica and Z are very reliable. My knowledge of RX8 reliability is anecdotal, but I don't think it's down to being unlucky that everyone I've talked to with one has had reliability concerns.

Tea 1000

I'd imagine any E46 M3 you'd pick up for 10k would be about as reliable as a 1970's Lada!

Viper_JB

galwaytt wrote: »

Well, I'd be thinking the opposite - having had 2 TT's, I can't see any reason for buying, say, an 05 car, when it's identical to a 00 one.

I was saying that you'd wanna buy after 06 when they released the TFSI model and done a complete overhaul of the design, it's the only TT I'd spend money on, as it made the old one look really really old and it's so much more comfortable.