Hi!
Im a 19 year old college student looking for a car, I live on campus though so im not gonna be driving it much! but im debating between the rx8 or the eclipse.
the eclipse is a 2007, with 34k miles on it
its around $14,000
the eclipse is cute, but its really small on space, which isnt a big deal to me, but this is just REALLY small. lol
the mazda rx8 is a 2004
it has 19k miles on it
and its $9,900
the rx8 has leather heated seats, and a sunroof
i love cars, i love the rx8..id prefer it over the eclipse
but i have read terrible things about the rotary engine and maintenance.
I would make sure i kept up on the maintenance, such as changing the oil, and burning the excess fuel when turning off the car to be sure not to flood the engine.This car is also rear wheel drive, which isnt good in rain or snow, but once again, its not going to be driven too much so im not worried about that alot.
I'm mainly worried about the maintenance of the rx8, im really worried something is going to break on it and i dont plan on getting the extended warranty.
im just looking for advice, advantages and disadvantages of both of the cars and advice on which one to pick.
any advice would be really helpful, thanks!! :)
Update:I forgot to add that the rx8 was in 2 accidents, one minor, the other one moderate, but the damages were fixed. i guess thats why its so cheap, but its in perfect condition inside and out
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Answers & Comments
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As a fellow rotary owner (1987 RX7), I can safely say that the reason for RX8 engine issues is due to the owners not taking care of them correctly. Every week, check the oil and take the car to redline. Give it 10-15 minutes to warm up on every cold start before driving it and it will last forever! My grandpa had a 1974 RX4 wagon, purchased new and just recently sold it at 375,000 miles with the original engine and no rebuild. With proper care, a rotary will outlast any piston engine, guaranteed. Just look at Mazda's 787b, the car that won the 24 hours at Le Mans race in 1991. After the race, they dismantled the engine in front of everyone to show that it could EASILY go another 24 hours of constant racing without even breaking a sweat. Piston racing engines require a rebuild after every race.
Despite the fact that you say the RX8 is in perfect shape inside and out, I'd almost be willing to bet money that the reason it's so cheap is because of owner neglect. I could be wrong about this though. For $10,000, it COULD be a real gem. I paid $1400 for my RX7 with only 91,000 miles on it. Yup, you read that correctly, a 1987 model with 91,000 miles on it. The reason: it had been totaled out by insurance for a crumpled quarter panel because of its age (and the previous owner gave me a new panel with it too!). If it's an automatic, I'd steer clear of it, since automatics are (to put it simply) a big, heavy performance-killing slushbox. A manual transmission will be a little trickier to get used to, but there's a TON of difference when it comes to performance and driver control. I swear by manual transmissions exclusively.
Oh, and don't worry about rain and snow. I drive my RX7 in rain, snow, sleet, hail with no hindrance. All you need to do is be gentler and act a little sooner with your inputs and the car will cooperate very nicely. With practice in poor weather, you can be speeding down the highway at 65mph in a Level 2 snow emergency like I did last year (just south of Columbus, OH during the big blizzard we had)! Sure, I spun out (very bald tires then) and was facing oncoming traffic for half a second, but by doing my homework (plenty of practice and careful observation of Keiichi Tsuchiya's Drift Bible), I turned it into a full 360 and kept going like nothing happened. With the right driver, a FR rotary car is a very capable car and can prevent accidents if you 'listen' to it like I did. They're a BLAST in snow!
When my RX7 broke loose in the rear on snow and started into a right-hand spin, I hit the gas, locking the wheel full right, to keep the car rotating. As soon as I was facing traffic, I started to straighten the wheel out and kept the gas down, so the car would correct itself. When I was facing the correct direction again, a tap on the brakes set the rear back down and I kept going.
My advice to you would be to sign up on www.rx8club.com, do some reading in the new member section and ask a member near you to look at the RX8 you're interested in. They'll be able to tell you more about how well it's been cared for. Plus, you'll make some really cool friends through the site too, just like I did at the RX7club.com site.
good luck,
Travis
The RX8 is a much more entertaining car from a driving point-of-view. RWD is far better for a sports car than FWD, although it takes more driving skill to handle it.
If Mitsubishi had continued making the Eclipse as an All-Wheel-Drive car like its previous generations then it would be a good choice. But as it is it's an over-weight bloated FWD car pretending to be a sports car. Interior space for the front passengers is good, but the rear passengers better have a chiropractor on speed dial.
The RX8, OTOH, is much lighter and nimble, far more responsive, and can actually seat adults in the back.
The only reliability issues surrounding the RX8 has been the Wankel rotary engine. And it's not usually the motors fault but that of the owner not knowing how to properly care for it. If you learn the proper care & feeding of a rotary engine then you shouldn't have to much to worry about. Learn more about the RX8 here:
http://www.rx8club.com/
Since the RX8 was in a "moderate" accident I would have a 3rd party mechanic give it a really good look-over to see how well the repairs were done. You have been quoted a excellent price. If the car is in good shape you'd have gotten a really good deal.
04' RX8 with 19k miles? Rebuilt title or new engine? Something doesn't seem right about that. They are rotary engines and require daily driving and good maintenance to keep the running good. I personally would go with the eclipse. I have an 07 eclipse and love it, haven't had any problems with it. Mine barely has 30k miles on it, and is a great car. if you live in any northern/cold state while at college, definitely the eclipse cause of FWD. RX8 would be fun, but I would say the Eclipse is a more logical choice for a low budgeted college student.
2007 Rx8
Since you won't be driving much, the Eclipse would be better.
The RX-8 has a rotary engine. This car must be driven every day for it to be reliable.
Rotary engines are very different. No Oil changes. Just adding oil when needed. These are high maintenance cars. Plus the RX-8 is RWD so it is very slippery in rain and impossible to drive in snow if you live in a snowy area.
The Mitsubishi has a regular piston engine like you see in all other cars. This would be much easier for you to own and drive.
ok go with the rx8 for sure!! but since your not gonna be drivin it alot that makes it even better. my dad use to have a rx7 as a daily driver and it was a 88!! maintenance isn't so bad after you get use to it. remember if you start it keep it running to prevent engine flooding!
The eclipse is a nice car. also when reading your reported about the rx8 it sound like it has a lot of little problems.
neither car would be at the top of a list for reliability. so why not pick the more fun car and get the rx8.
rx8!
make sure the previous owner took good care of it though
because even if you give it good maintenance, it won't do any good if the other owner was bad.