RX-8 vs TT vs Z4...?

[Alex]

So I really want to get rid of my 65hp little clio and get something a little(!) more exciting to drive and nice to be in and nice to look at. I was in the Mazda garage the other day getting the wife's Mazda3 serviced and couldn't help but notice the RX-8 they had for £7000 - 45k on the clock, 231 version, from 2004. Struck me as a real bargain.

Now I know the RX-8 costs a small fortune to run, so I've tried to calculate that if I bought a 2004 version with 40k miles on the clock, kept it for 5 years and did 10k miles per year it would end up costing £20,000, give or take, over the 5 years (including fuel, tax, insurance, servicing, original cost and the residual it'll hold at 5 years etc.)

This got me thinking - what are the alternatives that I could get for under £8-9k? The two I immediately thought of were the BMW Z4 2.5i and Audi TT 1.8T 225. I did the sums and was pretty surprised that the price over 5 years for both cars and the RX-8 would be roughly the same - around £20,000 (based on the rather foolish assumption that petrol prices won't rocket over the next 5 years...)

So what would you get from those three? Purely for driving fun, nice to be in and to look at? It might be nice to have the added practicality of the RX-8, but as I said we already have the Mazda3 so it's not really necessary as such.

Any alternatives I should be considering? 40k miles, 53-04 plate, under £9k? Not that bothered about the Honda S2000.

Am I rambling? I think I am. Thoughts on which car would be best?

[matty-hodgson]

personally i'd go for the RX8, just because i love the shape.. engine's a bit 'hair-dryery' though, if you get what i mean..

colour is a big deciding factor though.
red or black ftw

[Alex]

If it was the RX-8 - red all the way, certainly! Dark grey for the Z4, or deep blue for the TT, would be my preference.

[Alex]

Hang on a minute, what's going on here?

2004 RX-8, 16,000 miles, £5800

Where's the catch? Is buying second hand from Pistonheads generally a good idea? Or would it be worth the extra £700 from Mazda, albeit with a lot more miles on the clock? Seems a crazy price!

[staffsMike]

Pistonheads is no different to anywhere else I suppose. You just go and look at it and drive it.. see if it fits etc..

You will always pay more from a dealer, for which you get a bit of warranty.. problems sorted before you buy and perhaps a bit of peace of mind.

The thing with pistonheads is they are generally enthusiasts and generally drive enthusiastically if you catch my drift.

[Alex]

Yeah, I suppose. Saving £1000 over a garage on what it's worth is probably worth it - a warranty for 1 or two years has to be worth less than a grand. Will investigate further...

[staffsMike]

The way these things drink oil puts me off.

That and having to rev the nuts off them for only reasonable performance.. Although of the 3 it's what I would have I suppose.

[chriswood_7]

Worth bearing in mind also they need a complete engine rebuild after aprx 60k miles, as the tips go on the rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishel engine. This costs a small fortune to do (I think its around £1500)

Personally, and RX8 is only worth going for if you get a REAL bargain, or if you do a PCP over 3 years from new and take the hit.

Id avoid anything thats 3 or 4 years old

[staffsMike]

Oh dear, I didn't know that. Makes them sound even worse.

[Guy]

I'm pretty sure that the RX8's rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishels dont need to be completly rebuilt at such an early mileage. Its the older RX7's which had the horror stories attached to them.

[Alex]

Is the age more important or the mileage? The one above is 4 years old, but only 16k miles on the clock...

[Guy]

For the 8's as long as its been regularly serviced, and the oil checks/fills have NOT been skimped then it should be fine.

[chriswood_7]

I know a guy who bought an RX8 on a 53 plate not so long ago and it cost a fortune to get the tips done. Im not saying if you bought a car that it would happen, but your assuming that its not been thrashed, its been regularly serviced and the owner has topped up the oil as properly directed.

One thing to know is that some people are idiots. Some people dont bother with servicing, they dont bother with maintenance and some run the petrol tank right down until the red light has been on for a week.

Try and find yourself one that has been properly maintained, preferably by an enthusiast. But even then, your not guaranteed it will last. Like any car really, buying a used car is a risk and thats why its important to ensure its service history.

Good luck with it, and if you do go for it (which im not saying you shouldnt by the way) get some pics posted up

[staffsMike]

I was actually at a suzuki/mazda dealer the other day. By chance there was an RX8 in for a service, and my god were the service boys caning the **** out of the engine just for kicks. Having already mentioned to the guy that test drove my car that IT IS MY CAR and to show a bit of respect (How are you going to hear a wheel bearing if the engines sat at 5000rpm +), I thought they might show a bit more respect, but no.

Anyway it sounds a bit rubbish lol

[[DW]Cougho]

If your looking at the RX8 surely the Nissan 350z is a significantly better choice (unless these are significantly more expensive, i haven't checked). The RX8 is fundamentally reliable, they dont need the rebuilds the same way the RX7 did, however they drink oil and they don't like short trips at all, worth taking into account depending on your usage.

Although the Z4 is definitely worth a look as well.

The MOST importantly thing to do though, is to try ALL of them, see which suits you best.

[kalniel]

I was actually at a suzuki/mazda dealer the other day. By chance there was an RX8 in for a service, and my god were the service boys caning the **** out of the engine just for kicks. Having already mentioned to the guy that test drove my car that IT IS MY CAR and to show a bit of respect (How are you going to hear a wheel bearing if the engines sat at 5000rpm +), I thought they might show a bit more respect, but no.

Anyway it sounds a bit rubbish lol

Asking the monkeys to show some respect for your car is just asking for trouble!

I know they even cane my diesel as much as they can, but to be honest I'd rather they did so they can pick up any failure - if it passes their caning then I know it'll survive my gentle driving until the next service