RX-8 Buyers Guide: How To Hit The Apex Without Getting Clubbed By A Seal

Words By DT Contributor RyanM:

Man, I miss my RX8.

If you're a gearhead / amateur grease monkey with an engine hoist, there's no better deal out there right now in the sports car world than a first generation (SE3P) 2004-2008 Mazda RX-8 . Just go into it with the right mindset and expect to spend $2k on the thing every 10 years. And throw what you know about engine maintenance out the door. They're still a Mazda, so the components of the car are solid - expect above average reliability from everything except the engine.

The bottom line here is to go into the RX8 experience with your eyes wide open.  Don't go into it expecting an economy car and economy car reliability.  Go into it expecting the reliability of an exotic, with the driving dynamics of an exotic, and engine maintenance costs (and frequency) of a Land Rover. 

Look To The Sky On The Solstice: 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice & Saturn Sky Market Update

The people wanted it.  The press wanted it.  The engineers wanted to make it.  And in 2006, General Motors finally delivered the American-built Mazda MX-5 competitor that was so missing from its domestic line up.  The Skystice (Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky) was instantly loved by the people (7,000 orders in first 10 days), the press, and everyone who longed for an inexpensive US built open air roadster.  It was extremely successful in SCCA club racing, where it swept the podium in Touring 2 class in 2007, 2008, & 2009.  Unfortunately, the choirs of angels singing halleluiah were rudely interrupted by the automotive market crisis of 2008, and in 2010 GM closed the doors on the Wilmington, Delware assembly plant.  The sun had set on cheap American roadster, but prices for a used example of the Skystice couldn't be better today. 

S197 Fever: 2005-2009 Ford Mustang GT Market Update

Ever since I got to get close/personal with Ford's 2015 Mustang at the LA Auto Show a few days ago, I've had a touch of pony fever.  Truth be told, ever since the 2005 restyle, I've craned my neck when one drives by and soaked in the retro-styled design.  Of course the idea of spending $30k+ on a car (that wasn't a depreciated $150k classic) is completely foreign to this tightwad, but I knew it was only a few years before prices dropped. Time marched on, and with the release of the new Mustang, the time couldn't be better to pickup an early S197 generation Mustang -- but we are going to focus on basic V8, manual trans examples and see if we can find a Bullitt, (GT/CS) California Special or Shelby GT in the mix. 

E36 M-Cubed: ///Monday ///Market ///Madness

If you are a hipster douche-bag with some money in the bank, the car to get is the BMW E30 M3.  But, what if your used trucker hat was actually once used by a trucker, your ironic t-shirt is ironic because you bought it from an Armenian thrift store and you don't realize it says douche-bag in Armenian on it, and those rips in your jeans are from wear/tear.  If this is the case you might want to consider the E36 M3 because it offers the same blinker free driving experience at a fraction of the cost.

Market Update: Cheap Neue Klasse Edition BMW 2002

There is an old Chippewa Native American legend about  how when the earth was formed there was a giant split in the ground with man on one side and all the animals on the other.  All the animals shook in fear as the split widened, but only the dog dared to leap the chasm and join the side of man, forever to be his best friend.  Classic cars also make a leap, from cheap sum-of-their-parts prices (think Volvo Amazon) to the other side where zealous "collectors" under the lights of a Barrett-Jackson auction spend their 401ks to get some piece of their youth back.  Cars like the 911, big block C2 Vette or fastback Mustang have made the leap, from depreciated junk to appreciating classic.  The money to be made isn't in the cars that have already made the leap, even basket case examples are offered for prices where the people who left them to rot want you to pay for the privilege of restoration...nobody wants that. What we do want is cheap motoring with a touch of vintage cool for less than $5k.

2k: Market Reference: 1981 Mercedes-Benz 280E W123

The W123 generation Mercedes E-Class is a well depreciated modern classic that can be driven around without involving the jealousy of others or torching your pocket book. The average Joe will not mistake the W123 for anything built in the last few decades and assume you are rich, and gear heads will applaud your willingness to drive something slow and classy.  The gavel has already hit the block on today's 1981 Mercedes-Benz 280E W123 at $2,000 via ebay (in Bronxville, NY) and we feature it for the market reference point.

15k: Billie Joe's Slushbox: 1972 BMW 2002 Tii

The band Green Day was morphed into a cohesive unit in the early 90s at a non-profit East Bay Punk music club in the City of Berkeley that is known as 924 Gilman St.  The band rocketed to fame when their breakthrough album Dookie (1994) was picked up by a major label. According to interview with front man Billie Joe Armstrong the band members were strung out on all sorts of drugs on a regular basis -- not surprising --but it is surprising is to see a former DT seller submission car in a two page Rolling Stone spread. Find Billie Joe Armstrong's automatic equipped 1972 BMW 2002Tii for sale in St Louis, MO bidding on ebay for $19,001 with 4 days to go from motoeXotica.

Market Update: Porsche 914 Cheaper By The Dozen; Featuring V8, WRX and13B Rotary Power

The Porsche 914 is a decent bargain for a mid-engined German car designed in the 1960s, but only if you are careful and avoid the garbage people are selling out there.  To help you out today we've sequestered a dozen of these mid-engined go-karts and will help you pick a good one.