2005 Mazda RX8: Used Cars to Look For

OK, so you're 18, you've got a job, possibly a girl, and need a car to take your our out in. The 2005 Mazda RX8 is a good candidate. It's sporty, comfortable, stylish, you can actually access the rear seats, and if she ever marries you, there will be place for your kids, if you decide to have kids instead of dogs or cats. There won't be a lot of room unless you, your significant other, or both you you are exceptionally small and don't need leg room. The ride is comfortable, fairly smooth for a sports car, the throttle is responsive, and the gear box is smooth, It won't break your neck if you shift up or down. An exception is if you get a six speed manual and don't know how to handle it properly, but that's not the car's fault, so I'll make that an excuse. If you get an automatic with a flappy paddle gear box, it's not too bad. It takes about half a second to shift, but at least it's a smooth shift. Probably not the best one over built, but it'll make you look like you're in a race car, and will certainly impress your girlfriend, or mom, should you choose to give her a ride. Your grandma will be scared of it and think that if she gets in, the car will eat her, so don't worry about it being uncool.

Another really good aspect of the car is the engine. It's small, only 1.3L! That's good because it's light. The down side to it is it's thirsty for a 1.3L. But with the thirst, comes a punch. This thing flies for a little four door, four seater! It's fun, fast, and cool. What more does an 18 year old want?

The last thing that needs to be looked upon is the price. If you're lucky you can find a great deal. I recently saw a 2005 auto-manual (with flappy paddle gear box), with heated seats, CD, 16" alloy wheels, AC, power everything, with 23K miles on it. Runs great, looks like new, and all yours for just under $14,000! Usually you would find these at around 16 grand range. So, if you put in 10% or more on down, you can get away with just over $200/mo.

Overall rating: 3.5/5
Interior: 3/5
Exterior: 4/5
Performance: 3/5
Ride Comfort: 3/5
Cool Factor: 3.5/5

Rating system is based on experience from a test drive. Not every used RX8 will perform like the one I drove. Please don't take my word for it, if you're considering. Find one, test drive it, and if it's not what you thought it would be while reading this article, well, I guess you'll have to search for either a better RX8, or for that matter, a better car.