I've been hearing nothing but "stay away" from people when I ask about this car.

They're starting to get tempting, though. 2004/5 models can be found in the low teens.

2/18/2008 8:34:01 AM

I've always heard that they were quite temperamental.

You should ask the RX-8 boards on what their long-term experience has been with them.

2/18/2008 9:52:17 AM

Quote :

"I've always heard that they were quite temperamental. "

yea, i've heard the same. my bosses wife had one, bought it brand new and in the first year it had to go in like 3 times for unscheduled maintenance. can't remember what was wrong exactly but still a pain since she drove it easy as shit

2/18/2008 9:53:38 AM

i cant believe you are considering a RX-8.

but yeah, like ^^ said, you wanna go to a real forum.

people on here are just gonna give you "i heard" type opinions

2/18/2008 9:58:12 AM

I figure people on RX-8 forums would have glasses a little too rose-colored.

2/18/2008 10:07:28 AM

I wouldn't ask them but i would search to see what issues keep coming up or ask them what issues they have with the car and make your own decision but asking a forum if they like the car their forum is about is like asking a car question in chit chat.

2/18/2008 10:09:53 AM

I 'heard' they were slow.

2/18/2008 10:13:29 AM

^^

Yes, alarm bells go off when I read ads like this:

Quote :

" Reply to: sale-558516156@craigslist.org Date: 2008-01-31, 2:13PM EST 2004 Mazda Rx-8 - $14,200 Please click this link for more pictures and info * 6 speed manual with great handling and performance * Loaded - GT package, heated leather, 7 speaker Bose, aesthetic upgrades, much more * 62,000 miles on body, 8,500 on engine * Full engine replacement last year (warrantied until 4/24/2008) * Including maintenance records, extra set of rims, & more. * Amazing car and an amazing deal! "

2/18/2008 10:14:35 AM

kinda gutless. nice interior. not too temperamental unless you drive it like it should be driven. handles really well.

Friend's parents got one in mid '04 and it hasn't had a lot of problems, but has had a couple recalls and crap.

2/18/2008 10:15:58 AM

The Car and Driver test car wouldn't start in the cold.

2/18/2008 10:16:38 AM

LOL @ slut.

2/18/2008 10:18:52 AM

can you give us a reasoning behind wanting an RX8?
i am just curious, i dont think ive ever met anyone who was in the market.

2/18/2008 10:37:54 AM

Affordable, sporty, I like the styling.

2/18/2008 10:40:10 AM

fair enough.

but yeah look up the TSBs on them. see whats going down.

2/18/2008 10:40:54 AM

my bestfriends dad bought an 04 in HS and traded it back in after 6 months. broke down on him twice within that time

2/18/2008 10:56:04 AM

Looking for cars blows.

[Edited on February 18, 2008 at 11:04 AM. Reason : ]

2/18/2008 11:01:50 AM

i would rather get a S2000.

2/18/2008 11:08:05 AM

indeed sir!

2/18/2008 11:09:30 AM

rx8's
torque of a 1.3L
gas mileage of a 2.6L (worse actually)
beautiful body style
back seat

I would get one used with the expectation it would blow up. Whats an engine rebuild cost worst case?

the rx8 and s2000 beyond maybe looks and origin country are very different. i would expect the rx8 to be a more predictable (and back seat, trunk, etc..)

2/18/2008 1:19:25 PM

not when you are comparing crap to pure powr

2/18/2008 1:27:10 PM

Oh well, this guy at Leith Euro Center is begging me to take a 2005 350z off his hands. $19,980 and he claims he's selling it "at cost."

2/18/2008 2:52:26 PM

Mehh cars suck they all have a downside.


[Edited on February 18, 2008 at 2:56 PM. Reason : .]

2/18/2008 2:56:07 PM

^Ninja edit?

Are you not selling that.

2/18/2008 2:57:29 PM

anything would be better than an RX-8

hell even my civic

2/18/2008 3:10:23 PM

HAHA i said get a e36 m3 thats kinda what i'm looking at right now and i would trust it more, it would be more fun and it would have torque.

2/18/2008 3:33:31 PM

^^ yeah, they've also got a 2005 Cooper S which I'm also considering. It's the same price as the 350z (just under 20k)

2/18/2008 4:27:17 PM

cooper S, get it.

2/18/2008 4:30:45 PM

^ but its fwd....

2/18/2008 4:35:54 PM

yeah, but they are still fun little cars and handle well, despite being fwd.

2/18/2008 4:41:06 PM

True. I won't deny that.

2/18/2008 4:51:39 PM

I like the 350Z's... coopers are just too small imo

2/18/2008 5:05:46 PM

go with whichever has a higher crash rating.


well maybe in your case the opposite.

2/18/2008 5:08:25 PM

Quote :

"beautiful body style"

I whole-heartedly disagree. I think this is one of the ugliest cars to come out of Japan in a very long time. And the fact that it shares some heritage with the 3rd gen RX-7 makes it even worse. I think that was one of the best looking cars to ever come from Japan (no rice).

2/18/2008 5:38:43 PM

Mini=FWD=totally gay. I'd rather drive a Mustang.

350Z=huge, fat, and soft. I'd much, much rather have an S2000...or if I wanted something huge and soft, I'd get a G35 coupe or 330ci (although I'd be leery of breaking the subframe on the E46).

the RX-8 would be an option if you need a backseat and didn't want a G35/E46. Otherwise, the S2000 is the car to beat in that price range (along with a C5 'Vette).

2/18/2008 5:42:21 PM

Ive test drive an 8, thought it was pretty decent except of course its the size of a shoebox. Reasonably powerful for what it is, handles very well. Love the styling, didnt like all the blindspots.

2/18/2008 5:56:37 PM

Don't get an 05 Z. The engine change in 06 was a much needed change.

2/18/2008 6:11:35 PM

Allow me to put my two cents in here, being the resident rotary owner. I've read through the Rx-8 forums pretty extensively so I can help you out here. To summarize, if it were me I would get an 05 (or 06 if you can swing it) fully loaded, fully comfortable manual transmission car (because a little bit of weight savings doesn't matter really in this case).

STAY AWAY FROM THE 04 MODELS. Those had most of the problems, especially the automatics. Not that there aren't plenty of 04 cars that are running fine. But the main problem is that the early models especially had poorly programmed oil metering pumps (which are responsible for the rotary's oil consumption). In mazda's attempts to minimize oil consumption, they went a little too far on the 04 models (and some 05's, not sure when the cutoff is for the correct ECU flash). Depending on your driving habits, the rotor housings sometimes did not receive enough lubrication, and the cumulative effects resulted in the need for engine replacement.

If you wanted to be absolutely sure, see if you can get records or some other indicator of which ECU flash the car had when it rolled off the factory floor. I think anything after "N" (it goes in alphabetical order somewhat, so N is later than M etc) has the correct programming for oil metering pump. Double check those exact details.

Thus the reason why those early models blow motors has absolutely nothing to do with the reason why the 93-95 Rx-7's blew motors. Completely different issue. Those Rx-7s, if not very carefully maintained, could lose compression between 50 and 70k due to apex seal wear from the older rotary's tendency to build up more carbon than the modern Rx-8 Renesis engines. This is due to exhaust port design, magnified by the twin turbos, plus a poorly designed precat that didn't help either. I am not even talking here about the problems that can occur if you aren't careful when you modify the car--that's a whole different set of issues. I know a couple people who have gotten 100k out of their original 93-95 engines but that's not common. Regardless, no other rotary model ever had the problem that the early Rx-8's did, which was essentially an ECU programming gaffe.

As far as the driving goes, the suspension on the Rx-8 is very similar to the 3rd generation Rx-7 in its overall geometry, but it rides way better and is not the hardcore machine that its predecessor was. Generally the Rx-8 outhandles the 350Z (and is still less stiff) and is more practical, but it's slower with marginally worse gas mileage. Expect 17-18 combined, which is probably a little worse than a Z or a G35. It is capable of 23-25 on road trips.

No matter what anyone tells you, you don't need premium gas, even with the factory 10:1 compression. That's horseshit--the older ones ran 9.7:1 compression with a much less sophisticated ECU that didn't even have a knock sensor and they were fine on 87. Nonturbo rotaries are almost impossible to detonate (unless you really really screw up the timing) --take it from someone who advanced the shit out of his timing on a nonturbo rotary and never had any problems with it. The car might make slightly less power though on 87.

As far as power goes... well if you think it's cool to rev the piss out of a car because it's actually good for the engine, than the Rx-8 is the car for you. A fully broken-in car (say 20k on the clock, healthy) should do high 14's. Off the showroom floor they will do low 15's until they are fully broken in.

I really like the interiors. The seats are comfortable, the fit and finish is a lot better than many other cars in its class. Only thing you can't get is auto climate control (which is now available on 08 models).

[Edited on February 18, 2008 at 6:36 PM. Reason : .]

2/18/2008 6:30:10 PM

Quote :

"Otherwise, the S2000 is the car to beat in that price range (along with a C5 'Vette)"

Sorry, those are too expensive for the year.

Basically, here is the price criteria:

2004 - 2008 : Anything $20000 or under

2004 and below : Anything under $15000

This is related to loan options and what I can afford.

2/18/2008 7:35:36 PM

rx8's fuckin suck. i want my shit to last 200k w/o a rebuild

oh and

mini coopers are fuckin gay

[Edited on February 18, 2008 at 7:41 PM. Reason : ;]

2/18/2008 7:40:40 PM

Handle great
4 door

Ugly
Low on power compared to rx7 and other cars in the class
terrible fuel mileage
questionable reliability

so, it would be a good track car maybe, but not a daily driven car.

2/18/2008 8:57:22 PM

Quote :

"2004 and below : Anything under $15000"

You can get 00-01 S2000's under $15k now.

2/18/2008 9:19:43 PM

Yeah anything below 02 should be cheap.

I wouldn't drive an s2000 as my only car if you paid me.

2/18/2008 9:55:57 PM

^why is that? I'm considering getting one myself.

2/18/2008 10:06:04 PM

it sounds like a leaf blower inside the cabin with the roof up.

small trunk

small interior

gas mileage isn't very good, although compared to an rx8 it is

the soft top makes for decent sized blind spots

tires are gone in ~10k miles

old ones burn oil, gas station = check oil...actually says so in the manual

it's a great car for what it is, i just don't think it was built to drive to work and back


you can hammer a nail in with a socket wrench so a tools original purpose really doesn't restrict someone from doing whatever they want.



[Edited on February 18, 2008 at 10:13 PM. Reason : have you test driven one?]

2/18/2008 10:12:36 PM

bleh

Time to look for more MR2s

2/18/2008 10:18:03 PM

get a WRX?

2/18/2008 10:46:13 PM

wrx are really nice, and reliable but don't get the best mpg.

new MR2=pokemans

2/18/2008 11:02:12 PM

Quote :

" have you test driven one?"

No, I've never driven one, or even ridden in one for that matter. I like it because the combination of looks/honda-associated reliability. Is it reliable like other honda cars? I have an integra right now and the thing is damn reliable (knock on wood). I'm considering the S2000 and the G35. I might just go cheap and get a last generation Si.

2/18/2008 11:19:55 PM

s2000 can be reliable, but i would try my hardest to keep that integra as your main daily driver.

2/18/2008 11:25:35 PM

lol yea, I intend to keep it for at least the next few years. Gotta pay them student loan first.

2/18/2008 11:27:25 PM