Alright guys,

here goes. I am literally days away from purchasing my RX8 (going to give the guy my cheque on Wednesday)

It is a 2004 Black GT Manual. He has all the maintenance records from Gyro Mazda in Toronto and the Carfax comes up clean. The car has 53000km on it. I test drove it and it seems okay. No hard/harsh idle as far as I can see as is described on these forums sometimes.

I am taking the car to a Mazda dealership to get it inspected before I drove off with it (good idea I assume? or maybe a Rotary dealer?).

I am just worried because of all the problems I am hearing about on these forums. Please tell me most people have no problems with their 8's. I definitely do not have extra cashflow to deal with any major problems.

Also, since it is an '04, there is no more 3yr 'everything' warranty on it, but the 5yr powertrain is still in effect. What exactly does this cover? Spark plugs, etc? Would it cover most of the problems that people are having?

Finally, god forbid my engine goes, Mazda replaces it free of charge if the compression/vacuum tests don't pass, right?

Also, to keep this car in good condition I know I have to : 1.) Add a liter of oil every 4000km or so, 2.) Redline once a day...any other suggestions?

Sorry for the long/many directions post...I'm just freaked now..but I have fallen in love with the car

 

The RX8s are more reliable than most sports cars. Keep in mind that you'll hear more about the negatives than the positives.

Oil level should be checked every other fill-up. Drive it hard. Expect low mileage.

Get the compression tested before you buy.

I see that you've already looked into winter tires.

You'll love the 8. Come out to one of the local meets.

 

I have a 2004 Black GT manual with 44 800km.

The 5 year warranty is drivetrain only, meaning engine and tranny and not much else. The spark plugs are considered wear and tear parts, it's not covered. By the way, don't buy them at the dealership, it's like 270$cdn plus taxes. You can get the exact same thing online for 100$.

As for the engine, if it doesn't pass the test while under warranty, yes they should replace it, unless they try to pass it as your fault because of a reason or another. At that point it's up to you to bark loud enough to get them to understand you won't stand for that kind of bullsh...

You pretty much have it nailed for "keeping the car in good condition". My only addition would be: wait for it to be fully warmed up before revving it over 4000rpm. I always drive like a granny the first few miles to let it warm up and have all the different metal parts in the engine expand fully, then I let her rev like she wants to

 

While I agree with almost everything Darkbrew wrote about I do not entirely agree with this statement.
I feel it should be settled over a few pints!!! Don't you think ;D

Anyways while I've never seen anything that decisively indicates the RX8 is more reliable then most other sports cars I would support that is not less reliable then any other sports car out there.

Totally agree with you DB on the negatives than the positives. Like yourself mark833 you came to the forum looking for information. Likewise many others do as well however they have likely already purchased their RX8. I suspect this is a common occurrence in most automotive forums.

Now mark833 you are not going to like what I have to say now. The car is not NOT cheap to run. I'm not even going to mention fuel mileage so lets look at other maintenance items.
1. Spark Plugs -> very expensive. From Mazda your looking at over 200 dollars for 4 plugs. The plugs do not last as long as stated. I would suspect that at 53k your prospective 8 will require plugs if they have not already been replaced. Mine required replacing at 36k (and that was before the nitrous DB)

2. Coils -> Another wear item that will no doubt cause you problems in the near future. Same situation as the spark plugs.

3. Oil -> You likely to spend more money on oil for this car more than any other. Even that 1973 winter beater you drove during college.

4. Fuel -> not fuel mileage. You need to use premium fuel. You find many debates about this on the forum but I don't subscribe to them.

5. Tires -> enuf said

In the end if you are worried about spending cash after buying your 8, I would advise you not to get an 8. The car will take over your life and your wallet. Personally I wouldn't want it any other way.

For warned is for armed ...... ... don't come back and say no one told you so.

 

I'm always up for a debate over a few pints!

Really I was thinking more of the sub-average reliability of American sports cars.

 

there are tons of sport car more reliable than rx8; among Japanese sport cars, rx8 is the least reliable car. not comparing with old cars, like rx7, supra, skyline, 240sx, 180sx, 300zx.....but comparing with those recent sport cars, rx8 is not reliable. if i had a chance, i would get a IS300. but if you want power, why dont u just get a STI?
if you want just looking, rx8 is the best choice.
Its just my personal opinion........cuz i am facing a big engine problem now(i hope its not about a new engine, cuz i dont wanna spend 5100 CAD to get a new engine and then sell my 8 right away)

 

That's **** luck phil .. .. .. understand why you're a bit sour.

Still there hasn't been that many whom have had to have an engine replaced. At least on the forum. Well mmm I guess enuf to be concerned. .. ....
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ew+engine+club

 

Game on then buddy. You name the time and place and I'm there

 

well, i was one of the people who voted for the last one; think about it, there must be few of people who voted long time ago but the problem happened lately.
i actually still have the bumper to bumper warranty till Dec 18th, but since i have an intake there, i dont know if i could get a free engine or no; i am not expecting it, cuz i know the service is always way worse than the car........

 

I think you will love the car. She will always whirl you around blissfully, she sounds great, looks sexy, and you can giver and she loves that too.

Let's face it, either you will be manically happy about everything about the car, or you'll be ticked off about a little annoying something - that your Mazda representative is giving you a little hassle with about replacing.

Actually in my oppinion, the worst thing about the car, is the Mazda dealership service afterward. So get into your local Mazda RX8 club, or start one, and get a good club mechanic.

You will never be bored with your RX8.

Enjoy!

 

+1

 

With the engine mods u've done, it can be argued you have caused the rotary trouble yourself.
The rotary engine is a reliable piece of kit to those that take care of it. There are equal amount of frustrations with the subaru camp (glass tranny etc) and the Z/G35 folks (suspension problem, electrical gremlins etc.) to the ticking time bomb Audis.
Maybe a Corolla or Civic might work.

 

If you're that worried maybe you should get an extended warranty...