Hello owners,I have recently been interested in purchasing a used Rx8 and have heard some pros and some cons...some people saying the engines are smooth,but have many downfalls...1 was "the engine is not made for short trips.it could damage the engine"I live 1 mile from my home here in Orlando Fl.So most of my driving would be shorts trips 90%of the times.Signed on here to get some real input from real owners...Looking for advice before I pull the trigger..Thanks for your input. Antonio in Florida

 

You live 1 mile from your Home???????

I drive about 5 miles from work and get really crappy gas milage (compared to other Rx8's) but thats what you get with the Rx8. As long as you lake it for a long drive on the weekend I would think it will be fine. Would you be able to go quick in that 1 mile, to give the engine a change to redline? You may also have battery issues but that would be that same with any car.

I say go for it you will have trouble with most cars driving that short a distance. Take it out and race it on the weekends there are Autocross events all over Florida. I raced at the OCCC in orlando a couple of months back http://www.cfrscca.org/. That will give the engine a good clean out.

 

Same as above. Any car will suck with short trips like that. I have to do extra maintenance on the wife's car, it rarely goes over 5 miles. Read through the 2 threads in my signature. Ton of good information. The $100 one will take care of a lot of the short trip stuff.

Not a lot of data on your intended purchase. Year, options, miles and data like that would let this group help you out. I live in Oviedo. The market here is very cyclic. It goes from lots for sale, low prices, to none for sale, high prices. I have not been watching, so I am not sure where it is right now. Anything over a few years old should have a compression check. There are threads about that. Mazda dealer can do it. I like Fairbanks for a local dealer. Classic took 4 tries to change a CD changer and never got it right. I had to take it to Fairbanks to undo those 4 trips and finally get it to work. They gave me a rental, Classic refused when I asked.

So, data?

 

If you live 1 mile away from your home...just kidding, okay...if your work is a mile away, then you could cruise around for a while after work, so that you could drive it like your driving it long distances...okay, bye.

 

damn, if you live one mile from work just park the car and walk, then drive the car only on weekends or when you need it to go longer distances.

As others stated above, driving short distances only is not that good on any car generally speaking - but that's just the basics of how car engines operate. Engines have an optimal range in which they produce the best power and best fuel efficiency, along with less emissions, etc.. Most of the time that range is certainly not idling or when the engine operates under load for long periods of time (short trips, traffic jams, etc.).

Problem with the RX-8 is that its optimal operational range is pretty up there in the RPM range

Even cruising on the highway at 75-80mph on cruise control, you'll notice your RPMs will be around 4000 or so, which is way higher than many cars of similar displacement - although it is so smooth you'll hardly notice you are driving at that RPM range.

Then to make the best hp you need to push the needle up the 8000RPM range, something that you certainly will not be able to do much - that is, safely, - on a short mile commute to work everyday.

 

Wright, you should decrease the height of your sig. I believe standard is 200 pixels include txt you might have below.

 

I live 2-3 miles from work and drive under 5 miles a day, about 4 days a week, do more on weekends. The mileage is shitty and I get about 13-14 mpg in short city driving only. I do manage to take it an extra 2-3 miles now and then, rev the engine up 1-2 a week on hills or the highway.

No problem other than constantly filling up gas.

 

^this

Good cardio, better for the environment, saves money and runs no possible risk of flooding your car (granted you don't turn off your car while it's still cold n' leave it for a week or so.)