I've read all the FAQ tonight and the rotary engine is enough to scary the hell out of you. I would be a 1st time rotary engine owner. Husband would be the primary driver, so it wouldn't be doing milk runs to the store.
The adding oil all the time bothers me a bit. Can someone explain this to me? We always take our present cars in for their oil changes, but adding oil in between would be something different. Running Premium grade gas would also be something new. Learning alot from this forum. Now, I wonder if the car is the right one for us.

We own a 1993 BMW at present. Can anyone tell me if the cost of regular service calls would be as expensive as the BMW. Or will it be closer to the cost of an American made car. Also looking at the mustang.

 

Adding oil is not really that big a deal. If you drive it really hard you might have to add oil more often, but I'm not easy on my car by any means and hardly have to add any oil. There's not much to explain about the procedure though. You check the oil, and if it's getting to the low marker, you add some more. When I check I usually just add until close to the full line. If you're asking about why, it's just an integral part of the design of the engine, which lubricates the inside of the chamber with oil, so it uses more oil than a standard piston. From what I understand, there are also some piston engines that need a little oil every now and then also.

A lot of the owners here don't even use premium gas, and there are some that say they even get better mileage with the lower octane. There are a lot of posts about this if you search

 

Why are you scared? Is it the thousands of tiny explosions that happen oh so synchronously each minute? Similar explosions happen in your BMW but in a much more complex fashion. If you are wondering how a rotary engine compares to a "normal" one go to www.HowStuffWorks.com and get yer learn on.

Adding oil "all the time" is an over-exaggeration. Oil consumption will largely depend on your driving habits. If you baby the car and don't "drive it like it was meant to be" then you might have to add half a quart of oil, in between your normal oil change interval. If you drive like a lot of us on this forum, as if you were practicing for the next autocross event. Then you will likely have to add at most a full quart in between your oil change (I'm overestating just for the sake of this discussion). Most of us carry a quart in the trunk just in case the oil light comes on. All you have to do is check it every few fill ups. Checking your oil, takes all of 2 minutes, maybe 3 if you have to add any. It's is something that comes along with owning this car. I'm sure most people on the forum view this as a way of showing their appreciation for a car that's such a blast to drive.

The maintenance costs are probably going to be a bit cheaper than the service costs for a BMW. From what I've heard the service...mainly the labor cost for those cars are a littl expensive.

You wonder if this car is right for you? But what are you looking for in your next car? If you provide your needs and wants, the people here can better help you.

 

Not really scared more like worried, but like rabinabo said, I'll do some more reading.
I guess my husbands (would be his car, I'm just doing the research) needs and wants don't match our cash flow. He is hating the fact that he might not be driving a BMW and doesn't really need a four door sedan. Family of four with two other cars, not including the BMW. Of course he would like something sporty, if money wasn't an object, it would be the BMW Z4. Thought about the Crossfire, yet too expensive. Also thinking about the Mustang.

My first thought is that the Mustang would cost a lot less to maintain and keep up. Hubby doesn't like the fact that there are a million mustangs on the road, low end to high end.

When taking the RX8 in for service, do you have to take it to an import service garage,dealer or can you just roll into say any old garage. Probably the stupid question of the day......is there special training required to work on this type of
rotary engine. ok I'm blonde, give me a break! But I need to know if this car is going to require extra dollars for service because it's an import and has a different type of engine.

 

Engine oil consumption is pretty expected from sports car, even the S2000, some EVOs and STIs also drink some (although very little) oil. Mileage could become a problem for you though... i think..