Bought my 2005 GT 6 speed new and for those interested here is my perspective on the car 10 years and 50K km later.

Have not had ANY problems with the car at all...oil/filter changes every 5K...and just now changed the original belts, plugs, coils, transmission, brake, coolant and rear axle fluids...air filter every 25K...I find it to be a very reliable vehicle...and yes its still a blast to drive...provided you manage the engine power band as if it were a 600cc motorcycle engine...lots of rev's and a narrow power-band.

After having driven many other "performance" type cars I am still amazed at how well it handles and just how much of a "slug" it is from a standing start...I guess you can call it a "track car" in that regard.

Even after swapping out the summer tires for all season's it still very much impresses with its ability to stick to the road, corner flat and pivot while providing a very reasonable ride. The accessible rear seats have come in handy on many an occasion as well.

As my "slug" comment above suggests my biggest disappointment is with the engines lack of torque...and my sample has since day one had a "notchy" transmission unlike the Miata's smooth short-throw unit.

Over the years I have done the following mods...and in doing so have rediscovered just how very well the car was engineered.

LED bulb changes...inside and out.
Black Halo Resonator Mid-Pipe
Samsung Tab 4 in place of the factory Navigation Unit...(car did not come with Navigation originally)
GROM Bluetooth Hands-Free...phone/music bluetooth streaming.
Drilled/Slotted 4W Discs and ceramic pads
Lower Radiator Guard

The car is pretty much "performance stock" as I don't view the many performance gadgets offered as offering much of a performance improvement.

Even after having the car for this long I still admire the styling of it every time I walk up to it knowing its not for everyone...I describe it as "tastefully busy".

Every time I drive it I make it a point to "bleep" the engine and only use non-ethanol based fuel while premixing using Lucas FD 2 stroke oil...the engine is still buttery smooth and I have not experienced the rough idle talked about (original motor mounts are still good).

What would I change?

I would yank out the engine in a heartbeat if there were a reasonably engineered light weight non-turbo "Frankenstein" alternative which would not negatively impact the vehicles handling characteristics while still supporting the original OEM equipment systems. I would gladly exchange the rotary's high rpm smoothness and V8 mileage for some low to mid-range torque.

From what I have read it seems that at around the 100K (km) mark the engines either self destruct or run forever. As I'm halfway there I hope to get another 10 years out of it yet.

So far my after 10 years of ownership scores are:

Styling 9
Body Integrity 9
Body Rust 10 (Rust Check the car myself each fall and spring...stuff seems to spread well and displace moisture as advertised)
Handling 10
Fit/Finish 7.5
Reliability 10
Engine...Smoothness 10, Efficiency 3, Power 5, Reliability 10

I would be curious to hear from any other long-term owners as to how their ownership perspectives have changed over the years...thanks for reading.

 

Good post. I love it all except for the V8 swap comment. I'm just not down with that. I can understand why people do it, but it's not an RX car if it doesn't have a rotary. It definitely needs more power, but I don't mind the high-RPM power band. If it were my daily driver, maybe I would. My dream swap would be a normally aspirated triple rotor, but I don't see being able to afford having someone do that for me any time in the future.

I've had my 2009 for just over 6 years, and just over 46,000 miles. I bought it new. I still love it, and finally did my first track (HDPE) day over Memorial Day weekend. I love the car's neutral handling, and love the car even more after that day. I hope to do one or two every year from now on.

I love the styling, inside and out. I love the stares and comments I get, especially with the Sparkling Black Mica paint with the bronze Rays wheels that match that paint perfectly. I remember an _AutoWeek_ writer commenting about the RX-8 when it first came out: "It has exotic car styling." I completely agree. Nothing else looks like it, and it's not EVERYWHERE you look. Around here you can't shake a stick without hitting 5 recent model Corvettes, Camaros, or Mustangs.

Mine was crazy reliable until late last summer when I started having the Series II transmission issue where the shifter pops out of gear. I took it to the performance/mechanic shop I've been using for many years. They do internal transmission work and fixed it for me to be better than it ever was, but it was not cheap at around $1000 to $1500. Not sure exactly how much because I had them put an Exedy clutch and lightweight flywheel in at the same time, which jacked the price up to I think near $2500.

I'm hoping that my engine lasts a good long time. I've been using Royal Purple 2-cycle engine oil for premixing (about 5oz for a full tank of gas), and Royal Purple HPS oil in the engine.

 

Perhaps my comments were unclear...I too am not in favor of swapping in a V8 for reasons of weight, handling etc.
I have always wondered if Mazda's 2.4 Turbo 4 would fit...ran well in the previous AWD Mazda 6's and is quite compact.
I can only dream of a Supercharged 2.0 Rotary putting out about 300 HP with 250-275 Ft/Lbs.
Interestingly I wouldn't change much else in a 10 year old car...says a lot about the RX8!

 

Mine will also turn 10 this year - original owner of a 2005 GT. Most reliable car I ever owned. Bought 2 others (one softtop, one truck) since, but still see no reason to sell the 8. Nothing makes me smile as much.

 

I just recently realized that mine is now 10. That's a record for me in owning a car.

I've had some serious mechanical difficulties with mine, including having to replace the engine (although Mazda paid for the engine itself), but a lot of that (maybe all of it) correlated to one evening when, in an emergency, I beat up the poor thing brutally.

Last year, when the engine needed to be replaced, I was fully expecting that that was the end of the line for my 8, and started thinking about a new car. When Mazda came through with the new motor, I had to make a decision: keep the 8, or buy the new car I was already starting to get excited about. Tough choice.

So I decided to do both. I now own a 2005 Rx-8 and a 2014 Miata. Believe it or not, the 8 is now my *practical* car!

P.S. This is my first post here in some 7 or 8 years.

 

Even if the swap was seamless, it's not worth it IMO. My 2nd FD is swapped and it does everything I expected and more but it's just not as fun as my rotary. The car is easy to maintain, unrefined and boring in the way it builds power. Don't get me wrong, you can make a ton of power from the v8 but I think I enjoyed the rotary much more even when it made less power than the v8 and it's why I'm most likely going to sell the damn thing.