I have only had this car for 6 months or so and it had 19k orig miles on it has 22k now and was a company lease car that was strictly maintained, well i noticed since i got the car that when it ran for about 45mins or so it seemed to lose power and its got progressivly worse the past 2 months so i took it in to mazda a week ago, they sid they reflased the computer, well on the way home from there it did same thing and actually died 2 times in stop and go traffic, well i took it back yesterday and they gave me a loaner car and called me an hour ago and told me the car needs a new engine!!
DAAAAM, this is NOT GOOD at all even though its under full warranty and will cost me nothing as i have heard and read this happens alot toi these engines and this is the 1st foriegn made car i have ever owned as i have always bought fords/mercuries and never had any probs and even had a 96 jeep cheerokee that i put 500k on in miles and it ran as good as the day i bought it when i sold it and never used oil etc and never did anything to it but the alternator at 300k and water pump at 400k all which i changed myself,,, now i got this car in which i traded in a 06 mercury milan on and now realise i have made a HUGE mistake.
As soon as this engine gets replaced i am getting rid of this car immediatly no if and or buts about it

 

so? go search on the internet, you can find thousands and thousands of "under 20K miles" dead Jeep within seconds.

Does that mean Jeep suck? maybe, at least they have been rated as the most troublesome car on JD power or something.

my motor is running fine for 43K miles, lots of ppl with over 130 K. go figure.

 

I can understand your frustration, pretty much what happened to me but I bought mine new so at least you shouldn't loose too much money on the deal if you get rid of it. ( I traded mine before it was out of the shop even! )

Apparantly the 04 AT should have never come to market to start with.

Live and learn, at least it is under warranty and they are replacing the engine.

 

longest run-on sentence of the week...

 

I could not find thousands and thousands. How many Jeeps are sold per year vs. RX-8?

 

Displaying surprisingly high sales, Jeep Liberty is quickly becoming one of the favorites among the Jeep's Family. Toledo North, the plant that produces 300,000 vehicles per year reported 225,250 Jeeps sold in 2006.

Found that qoute on the net, it is from 2006 though.


Not sure about the 8 sales. Maybe 10k a year? I am sure someone here knows though.

 

Yea and i didnt mention that the cd player worked sometimes and sometimes not so they said they are replacing that also and that the a/c didnt work right so when i took it in a week ago they put a computer climate control module in it and when i drove home while it was still running like crap the a/c wasnt any different so they are putting a a/c booster in it now while they do the engine replacement , so whatever a a/c booster is??
The gas mileage it being a 1.3litre is sad,,, very sad!

I forgot to tell them the moonroof rattles when going down the road while open.
Oh and the gas mileage is that of a 4x4 w/a 400+ size engine on the hiway.
So, yes it gets looks and compliments but apparntly w/many misfortunes.
Did i mention the gas mileage sucks?

 

get the accessport from jeff. once the open loop cruise map is leaned, you should be getting 22-25 mpg on the highway.

 

So get rid of it. You won't be missed.

 

What did you expect out of a 1.3 rotary??
You find me a 1.3 that can deliver near 200whp level then we will talk about gas mileage.

 

WOW!!! I am shocked. We have another person on the boards who did not do his research before buying the car. Now he is on here complaining about mileage.

You must be a pessimist, only seeing the bad things in life.

Personally I would be bragging about getting a new engine. A new engine for free!!! How can you be upset about that?


You sound like a prime candidate for a Honda. Now please go away

 

You just got a brand new engine for free! Life is good!

 

No, no honda, toyota,no kia, etc etc etc absolutly no more foriegn car crap period as i will go back to my fords/mercuries and be free of worrying about whats gonna break next.
Im 43yo and shouldve known better as i am a business man and do alot of traveling and am in NO need to worry about if my car will get me to where i need or NOT and if so will it get me there without sweating all over a $1500 suit as the a/c will continually keep me very cool.

 

No thats not good as i would rather have a car with an engine thats at 75,000 miles and still is only 1/4 way thru its lifespan instead of having this one thats already needing a new engine at only 22k miles which will have me on edge when the next 22k miles comes around and that will happen in 1 1/2 years at the rate i drive so thats why its bye bye as soon as it returns from the shop

 

Just imagine if Lewis Black read these posts aloud. I think it would be hillarious.

 

I'm curious. What kind of company leases a sports car?

Maybe it was maintained by the book, but who drove it? And how? Always a problem with a used car.

Anyway, I recommend that after you sell the RX-8 you buy a new car. Buying a used sports car isn't the best move in the world for a bsuinessman who doesn't want to worry. I'm not sure if a Ford product is worry free, but go with what you're comfortable with.

Ken

 

I feel your frustration. I too have had a rocky reliability relationship with my car but for the most part I knew what I was getting into and all I have to do is wash it and drive it to fall in love with it again.

My pops had a Cherokee with 300k on the odemeter. It never gave him problems but it was still a complete piece of **** to drive.

This car is not for everyone and had you researched for two seconds before you bought it you would have found out the gas mileage sucks and that engine replacements are fairly common.

 

Didn't you say that the dealer you bought from offers free engines for life as long as you take it there for the 3k oil changes?

You could possibly really put a hurting on them every 22k

trade in is going to be around 11-12k-ish. Not sure how much you have in it?

 

So why are we continuing this conversation. At the end of his first post he said it himself that he's getting rid of it. Why is there any response to this at all. You're done. Okay. Goodbye. See you later.

 

Guess if you can afford a $1500 suit then you shouldn't be whining about poor gas mileage on your car. Should have done more research before buying the RX-8, eh? I too am a 'businessman' and get to drive lots of rental cars........all North American made. They may be more reliable than they used to be but they are still pieces of crap---poor ergonomics, dismal fit and finish, lousy NVH, usually apocalyptic fuel mileage and put together by grade 3 dropouts who can spell 'me', 'union', and 'money' but not 'quality', 'workmanship' or 'customer satisfaction'. That is why I own 3 NON-North American cars---a Honda, a Mini Cooper S and an RX-8. And the 8? Well, I don't get to drive it much (44k only on an '04) but when I do I am merciless and that car has not even burped once.

 

Want some sun screen for that burn?

 

He wants a reliable car . . . . so he is trying to avoid Honda and Toyota.
He thinks Ford is the answer to his problems


Hey buddy . .. Any good 4 or 6 cyl engine in a Ford, was NOT made by Ford.
Mazda makes most of them, and Toyota makes the Hybrids for Ford.

 

you got a used car.

You have no idea how it was maintained until you got it.

The fact the engine died does not prove unreliability unless you can prove that it wasn't abused during the first 19 thousand miles. Just because its a leased car on a maintenance schedule doesn't mean it hasn't been abused or neglected. In fact, as a company car its more likely to have been abused and neglected. They were probably changing the oil every 6000 miles, and maybe weren't topping it off often enough.

Enjoy your new engine

 

Ford and Mercury are foreign made.
Mostly Mazda, Mitsubishi and European parts.

Ford hasn't had an "All-American" built car since the early '70s.

 

I literally, own a half dozen Ford Taurus' ranging in age from 99 - 03. All have mileage in the 80-140k range, and NOT ONE has it's original transmission. 2 are on their 3rd transmission since I have owned them(< 2 years) and another 2 have engines that have been replaced as well. The only good part is that mid range mileage junkyard pulls for either engine or tranny only run $500. They eat brakes and tires like it's noones business. Oh, and I spend time each day making sure my fleet is well maintained.

By the way, I should introduce you to a guy, I get custom cut Super 140's suits for under $1000. They make my "older" Hugo Boss suit sit in my closet. Truly top notch stuff. BTW, I find it best to take off my sportcoat and lay it in the passenger seat when driving any car, but the RX8 even Moreso due to the side bolsters.