Long story short I have a 93 vette which is my garage queen. slammed on 19s 512 rwhp @ 7700 rpm stroker v-8. I currently have an 01 z28 with just appearance mods lowered, rims basically it. Looking for something a little more smooth and agile that has all the comforts of a modern vehicle (my z was a stripper, roll up windows, cloth int etc).

So I was looking at an 06 rx8. I work for Ford so that's why I'm trying to get something in the family (allows me to park within 3 miles of the entrance every day lol). I'm not looking for insane power. I've had a gsxr 600, 750 and 1k so I understand the rx-8 is a light car with not much torque and needs to be revved. I just like the exterior styling, and dream about what 19s Ill add with coil overs so I can slam it in the summer. I also love the interior. The rx8 im expecting is going to feel much more solid and refined than the z28 I have now.

I haven't driven any yet but I read alot of concerns mainly (obviously) about the rotary. I even just read a post about someone hitting 100k miles. Almost made me gasp. My z28 hit 125k miles and runs rock solid 326 rwhp which is 5 more than new. Are rotarys just that bad at high miles? I'm looking for this to be a daily driver.

Any thoughts are welcome. ill throw up some pics on how I tansformed my Z for dd duties. I'll be looking to transform my rx8 if I get one .

 

Honestly for a reliable DD I would skip the 8. The 04-08's have been less than reliable for the most part. Sure some people will post up that they have not had problems but for the most part people have. The 09+ would be your best bet as they seem to have addressed the issues with the engine.

That being said, I absolutely love my car. Just be prepared to deal with its "issues" as they arise. But if you have your heart set on one (no need to explain to us, we understand), stay away from the 2004's or 2005's with high mileage.

 

Thanks for the reply ! I read that there was a ecm upgrade in 06 or something is that the biggest change for 06? I was looking at a 06 with 45k km (30k miles). Also is the extended warranty mazda offers any good or does it have small print where it only works for the original owner etc? I figured it would give me a little peace of mind.

 

There were a few PCM flashes that fixed the oil injection rates, etc. and they have been pretty good with the warranty (I am on my second rebuild covered under the warranty). I also suggest an extended warranty through your bank. I had one and it covered some other stuff after the factory 36k that would have been expensive had I had had it.

 

If you can get a decent deal on a 30k mile 06, I'd say go for it. I wouldn't say the reliability is THAT bad on this car, but it sure isn't a Civic. It's a Sports car, though, and looking at your track record for cars, I'd say you're used to doing decent regular maintenance *hopefully...*

 

Definitely appreciate your guys input. Also very glad I found this forum there's a good deal of info on here. Of course like any forum you gotta seperate the bs from fact but thats just the internet isnt it

I definitely am hands on. Bout the only things I cant do at home is pull the engine out and drop a trans. Everything else I'm not afraid to tackle. I am intrigued to say the least to be a rotary owner. i am a fan of Performance no matter where its from or how many cubic inches.

So far I'm planning on coil overs and Koni shocks for sure. Some 19s maybe iforged or another brand. The rx will be white and most likely brushed wheels with ultra low pro tires for the summer, very light tint, exhaust and some serious zaino-ing.

Here are some pics of my work on my Z28 I picked up last year. I had all the mods ready because I refused to drive it stock. Its pretty much a dinosaur of a car. Im a big fan of tight responsive and light cars hence the fascination with the rx8. I mean jeremy Clarkson cant be wrong can he?

Before :



After:




Can't wait to start on an rx-8

 

Cool, I had a 93' Z28. Quickly got rid of it when I got my 280ZX Turbo but the Z28 was a good drag car.

 

Cool, ya just being realistic most guys on the z28 forums are dillusioned. they are archaic cars and ride like them. Good platforms for drag racing and can be made to handle but theres just too much cheap stuff elsewhere like the interior.

How would you compare your 93 to your rx8 ?

 

Haha, no comparison between the two cars on any level!! But it was fun to beat up on 5.slows in back in high school.

The F Body guys are all about straigt line speed and although they can be made into road racers and made to handle well, they are a nightmare to drive at speed. The RX8 is a road trip car and can rip up the track or the canyons on demand all while in comfort.

 

I've owned a bunch of F-bodies. A several 80s Camaros, and a pair of mid 90s Trans Ams all with the usual bolt ons. Also owned a heavily modified 98 Vette.

If you truly truly only want the Rx8 for its handling then you will enjoy it. But coming from those cars you will(as I did) very quickly become annoyed at the lack of power. I ended up having to Turbo my Rx8 to stay happy with it.

 

How about you put the LS1 into the RX8

 

Addressed the issues with the engine SO FAR... we havent heard much back... so far so good, but we dont know that Mazda has fully addressed all of the issues with the engine. We all pray but simply dont know yet, time will tell...

 

Really? Here on RX8Club? Come on. The rotary engine is half the reason to buy this car.

 

^yeah i know the rotary is half the reason.... its the whole reason that i bought it for. ... i was just saying since this guy already has a camaro.......plus i was bored so i thought i would post something kinda out of this world... it has however been done before. there is a company that actually sells a kit for this swap.

 

^yea sounds like hes a v8 guy, I know he said all performance but just saying that based on his latest vehicles, and LS1 swap wouldnt be a bad idea for him, still get a very agile car with all of the perks of a modern interior.

The LS1 actually doesnt weigh that much more than the rotary anyways right just a few hundred

 

^yeah since its a small block...but yeah i was reffering to him being a V8 guy liike you said.

 

you really need to be okay with a huge loss of power compared to the two cars you're driving. The rx-8 is not a fast car. It isn't the same as a 600 sportbike. When you build the revs on a bike, they really move. The 8 just stops being slow at that point. It never really gets fast. That said, it is a fantastic car, but you can't really be a power junkie and be happy with it.

 

nonsense on many levels - how could you determine that '09's are better when they're still new, plus so few of 'em have been sold. Plus, to suggest that "most" have had trouble to the point that you wouldn't recommend it as a daily is without merit, especially to someone who would likely follow the proper maintenance requirements of the rotary. Don't you think that other 5 to 6 year old cars don't also have some issues outside of regular maintenance?

 

Mazda had to build a reman plant here in the US just to deal with the high number of rebuilds (initially people were getting new engines straight from Japan) and because at first they contracted out will catepillar (I think) and those rebuilds were ****. Have you read any of the polls here on engine replacements? Read any of the many posts here on the boards where people are waiting 4-6 weeks just for the dealer to get their engine in. Honestly how many 8 owners have you met with over 100k on a single engine? And regular maintenance will improve the longevity a bit but unfortunately the engine is doomed from a design standpoint and will eventually fail prematurely, just ask any re builder. We have four Mazda Dealers here in SA and a service guy I know said that they had done a few hundred already at his dealership (6 or 7 of the owners I know personally).

I am on my third engine. My first engine had documented 3k oil changes, my second engine had documented (had to prove to get second rebuild) and my third is all on me so we will see what running a SOHN and premixing from the get go does.


Also, I said, "they seem to have addressed" the issues with the 09+. Get your **** straight.


I have a thread tracking mileage from owners of 09'+ 8's. So yes, time will tell.

 

Time will tell how long the series 2 engines will last....

 

I do have an appetite for power but what I loved most about my 600 was the nimbleness and agility. It obviously is pretty fast still (10.9@127 stock) but nothing compared to my 1k which was pretty much a rocket on wheels. I enjoyed carving the twisties with the 600.

Perhaps to put things into perspective my other options are an 06+ 330i or an 11 mustang gt . Only considering the stang cuz I work for 4d and they finally put in sn engine I like.

I'm really looking for an rx8 for the refinement. From all the reviews it has a great chassis And it's light which almost always = great handling. I've seen ls1s inrx7 and 8s but I'm not looking to make this a project car. I just want something smooth that handles great that I can enjoy to and from work. I got the camaro to look better to suit my tastes but the car is still a dinosaur. I put onsportlines and cheaper out and put kybs on it. The ride is smooth and good on smooth pavement but rough on the bad. With sloppy 16s on snow tires it handles pretty bad and the ride is even worse. Now I feel like dropping coin on adjustables kybs and strano springs etc but this is a car that was designed in 1992. That is 18 years ago. It's also been driven in the winter and not as mint as I would have liked underneath. I don't feel like dropping more money in something that doesn't really have a great foundation if uou know what I mean. Roll up windows and ugly door handles and non power locks etc don't really help matters.

 

by by TQ

 

1,000 miles and no problems so far

 

I think you should drive one first unless you already have, the car feels really great - it handles like a really nice entry level track car. But yea, there's just not really any sports car type forward thrust - if you take it to 5k and punch it, the pull feels roughly equivalent maybe to a 200hp 6-cyl. I think you'll get bored unless you daily drive through a lot of very tight turns, or you add a turbo which transforms the car into a serious performer.

 

I dunno, I have seen (been in and driven) modded NA RX-8's that have hung with previous gen V8 Stangs from a 3rd gear pull. It's not all about HP. You just have to know how to wring out the 8. The most effective mod is the driver mod.