hey everyone, i just registered tonight, although i been looking all over the forums for a day or two and learned a lot, but still havnt found solid answers to some questions ive had in the back of my mind. im not an 8 owner, not yet anyways. im 20 and looking to buy a new (and first) car, and have been comparing the 07-08 hyundai tiburon [gt/ gt ltd], 05-08 'stang[v6], and of course, the rx8 . i really love the 8 as far as ive seen and heard, and you guys have basicly sold me on the car by just reading these posts, but there are really bout 3 things thats concerning me bout it that i dont find much of a prob in the others.

the first two are relativly mild and of no major consequence really. i dont mind the oil check up/adds regularly [takes only like what, 30 seconds to check, fill if needed, and 30 to close the hood? ] and the low mpg/buying the 91 octance kinda sucks with gas prices yeah, but i dont drive that much anyways, so i assume it wouldnt hit me too hard [plus i fill up an expedition regurlarly anyways lol slurp slurp ]. and the 16mpg is only 1 less then the other cars i would be buying.

one things thats been pickling me though is the flooding thing. i heard its caused from really short drives while the engine is still warming up and turing off the car when its not ready, but i make somewhat small trips frequently [to the local starbucks (like <1/4-1/3mile away? and my friends house (prob bout <1/4mile)] a lot and was wondering if this would flood my engine still [even with the stronger batt. starter i read somewhere]? would i have to let it warm up like my bro's old school throwback el camino?

and lastly [sorry, i know its a long post ] im thinking of buying a used 04-05 rx8 from a local dealer, but im no mechanic by any means, and dont know what to be checking when i buy a used, especially with a rotary. does anyone have any suggestions [exact details would be awesome] i should be checking at the dealer to make sure the used 8 is really all in good working order and in best condition possible? and would anyone mind listing the upgrades or parts i should be replacing in an 04-05 to prevent any problems they've had in the past [flooding?] and to make it as current as possible? [no mods please as of yet, im not knowledgeable/hardcore enough yet ]

uhmm, i think i got all my ??'s, and SORRY for the long post! ive been thinking bout this a lot and asking people i know, but they cant help, so i decided to ask the guys who know what they are talking bout, thanks for any/all suggestions!!!

 

The flooding issue is related to starting a cold engine and then shutting it down before it's had time to warm up and burn off the extra fuel used to fire it up. If you're doing short trips when the engine is warm, it's not an issue - but if you start it cold, you really need to let the engine reach operating temperature, which only takes a few minutes of idling or, preferably, driving it around the block a few times.

As for the used vehicle - I would check the VIN number at a Mazda dealer to see if it has had the recalls and technical service bulletins performed to fix a lot of the early teething issues that the RX-8 had. The recalls, if not done, would still be covered, but without a warranty the TSB's will likely not be and you'd have to pay for some of them out of pocket (assuming they concerned you). In particular for the flooding issue was an upgrade to the starter motor, spark plugs, and the battery.

 

Like Wargoose already said, flooding is really only an issue if the engine was completely cold and you only had it on for a minute or less. In freezing weather I've only waited until the temp needle just gets into the gauge area, and have had zero problems.

 

Adding to the flooding, you hear it happening when people take their car out of the garage to wash it or to move garage bays. Something like that when you move the car a few feet, never really rev the engine at all, and the gas still sits without being burned. What I do, is start the car, let the needle wiggle and little and settle down to the 1.5-1k area, then never rev the needle over 4-4.5 until the temp gauge starts to come close to the middle. Before you know it, you are a half mile down the road ready to drive it...

Just make sure all recalls/TSB's have been done/updated and tell them you want to take the car to your own mechanic (someone you trust) to look it over for the obvious stuff.

 

^ what they said. the short trips you describe should be enough that flooding won't be an issue.

the TSBs and Recalls are all listed here: finishlineperformance.com - just click on the link on the bottom left under "service bulletins"

it wouldn't hurt to get the dealer to do a compression test. and if you're really good get them to do the carbon cleaning procedure described in the latest 'lack of power' TSB at the top of the list.

04 was the introductory year, thus had more . . . bugs . . . to work out.

 

thanks guys for the info much apreciated

oh, and how reliable is the 8 compared to the others i mentioned above?

 

believe it or not the easiest way to prevent flooding is to simply rev the car and then turn the key off.

At the dealer i work at we all do it to prevent the engines from flooding when we just hop in, park in our bay and then turn it off.

One of the rx8 guides even says to rev it to 3k rpms before turning it off, most of us rev it up higher and then turn the key off, it ensures all fuel is burnt and any left over will be pushed out as the rpms drop.

kevin.

 

How exactly did you narrow it down to those three cars if you don't mind me asking? Seams like a strange mix.

 

well, ive always been a mustang fan for the stang, i like the looks of the 07-08 exterior/interior of the tiburon and i also drove my friends tiburon, it was good fun, i enjoyed it, and the rx8 cause i love the looks and the handling is nice, plus it being the only rotary car lineup out there, its unique. pretty simple reasons nothing too fancy really

 

starbucks, friends <1/4 mile away??????

make your own damn coffee or walk!!

 

Buy the Access Port from MM and no flooding.

Or buy the Mazsport ignition.

The falshes have fixed most of the flooding issues.

 

haha, icarus. i measured it today, they are both actually roughly about 3/4 and 1/2 mile away

 

It takes my car about one to two miles to warm up nicely when I leave for work early in the morning and it is 40 degrees outside. However, If I just want to drive downtown and it is cold, it is still not warm and can be a pain the in a@# to wait for it, but I think the car is worth the effort.

I looked at the Mustang and if you want something unique and less common, get the RX-8, otherwise I think the Mustang would a good and reliable and simple car to own.

My advice for test driving a used car, and especially a used sports car, drive it hard so you can know better if something is wrong and maybe test drive a few so you know how the car should behave.

Best luck

 

do not get a v6 mustang. I had a gt and i only had for a 1 year and 1/2 before i sold it for a 05 rx8 i love it way better then the mustang
My mustang was faster but rx8 is so much more fun to drive

 

meh.. turn it on 5 min before you leave and you'll conquer that 1/2 mile no problem lol

 

It will get stollen out of his driveway then

 

i live in a pretty nice neighborhood, but if it does get stolen, well.....then......

oh, btw i live in south cali [O.C.], so it never gets below like 50-40 lol

 

I am not laughing

jk

 

but i do have to deal with lots of city traffic

 

There are a lot of other nice cars out there (WRX, GTI, Mazdaspeed3, etc.), just thought it was strange that you landed on those three.

Oh, and you might as well kick over a few $$$ more and go for a Mustang GT. The V6 models are complete dogs.

 

im an odd kinda guy

 

16mpg?
Last fill up averaged I'd say 13.
Thats with basic city driving and occasional sprints to 9k to help rid buildup.
To answer some questions..

-Plan ahead a couple extra minutes each day, warm it up a little, once it drops to 1-1.5k range your good to go, if its not properly warmed up when you reach your destination do a quick rev to 3.5k range before shutting her down.. anymore and you could be doing damage. Get all your flashes done.

Short and simple.

 

Lol, mine was 16 last time, and that was with a lot of 9k's and some very spirited driving. I don't know how people think that's bad...then again, they must come from better cars than my previous ones.

 

fair enough

 

lol, well 16 mpg isnt too bad for a car like this with its performance so high, i hope [not an owner yet so have no fill up experiances]. like i said, right now i am driving a ford expedition [which i beleive to have like 13-15mpg?] so it slurps slurps gass too. so going from an expo -> rx8 mpg wise shouldnt be a big diff, would you concur?