so ive been looking into getting an rx-8 a little bit lately. ive always been in love with the body style of the car ever since the first pictures were released over the internet waaaay back when. and i remember i could only dream of driving a car like that cuz im pretty sure i was only like 14. however, the more i look into it, i keep on second guessing about getting one. my biggest concern would have to be the engine. im just very iffy on how long it would last compared to a normal internal combustion engine. plus the gas mileage, from what ive so far learned about, kinda blows. the other thing im not too sure about how the car would get me through the winter. i have some friends that have is300s and honda s2000s and some of them cant even drive their car if the weather gets bad enough. would the rx-8 be the same way? sorry i kinda piled up all these questions into one thread but ive got a lot to ask. any help would be sweet

 

My car is kick ***! No probs with mine and I can't tell you how much I love it!!

You will need snow tires but other than that...you will be sorry if you don't get it...

 

IMO- the rx8 motor is a good running motor that should last 100k as long as you keep it maintenced. Remember you also will have to add oil to it every3-4 fill ups also. sometimes a little sooner sometimes longer. Now for winter driving i garage my rx8 only b/c i have other vehicles. but i have driven it in the snow with my g-force kdw2 tires which are strictly summer only driving, and it seemed to do ok so i figure with a pair of good snow tires it wouldnt do to horrible. but remember it is a lightweight rwd car. so you cant expect to much out of it in the winter. I love my rx8, ive had faster cars but none this fun to drive and w/ a few bolt ons and ecu flash it is a very differnt performance running car. then you can always go F/I later to really fix your need for speed addiction like me if you feel the NFS. So i say get the car you'll be happy as long as your not expecting to put a cai and exhaust on it and expect it to be the fastest car on your block.

 

oh p.s dont get an auto if you have any NFS. cause you will be very unhappy 6 spd only way to go. also my exp. w/ the single disk cd player is not good. most of them ive been in skip fairly easy so try to get a 6 disk one if you can. or just buy one later down the road like most of us.

hope this helps

 

okay just wanting to clear things up a bit.

*when you say every 3-4 fill ups about the oil, you mean every 3-4000 miles just like every car right?
*also wadya mean F/I when you say "then you can always go F/I"?
hmmm fun to drive eh? well my first choice was to get an evo ix but im really not too sure if ill make it financially. the one thing i always heard about evos was that theyre really fun to drive. is driving the rx-8 something like it as well?? yea i know its probably hard to answer that question but i was just wondering

 

Man, if you figure out how to get 3-4000 miles out of 3-4 fill ups, let us in on the secret!
But yes, you need to check your oil every couple/few fill ups.

and...this is by far the most fun car I've ever driven

 

also, isn't there already a Big Red username on the boards?

 

They tend to use a quart of oil every couple of thousand miles. After falling for the "Check every other fillup" mantra, I now check oil every month or so. Like with my other cars. I feel kind of silly carrying the recommended quart of oil in the trunk.

By FI he means forced injection: turbocharging. Check the tech and performance sections here for discussions of adding a turbo. Does not seem like something to undertake lightly. IMHO, if you're not happy with the 8's straight line performance, it makes more sense to just buy something with more power. I'm kind of impressed by the number of people not satisfied with 232 HP in a car of this size and weight.

For winter, you'll need four good snow tires. Check the tire and wheel forum for discussions of winter driving. I'm keeping my 8 off the road in the snow, at least until my Accord (currently worth more dead than alive) is finally used up. But all accounts are that the 8 is very good on snow with a set of Blizzaks or equivalent.

Have you test driven an 8 yet? You really need to.

Ken

 

My 8 does amazing in the winter so no worries if you have winter tires.

My oil metering pump barely uses any oil so I premix 2stroke oil every time I fill up. Gotta keep those apex seals happy.

Gas mileage is horrible and oil should be changed every 3,000miles. You can get the Sohn OMP adapter and switch to synthetic oil.

Good luck on your decision!

 

every 3-4 fillups ? .... and make that 200K

it seems that most people forgot about the non-turbo 7's motors ...

 

Well, I have driven both, and I can tell you they get the job done two different ways. The 8 works with physics to go fast ( kind of light, with a good center of gravity / weight distribution)

The Evo beats physics into submission. (more power, more grip, and a tight(er) suspension to control its extra heft)

 

sounds like you're way too worried about the 8. you should get something else.

 

Don't need to check the oil that often. I check mine around once every 12 fill-ups, which is around once every 3000 miles. If you drive hard, you will need to check oil maybe once every 1500 miles.

 

okay sooo ive been pretty convinced actually by all of this. so the one thing thats really been nagging me for quite some time is the gas mileage. is it really that bad??

 

the rx8 eh? LOVE IT! wouldn't say that i don't love the rotary...
got the 8 so i can someday ride around with my wifey and a kid...will come someday.
i came from being a honda fan. still am and still respect the vehicle,that said, nothing more.
but had and sold my miata...thought hard on a S2k, but wouldn't get it as its too impractical for the price if i got it brand new. wouldn't mind if picked up clean, used. but then again...how many parents buy their kids honda's outta high school and how many have oyou seen racing them??? my chances tell me they are slim.

so that was my choice for getting the eight. i had great fun when my college buddy took me for a ride in his 1st gen gsl-se. and the gxl was to come the very next week.

this rotary(rx-8) is more of a multi-purpose sports car.

enjoy!

 

Yes.

You could save a few bucks if you drive it like miss daisy but then whats the point!

 

Who cares about the gas mileage! It's a SPORTS CAR. If you're worried about MPG, go by a Civic or something

 

Or… just don't drive her aggressively all the time. When I drive it hard, 16 mpg; when I drive her easy, 18-21.

 

MPG = SmartForTwo

 

Depends on what you consider to be bad. Look at the EPA numbers for the car. They're a couple of mpg higher than real world, just like the EPA numbers for every car. RX-8 uses premium, not regular, gas. So whatever you're comparing the RX-8 to, just do the math.

Or read one of the thousands of mpg threads here.

Ken

 

Eats tons of gas. If it doesnt, ur driving too conservative, which defeats the purpose of driving a sports car.

Not very good in snow (is any RWD sports car?) but is fine with the cold temps.

Some 8's have lots of problems (engine/tranny), most dont.

It is one of a kind, gourgeous and a blast to drive.

Do a search, just keep in mind those who have probs post/bitch alot about them, those who have no probs dont post about it.

 

[QUOTE=nycgps;2251163]every 3-4 fillups ? .... and make that 200K

im not saying thats the exact rule to follow by. i check my oil bought every month. but until you know how much oil your car is going to use by your driving tensions you'll want to check it a lil more then a month b/c when i first got my 8 i drove the hell outa it and the third fill up it was almost empty. and safely a 100k. anycar can get 200k depending on how you treat it and maintance. im just speaking conservativley

 

oh and i keep a couple of quarts of oil in my trunk

 

R&T rates the 350z at 17 MPG and the Mustang is about the same.

Any sports car will get poor milage if you drive it hard.

The only thing to be wooried about in winter is if you drive on unplowed roads that are 2 feet deep. You have to use winter tires.

 

A quart of oil fits nice and snug with the strap for the tire repair kit....