Hey guys,
I just bought a 2004 titanium metallic rx-8 last thursday (has grand touring, appearance, and rotary accent packages w/ navigation and only 9,500 mi) and had a couple of questions. The day after I bought it my friend told me he read around and found out that a lot of rx-8's die at 50k miles. Just wondering id anyone had any thoughts on that. I did buy the extended warranty so do you think I'll be ok? And my other question is I didnt drive it on sat or sun and tried to start it today and it wouldn't start. I've searched some of the posts and saw that you have to put the key in the ignition turn it to start and leave it there for 2-3 3 then try to start it and when it does start leave it running for about 5 minutes to avoid flooding. I think thats what happened to mine, but its at the dealership right now and they're gonna take a look at it tomorrow. But are there any other things I should now about starting it or turning it off? and if it would ever flood is there anything I can do to fix it w/o calling roadside assistance? Thanks a lot.

 

well congrats on buying an 8. Thats definitely not true about it dying at 50K, its a great car it should last you a while, if you take care of it. If the car didn't start most likely it flooded due to the fact that you probably shut the car off when the engine was still cold. You should read the manual to know some stuff about the car. If it did flood, in the manual there's somethind called the De-Choking Procedure. It shows you how to start your car again. Good Luck

 

yea I think it did flood, no one at the dealer told me about it and I never thought about researching that before I got it. I actually was just going to test drive one on tues and I saw this one that got traded in on the night before and it had everything and I got it for 23.2k so I couldn't pass it up. But now I know and hopefully won't have to worry with it happening again. Oh its an AT too.

 

Check your oil level everytime you fill up at the gas station, add oil if it gets low. Now that you know about flooding, have fun with the car and rev it. Rotories are meant to be revved and it's actually healthy for them if you rev them.

 

Congrat on the new ride. Now since it an A/T don't be afraid to learn how to use the paddle shifters. Also after the car has been warmed up 10-15 min. run the car out to 6k at least once per trip.
just like Sephiroth said, rotaries like to be spun...

 

Huh? Never heard that. Ask your friend to quote the source. Sounds like jealousy to me.

 

Congrats! General list of what you need to know:
https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...8&postcount=20

 

Welcome, and good luck with the flooding issue. First you'll learn, and it looks like you have ;-), the rotary is finicky. Treat it well and you'll enjoy innumerable years of driving pleasure!

 

titanium - congrats on your purchase. As for your non-starting problem, I guess it could be a flooding situation, but I'm skeptical. I've had my VR since April, and have have started it for very short periods of time (30 sec or less) a number of times, even in recent Wisconsin cold weather, and have never had a flooding problem. Maybe I'm just blessed - or having the latest flash from the dealer really helps this old problem. I especially doubt the flooding scenario since you said you started the car 3 days after you last turned it off. Any excess fuel should have drained out in that amount of time. Also, as for the "check your oil with every stop at the gas station" - I find that to be another "old wives tale". I only need a quart about every 2500 to 3000 mi. - YMMV. After the first 5000 mi you should have a pretty good idea of how much your 8 burns.

In short, don't pay too much attention to the negative comments about your new baby. Pay close attention to her for the next few thousand miles and you should know about her eccentricities, if any, and adjust your care appropriately.

Zoom, Zoom!

 

dying at 50k? never heard of that, tho it can happen
the only i know for sure that dies at 50k is your regular warranty

 

AAAHHHH I just got it back today, the dealer called me earlier this morning and said that it was flooded and I could come get it anytime today. So I went over around 1pm and went in got my key and before i left i thought i should look around make sure everything was ok. my back bumper and front bumper BOTH got scratched, so I went in and got the guy and he said that it def looked like it happened when they got it off the flat bed. well i called roadside assistance and they said theyd get back to me in 7 days, then 15 min later the tow company showed up at my house to look at it. they say there is no way they did that and that it wasnt their fault. I hope i can get this fixed, has this happened to anyone else? My friend thinks I should trade it in and get a new eclipse gt because theres been some bad omens (scratch and flooding) but I really like it, would anyone trade their 8 in for an eclipse?

 

I heard the new eclipse is a piece of crap. Apparently the handling is terrible, its like driving a boat. Go test drive it though and if you like it more than your 8, get it. But you just lost a whole lot of cash for a week old car .

 

hey ya the dealer should have told u about it.... oh its an A/T, well i would have gotten manual, but hey its ur car, and it still an 8 so it makes no difference to me.... some reminders just check ur engine oil after every 3 visits to the pump, and transmission oil sometimes to make sure it doesnt smell burnt... and about the Eclipse HELL NO! nothin against mitsubishi, but the 8 is one of a kind! i havent driven any other car that handles the way the 8 does! have fun with it!

 

I did test drive the eclipse (4cy and 6 cy) but the gs didnt really have a lot of power and it was heavy, and the gt had a good bit of power but the weight was really bad 3500+ lbs. plus i think the 8 looks a lot better and i've already had 3 people tell me how sweet looking of a car it is

 

Get used to that. You will get compliments on a weekly basis. Especially with a Titanium Gray since it is well known to be the best color and the fastest.

 

the guy at the dealership is being really cool about he's really helping me out. roadside assistance said i still have to wait the 7-10 days until i hear back from them to do anything. but there are rust stains from the chain on the back right under the rotor symbol whwere its messed up and the front scratches are at an angle so it was when it was coming off the truck because i was out with the guy when he picked it up and i had to give him extra boards so it wouldnt scratch. but he gave it to someone else to take to the dealershipso im betting he didnt use the extra boards. from the way the guy at the dealership is talking it is definitly going to be taken care of at the tow companys expense because it is evident it was because of them. lucky me i took pics of the car last fri, the day after i got it.I mean the back isnt that bad but still i just got it last week and it wasnt like that, and i didnt do it myself so i think they should fix it. its too nice of a car to just let it go.

 

Congrats on your new 8!!!! Luck to you I think you will enjoy owning it very much.

 

Congrats buddy!! Dive into this web forum. You will learn everything there is to know about your new 8 on this site. Mostly great people with tons of great info.

Have fun....don't drive too fast!!

- Irish

 

haha yea, i drove it last night on the highway and definitly didnt know i was going 85 mph. thanks for all the help guys. one quick question tho should i get fender strakes first or tint the windows? and for the strakes are the ones from mazda the best way to go?

 

Mind if I ask what you paid for the used 04 GT with the appearance and rotary accent package and Nav, just curious I am in the market for a used Rx8 and wanted to know what one with those options went for.

Thanks and congrats on the new purchase, Shane

 

its a 2004 w/ gt, app and rotary pkg, and nav with 9k miles. blue book was 28.5k and they offered to sell it for 25 because it was close to christmas and they had a brand new one with nothing on it i was looking at for 25,717. but when i went in to get it my dad went with me and talked em down 2k so i got it for 23 but after taxes and all those fees plus extended warranty i got it 26k

 

Just as a point of reference, in April I got my 04 VR MT GT (see signature for other extras) with 600 mi (sold as a new car) MSRP of $32,089 for 23.3K before tax, title, etc.

Zoom, Zoom!

 

Not the best price, but dont regret now just enjoy your ride.