My wife as found a 2005 RX8 with 15,000 miles on it, she really loves the car but there are a few concerns. I know nothing about the rotary engine and hope someone can halp clear up a few things. First I was told that the plugs need to be changed after 37,000 miles and this was a $400 cost. Is this required every 37,000 miles or just the first 37,000 miles, and is this something you can do you self? Also I was told the nav. system has a disk for each region. How much area does a region cover, will I have to buy a disck for each region if I travel accross the US, If so where do I get these and what is the cost? Also what kind of life can you expect from this engine. The dealer said aroun 125 to 150k, that doesn't seem like much with cars going over 200k these days. Any advice are help would br greatly appreciated.

 

Ameno,

Basically the RX8 is a very unique car (because of the rotary). Therefore, you need to think of it as a "toy". You need to pay extra attention to maintanance, checking oil levels, coolant, etc more often. also, at 15k miles on it, you kind of don't know how the previous owner treated the car (especially during the break in period)....
These rotary engines could last you quite a lot (150k - 200k miles) but it all depends on how you treat it....
May I ask how much are they asking for the car??? One thing that you need to know is that you'll spend quite a bit of money owning this car (maintanance, etc) due to the uniqueness of it. But if you are willing to do it, you'll find that it is very rewarding and probably worth every penny once you drive it and see what the car can doo when you break loose on the road..!!! I love mine, and I think there is no other car out there that compares to it (besides the 7s)....

 

I will tell you what many others on here will about dealers. They know exactly...NOTHING. There has been no long term tests to that extent, but chit chat says that with proper maintenance that the engine could see 300K. I'll let everyone else take over from here.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the info. I haven't drivin it yet But I have seen it is really a neat looking car and my wife fell in love with it when she drove it. I will get my chance to try it out tonight. They let us have it for a few days just to try out. I guess the part of spending quit a bit of money and higher maintence is what has keep us from making a final decision. I really don't need a high maintaince car, I have way to many toys already, But then again once I drive it I will probably decide, What's it gona hurt to have just one more toy, especially one that makes the wife happy. Puch96 this car has every option I think there is and there asking 23k. I think it's a good deal it's just a matter of not knowing anything about this type car, and there's a lot of things that are different then your average sports car. And more money to spend on maintence. So anyway thanks for the help.

 

Search around these forums there is a wealth of knowledge.

They aren't any harder to maintain then a normal car, just check the oil more often.

 

when i went to my dealer they qouted my 200 to replace my plugs. i will do it myself though. i have nav as well and on 1 disc you can select different regions. you don't need to buy different discs. also check the for sale section, you will find great prices for cars as long as your willing to drive some. you also can pay almost no taxes when buying from another person. if you bought from a dealer it will cost around 1200 for the tax. as a matter of fact i'm selling my car right now.

 

As far as maintenance goes... A properly maintained RX-8 doesn't cost much if any more to maintain than any other car, properly maintained.

Of course there is a lot of maintenance in the above sentance.

 

Plugs can be had for $20 a piece from Sparkplugs.com so you're looking at $80 for new plugs and yes they only last 35k on the RX-8. It is a little work to put them in but not that bad.

The engine should last a long time if it is maintained. Oil is the key here and after reading a lot about the oil I plan to put Royal Purple or AMSoil in after breaking in the engine at 5K. With that I expect 200K plus.

$23K sounds high, I paid $26.5K out the door all costs included for a brand new 05 Grand Touring that would be around $24K base. The car was discounted at the time but you still may be able to find one in your area on the web or call a few dealers.

 

i just bought mine today with 2004, 14000 miles full mazdaspeed bodykit and spoiler, boss 317 18 by 8, bull red/black leather interior, for 17500

 

[QUOTE=Ameno]My wife as found

Whats a wife????

 

Once you get past the engine, there's NOTHING different than your average, modern sports car. Except for oil and plugs, mainenance is the same as a comparable piston engine. The warranty is even a little bit longer. Our secretary drove her RX-7 for 225,000 miles until it was totaled in an accident.

 

If it's in your financial grasp, get the 2006 RX8....Don't settle for less just do it.

 

Well I would suggest staying away from a 05 with 15k miles for $23,000 when you can find one brand new. Check mazdausa.com for inventory in your area. I just purchased on Monday, a new 05 with touring package for $23,100.

 

It should come with one DVD that covers all of the US. Some people claim there outdated, I dont think it could be that outdated but clearly streets are added every year. The running price on a new disk is about $250.

 

As long as you are religious about fluid changes and spark plugs, there is nothing else above and beyond a piston engine that is different maintence wise.

 

^ in fact, there's less. No valve adjustments, timing belt replacement, etc. Spark plugs are $80 and an hour of your time.

 

Very true, if you just keep up maintenance the Rotaries are very durable. There is some star series racing division / league that uses only rotary engines because they can get a whole season out of one engine with out a tear down. Piston engines raced over the same time period need several teardowns and rebuilds. When the three rotary Mazda won the 24 hours of Lemans a teardown of the engine after the race showed little wear and that the tear down was unwarranted. Piston engines after the same race needed a complete rebuild.

As long as every thing runs right a rotary will last.

 

Just got back on line since I last posted, Thanks for all the good advice, The dealer let my wife drive the car for a few days until I got home to check it out, by the time I got there it was too late, she was hooked. I think for the car it wasn't that bad of a price, the price to the original owner was still in the glove box at $33.700. it's loaded, 18" rims, bridgestone tires, nav. system, leather seats,everything we would want except a rear spoiler, which we will be getting soon. It took some getting used too, with the wide tires and just not used to a sports car, but the more I drove it the more I liked it. going somewhere isn't a boring trip anymore, it's fun. And from what I've seen it doesn't look like that big of a deal to change plugs. I do want to look at buying a serv. manual for the car.

 

You might not have gotten it for the best price possible, but what you paid is certainly a reasonable price. They're a lot of car for the money, even at full price. I hope your wife gets a lot of enjoyment out of it.