Hi everyone, newbie here. I'm a part of a G35 site (current owner) so I get how the forum works. I am looking at a NEW 2005 RX8 from a dealer in Jersey. The price is pretty ridiculous ($23,665) compared to the original sticker ($29155). I started looking through the forums here and see nothing but problems. So I gotta ask the question...is it even worth buying an RX, or am I better off with a MazdaSpeed6?

 

Considering most people here own an RX, I think the general recommendation is that we like them. Go drive an RX-8 and find out if you like one.

 

two words man...................... chevy aveo................................. i hear its the latest craze

 

OK, got it..it's an RX8 site. That's why I'm posting here. Maybe I should have started with a less philosophical questions like...

1) I am reading about alot of problems with the RX8's. Is it limited to the 04's or more?
2) Are the tranny issues primarily with the stick, or with the autos too?
3) The window shows higher hp on the 05 than the 06...why?
4) do you have to do strange reving things to keep them all from flooding?
5) Bad gas mileage from all?
6) Are they quoting a good price?

 

Take care of the car and it will be just fine. Besides, Mazda is usually pretty good about warranty work should a problem arise.

 

No, not an aveo... Aveos suck. I think he wants a Kia Rio.

In all seriousness though, just go drive one. I didn't know I wanted one for sure until my second drive, and now I'm going to make the plunge for an 06 shinka hopefully before the end of june.

Its not about any one thing, its about the whole experience that an 8 can give you, which is why all these people are here.

 

1)You're reading a lot of problems because people don't start threads saying "Everything is okay, nothing to see here"
2)auto as far as I know, but even still, it's very limited. You wouldn't get auto anyway, so don't worry.
3)A new method SAE method for measuring hp was adopted. Same power, measured different.
4)No. Flooding is overblown, but when it does happen, it's usually the result of a cold engine shut off.
5)I guess. It's a sports car dude.
6)I'd say so.

 

Uh, don't expect a sports car to be problem-free. Yes, it is worth having an 8, especially if it's $23k with options.

 

 

Thanks for the human response. I am an administrator on another car forum site, so I do get what goes on as far as the I love my perfect car posts.
However, I am not used to seeing 5 pages related to each problem. I am also not used to seeing so many saying the same things about how the dealer wasn't so good at standing behind the problems. With the tranny thing, I actually was quoted the price I listed on the auto. It's a 4 spd auto with the paddle shift. I drive a sports car now and get 27 to 28 mpg on the highway, so how bad is bad?

 

Drive both. See if the 6 tickles you as vividly as the 8 will. Drive the miata, too. Chances are you'll find the 6 a distant third, if you go by feel instead of numbers.

Between the Miata and the 8, feelwise, they are so close, and so far... but both will make you grin this goofy, permanant grin..

If you want a jet-powered dogfighter (oh, like a Sabre or a Falcon), the 8 is it. If you want a prop-powered aerobatic terror (Extra 300 anyone?), the Miata is it.

The 8 is really like a jet in terms of smooth and sounds, with all sorts of glorious subtle gearbox whines, and engine whistles, crossed with a chirruping idle and a tenor midrange and mezzo-soprano redline. There's no way to describe it, really.. you need to drive it. I swear I can feel the teeth in the rotor's gear ring against the eccentric shaft.. like a fine watch, man.

What you feel through the steeringwheel and shifter is unlike any other motor at any pricepoint.

The HP thing is because for 06, the law says they must be honest.. a ton of carmakers saw their HP numbers go down. 232 is about right, I think. Horsepower means little to me anyway

But you know.. if you just feel the car, instead of thinking with numbers.. the Rx-8 is an incredible car, rivaling the finest euro cars.. in terms of feel, and handling. Acceleration is civilized, yet quick enough to dispatch most situations with nary an effort... but not ballistic.

The way it changes directions, tho IS very ballistic. And that's the hoot of this car, that's why it's so much fun.. it is a BIG go-kart with a jet-like engine and hi-fi, and AC, and leather.. and *drool* x.x

Like a jet, they're thirsty and hate idling.. burn lotsa gas that way. They're happiest when they're belting out a tune like Sinatra. I get about 17.5 combined. I do have a very heavy right foot. I like to hear her singing. This is normal for rotaries. The price to pay for a 230 hp 9000 rpm race-proven motor that feels like a turbojet and makes all these sounds that you'll find in no other car.. unless it came from mazda and has a motor that goes round and round.

Nearly forgot: They've sold over 144,000 of these, and less than 1% of those are here in this forum. Of those 1%, the ones with problems will tend to be the most vocal, the ones with zero issues may never even post. There's been some failures of different things here and there -- it happens to all of 'em, including the Prancing Horse, the big H, the other H, GM, Ford... it happens to all.

I fully expect this car to be the most reliable Rx made (discounting future models, of course). I had an '84 Rx-7.. drove it like I stole it, and put 70,000 miles in 3 years on a car that allready had 70,000 miles on it when I bought it. Always reliable. It was falling apart mind you, but it was reliable.. never stranded me.

The Miata I bought was 10 years younger than that Rx. I lost her after 160,000 miles on it. Heart of a lion, that one. I even overheated it once *really* bad, so bad she was pinging at idle... nothing happened. That happened at 70,000. I drove her for another 90,000 miles with my foot in the floor the whole time just about, and.. nothing happened. In contrast to the 1984 Rx-7, tho, the rubber didn't rot, it remainded pretty much as tight as the day she was built right to the bitter end. The car easily could've done another 10 years of hard use!

Mazda can make some eye-poppingly durable cars. But you need to maintain them, and the 8 needs a little closer attention than others, but not as much as an old Italian 12-banger, or even a 1979 Rx-7. Give it a once-over for coolant, brake and radiator fluids, and check the oil every week, *religiously* -- they burn a little by design. Mine does about a quart every 4000-5000 miles. That is much less than what the old ones did..

 

This forums is similar to most I've seen, more bad than good. Its human nature; if somebody is peeved, they tend to tell everybody. But surfing forums to make up your mind is poor market research. Especially here, where I've never seen a forum with so many post ****** who are non-owners bashing the 8. The 8 has gotten rave reviews from the auto media, you probably won't find many, if any, professional reviews bashing the 8. This is probably why many other car enthusiasts like picking on the 8.

Of course I'm biased, but I'm challenged to think of a more practical and better all-round sportscar at any price...never mind at 23 thou. As for reliability, its been only a year for me but no problems...I knew about the 20MPG going in, nothing is perfect!

 

OK, you have to work for Mazda...or youare an author, or a poet or something. I am a car nut. Have been since I was old enought to reach the pedals. I have never heard a car described like that.

Jeez, I think I just...uh...well,

bought one?

 

Well put!

 

Damn that gave me a tear in my eye.

 

Yup, and this one has my foot in its floor jsut about the whole time too..

No poet, no writer, just a computer hacker.

Okkay.. that whole page I wrote, boiled down to a sticky note.. the Rx-8 is...

Electryfying.

 

I don't know what intrigues me more...the car, or your description about it.

 

i have an 04 with 22k miles and it runs fine with no problems. even gets 21 mpg.

 

The Mazdaspeed 6 is having more issues than the RX-8 is right now. There are also many better choices for a sedan besides the MS6 IMO, Jetta GLI, Audi A4, Legacy GT just to name a few.

If the prospect of getting less than 20mpg in mixed driving and sometimes not even cracking 20 with mostly highway driving doesn't sit well with you don't buy an RX-8. 7-8k off of MSRP for an '05 is pretty standard right now. Lastly, as long as you don't shut the car off without warming it up fully flooding shouldn't be an issue.

 

there are ups and downs to all cars...here are the downs. if ur ok with the bad news, even after u drive it, then get one.


1-dont use anything less than 91 octane and dont complain about premium octane's price or when u get 15mpg, u rev ur g35 to 9k and see what mileage u get...o wait, it wouldnt even see it.

2-burns oil, if u didnt kno this before u buy one, u shoudlnt own one.

3- no torque, no power either, if ur first question for the salesman is a zero to 60 time, get an evo. if ur first question is its skidpad g's, buy it. (last i heard its a .90g)

4- warm it up b4 shuttin it off. if u dont kno WHY u should do this, u dont kno enuff about rotary engines

5- theres a reason its 7k off sticker. lets see the discounts for STi's or evo's....o wait there arent any


after all this, i still love it, if u drive one and still love it like all of us anyway, go for it. i wish i got mine for 23k. pardon my jealousy

 

1.) Yet the the G35 still has a wider powerband so I don't really see the point in the high revs.

2.) It doesn't burn oil, it uses oil as lubricant.

3.) Kind of a funny comparo considering the Evo turns better than the RX-8 as well.

4.) english > you

5.) What's your point? It's also not tough to get a deal on an STI or Evo, they're just not losing their *** on them like they are the RX-8.

 

missinmahseven's post is pretty much dead-on.

take an 8 out for a test drive and the car with its jet-like features will pretty much sell itself.

 

Actually it doesn't.

 

You drove one?

 

I've not driven an Evo yet, but I'd seriously doubt that, just on physics alone. Maybe more skidpad G, but not the low yaw inertia. We got the motor behind the front axle and the gastank ahead of the rear axle.. think mid-engine car. Go-kart.

Hitoi.





Descended into trolldom. So I'll slap back: None of the cars your yapping about feel like Rx-8 does. Not a *one*. Faster, hell yeah. More outright grip? Sointainly! But not a *one* feels like these little jets do.

The only better car I could think of for me, is a 12-banger front-motor ferrari. I personally wouldn't waste my time with much else. Maybe an E-Type or really old-school 911.

Go troll somewhere else, Ike. You're boring me. We don't give a flying fsck there are faster grippier cars, allright? Get it? We don't care.

Your idea of a car is a very crude contraption. Fast, but crude. Some of us like something a little more aircraft-like, y'know? More bike-like, if you'd prefer.