I disagree, get a cool car this cheap, and even if you have to repair work, big deal. It is still cheaper than any of it's contenders.

 

WOW a good post from Ike!

I disagree about the reliabilty of the engine. I think it's very reliable if you don't have an AT.

 

^ he must have gotten laid

 

^ from a guy.

 

^ named taj

 

That's cute guys, it it already time for the monthly fanboi meeting?

 

This is true about any car. Thats why i recommend when buying used either buy the car with enough mileage left on the warranty to make that a non issue or buy a warranty. When i bought my 8 i get them to throw in a bumper to bumper warranty which included rims.

 

I don't understand why checking oil is considered as high maintenance. .
Any self-proclaimed car enthusiast should at least check engine oil every so often.... along with tire pressure (oh wait, there's TPMS now), and other car fluids. I perform this routine check-ups even with my Subaru and past cars. What is the big deal?
This is one of the reasons why car comapnies like BMW are now deleting the dipstick and instead have a computer to tell you when to change oil or when the oil is low.
So which is easier to check? The dipstick oil or the electronics that monitor the oil qty? And I wonder which will break first, the metal stick or the cpu sitting under the car engine.
Somedays I kinda wish my 8 would consume a little bit more oil as I have just cases and cases of castrol GTX accumulating in the garage.
The only -ve I would say is the gas consumption.

 

Well doesnt doing repair work offset the discounted price you buy when used? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

Im comparing new vs used here...either way it's still cheaper than its competitors. but seems like with this car you have to maintain it properly for it not to give you major headaches

 

I don't know if the OP will make it this far, but...I've got an early build date '04 that is supposed to be the most problematic, but I've had exactly ZERO mechanical problems with the car (44K mi.). While I do think that the engine (and ECU) are a little more finicky than some other cars, it is a very reliable car. Mine has been a daily driver since day one, and it handles this job brilliantly.

If you are afraid of checking and topping off oil, then you probably don't want any sports car. I'd go for a Camry or Accord. If you know how to use a dipstick and how to pour oil, and you don't mind experiencing 9000rpm everyday, then you should be fine with this car.

 

what car forums? Not rotary forums. Maybe Honda /Acura fourms?

I have driven rotary powered vehicles since 1982. I have only been stranded once and that was for what turned out to be a dirty battery terminal.

The rotary engine is one of the most reliable engines out there. It is not uncommon to see non turbo RX-7s get 200,000+ miles on a engine that has had regular oil changes. With the number of people here with 100K miles on their RX-8's I expect simular life.

Sure you will have a few with problems. About 12% of the 2004 models had their engine changed, but nothing like the 350z or the first 3 years of the Porsche Boxster (which had a Change Engine Light, not a Check Engine Light). Most of these issues have been resolved in the first year or two of production. New caritus is typical of any first year models.

I too am going to call Bull **** on this. There is actually less maintenance on a rotary engine than a Piston engine. There is no timing belt to change, there are no valves to check or adjust, spark plug life is about the same, and the Rotary engine does not use anymore oil than your typical mid-90s GM V8 (and the rotary engine injects oil into the combustion process as part of the way it runs, something that GM's V8 is not supposed to do).

And I never in 30 years of owning a rotary power car had to warm it up all the way before turning it off, but Mazda does recommend that your do.

So if you can't check the oil level at every fill up, or change spark plugs every 30K miles, then yeah... there is probably too much maintenance involved.

So your "good friend", must not be that good if he is lying about the real reason he got rid of the car (and it was probably because he couldn't afford it, as a new RX-8 Shinka is typically around $35K, while a FWD Honda Civic based RSX is considerably less) and lets face it, the RSX was a POS anyway, that Honda doesn't even make it for the Acura line anymore).

 

70k miles on my car in just over 4 years. Only maintenance it gets is the factory recommended, which is about the same as any other car. I do check my oil every month or so, but if you don't do that anyway, you're an idiot. Most of the stuff you hear about rotary engines not reliable is complete BS, and made up by people who have heard rumors of rumors of someone who's uncle's cousin with an 3rd gen RX-7 twin turbo in 1995 stranded him on the side of the road. Which automatically means rotary engines suck and the only cool car out there is a Civic.

It's my daily driver, and my main kid-hauler.

 

install the sohn adapter. No more oil checking since it doesn't burn oil. Of course, now you have to check whatever container you fill up with 2 stroke oil, but that's another story

I'm at 47,000 miles. With around 13,000 of them turbocharged. The car makes about 90 whp more than stock, daily driven, no issues besides the 3-4 upshift is starting to grind.. but that's unrelated to any of the complaints the OP had.

 

It seems to me that some people are buying RX-8's and are not patient enough to read the owner's manual or even watch the DVD that came with the car. (Mine had a DVD, anyone else's?, or do I just ROCK) And as far as reliability goes there are very easy but important things to keep in mind with this car. So here's why to buy one...
1. NOTHING on the road is as good looking. (that's not opinion, it's a fact I looked it up)
2. It's sooo much fun to drive.
3. Girls!
4. Women!
5. You'll have the only one in your part of town.

So there go buy one.

 

Where's swoope?

 

Is an oil change every 3 months or 3,000 miles more then normal maintenance? Other then that, the only real abnormal maintenance are how often spark plugs have to be replaced, but once you understand how a rotary engine works, you understand why spark plugs get fowled so quickly in a rotary. All other maintenance is what you should expect from a sports car. Most routine maintenance is not too complicated either, so you can do most of it yourself. I think you need to look at the posts from those owners who have more then 100,000 miles on their cars already.

 

Hm. thanks for all the good tips and smartass remarks. Seems like it's a car that will require some normal maintanance... Something that I'm not used to but willing to learn.

Good stuff. I'll probably be trolling around here trying to soak more knowledge up about the 8. Heavily leaning in towards the +'04 8 now, just need to finish this goddamn deployment... And hopefully by then, some press release will come out with the 1.6l rotary and make the resale value go down by then. Wishfull thinking.

Again, thanks peeps.

 

Lurking and browsing is really the best way to get straight info. After you've looked at enough posts you get a feel for the general spin, and can filter out the truth from the BS. Just remember that there is a percentage of people who think everything is crap...and also a percentage who think what they bought must be perfect.

Middle East? Come back safe. And thank you for your service.

Ken

 

yea, and that way you wont get flamed, and as ken said, good job, come home safe, i have three best friends getting shipped over there in 6 months

 

I wanted a new car simply because I didn't want someone else's assprint already formed in the seat, or the smell of cigarette smoke, cheese, or any other of hundreds of possible nagging little maintenance issues.

If saving a buck is your major concern, well I can't argue with your values. Not everyone is completely, utterly driven by saving a few thousand dollars.

Get it new if you can afford it, and know that it's never been anyone else's bitch.

 

i got it from a chick. who was reasonably attractive. that makes it her lesbian lover? thats hot.

not to mention i saved about 18 grand buying it used. thats hot x2.

 

I bought my car with 12k on the odometer. I love the performance of this car, I love the interior, and I love the looks of this car above all else.

However, it is a bit of a disappointment because even though I take perfect care of this car, it has let me down in the reliability department. I realize every make and model can have lemons but I really just don't think this car can take my driving style. I have had the engine replaced, The starter, fuel tank, heater, and a few other things all covered under warranty but still a real pain in the ***. Currently I have had a major failure in the electronics of the car that has yet to be fixed and the car is out of warranty.

Many of the guys locally have had at least one or two major issues with their cars but I think the heat of Texas and how hard your drive has a lot to do with it. I drive hard and I drive long distances daily so regardless of how often I change my oil and maintain the car I just don't think it fits my bill. This car is a great weekend car but I need something that can take the abuse of daily driving and still be reliable. I have never had a car with so many problems and at the same time it's the most fun car I have ever owned.

 

Hassle of regular maintance?
Hmm...I would have to say all you really need to check is your oil level every other fill-up. I wouldnt categorize this as a hassle as you should be checking your oil level on every car except the rx8 it's a bit more frequent.
I've had my car for about 3 months and not once did I experience flooding or other problems yet.

Now, I do miss the torque from my evo but other features of the car more than makes up for it though.
For example, a much nicer interrior, looks awesome, price is pretty good too.

You really need to buy this car for it's uniqueness.
If you want a cheap maintance car, get a honda or if you want pure performace an evo or an sti would be a respectable choice.
That's my humble opinion.