First off, hello as this is my first post here.

Second, I've been throwing the idea out there of getting a used RX8. Used as in under 50k miles and manual.

I've been looking at M3's, but in order for me to get into a well taken care of M3 that wasnt beat to high hell, it would be about twice as much as the RX8. I know the performance of the two is different, so we can leave that out of the discussion.

Now for the questions...

-are the rotary engines reliable past 50k? I know nothing about the rotary engines reliablity other than its design.
-are there any parts of the car that fail? For example, with the M3, the subframe cracks and that's about a $2k repair.
-anyone have any regrets for buying theirs? Possibly because of lack of refinement? (I know its not a BMW)

That's basically it I guess. Nothing too difficult.

Other cars I was considering was a new Mazdaspeed3, but don't want payments. I could just buy it outright, but would like to keep the cash.

RX8's in the Chicagoland area are dirt cheap. Never knew they depreciate so fast. I can just buy one of those outright and still have cash left over.

Thanks for the input. Ill start reading more now, as before I just lurked around!

Thanks, Greg

 

everyones gonna tell you to SEARCH, but since im being generous ill give a heads up....people on here are getting over 100k on thier engines without a single rebuild...but just like any other sports car you NEED to take car if it!...ive owned 2 8s in the past 2 years and i simply love the car no regrets here...

 

Thanks. Been looking through pages and read the FAQ's, so that's taken care of.

Keep 'em comin.

 

ws6? this guys just came from a ws6 too....https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/dsc-tcs-151801/

 

Yup...

www.fquick.com/scrmnws6

Was looking at G35's, A4's, Z06's, but am basically sold on the M3's. Now the idea of something cheaper came to mind, so the RX8 fit the bill. Probably a better purchase as well.

 

First off, have you even taken one for a test drive?

 

wow thats like a myspace for cars....

 

hey if your near chicago... i live in rockford.. there is an 05 shinka for sale at anderson mazda in rockford. i new the old owner, he never beat on it.. it has like30k on it and its a MT.. very nice car. i can try to get you a good deal on it if you would like.. let me know (i dont work there but i know people who do)

 

1. Do the maintaines and it will be fine
2. Havent heard of any "standard" fault
3.None! I was choosing between 350Z,Z4 Coupé 3.0si and RX-8. I felt that the Z4 was lacking refinement compared to the RX-8. Just look at BMW hilerious M steering wheel fore example..

 

Give me the guys name, your name, and Ill get in touch with them.

If you'd want, I can PM you my info or you PM me his info. I have all weekend to make a decision, and hoping to buy within the next 2 weeks.

 

BTW- what's a Shinka?

Also, why am I reading so much about engine rebuilds? I know it's all detrimental to your driving habits and maintenance intervals, but still seems excessive.

 

shinkas are like "special edition" versions...nothing different about the motor though

 

because people will never talk about good stuff.

go to any car forum and search for "engine problems/blown engine" u will see a lot of results.

 

most engine failure occur with the 2004 ATs. yes it can happen to other years and MT. you just have to always check the oil keep it well maintain, i know for a fact that the 05 shinka i told you about is near perect shape.

 

Used cars, low mileage, well maintained, peace of mind.

 

Why is the fuel economy not that good on the RX8's? Its 16/22 for the manual? The BMW M3 of the same model year with a higher hp engine with more displacement gets the same with better performance.

What's holding back the fuel economy of the rotary?

I get 14/19 in my GMC Sierra with a 5.3L v8 and thats my actual mpg.

Audi A4 1.8T gets 19/28.

Im perplexed.

 

yeah don't plan on more that 15 or so in heavy city traffic but 24 is the best I got on the highway....a redline a day keeps the carbon away is the quote all of us 8 (especially the MT owners) live by it will help your engine stay happy....I have no regrets at all!! I was either a 350Z or an RX8 1 i didn't fit in the Z very well and for the price difference a 4 seater with about the same power for much less and i fit better was worth it and i have never looked back once...now when i drive z's it's just like wow i'm glad i didn't buy this hunk of junk..

 

scrmnws6, Rotary burn gas and oil by design...thats the price you pay for its excellent mass savings and perfect balance...

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/rx8-you-either-get-you-dont-150526/

 

If ur worried about gas mileage this car is def not for you. If ur lucky you will get what ur GMC gets, and thats if you drive like a grandma.

RX-8 in a nutshell...
Cons: Shitty gas mileage, low torque, slowest car in its class (in straight line acceleration)
Pros: Great handling/steering response, superb balance, great braking, precise gearbox, track ready suspension, gorgeous styling and smooth powerband all the way through 9K redline

Coming from the ws6 it will likely feel very slow to you. You will have to seriously change ur driving style (feathered launches, high rpm rev range, rev match downshifts, ect.) to fully extract the potential the 8 has.

 

lol yeah the 8 does beat you up on gas, but you will enjoy every minute of it, I don't care what anyone says, there are FEW cars that I would trade my 8 for, and most of them are in the 100k price range, or at least 60k

 

Mostly the laws of physics and thermodynamics keep fuel efficiency down. Combustion chamber is not only changing size, but moving around in a circle. Then theres the fact that every rotation of the crank shaft has a power stroke instead of every other like a piston engine. etc etc. Go look up rotarygods posts on things like volumetric efficiency if you really want to geek out on the subject.

You should expect mileage similar to your Sierra. Yes, it's worth it.

Clutch brackets seem to be a problem on high mileage cars. So are ignition coils.

 

This isn't really a reason for poor fuel economy. Actually, since the Renesis is a two rotor, there's two power strokes for each rotation of the crank. But a 4-cylinder engine also has two power strokes for each rotation of the crank, a 6-cylinder has 3, and an 8-cylinder has 4 power strokes for each rotation of the crank and can still get better fuel economy than a rotary. Sorry to get off topic but I'm tired of seeing this repeated. All of your other reasons are perfectly valid, of course.

 

You get what you pay for.

Yes.

Would you question how much Joey Chestnut eats?

Cool. You're not neurotic about mileage.

Yeah...but to do that you need to drive an Audi.

Take an RX-8 out for a test drive. All will become clear.

Ken

 

Great answers guys! Thanks for not beating up on the newb! LOL.

 

Hi, i just came from a 2002 trans am ws6- the ls1 version. The rx8 is by no means a fast car. It handles excellent, id say better then the trans am. Thats not to say that you couldn't make the trans am handle better then the rx8, or make the rx8 faster then the trans am if you have the money. I will say that the rx8 is a excellent car and tons of fun to drive. I just got mine a week ago, expect to use a quart of oil every 3k miles or so. Thats what i read. Also prepare to change spark plugs and coils more often the piston engines. The interior in the RX8 i think is excellent. Atleast compared to a GM or FORD in the same year range. I don't see how you can compare a M3 to a RX8. I picked up my rx8 with 12k miles for 15k and its a 2004, and yes i car faxed and its a clean title. A M3 in my area is no cheaper in 30k with 50k miles or less. The m3 will be faster, and i cant say much for quality, but i'm sure if you have to repair the m3 it will cost more or equal to a rx8. If you have the money for a newer M3 its a better car. With that being said the RX8 is still a "Great" car i love it.