Since this is the last year for the RX-8, I'd like to give my own view and invite others to join in. Let's start with this: the current RX-8 is the definitive practical sports car and is probably the most practical sports car ever produced. Practical sports car was basically an oxymoron until the RX-8 showed up. It has a real back seat that adults could actually fit in without being a leg double amputees AND a trunk on top of that. Name one other true sports car where that can be said. I can't. A few grand tourers like the G or Genesis that come close, and even more sports sedans which have decent back seats, but no sports cars that I know of.

Now this practicality does not come free. The RX-8's engine makes this possible. It allows for weight distribution and handling that would normally only come in a mid-engine car. But the engine has its flaws, primary among them being low torque, limited hp and poor gas mileage.

The sad part is that almost no one saw this as trade offs. I can get better hp, but that car likely lacks the practicality to be your only car. That is not the case with the RX-8. That should count for a lot. The Cayman is considered a practical sports car (and it is compared to most sports cars). The space in the Cayman is a joke compared to the RX-8.

The hp is relatively low, but so is the car's weight. And honestly, the hallmark of sports cars is HANDLING not hp! Also, if you live in a major metro area like I do (DC), high hp is like being dressed up with no where to go unless you take your car to the track. There are just too many speed cameras (and cops) to go racing on public roads. This car is fun to drive at any speed. How many other cars can you say that about??????

Gas mileage sucks, but the RX-8 is a bargain basement sports car. The cost differential between the RX-8 and its next closest true competitor will pay for a lot of gas! The Cayman is relatively practical and a two year old Cayman will cost around $20,000 more than a brand new R3. But the Cayman will get close to 30 mpg for your 20 big ones. Personally, I always found the mpg criticism of the RX-8 to be a red herring.

The car could never escape a rep for questionable reliability. Long after any problems were fixed, the car continued to suffer in the public eye. Mazda never did a good job of addressing those issues of perception. That is a shame because the I have read hardly any problems with the Gen II RX-8. We all wanted more power with the second generation, but Mazda seems to have delivered reliability instead.

IOW, if you wanted a true practical sports car and can live with the hp, torque and gas mileage, there is no alternative to this car. You can't get better practicality or hp/torque/gas mileage without spending A LOT more money.

The RX-8 was TRULY unique with its engine, back seat and suicide doors. The car never tried to be all things to all people unlike most other cars on the market. This is a car that you either "got" or didn't. It had a real personality and individuality in a market where most cars just seem to get more and more similar. My guess is that the car will get far more respect after it is gone than when it was in production, which is a shame. Most of us are looking forward to the next iteration of the rotary, but with the sales failure of the RX-8, I doubt you will see anything strikingly as different as the RX-8 in the future. The car market lost one of the last truly different cars that was not an exotic (with an exotic price tag). RIP

 

That was a great summary for our car and you touched on a lot of things I think people forget: practicality, low purchase price offseting mpg costs, etc.

This isn't neccesarily true. I almost bought a 3 year old Cayman S for $33k. It was in great shape. The maintenance costs for a Cayman are insane though!

 

Amen. Well said.

 

I think the main thing people forget is that this car and what you get in terms of overall performance can be had for MUCH cheaper than anything similar. Sure, you will pay more in gas, but when your initial purchase price could be around 5k cheaper than...say a 370z similary equipped...you will still come out WAY ahead during the entire time you own the car. But I know the gas price thing is really psychological with most people so they will probably be willing to pay thousands more for a car that gets 7-8 more mpg even though the cost difference you would save for gas won't come anywhere near the extra initial price you are paying over the time you own the car.


In regards to the reliability..I have an '04 so I have had a crapload of problems that I think Mazda should be taking care of even after warranty (issues that are known and quite common) Namely, problems due to excessive carbon buildup on things like the intake, SSV and APV as you get to higher mileage. The amount of money they want to fix this stuff is insane considering how common of an issue it seems to be with these cars. I know they did extend the engine warranty as a good will gesture which was good, but I think this car got off to a bad start right away with the HP rating issue and never recovered from there. Even though this car is not a moneymaker for them, they should have advertised it a lot more. It could have at least gotten more people into Mazda showrooms.

 

It will live on in the minds of a few. The minority who were smart enough to mentally juggle more than 2 performance numbers at a time. To the rest, it was a fire-breathing dragon, too hot and too much for the market to handle. If Mazda wanted to ship units in volume, they would have built a pure crap car. Because that is what sells. Pure utter crap cars.

 

A minor point, the 8 actually IS a mid-engine car, which is why it handles like one. Great post though, I agree with just about all of it.

 

nice write up

 

I have to say even some of the maintenance issues are blown out of proportion. Now the cooling system may be a huge culprit in a lot of this. But things like coils. I am at the 65K mark on my coils. and they are running great. I have a couple of very serious track runs with the car. I live in Texas where heat is a huge issue. A lot of cars here are sold with different radiators than up north. But on that note, for a project car, the performance you get for the price is great. It makes for a fun car to learn and tinker on as well.

Never had an SSV, APV, MAF problem ever. But I have twice taken the throttle body apart to check the valves and idle port. All of which were in perfect condition. Never been flooded and ive tried. I do have a problem with the EGTs being a bit high though.

 

My perspective on the RX 8 is about the same as yours. The fact is that there is always another car out there with more power. Power doesn't really matter that much. What makes a sports car a sports car is the balance between handling, braking, and power. The under powered feelings are mostly wrapped around the fact that the chassis is capable of doing more than the power plant makes it do, and the smoothness of the power delivery makes one think that nothing much is actually happening. There is never the feeling of being on the razor's edge in the 8. Even at lightning fast speeds near the top of its power curve, the car feels a little light, but nicely planted. The brakes bleed off speed like a maniac. Yes, there are cars that are more powerful, can turn better, brake better, but none that put all three together as well at the sub $30K price point that I bought this thing at.

There is another thing that the RX 8 can do that many other more expensive cars can not do, and that is generate this story. A few years ago, I was sitting out front of a motel waiting to tag along for breakfast with a couple of people that I didn't know. They were friends of friends. The two people in question were David E Davis and Brock Yates, who were also staying in my motel. Davis walks out first, and I am just sitting in a chair reading a book, and I didn't feel like I should introduce myself, and he wasn't really there to see me anyway. I was just tagging along. He hangs about for a couple of minutes until Yates walks up. Many jolly hellos are exchanged between the two, then Yates says, "Dave, that is a cool ride that you have there," pointing at my 8. Davis says, "Not mine. I have that Lexus SUV over there, which is pretty dull but quiet. I thought that it was yours." Yates replies, "Not Mine. I have my truck." Davis then says, "Maybe it belongs to this guy?" I said yes, and they started peppering me with questions. How do I like it? Does it do everything that I wanted it to? And I start singing its praises. I expected it to handle great in the twisties, which it does, but it is also so smooth on the highway, and quieter than I ever thought it would be. I tell them that the build quality was better than I ever expected. I was like a proud papa, and they both were happy to hear a car guy going on about his ride. These guys have spent half their lives riding around in Ferraris and cars that I could never set foot in, but that isn't the thing. The thing is the passion that a car can deliver, and the RX 8 is a passion inspiring ride from its looks to its balanc to its idiosyncracy. There are few cars that are going to make you feel that at any price. It also hauls around my wife and baby really well.

I have always been passionate for this car since the time I pre-ordered it sight unseen. I made a bit of a jack *** of myself by having not one, but two letters to the editor published in Automobile magazine bitching them out for not listing the RX 8 in their annual new car section, which is supposed to list every new car. The first letter was the year they omitted it, and the second a year later reminding them that they had omitted it. Jean Jennings' response was more than a little irritated, but hey, IT'S A GREAT CAR AND THEY LEFT IT OUT!

As requiems go, this is probably mine. As the baby gets bigger, my wife and I need something bigger than an RX 8 and a Mini to haul us and the baby in. I bought the car as batchelor, and I am selling it as a husband and a father. I will miss it a lot. I would happily rebuild the engine, and fix the clutch bracket, and drive it forever, but I can't make it bigger. It is off to wagon land for me. I will cry passionate tears for a passion inducing car when it goes. I have taken lots of photos so I won't forget it. That's my requiem.

 

So sell the mini and keep the 8.

 

I love reading things like this. I don't have my 8 yet, but when I read things like this, I just know it's the right car for me.

 

MrThunderMaker:

You got one hell of a deal on your Cayman. I follow Cayman prices and a base '09 Cayman is usually listed at around $45,000 with low miles.

Marklar:

Perhaps I should have said that any other car with comparable handling would have the engine behind the front seats with all the compromises in interior space that entails.

On reliability, I really think the RX-8 was a victim of all the troubles the turbo RX-7 had as well as the problems with the first two years of its introduction: '04-'05. What amazes me is that most people, some 5-6 years after the problems were fixed, still think the car is unreliable! Even more amazing to me, is how many people will critisize the car when they have NEVER driven it! This car HAS to be driven in order to appreciate what it offers.

 

One other point gets glossed over in nearly all the reviews: the RX-8, particularly in R3 form, is a true sports car that could be your daily driver. The car gets compared to non-sports cars all the time because there simply are no comparable sports cars in its price range. IMHO, you have to look at a base Porsche Cayman to find another true sports car with anything approaching the practicality of the RX-8. If the RX-8 were compared against the Cayman instead of grand tourers like the Genesis Coupe, people might begin to understand that the RX-8 is and what it offers.

I will also add this: IF you have driven both cars, you probably know this is not a ridiculous comparison.

 

Most of the reviews that I read before buying mine made the point that it was a true sports car that could be a daily driver. That also seemed to be the spin in Mazda's advertising material, back when they advertised it. I was out to get a sports car, and I have not been disappointed.

I've been surprised by the number of threads here trying to compare it to cars like the G35 or various BMW sedans.

Ken

 

As soon as someone knows what the next thing is after the RX-8, let me know. If a Miata is a gateway drug, then the RX-8 is pure yayo. The only car I've owned the comes close was my 1991 M3, but that thing makes my RX-8 look like a 1994 Toyota Corolla in reliability.

 

I didn't buy it, I wish. It was an amazing deal to pass up on I know. Unfortunately the maintenance costs scared me away. Two grand for a brake job, YIKES!! Oh well, I easily passed a Cayman S at the track today He wasn't much of a driver but it still made me feel better about passing up on the Porsche.

Back on topic: I don't get why you guys consider the RX-8 a true sports car like the Porsche, but the Genesis and 370Z are Grand Tourers? Is it because of the light weight/handling? I've always thought a GT was supposed to be a sports cars with more practicality and a good car for road-trips. The 8 is a way better road-trip car than the Z and Genesis.

 

One lesson I have learned is NEVER buy at least the 1st model year of a new car...maybe 2nd also.