I bought my RX-8 soon after they were released in the US, back in June of '04. I sold it a few days ago, and thought I'd offer a long-term view of how it held out over the two years I owned it.

- Reliability was fantastic throughout. There was not a single major problem with the car, except for some air conditioning woes, which turned out to be common on the early models. Never once had a problem with the engine or powertrain. I was very impressed with the build quality overall. I'll definitely be looking at Mazda's again in the future because of how well this car was built.

- Interior fitment and materials were superb. All the pieces are still aligned right, and only one rattle has developed. The plastic on the doors had a tendency to get easily scratched. A lot of boot scuffs built up over time, which was unfortunate. The shift ****, being triangularly shaped, wore down on the bottom corner where it rests in your palm. Very annoying, because all the pretty silver paint wore off and it looked bad.

- Power is a bit anemic, but not worringly so. You get used to the flat, steady build-up of speed. But it's certainly a pleasure to hop into something like a G35 and feel that "oomph" that the rotary lacks.

- Handling was great. Anyone on the fence about springing for the DSC system, I highly recommend it. It has popped in and saved me from a potentially hapless situation several times.

- Mazda really should offer leather seats by themselves. The sunroof wasn't appealing to me, so I had to do without. The cloth seats are nice, but the clunky manual controls feel out of place when everything else is so nicely designed.

- The engine and transmission feel excessively hot. Mazda should have done a better job insulating the cabin. Oftentimes, the cabin would warm up (especially the center console) to the point that I had to crank up the air a little bit. This was especially a problem in the summer, where I had to run AC even more, which contributed towards...

- My biggest complaint has to be the gas mileage. Frankly, it was abyssmal. I averaged around 17mpg most of the time. In the summer, when you have to run AC it was closer to 12. On a good day I could get a little about 20. Coupled with the requirement for premium gas, it was a huge problem. Admittedly, it's a sports car and it's not supposed to get mileage close to a Civic. When looking at other cars with similar price/features, I don't feel it's unfair to comment on the bad mileage.

- (edit: missed one) The upper gearing is a bit off. I wish what is now 6th was a bit taller, and 5th a bit shorter. I always skipped 5th, going straight from 4 to 6. It's mostly useless. And 6th is juuuust short enough that cruising on the freeway puts you about 3500rpm or more. I wish it were closer to 2k. That would help the gas mileage immensely, and be a little quieter.

In the end, I chose the RX-8 because of the sum of it's parts. The G35 was too numb and plodding. The 350z was far too stiff, and had that ridiculous strut bar in the back. A 3-Series was too cushy and sedate. An S2000 was simply too small. An Evo/WRX were noisy 4-bangers pushed to their limits. If either of those cars had offered something closer to the RX-8s utility or sportiness, I probably would have gone with one of them instead. But I guess that's the unique quality of the car. It fits in a well needed niche, and currently nothing really meets it in the areas that were most important to me.

8/10 in overall satisfaction, for me. A superbdly engineered and designed car, with no real equal. I had a lot of fun with it, and would recommend it to someone considering a larger GT-style sports car. The Mazda brand itself also highly impressed me throughout it's ownership.

 

Good write up... I would agree on all points, except I enjoyed the sunroof with the leather pwr seats.
So, what did you end up getting after trading in the 8?

 

nice writeup!

 

Nice write up. Agreed--mileage and power need to be improved a bit and then it would be unbeatable.

 

Great post, Jobu. I agree with everything you say, especially since I test-drove the 350Z, the G35, and the 3-series before buying my RX-8.

Why did you sell yours? And yes, enquiring minds want to know what you are buying to replace it.

 

Had to be a great experience... 3+ years went by like it was only 2.

 

I'm replacing it with a Honda Fit. The gas mileage coupled with my 60+ mile commute each day has become too much of a burden. I sold it with almost 60k miles. I looked at a Mazda3, but decided that with my goals for a replacement (saving money and mileage) it was a bit too expensive.

I'm gonna miss it... but I can hop in my wife's Z if I need a sport fix. And I'll definitely be looking back at Mazda as they release more cars. They've certainly been on a roll the last 8 years or so.

 

The Fit is a fun car according to all the reviews and owners. You made a great choice. If you want speed the Z is waiting.

 

awesome awesome write up.

 

you can still have a sporty car with good gas mileage, i got the 07 civic Si, and it is faster than a rx-8, doesnt handle as well as the rx-8 (but still handles great for a civic) and it is great on gas, i average about 30 mpg with mixed driving.
it's a fun car to drive and is still economical. that is why i got it and i am glad i did.

 

Very good post and right on the head. The only thing I would add is the hassle of dealing with Mazda's poor service.

 

Faster eh? You're well informed. But good point about the 8, is doesn't need to be that thirsty.

Jobu, nice review, but an 8 to a Fit? If you are gonna spend that much time in a car, I'd want it to be alot more fun than a Fit.

 

I dont think the styling of the Si appeals to many people though.

 

YOUR local mazda dealership service. Rosenthal Arlington Mazda has been very helpful (and mostly courteous) when i take my 8 in for services. Don't bunch all Mazda services as 'poor' just because your local dealership is giving you headaches

 

60K miles is quite a lot. I just got my RX8 10 days ago and I have 550 miles now. So far I love the car, but the gas mileage is pretty bad.

My previous car was a '92 Lexus SC400 and it got an average of 20 mpg. That's a 4.0 liter V8. My last tank on the RX8 got me 15 mpg. Yikes!

 

It will get better with a proper break-in. But if that is all city, then thats about what you might get with spirited driving. Think 16-17 in the city and 21-24 on the highway.

 

A Civic SI is about 6k more than a Fit. I agree, you can still have a sporty car with good gas mileage, but you can't also have one that is cheap. It's all about finding the right compromise of features and price, and the Fit won out. Too bad the Mazda2 isn't available stateside.

 

I drive aggressively and never drop below 20mpg (in city), would attribute it to maintenance and a good break in

 

good luck w/ the Fit, hope you enjoy it for what it is.

 

I only do this for the simple reason that Mazda corp. has allowed it to get to this point. A bad dealer or poor service only exists because the parent company allows it to. The fact that Mazda allows this service level to exist is the real issue here.

 

Not to highjack, but that Civic Si being faster comment is going to draw some flack, but yeah the Fit is a good choice. I like the Fit and would love to have one to complement the RX-8.

 

Hey Jobu did you every get my message? Anyway good post.

 

Come on Mazda--bring over the 2 so us Mazda owners don't have to leave the flock for a subcompact.

What color Fit? Hopefully not that orange.

 

Even considering Honda's quality and reliability, that Si has got to be one of the least attractive cars to come out recently, maybe since that Pontiac Aztec thing.

And, enough already about the damn mpg. Did none of you research the car before you bought it? Its a sports car, get over it.

 

VERY good point ZZH!