Soapbox warning!

What things keep coming back to is the RX-8 is what it is, and it is not going to change. The gas mileage is low, the torque is low, the engine consumes a small but regular amount of oil, you can't start it and cut it off cold, it has performance "summer" tires, etc. No amount of talk can make these things "good" or make them go away. They are what they are because there are trade-offs behind every one. They don't need to be defended.

This is not a Miata a Mustang or any other car that most people can buy and just have fun driving and forget the car. The RX-8 will never be a generally big selling car, it's a niche marketplace. Not as extreme as the FD but still not a truly main stream vehicle.

People will buy the RX-8 if they value its virtues and can overlook its shortcomings. As we all know, the virtues are substantial. However, if you get to the point where you ask yourself "Is this really worth it?", then the answer is NO and you need to find another car. This is true whether you are looking to buy or already own.

 

I had all these concerns a year ago when I bought my 8, probably even at a higher level, since the '04's seemed to have a few more problems. After I shared my concerns with a dealer, he asked if me if I really wanted an 8, because it sounded like I didn't. I had been focusing on all the negatives. It caused me to wake up, and realize that I had overblown the negatives of the 8. Every car has its negatives, and these vary with the buyer. I decided that life was too short not to get the best-looking, best-handling, highest-redlining. most comfortable car I had ever driven despite the issue. I have never been happier, even with a consistent 17 mpg.

 

look into the mazdaspeed 6, sounds more along the lines of what you're looking for and would be a better match to teh subbie.

 

First thanks to those of you with information instead of mindless responses.

The RX-8 is my 1st choices for reasons stated many times over here. Great looks, nice build quality, handling, agility, 4 seats, etc... This is the car I would like to get but I have reservations.

I find the LGT faster, roomier and AWD but not as agile as the RX and no where near as good looking, I would even call the LGT bland. MPG for the city can also be pretty bad for the LGT.

The gas issue is a legitimate concern even if it has been beat to death. I hate when some members here goes defensive on the RX-8 and if I hear one more person respond to the MPG problem with (in a dumb voice) "it's a sports car, it's not suppose to get good gas mileage, go buy a econ box ha,ha,ha..." There are many sports cars out there that have high hp weigh more and get better MPG. There are also people who drive their RX-8 conservatively and still get 13mpg while others get 17mpg while hammering the car ....don’t you ever ask why????

What I was looking for is if someone from this list ever put together a survey so we could see what is the average MPG for the user base. We could then see how big this problem really is or if it is truly a problem at all.

Dose a survey exist here? Can we set one up here? If you don't have something constructive to add move on you wasting my and this lists time.

Reliability is the same thing I have read in some long term test of the RX-8 that it had become a rattle box, has anyone here with a high mileage car experienced this or was it a one off. Again, I would like to hear facts not opinions to this question preferably from, some one who has experience.

Same goes for the compression issue, we need to hear from people with high mileage cars and their experience.

Tires I should have left off this list. I've done the research here and feel this is the right move for me.

Flooding, again how big of a problem is it??? Dose anyone here have percentages of members who have experienced this problem? Do we know if it is more prevalent in early years then later? I believe it is. I once read that any flood rotary will start if you can spin the engine fast enough. Dose this selective recall of the higher torque starter provide a fast enough speed.

Common guys I'm looking for data and knowledge don't let me down with here. I need to here from those of you who know things as facts and don't go defensive on me, I love the car but I have concerns.

 

I'm very curious as to why a Mazdaspeed 6 hasn't been mentioned.

4 cyl turbo = good gas mileage
sporty
cheaper then the legacy
better looking (IMO)
seats 5
can be loaded with navi, leather etc
reliable
good build quality


Sounds like that would be the better buy for you. I think it would be silly of us to convince you to buy the rx8 when gas mileage and reliability is such a big thing to you. The gas mileage is horrid, and this is a new engine, no one can say for sure it will last a 100k plus, although there is a damn good chance that will be the case.

 

It is all about how you drive it. I would say that you have the best spectrum of variety with this car. You can drive conservatively, or push it past the standards of most other cars. It's great at the autocross too.

I am at 24k and took good care of my rotary, breaking it in and being gentle in the beginning. She gets better everyday and there are tons of ways to add mods without voiding the warranty.

This one is easy. I bought my car with 2k at Carmax. I bought the extended 6yr/90k warranty($20 extra bucks a month). I figured the new Mazda mechanics may not have worked on a rotary and the old mechanics had moved to the tuner shops. A warranty to 90k through Carmax means no sneaky stuff and any ASC certified tech can do your work. You can cancel the warranty and get your money back prorated. I used to work there, and it's a really good deal.

There is a larger starter they are installing now. This isnt a new issue with the rotary, it is all rotaries. Just warm up your engine, no biggie.

Not all service is bad. As long as your local Mazda tuner is ASC certified, they can do the warranty work if need be. You can go anywhere really....

 

Honestly, I’ve heard of it but I would love to get my hands on that 8 and prove it. Either these people don’t know the meaning of the word conservative or there are problem Renesis engines out there.

Again…yeah, I’ve heard of it but I would love for those people to prove it by allowing someone else to drive their car and see what they got.

One buddy of ours here, runs his 8 at 5K+ RPM's all the time...I still laugh at that considering he complained a bit about is fuel economy...lol.

Yes, go to the “polls” section…it’s a pretty good guide to the truth.

My RX8 only has 6.9K so I can’t say this is untrue, but I also have seen how some people drive and it’s like they aim to hit each and every pot hole or speed through speed bumps to later complain about rattles in the car.

Again…for me, it’s perfectly noiseless but I just don’t have enough miles on mine to confirm or deny.


There have been polls about flooding, go to the polls section and do a search. Heck, we did a “overblown issue” poll and flooding/oil consumption took the cake.

I understand your concern, it’s a lot of money and you don’t want to end up with trash but in the end of the day statistics wont guarantee your car wont be a lemon or that you will treat it like it should be treated, what in life is certain??? We take a chance with everything we do so research as much as possible, and then rest in the fact that you followed the right procedures or acted responsibly with your decision.

So…in the end of the day, regardless…you wont have to kick yourself for making a rash decision.

Everything is chance in this world but it does you no good to stress to much about it, trust me…I am….THE RESEARCH KING!

lol

 

Please don't buy an RX-8. Its not for you.

 

It just doesn't seem plausible that this guy has been reading posts on this forum for 2 years and didn't know the answers to some basic RX-8 questions.

Honestly though who compares an RX-8 to a Legacy? An Impreza I can understand or a G35 or a 350Z, but a Legacy?

Not the car for him/her.

 

go test drive the car....if you love it, buy it.....it seems to me that you are already trying to talk yourself out of the car.....i love mine, even though it only gets 17 mpg .....then again i am a pretty agressive driverthe most mileage i've seen on an 8 was 80,000 miles, and she's never had any problem out of her car...still loves it.. but if you have to talk yourself into a car....your not going to enjoy it or get the full experience from it

 

"9K Rever" sold his 8 and got the Legacy GT. He did it for the power. He lives in Japan now (had to sell the Legacy) but still follows the forum.

Actually now that I think of it, he would be a good one to PM on this issue.

 

350Z - 2 seats, I have kids - out
Impreza - Low rent, me no like - out
G35 - with a stick shift 6K more - out

If you know anything about the Legacy GT you would not be asking this question. I suggest you do a little research before commenting like this and remeber I'm looking for constructive comments from knowledge.

 

Some of you guys are being a bit harsh it seems. Granted I haven't owned my 8 for over a week, I can't give you direct advise about the issues at hand. I can, however, tell you I was just as you are, a bit scared. The reason people feel this, I believe, is that its different. A 1.3L getting 17mpg? A 9k revving engine? I agree though, if you had done accurate research you would learn many of your reasons are invalid. Flooding easily taken care of, sport tires, mpg discussed. If you're a bit worried about the recalls, just purcahse from a mazda dealer. They should have replaced any recalls on that car. A non-turbo'd rotary is reliable but if you're still a bit scared, spend the extra money and get an extended waranty (I have a 6yr/100kmi to last me through college)

I will admit, I was a bit scared. I researched more current topics on forums (if the date says 2003 or 2004 the topic is an older one with the first year RX8s) and decided it was up to one thing - seeing the build quality and making a test drive. Did both and I knew the car was for me. A week later a whitewater pearl sits in my driveway, begging to be driven!

You guys saying, "Don't buy an 8," or, "The 8 isn't for you..." need to realize to some people purchasing a new car is a large decision and all aspects need to be studied and observed.

 

It happens to be that I am the proud owner of both a RX8 and a brand new Legacy 2.5 that we bought a couple of months ago (although not the GT that you were thinking of), and had a Legacy Outback before.

With regards to the statistics/surveys, I am affraight I cannot help you, sorry.

I drove 25.000 miles with the Mazda and already over 10.000 miles with the new Subaru. Reason for buying the Legacy is the winters here in Sweden. Although I have proper winter tires for the Mazda, I think the Subaru is more practical here, just hit the gas as it is as stable as it can be (that one has iron dubbs in its winter tires, so maybe I should not compare them ...).

The Subaru is our "winter car", and feels very safe when drifting in the snow, just plain fun, no worries. The new Legacy was better than I expected, having owned the previous model for 5 years (never any problem at all). My girlfriend advices you to take the Legacy :-)

First winter I had just the Mazda, and that means to be very careful in winter conditions. What helps is the relative low torque with low RPM, makes it safe when you drive normal. Had some moments when stepping on it trying to overtake and not realizing how slippery it was, but never got into trouble thanks to the good TCS/ASR. It has been kickin' in a couple of times (scared the hell out of the first time).

Yesterday the conditions were good to take the Mazda out of the garage, and I felt how I missed driving that car, being maybe just a few weeks. The handling and overall feeling in this car I have never experienced before. She's staying, no matter what. Issues or not, I love that RX8. That car was made for carnuts like me, period.

Cheers, Erwin

 

Umm yeah,

More research other than my dad having worked for Subaru for 5 years and having had different Legacy's throughout that period.

You like the Legacy but not the Impreza.........ok time to move on from this thread. You seem to want a safe, high mileage car. The RX8 is a SPORTS car. The Legacy is NOT. Good luck with your choice and dont lie about being here for 2 years and still not knowing basic answers about the RX-8

 

Raptor,

I am in a similar boat. I almost got the GT in Sept 2004 but got a perf pack 330Ci instead. (Prev history 911 and A4). The GT is a very nice car for the money - as is the rx8 and all my other cars. The lease on my 330Ci just transferred and I'm close to getting an rx8 but it hasn't happened yet for pretty much the same reasons...

I think they're both great value for the money but in different ways. The GT is like a value S4 (with even better driving feel if I may say so). The rx8 is like nothing else - maybe a bit like a value boxster with space or like a value bmw with less space but more handling and few more issues...

I'm actually considering the M3 vs. the rx8. I know, I know it's a bit ridiculuous but I'm not really budget limited. I love bmws, their feel, the m3's straightline speed etc. However it is more than a little flashy for my urban area - and I've had crime problems before (with audi and bmw). It also feels like overkill, costs a lot more and likely will not autocross as well as the rx8. So currently things are tilted in the rx8 favor... HOWEVER, if I had ten years in mind (knowing how my gf's well kept 96 impreza wagon is going), I'd go with a subaru or a toyota. Not sure if the GT will have more problems than other subies. Not to knock on the rx8 people on the forum that I may or may not join, but it didn't strike me as a car for ten years from now perhaps I'm wrong....

Best of luck - drive both see if you fall in love... Also coming from an awd with a/s to my current bmw with summers and snow sets - I would echo the sentiment. Do not go for rwd unless you're ready to have a second set - I think it is highly worth it. I like going skiing and I like driving in all sorts of conditions. If you're really a one set of tires kind of guy with kids (I don't have any) and no autocross intentions you should probably go for the legacy gt.

Equ

 

Purchased a 2004 off the lot with 84 miles on the engine. I have owned the car for about 1.5 year and put 24K miles on it. I have had no major problems what so ever.

As for the Rattles I believe we just notice them more in the 8 because of how the rotary engine is so damn quite vs a louder conventional piston engine (just my opinion, im not trying to defend my 8). But yes I have a couple of MINOR rattles, nothing serious.

 

why is safe and high mileage mutually exclusive with a sports car? Isn't that what Mazda was trying to achieve with the RX-8? It was designed to be the no compromise car for people who have to compromise. Honestly, the people with the "it's sports car" line can be pretty obnoxious at times.

My thoughts: There is nothing like the RX-8 for the its price. Mazda just nailed it for people who want a sports car, the handling that goes with it, and its (dare I say it?) practicality. You might consider the STI or EVO...but the looks are subjectively worse and in real world situations...will cost more to purchase.

I do surburban driving. I avg around 18mpg. Highway cruises give me around 23-24mpg.

No cold start issues for me. Mazda's latest reflash, new battery (under warranty) new plugs, no problems. My car has never flooded. (BTW I'm an '04 with 11/03 build date..I think).

The latest "loss of compression" thread has me a little worried. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about see this thread: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/blown-motor-77861/

and this linked thread in the above thread: https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...lity+side+seal


Reading through that gave me some concerns as well. So far, only one car has shown this problem. I'm hoping it's an anomoly. I can't believe Mazda would release an engine without extensive testing. But those two thread, when read together, give me a little cause for concern. Hoping some the rotary gurus will shed more light on the issue.

I went so far as to consider alternatives if it turned out to be a problem. Verdict..for the price. No cars can compare. Drive the RX-8. You will understand. I looked briefly at the LGT. It may have straight line performance...but the handling is light years behind. I'd hate it. Sorry for the novel. Just my thoughts.

 

For some reason my posts have been ignored.

Have you checked out the mazdaspeed 6?

 

I have a friend who has 05 legacy gt. nice car. Also been in the RX-8, also a nice car. But I gotta say, I LUV the sound of the rotary, the smoothness of its handling. The legacy isn't all that bad either, but couldn't tell as that friend isn't a very smooth driver, scares me sh!tless all the time with his delayed braking habits. I really shouldn't be in the same car as him, one reason is that he crashed his 2.5 RS a little over a year ago on New years eve. It was a rainy day he was starting to slide and decided to down shift. And oh boy did he spin out. I only saw the car after it was towed to his apt. It looked like a meteorite hit it in the back right.

 

Recommended Reading: The Little Things thread. May help.

 

Most (I'm guessing) of us researched the car via this forum before buying as well. I certainly did, and had the same concerns as you.

In the end, there's no way to know for sure you won't encounter the problems you mention. When I was shopping nearly two years ago, the problems (especially flooding) seemed much more significant. But I weighed the odds, decided to go for it, and got a great car. Never flooded (plenty of opportunities though), 18-19mpg in mixed driving, and dead-reliable for 24K miles so far.

Yes, you might end up with 13mpg car that floods every time you move it and falls apart at 50k miles. But it's so incredibly unlikely... is it worth NOT having an RX-8 to avoid that very, very small risk? Only you can answer that.

The suburu is a very, very good car. Great bargain, very impressive.

But.

I can't imagine anyone falling in love with one in the same, disturbingly intimate way RX-8 owners do with their babies. You've read the forums. It's freaky. We LOVE these things. I'm about to leave work to drive home... and after 24k miles, I'm STILL smiling to myself right now in anticipation. It's That Good

 

Awww....17 mpg and a single thread is tormenting you. Poor guy.