Fick

I was going to sell my Miata and get a RX8; I had a first generation RX7 and loved it. My question was going to be will the rotary engines last longer than the originals? My 84 died at 160K without any warning. However I just signed on to the forum and saw that there may be major reliability problems with the 8 engines. I was planning on getting a car with about 70k and use it as my daily driver. My commute is 90 miles a day so I put about 30k a year on my daily drivers. I usually buy a relatively inexpensive car a drive it until it dies. I'm looking to spend about 10k on a car but expect to get at least 150k miles use from it. Are the RX8's a bad deal because of engine problems or are the problems not common? Can an inspection by a qualified mechanic spot potential engine problems? Thanks for any advise.

Rhawb

70k might be questionable, it really depends how it's been maintained - regular oil maintenance would be the biggest factor since the rotary consumes oil. Though, overall reliability is excellent now that they've foregone the turbo applications. It has its problems, but if its up to date with its recalls/TSBs and you've done a compression check, the Renesis is excellent. I have friends who are well north of 150,000 miles on their original motor.

Old Rotor

RX-8 have a 8yr 100K mile warranty on the engine.

ken-x8

I think it's kind of optimistic to buy any used car with 70K miles on it and expect it to last for another 150K.

I don't think the problems are as common as you'd think from reading this forum. But since the 8 and the Renesis came out only five or six years ago there just aren't enough years under its belt to say how long they'll really last. When I bought my 8 I did not have the "I'm being sensible" attitude I did 19 years earlier when I bought an Accord - which now has 208K on the clock.

That said, nothing ventured nothing gained. It's WAY more fun to drive than an Accord.

Ken

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

I don't think it would meet your expectations.

Fick

Thanks for the replies. I did read that the warranty was extended to 100k but because I'm limited by my budget I need to get a higher millage car and would exceed 100k within about a year. I don't expect an additional 150k from a car but something that would last about that long. So i guess if the recalls have been done and the compression is ok, the car may be a good choice.

rx8cited

Fick,
What kind of gas mileage are you expecting out of your new car?

greg985

If you put 90 miles per day on your car I would suggest you find a different car. You would have to fill up with gas AT LEAST every 3 days

Fick

I understand that the gas millage would not be great. I don't mind spending a little more for gas rather than driving a boring car. The Miata I have now is getting around 25mpg because I drive fairly fast with the top down; my Corvette gets a little better on the freeway but it's not a DD. The other car I'm considering is a 350z and they don't get great millage either. My biggest concern is that the car is reliable and relatively trouble free.

Razz1

yep, a 70k RX8 will not last another 150k

loco4rx8

Funny, I'm considering just the opposite. Sell the 8 and get a Miata. LOL

My 8 has 123,000 miles on it and it has been almost trouble-free. I drive 100 miles a day and fill up every third day. I've been getting a little over 22 mpg.

I think you'd really enjoy the car, but I can't speak to its reliability other than to say mine has been great. Be sure whatever one you buy has some way of tracking the maintenance that's been done. It would be great if they have saved the receipts or kept good records.

Mine's an '04, but I think most would tell you to focus on getting one from '06 or after. Good luck!

REsuperD

the rx-8 is like (and somewhat literally kinda is) a bit miata. those old n/a rx-7's last pretty long. i'd say 160k on your old one was pretty good. but sounds like you're getting it w/ the expectation of a relatively cheap daily driver? i dunno. you sound like you could be a mechanically inclined guy, and definitely a car guy, so it might be ok. point is, this is kind of a high maintenance car. but i guess no more than your 1st gen rx-7. for 10k you can get a pretty decent '04 w/ maybe 50k miles nowadays; rx-8's are bargains used...or don't hold their $ value well, depends on how you look at it. gas mileage below average, but if you commute long distances then that should probably mean freeways, and light-footed driving on the freeway actually can return decent mpg. good luck! i love miatas, tho. if you enjoy miata's handling, there's perhaps no other *big* and practical car that's more like a miata than the 8

Flashwing

I'm not sure about the ultimate value of the RX8 as a commuting vehicle only. Part of the perks of the RX8 is it's fun to drive in nearly every circumstance. I have over 80,000 miles on my RX8 and I'm the origional owner. I usually put about 20,000+ miles a year because of daily commuting and normally driving far to hang out with friends.

I believe the rotary has the capability to give you at least another 70,000 miles if you're simply using it as a daily driver. There's a lot of technology around today that will extend the life of the car that wasn't available with the 2004's and even early 2005's.

The uniqueness of the car does mean that it might require a bit more time under the hood than a normal car. If you're open to modifications then there's some cool stuff that also, in my humble opinion, will extend the life of the motor.

I'm biased in that i think nearly everyone should own this car as it's so much fun to drive. It would be much better than a boring econo car that's for sure.

PSTNLSS

iTrader: (3)

90 miles a day is probably somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 a tank of gas depending on how spirited you drive your car.


Considering you are on a limited budget, drive so much, and need a car to last a good 70k miles. As much as I'd hate to say it.

Look into getting a diesel car. My brother recently sold his Audi TT for a used VW TDI(he got married and had a baby).

I mean every car nowadays can have reliability problems in my opinion. But the sheer mileage you are looking to put on the car. It'll require a lotta oil. Probably 1-2 qts atleast a week.(Averages I see are about a quart every 2-3 fillups)


That's the thoughts going through my head.

I'm lucky if I put on 90 miles a week.

Hidef1080

I say because you already know how much gas it uses and are willing to pony up at the pumps - I say go for it.


How the car was maintained is the single most important factor in guessing how long it will last and it's still a crap shoot at that.
However a car that was taken care of will nine times out of ten last longer than a car that was abused and missed maintenance schedules.
And then most sports cars fall into either the well cared for or really abused camp. There seems to be little in between I find.



Having said that...
I had a Mazda 6i that I thought I would get more years and miles out of but I guess I was the one out of ten.


Find a good RX-8 and have not just any mechanic check it out but have a mechanic that really knows his or her stuff on rotary engines and go from there.


Cool?

BigMikeATL

It really sounds like you need something a little more practical as a daily driver. I don't know what your budget is like, but you may want to consider something that is less risky since you intend to drive a lot.

On the flip side, there are lots of great deals right now. You could look into an 8 with ~35k on the engine at a reasonable price.

Hidef1080

I don't know if you've seen this or if this answers your questions but check it now funk soul brother....
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/100-000-miles-175878/

Shijin-Kun

iTrader: (1)

I bought my rx8 at about 80k miles 2004 model. You cant really tell how the engine is by driving it unless you know what a renesis should sound and feel like. Little did i know that the engine had low compression and luckily Mazda covered it with the warranty and gave me a new one. One thing i do suggest for you to check is if there are any grinds in the tranny, synchros tend to go out with abusive drivers. Good luck with your buy and if you do get a 8 you will have fun.

delhi

It's not so much about the reliability of the rotary which to my experience has been very good. It's more about the specimen that you plan to get which has already 70k miles on it. To me, one just don't know what type of h70k miles history that rx-8 has received. It may be a 2 owner car. Original owner may have taken cared of it, but the subsequent may have not.
It's just "too old" for me to consider as a long-termer. But that's my perspective.

epikeddie

As a former Miata owner myself.....I'd say stay away from the RX8 if all you can afford is a very high mileage one. It is the "history" of the car that's really important. Was the proper maintenance done? Was the previous owner meticulous on warming the car up and taking precautions?

You know the Miatas are just one of those cars that can run without any issues until 200k miles with just basic maintenance like coils, plugs, oil change, seals, and etc.

The RX8 has a rotary engine and if you're at 70k miles, you'll be paying a huge premium on your services. Rotary shops are very rare (and I live in Socal...the mecca of rotary shops besides....maybe Arizona) and they charge a large amount for their time and labor.

I would wait a bit until you can save some more money to buy a cleaner, lower mileage example. Then you could REALLY enjoy the car.

loco-8

"A little more on gas mileage?" Seriously reconsider another car. The Rx8 gas guzzling is cute at first. But when the novelty wears away...ouch. And by ouch, I mean ou$$$$$CH!

Fick

Thanks foe all the advice, you guys are very helpful. There are a couple local 84's I'm going to check out but I'm inclined to wait a while and find a newer car with fewer miles.