ok heres the deal im looking to buy a 04 rx8 did some research and found nothing but ppl talking trash about them, need to know what the real truth is, im a hond tech and have asked some mazda tech and they all agree that they would never buy one cuz of its constant maintance, im just looking for opinons, looking for more of a proformance car but daily driver, and one that will not give to many problems minor problems r ok i can deal with that, so who has some opinons that will help me out?

 

This is a tough question. What do you mean by too many problems?

Others will (hopefully)expand on this post, I hope, because I don't have time to post everything.

To start.....

Rotaries are designed to inject engine oil into the combustion chambers (rotors) to lubricate sealing surfaces. So, rotaries 'burn oil'.

A 'generic' rotary owner might not realise that short trips at low revolutions may not adequeately burn off this oil, causing seal failuers, poor compression and hard starting.

Solution: Drive it like you stole it (keep the revs up)often.


Another problem, in the '04's and '05's, overfilling the crankcase oil would cause iol in the intake tube - coating sensitive electronics, like the MAF and secondary valves. The later model cars have changed the PCV hose routing, the change is available for earlier cars as well.


These are ALL of the 'chronic problems'.


Everything else is, imho, just maintenance; or, fails at the same frequency as comparable cars .

 

I'd add coils to the list. they can literally last anywhere from 5k to 50k+, it's pretty random.

optional premix

yes, the car needs more attention than your average car, but it's not really all that bad IMO

 

ok well whats the average life of a rotary? my old honda had 256,000 miles and was still driving fine most is just maintenance im sure, like i said before not familiar with mazda or rotary

 

There is no maintence problems.

Check your oil more often thats it.

Those other items are one time fixes.

Buy a $5 filter and put it on the Oil fill tube.

Drive it like a sports car.

 

The new Audi TT with 2.0 FSI 200 HP is great. Just by changing software you get something like 235 HP. It's totally awesome and a blast to drive. It's got lots of equipment and a really great design. About 100 KG or so lighter than the Golf and Rx-8.

The VW Golf GTi is also very nice. Also 2.0T with 200 HP. Lots of comfort, great engine and good handling. Leaning a bit too much towards the practical and comforty but still great.

Toyota Celica T-Sport (called GT or something outside of Europe I think). 1.8 with 192 HP, weights about the same as the TT I think or even less. The Celica handles amazingly. The engine revs up to 8500 RPM or something and can be compared to the rotary and v-tec in joyment. If you want a not too pricey car, the Celica is a great choice.

If none of the above cars sound like something you'd want and you don't mind having your car in for service and checkups often (goes for the mechanically challenged onces), get the Rx-8. But get one that's still under warranty.

 

get the best of both worlds i got a 03 civic and a 04 mazda once u buy it u wont regret it

 

If your a mechanic then you may want to buy something a little less maintanance intensive since we all know mechanics are the worst owners in the same way that doctors are the worst patients.

What do you mean by this Razz? Do you have an example?

 

Reliability info is impossible to get in fora like this - everyone has opinions. Look at the reliability ratings in Consumer Reports for the closest thing to objective data. The RX-8 tends to score around average. In the latest issue, it's check-marked as recommended.

Maintenance is not such a big deal. It uses a quart of oil every couple of thousand miles, but I'm old enough to remember when that was considered to be exceptionally good.

I've got an '06 with about 24000 miles, not enough to judge reliability or longevity. But I'm still on original coils and plugs, it's running just as well as it ever did, and I've had zero problems. Sun visors are still as good as new, and I flip them up and down a lot.

Still, it's different, and I would not expect this to last as long as a Honda. (What car would?) The "don't turn it off cold" thing is not a big issue, but it does loom and has been a nuisance the once or twice a year I just need to move the car out of the driveway.

IMHO this is a car to buy because it specifically appeals to you, and not because you're generically looking for a sports coupe. But if it does appeal, then don't let the legends stop you.

Ken

 

constant maintenance?

 

Adding oil every few weeks is constant maintenance?

I honestly haven't found it too much different than conventional engines...just more important.

 

LOL 55K MILES.. only thing i had prob with was tranny.. but i learned to drive in the thing and im rough on it.. my friends are still surprised itss till running (and strong)
they are honduuuh gurus..
yea just upgrade the coils.
get the cobb (for reliability since mm tunes inject more oil) if your not loooking for much power thatll be it.. maybe some sways and a midpipe and your done =]

plus you get the 100k mile extended warranty i dont think anyone has mentioned that.

 

probably just means use a breather filter on the crankcase instead of routing back to intake.

 

You pay the price to own something that is unique, pretty simple. Just like any other sports car that is unique for different reasons you pay the price to own it. For instance tranny fluid runs $64/qt for the GTR and you need 9 or 10 qts to fill it down the road. A z32(my car) costs 2-3 times as much for basic repair parts and probably 3-4 times as much to pay someone to fix them if you go that route. You get a rotary unlike any other car with a rx7/8 and you have your costs down the road. Or you can go buy any other sports car that everyone owns and be like anyone else on your street. There are a few unique sports cars to own that are original/unique if your that kind of person then go for whatever fits you but realize they all rape you in the wallet while putting a smile on your face.

 

No offense but z32's suck. It's a bitch to change stuff in the freaking hood, surprised you could live with some disorganization like that.

To the OP, since this car hasn't been out that long, it's pretty hard to judge how reliable it is. But many people are over the 100k mark and some have reached 160k miles, which to me is pretty damn good. But remember, you just have to be on top of maintenance, it's not your average civic where you can change the oil every 20k... As long as you are on top of maintenance it will probably last as long as the old rx-7's (the non turbocharged versions) which have easily reached 300k miles. But just like any car, if you are on top of maintenance( especially this car and for other rotary cars) you are fine.

 

One very trustworthy member here has reported second-hand info from an internal Mazda source that about 25% of Renesis engines have failed and replaced. If this is true, there are obviously some problems. Some of the problems are probably related to people driving automatic transmission cars like a Prius. Some of the problems can probably be avoided with good maintenance, extra precautions like premix, sensible oil selection, etc. I personally feel that people who are attentive to the special needs of a rotary shouldn't have reliability problems. Mazda's reliability testing supposedly indicated average engine life at 200k miles. I think that's achievable, but with more TLC than what typical Honda owners might provide.

 

I heard that too about 25% engine failures. But don't forget, out of those 25% engine failures, probably 85% barely know what a rotary engine is, then they complain and whine on the internet how rotary engine sucks because of their ignorance and not reading the manual.

That's why many people keep saying rotary engines arent reliable at all due to their ignorance and the FD which sucked dick in terms of reliability.

 

Fun
Reliable
Cheap

Pick 2.

I really can't say I've had any engine problems with my 8. My coworker with a Cadillac CTS had less then a thousand miles on it before the fuel pump and injectors were replaced.

So it's more reliable then an American car.

 

Its sorta like a challenge for me, I love the body and the motor is bullet proof for mileage but its the small electrical things that annoy you. I am pretty familiar with every inch of it now and can diagnose almost every symptom.

 

My brother has a brand new s2000 and had #2 compression issues twice in one year. I on the other hand have a 06 RX-8 with no engine problems and it's modded.

 

the RX-8 is as reliable as you make it. if you lack in maintaining the car and are constantly beating the dick off of it, the car is going to wear faster and subsequently will break. if you drive the car and treat the car with respect it will be very reliable. it, like every other car on the road has its ups and downs but the quality of the 8 is excellent and the engineering, while often overlooked is marvelous. hands down the greatest car i've ever owned.

 

True — CR expects new RX-8's to have average or better reliability. But used 8's made their "Worst of the worst" chart; they suggest avoiding '04s and '05s. (I've had my '05 for over 3 years and have yet to have a problem.)

 

I'm a believer in murphy's law, and if I start braggin i'll be eating my words shortly, but here goes.....

I have had my car since 43 000kms or 28 000miles, all i have done to it is oil changes, plugs x2, coils x 1 and wires x 1, car now has 93 000kms, or about 60 000 miles

Has only flooded when I've taken it out ot storage after 2 or 3 months of sitting, and not very badly as I started it eventually with minimal smoke show.

Car is reliable, assuming you maintain it, you should be fine with an 04

I suppose to tip the scale a bit, I should add there are quite a few electrical quirks with this car, someone in mazda japan can't solder for sh*t


To date my car has ins and outs with:
Heat
Drive lights
Radio Display
Air Bag(light in dash illumintaes occasionally)
Power Steering

None of them are consistent problems aside from the heat, which I have to abuse to get to work as the solder is aparently bad on the potentiometer.

 

I will seriously not comment on this as I have an 04 and really don't want to make matter's bad on it right now.

 

I have an 04, and it is approaching 45K miles. I don't regard checking oil levels or changing oil at 3000 miles to be undue, unusual, or high levels of maintenance. I have taken this approach with every car I have owned, regardless of engine design or nation of origin. The additional issues I have had have been:

1. the OEM battery allegedly (according to the dealer) failed prematurely - I never had any trouble starting, so I frankly don't believe this to be true and this is another reason I do not go to this dealer any more.

2. the foot of the parking brake handle cracked (this was fixed under warranty for no charge)

3. the original coils failed just shy of 45,000 miles, throwing a CEL from the misfire. I replaced them with the BHR ignition coil kit

If I had a car with a four cylinder, I'd be 15,000 miles away from the cam belt needing to be replaced. In the RX-8, there's no such thing. If anything, because of the fewer number of parts, I've found the maintenance costs to be lower than ANY car I've ever owned.