OK, so I have been trying to do some research on the RX-8 because I am more than likely going to get one. My first car was an 82 Rx-7, and I absolutely loved it, so fate requires I get the 8. But anyway, here are the issues I have come up with so far, if anyone can add issues I missed or comment on them I would be appreciative.

1 Oil pan problems on early releases
--from what I see this has been fixed with later releases

2 Tires for dry roads only, I live in Mid-Ohio, I will have to buy 'snow' tires
--It seems almost everyone agrees that the tires are not for driving on wet/icy roads.

3 Poor gas mileage
--A problem, but it is a sports car, not an econobox. I can live with low gas mielage.

4 Flooding problem --mostly on automatics
-- Seems as though the L-reflash fixes this, and even without that the majority of people never flood.

5 Door/speaker vibrations
--I have not done enough research on this problem, I am not even sure it is a problem, just saw it mentioned a few times. If anyone can clue me in here that would rock!

6 Needs new hotter spark plugs
--At this point I should be able to get the dealer to install these before I buy. Do you all agree?

7 Burns oil, you need to add more often than other cars (not a problem, it is designed to do this, but worth considering when purchasing)
--As with gas mileage something to be aware of when I buy.

8 Does not need premuim fuel?
--Dealer/Mazda info says use high octane only, but from what I see a lot of people are using 87 octane. Is this true? Has it been confirmed that this is OK to do? Maybe I will use 89 and split the difference.

9 Sunroof control problems
--I have seen a few people have sunroof problems. I must say that I don't totally understand what is happening here, but it seems to be a minor problem.

10 2005 model is coming out in Septemberish
--From what I read the 2005 model is not going to have any major changes. So getting the 2004 now seems to be OK.

OK, that is all I got so far. Anyone have any other things I should be worried about?

 

I'm in the same boat as you. Probably going to buy my 8 within the next two weeks. I've been trolling these boards for months and have the exact same concerns as you.

 

I am actually going to go test drive one today. The roads are a little wet today, so I should be able to see first hand how the tires do on the wet roads. Hopefully the dealer is not too aggressive. I am not going to buy today, but I am sure the dealer will want me to.

 

I think you have got most things that may be potential hicups in mind and have realistic expectations which is good for your long term enjoyment of the car.

Never heard about any sunroof problems(?) though. I think 6 is for people who drive their 8s very conservatively and therefore never 'clean' their plugs by spinning 9k (or 7k 4 auto) regularly, whoever that might be

Enjoy!

 

The time has come, and I am now ready to lease my next car. I have narrowed down my choices to the RX-8 and the Acura TL. I know that they are completely different cars, but I love them both. We'll see who steps up to the plate price-wise and gets my $$$. Wish me luck.

 

Hey Tmagers,
I am in the same boat as you and most of the other people in this thread. I am really leaning towards buying an RX-8 but have the same concerns. I'm going to test drive one this Thursday and see how it goes.

My choices are between this and the bmw 330xi but so many people have beamers now and the RX-8 is just really cool looking to me. Unlike any other cars that are out there right now. It's a tough choice.

 

I went and test drove the 8 again last weekend. The salesman wasn't pushy about buying it that day at all. When I drove it he was egging me on to really punch it. I got onto the freeway and hit it, after a few seconds I looked and saw I was going 103. Unbelievably smooth and quick.

Damn I can't wait to own this car

 

I certainly hope my salesperson is like yours. I am afraid they will be pushy. The ones on the lots here don't seem to be moving too well. This should bode well for me when it comes to negotiating though...

 

(1 Oil pan problems on early releases)
A - Mine was in the 1st pre-order group, and have not had the oil light come on, or the oil pan replaced.

(2 Tires for dry roads only, I live in Mid-Ohio, I will have to buy 'snow' tires)
A - Dry & wet roads are OK. When the temp drops below 40 deg F, the stock tires lose their grip.

(3 Poor gas mileage)
A - I average between 21 - 22 mpg. Budgeted based upon getting 20 mpg. 85% Highway.

(4 Flooding problem --mostly on automatics)
A - I have 6 speed. No issues here to report.

(5 Door/speaker vibrations)
A - No issues with mine

(6 Needs new hotter spark plugs)
A - Again, no issues for me here, as I have stock plugs.

(7 Burns oil, you need to add more often than other cars (not a problem, it is designed to do this, but worth considering when purchasing))
A - I've had used cars use much more oil than my RX-8. I am changing my oil every 2,500 miles, and might add 1/2 quart in-between oil changes.

(8 Does not need premuim fuel?)
A -1st 35 fill-ups I used 91 to 93 octane. Last several tanks I have changed to 87, and have not noticed any change in performance or mileage.

(9 Sunroof control problems)
A - I have sunroof - no issues here

(10 2005 model is coming out in Septemberish
--From what I read the 2005 model is not going to have any major changes. So getting the 2004 now seems to be OK.)

A - agreed

(OK, that is all I got so far. Anyone have any other things I should be worried about?)

A - Consider insurance cost as well. Compare this to your other choices. For me, the RX-8 was much less than insuring an S2000, G35 Coupe, EVO or WRX.

 

When I took a test drive the salesman didn't even come with me. He just asked me how long I planned to drive the RX-8 and I told him 15 min. He took my info down and handed me the keys and told me to have fun. I should have told him 30 min @_@.

 

OK, I just bought 2-3 weeks ago, so here are my responses:


-- 1 Oil pan problems on early releases

No problem on mine. ~800 miles so far. I believe they've fixed this and a few other items in recent builds of the car (location of vent pickup etc).


--2 Tires for dry roads only, I live in Mid-Ohio, I will have to buy 'snow' tires

Wet isn't all that bad (just don't be stupid). Snow would be horrible, must get snow tiers.


-- 3 Poor gas mileage

Yes. I am in the 15-17 category, but I only have ~800 miles. Not many fuel ups past break-in. I drive it pretty hard once warmed up.


-- 4 Flooding problem --mostly on automatics

No issues for me (manual). Have the L flash, done the start it up turn it off thing a few times (even had a stall once or twice ... doh). No flooding for me so far.

-- 5 Door/speaker vibrations

None.

-- 6 Needs new hotter spark plugs

Don't have em. No problems so far. If you can get them great I guess.

--7 Burns oil, you need to add more often than other cars (not a problem, it is designed to do this, but worth considering when purchasing)

Burned a little oil over break-in, but it isn't that much. I have some backup oil in the trunk I have yet to use.

-- 8 Does not need premuim fuel?

Its "recommended" (says it on fuel door). I run with 91, so I can't comment on that too much. But I do have friend who runs 89 with no seen problems.

-- 9 Sunroof control problems

Only problem here is that its rained a lot lately, so I couldn't have it open as much as the first week. Its real fast to open and close.

-- 10 2005 model is coming out in Septemberish

Doubt they will have many changes. They usually don't do that so they can recoup the cost of the inital rollout. That and they don't want ppl waiting for the next model in the first year.

--OK, that is all I got so far. Anyone have any other things I should be worried about?

Worry about what color paint and leather you want That and what kind of radar detector to buy (Solo S2 aint bad) !

Insurance. Mine went up a wopping 15 dollars a month from an old beat up Mazda 626. Thats less than a fillup a month.

Most of the problems were pretty daunting to me. But I've been pleasantly suprised so far (knock on dashboard). Gas mileage is the only real downer for me, but I knew that going in ... that and the 6-CD changer doesn't play mp3s as well (boo-hoo, I know ).

Go test drive the car, and run it pretty hard. Do the same for the WRX etc. See which one you like more. I think we know the answer to which one I picked ...

Maybe I should start a thread about new owners' experiences in a week or so, since I have a mid model year car...

 

OK so I took my test drive yesterday and I liked the car. The dealer went with me though so I couldn't really wind it out too much, but I was able to take it on some nice curvy wet roads. The tires stuck fine even though it was wet. Snow would be another story, but wet is fine. The car ran great and was really smooth. It looks like I will be purchasing mine mid april when I get my bonus check from work to add to my down payment.

Now all I have to do is decide on a color system. My first pick is sunlight silver with black leather....I am starting to like the blue and green ones too. I don't really dig the red leather, but it is OK. My main decision is outside color....Hmm, Silver, Blue, or Green. I'll let y'all know what I decide.

 

Since you don't dig the red leather, I will ALLOW you to get Silver (so we have different cars) Its all about my needs on this forum.

You can always try other dealers to wind it with .... the salesmen was with me when I gunned it. He had a smile on his face (cause he prolly knew I wanted to buy it then).

Best of luck to you on the purchase. Start from invoice + a few hundred. Tell em youll buy it today at that (whatever it was) price. Just remember to have the invoice prices printed out and with you at all times through the process to verify. And lose any dealer fees etc etc ...

 

tmagers --

Good research and summary.

I think flooding is mostly an "operator error" and I am skeptical that it is an "MT/AT problem". Anecdotal reporting on the internet is inherently unreliable. As someone else said, "I don't go to every poll and report that my car hasn't flooded".

Hopefully the L-flash will help, but until I see lots of evidence to the contrary, I assume that an RX-8 (MT or AT) "may" flood if its turned off before the engine has sufficiently warmed up.

I wouldn't assume that buying an MT with L-flash means you can ignore flooding. I have started my RX-8 > 200 times in cold winter weather with lots of short city drives, and I have never had a hint of flooding.