Hello, Im new to the forum. I recently made a deal on an 04 RX-8. Red, 6M,GT.
The evening I made the deal, I came home and started to research in depth the short history of the 8. The boards I have been on have all shown the same issues, some major, some minor. I was so scared to get stranded by a brand new car that I called the dealer and told them I was not taking the car.
Heres the thing, I really loved the car. Are the problems with it enough to warrant not buying it, IYO?
I drive an 03 Accord V-6 coupe now, that I love, its reliable, smooth, just not FUN.
Any opinions??

 

Yes, you made a very big mistake. The 8 has no more problems than any other new car model, and if that's why you didn't take it, I can respect that. However, if you're saying you didn't buy the 8 because you have decided that there is something intrinsically wrong with it, you made a very uneducated and silly decision.

 

No regrets at all from my end. And I am sure you will get similar replys in very short order.

 

I have had no problems, and love the car....Sounds like you are worried needlessly, best get a car with a few years under it's belt, you will sleep better.

Try a mustang.

 

Had mine a month now. Haven't been stranded yet. If you can walk from a deal so easily, I'd advise using that talent in negotiating your final price. You should be able to put the dealer's nads in a vise with an attitude like that Good luck dude and if you decide against the 8, at least the Honda will crank (I hope).

 

I have absolutely no regrets in my purchase, over 10,000 miles later on one of the RX-8s from the first month of US production. Do some searching on this forum and you will find more folks like it than not. And there is nothing to compare in my experience to the head-turning attention this car gets. I would not hesitate to recommend the RX-8 to any one that wants style, fun, reliability and a dash of practicallity in their sports car.

Repeat after me, "The rotor is my friend. Renesis is not a dirty word. The RX-8 is good enough for me. And by golly I am good enough for the RX-8." Now, call your dealer. Tell him the medication has worn off and you have regained your senses. :D

 

5 months, 8100 miles, 0 regrets.

 

6 months, 6000 miles, and still wake up thinking about her. No problems, no regrets, and lots of fun. This car makes getting a loaf of bread fun.

 

Every car purchase is about compromises. Research them and figure out how they weigh in on your descision. But don't think just becasue you haven't heard things about other cars they are fine. Take a closer look and you will see all have some compromise involved in either design or issues.

 

Chuck, you're laggin, buddy. I'm at 5 months and 10,500 miles. No complaints and no regrets. Still love it to death. I just got my insurance check (from the other guy) to fix the dents on the door. By the end of the week we will be at 100% again.

 

My wife and I waited almost three months between placing the order and taking delivery. We used that time to scrutinize this web site (and others), but mainly this one, and though we can't boast thousands of miles under our tires, we can say we love this car. The RX-8 is a beautiful machine that promises to provide reliable transportation for years to come. We sold our '93 Honda when we bought the RX-8. As the others have said, "no regrets."

 

Just look at the poll results in the sticky re: customer satisfaction.

 

thanks for the advice guys. I may reconsider. But, like I said, I sleep well at night knowing theres a Honda parked in the garage, knowing itll run in the morning. Its just not a fun car to drive.
The deal I worked out...
They agreed to sell me the car for 500 over invoice. After they agreed to this, the finance manager came out and told the salesman that Mazda just gave dealers $1500 dealer cash to do with it what they deem necessary. The sales manager informed me that they were willing to put all $1500 into the deal, so it turns out it would actually be $1000 below invoice. What are your opinions on that deal.
I just went back to the dealer to look at it again, and I swear, it was talking to me. Idunno, we'll see.
Again, thanks for the opinions.

 

$1000 below INVOICE is probably about as good as you could hope for (other's may disagree). $1000 below STICKER sucks. Don't mean to insult you but people get dealer invoice and MSRP criss-crossed all the darn time. Mine was $500 over dealer invoice and I thought I was getting a good deal. As I said, others have done better but $1000 below Dealer Invoice is a deal I'd go for.....

 

no, not msrp, INVOICE, its about 3000 off sticker.

 

There's a poll about who has flooded more than once. The way it came out, 90 percent have never flooded. Half of them try to never flood (like, they warm up properly) the other half just don't worry about it and do nothing special.

Of the 10 percent that have flooded, only two have had it happen more than once. This problem got lots of talk on this forum, but I just don't think it's a huge problem. I can say this and my car is in the shop right now cuz of flooding. it's my only time and I expect it to be my last time. They're putting in new spark plugs that are supposed to fix it.

I respect what you did, and agree with Firstspin that you have increased your bargaining power by showing your willingness to walk. Go back to the same dealer, tell 'em you like the car, have serious reservations, you're willing to think about it but want concessions on their part. You'll get an even better deal and you will never regret it.

 

Run, don't walk, back to the dealer (ok, walk long enough to not appear winded when you get there). That is a fantastic deal, and it sounds to me that they're having difficulty selling theirs. This has been a problem for many dealerships, as they've been refusing to budge very far from MSRP for months. Many are now finally understanding that MSRP doesn't put new cars on the road for people to see and get interested in them (except for our die-hards here who were among the first to get theirs :D ). I've seen no local affiliate commercials for the car - only a couple on Speedvision, etc. in four months. Except for these, the only way they'll get more people interested in the car is to get them on the streets where they can be seen.

 

Sleep well with your ACCORD! :p

 

This is the MOST amazing, fun and cool car I have ever owned. It can play BWM luxury, RX-7 handling, 12 cylinder smoothness, S2000 REV, sport sedan cargo/passenger capacity and NOTHING looks or drives like it.

This is such a great car. its not going to leave you stranded.

 

I'm not religious...but AMEN.

As for the flooding issue, I've never had mine flood. I do the following to avoid the flooding issue; start it without touching the accelerator pedal, yes this can and should be done, and then I let it warm up for at least five minutes, (probably don't need as much warm-up time in warmer climates). Depending on what my next activity is, i.e.; moving the car out of the garage, or making a trek out, I make sure to run the revs up to at least 5krpm. This clears any excess fuel out of the chambers, and therefore prevents flooding. If you make short trips, be sure to get it out on the highway once a week where you can open it up, and run the revs high, to avoid condensation. Of course, all of this is either in the owners manual, or one of the Mazda service techs told me, or maybe I just remember doing this with my RX-3 and never having any problems with it either. :D

Ah, but that's right. You decided not to buy one based on things you read over the internet, right?

I've had mine for two months now, with 1200 miles, haven't really paid much attention to MPG, but am always "chomping at the bit" for the snow and ice to melt on the streets and highways around here so that I can get out and enjoy my car.

We all have to make decisions based on whats right for each of us.

Me? I went with the 8. No regrets. Except the length of this borderline rant...:D

 

If you want a car that you sleep well owning -- keep the Honda. Personally I like having a car that keeps me up at night thinking about and makes me jump out of bed in the morning looking forward to the drive to work :D

 

Sounds like a good deal; I think you should just get it. In all probability you'll love it and, in the unlikely event it's not reliable (highly unlikely, I believe), it's not the end of the world - you can simply sell it.

 

CatchMe: If it makes you feel more comfortable,I came from a 03 EXV6 accord as well and I can tell you that I am so much happier with the RX8 6 M.T. I have not had any problems and although People are having MPG concerns, I didn't find it much worse than the Accord. The gas light comes on but you still have about 3 gal left in the tank. By the way, Honda of America repurchased my car, It was a lemon!

 

Absolutely thrilled with my car.

 

Now, to be fair, what else did he expect to hear from owners of the car on this site? Anyone who regretted the car or had issues with it are probably no longer owners and are no longer here anymore. I don't know why people always ask a specific car enthusiast forum whether they like the car or not. Everyone already knows the answers they'll get.