Hey guys, this is my first post in the forum. I currently drive a 2006 VW GLI, but have been having second thoughts and so I test drove the RX-8 today. I must tell you that I was very impressed, it wasnt faster than my car but it impressed me in everyother way. Dont get me wrong, I love my VW and you cant beat it's quality for the price, but I am thinking about selling it and getting something a little cheaper like a 2004 RX-8. So here come the good part:

What am I getting myself into with an RX-8?? are there major maintenance issues, will I need to rebuild the engine like on the rx-7s?? Has anyone not had any problems with their car, because it seems like there are a lot of posts of problems. Also, if you had to do it again, would you still buy an RX-8??

I had a lady at the dealership I went to for the test drive tell me to stay away from the RX-8 and that she had one and it was a terrible buy, but I just love everything about the car.

Thanks for your time guys,

Chris

 

its a great car, alot of problems are posted because people will post negative alot more than positive.

no the engine doesn't need to be rebuilt like the 7.
yes a TON of people have had flawless rx8's, few have had some problems, and a small % had problems constantly, but thats just like any other car.

the test drive is what sold me, sounds like it sold you as well.

 

Yeah, the test drive kind of sold me, but it was in the rain during rush hour, so I didnt really have time to see what the car can do.

 

Bad gas mileage,
bad oil consumption
1% of the cars need a new free engine
slow for its class
--------
for the goods, read the sticky thread "the little things" and you will know why people love this car. Its not a one car fits all type though so read before you buy to make sure... and you will realize why its such a great car and loved with a great community behind it, despite its flaws.

 

Drive another one - in better weather/conditions. It totally sold me and I'm a proud owner.....

 

you have to retestdrive it, and asked to hit an onramp to a highway, drive fast on the ramp too, you'll buy it that day i bet.

 

One more question... how much hp is the car really getting?? It seems that mazda overrated the engine. And I know its stupid, especially since I love driving on curves more than straightaways, but what times are people getting to 60 and in the 1/4 mile??

 

Pro's:
-Fantastic Handling
-Sexy looks
-Wonderful Interior
-6speed manual is a joy to shift
-Engine is super smooth and very unique

Con's:
-Terrible gas mileage
-Rotary quirks
-Lots of recalls and TSBs.
-Insanity inducing rattles and interior noises

 

serious, the hp has been a ghost following this car since its debut. everyone gets usually around 180 wheel hp (about 230 hp i'd say), but its a light car so don't let the numbers fool you. As for 1/4 and 0-60 its not exactly a monster, but i bet if you drive a 350z and a rx8 you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, unless you plan on takin it to the track.

also now with all these supposed "bad rumors" surrounding the car you could get the deal of the lifetime on just about any one to choose.

 

I got a 2005 - love it - there seems to have been some bugs in the 2004 - but there is a recall to fix them and if you have a full warrenty and the recall they will completely change out the engine at the Mazda dealer free and throw in some fancy new plugs an tune it properly - check first to make sure you get the goodies . They offered to replace my engine but it is working so well, if it passes the vacuum test I'll keep it as is. Unless it has weather tires don't run it wet and you wil need weather tires this winter if there is snow. Milage over 20 and near 30 if I run it right - but the temptation to go fast is there because it handles so well

 

If you're single...

One thing no one's mentioned is it's kind of a chic magnet. hey, I'm 50 years old, been hapilly married for 25 years so I don't really care about that as much as others would. My office has a window and I can see my car in the lot - amazing how many young women tend to stop and look it over. They don't even look at some of the other cars like a couple of vettes & Porsches.

 

I dunno.. something like a 350z will feel faster than an rx8.. its becuase of the torque, something like a wrx might even feel faster becuase of the wall of torque you hit when the turbo spools up but the rx8 is right on par with those cars as far as 0-60 and 1/4 times.
In the real world a eight will have 0-60 times under 6sec and 1/4 times in the 14's. The renesis (rx8's engine) is all about being smooth, speed creeps up on you real fast and 9000rpm in a tunnel with the windows down is a hell of a sound. All i can say is DO NOT GET AN AUTO... espeically if its pre-06. If you do plan on getting an older rx8 (2004) make sure its had all the recalls performed. Btw.... rwd is a whole new world

 

Gotta disagree here. I can tell a huge difference with the Z because of the heavy torque. Too bad because of a design flaw you need to buy new tires every week.

I used to own 240 and 280zs back in the old days and was excited when Nissan was coming out with a new Z but it looks horrible IMO. The G35 based on the same platform is a lot nicer.

 

Yeah, my mom used to have a 350z roadster (rag-top) and with that power, off the line it definitely felt faster than a rx-8, but like said before the tire wear is terrible, along with the interior. Something tells me though that a rx-8 can keep up with the 350 from a roll, it just doesnt have enough down low in the torque range.

Edit: I have more questions, haha... Is the rx-8 mod friendly? What about the warranty if there are mods? and what is the best mod for the buck?

Thanks again guys for putting up with these newb questions

 

No. Not mod friendly. It's one of the reasons, I suspect, why people who sell their 8 sell their 8. Mazda engineers did pretty much everything that can be done short of FI. If you love modding your car, this is not the car for you.

 

I beg to differ about a bunch of statements made earlier.
First, the bad gas mileage statement: What exactly is bad gas mileage? It really depends on who you ask and their perspective. I guess that most cars on the road today probably get between 10 - 30 mpg. I would then say that based on that, the average is probably about 20 mpg based on these assumptions. I get 17 mpg everytime with little to no highway miles mixed in, pretty much the same as my 2 minivans. Slightly below the 20 mpg avg. and definitely less than high 30 mpg but definitely much more than the low 10 mpg used in my example. Anyway, think what you want about your own vehicle's MPG but I don't complain about mine - I knew about the rotary's MPG from owning 2 RX-7's in the past and it gets about the same as my other 2 vehicles. No complaining from me.
Second, excessive oil consumption. Come on, I've added about 5 quarts in the 12K+ miles I have on my 05 Shinka and at about $2 per quart that's a whopping $10! If you can't afford that kind of cash or can't find the little oil cover cap then buy another car or take the bus. You should have known about this before you bought the car, duh - just do a little more research and less whining! The freaking owners manual even states this for those who can read!
Third, being slow for its class. What is slow? What are you talking about, 0-60, 1/4 mile, laps around a track or accelerating down the on ramp of your local highway? If you lump the RX-8 in with most 2 or 4 door sport type cars with similar weights and engine horsepower output then the RX-8 would probably be down toward the bottom in 0-60 time and 1/4 mile time. Its top speed is probably in the middle but I don't know for sure and won't take the time to research but I don't really care. If you look at track times from various publications comparing it to the 350Z, etc. it usually does as good or even better for lap times. As far as the highway goes, it is as slow or fast as you ar willling to go and have fun with.
Finally, to all those who keep whining about recalls, TSB's , etc. :http://edmunds.nytimes.com/maintenan...ervicebulletin

Go ahead and enter the year and model of say, the much revered Honda S2000 and see what shows up in the recall and TSB numbers. The first year they were made in 2000 there were 3 recalls and 104 TSB's according to this site. The first year the RX-8 was made there were 4 recalls and 37 TSB's. The first year 350Z's were made there were 3 recalls and 59 TSB's. To me it looks like Mazda is doing pretty well based on this. If you look at 2 years after the first year build date on these 3 cars you will also see that Mazda is doing pretty well, especially compared to the 2002 S2000 which had 0 recalls but 71 TSB's. All I'm trying to say is to do a little research into some of these things before making blanket statements about how the car rates compared to others. By the way, I do own a Honda (04 Odyssey) and a Toyota (99 Sienna) as well and am not that thrilled with the Honda so far compared to the other 2 (especially the 8) but that's just my personal experience.

 

Very good points, Meeneevan. Just to add to that, Consumer Reports has upped their reliability rating for the 06's to "Average," and it's on their recommended list. Their reliability chart has a few black "worst" marks for '04, while for '05 there's one "average" (paint/trim, of all things!) and the rest are "best."

Now, this is a really cool fun-to-drive sports car, and IMHO not for someone with a Consumer Reports perspective on life. But when your thoughts turn from pleasure to practicality (i.e., you love the car but will it break you), the CR data is very nice to know.

Ken

 

Do you guys think I should try and get an 05 instead of on 04?? It seems like the fixed a lot of bugs before the 05's came out.

 

In general an '06 or '05 should be more bug free than an '04.

Having said that, I have an '04, bought new in May of '04. Zero problems, Zero rattles, Zero quirks, just 100% enjoyment.

 

This video is fun to watch and shows how 'slow' the 8 is. You'll here twisties here alot. The 8 won't 'feel' anything like a VW in the twisties.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I1h8LrVO0Q

I had a passat 5 spd v6 and it felt faster then the 8 sometimes but RWD is just not comparable. RWD on curves just bites into the road. you can't test drive a RWD car in the rain! :P The feel of the back end sliding through a turn is just joy. If you want to see what the 8 can do turn off the traction control by holding the button take it up to 6000 rpms and ease of the clutch.

If you have snow in your area you HAVE to get snow tires no ifs ands or buts. Expect $800 for the tires minimum.

Expect 15 mpg on gas. That's realistic.

Insurance is almost always lower then the Z, the 8 has 4 seats and a smoother ride.

An 8 with 20k miles is going to feel faster then one with 25 miles simply because the engine gets better with age. So an 04 isn't a bad thing. Get the battery starter plugs checked out and you're all set.

Good luck. You should be able to negotiate a good price with gas prices being what they are.

Smileynh

 

This thread is weird.....

A VW GLi is faster than the RX8 ? Unless its a TFSI, a V6, or a W12 powered VW, then I wonder how you got the feeling that the RX8 is slow

Oil consumption ? Bad mileage ? Like someone else already said, you need about 10$ of oil every month (if that). And the renesis doesn't burn oil like reciprocal engines, it uses it to lubricate the apex seals. I hope you already know that. As for the mileage, you can get into the 20s, or you can drop down near the 10s. It's up to you, or more precisely your foot. It's a 230HP car, what do you expect ? 30+ mph ?

As for engine failures, TSBs, recalls, rebuilds etc, please.....the Renesis comes with a 3-year or 100K km warranty from the factory (at least it does in Europe), and it has an expected life-span of about 400K km. Until then, you'll need 0$ for mechanical maintainance. If the engine fails, you'll need about 5K for a rebuilt, and you'll have an almost brand new engine

Damn, we'll be fighting these myths created by the RX7s until the day we die....

PS: Oh, to the guy that posted that the RX8 doesn't give any warning when it's about to lose traction, I guess your 30-years of driving experience have taught you much less than you may have imagined. The almost global concensus is that the RX8 is one of the most gentle, progressive and fun/easy-to-drive RWD cars to ever appear on the face of this planet...

 

just wanted to pipe in and say that I got the RX-8 because it is fun to drive... but I don't think it matches up to the GLI in terms of all the little touches and you may begin to miss:

1) one touch UP and DOWN windows
2) one touch sunroof
3) 6 disc MP3 CD player w/ SAT
4) adjustable arm rest
5) visor lights
6) hooks in the trunk
7) trunk that opens by itself (so you don't have to put your groceries / bags down)
etc, etc...

and then the driving reasons like:

8) lots more turbo torque at the low end RPM
9) DSG w/ paddle shifters (for traffic, laziness, etc)
10) under rated engine (really putting out 225 hp)
11) modability (easily add 10-15 hp w/ a chip alone)

I personally don't need all those things and that's why I have a base '05 RX-8. BUT, all these little touches are why my wife loves her '06 GLI

 

My friend just modded his GLI to 250 hp with one chip. If you want power, buy a mustang, gto or corvette....can't beat those when it comes to sheer power and price.

Balance though? You can't beat it on an 8. Take away 0-60 and 1/4 mile and not many sports cars can beat it, for its price or any price. The breaks are physics defying (car and driver tested going only 147 feet when nailing them at 70 mph on their long term test) Handling, practicality, ride, fun to drive....its there with the best in its class.

If you are a 9-5'er, then you might want some of the VWs comforts. This all depends really on how much money you want to save and how much you paid for your car. Go text the 8 again, plus all of its competitors. Rather then having us tell you, test drive them all and go with your gut.

 

Test Drive - (LET ME PUT IN A CAVEAT, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW GOOD A DRIVER YOU ARE)

Hit a corner, downshift from 5th to 3rd & don't touch your brakes.....Yowzer!
Make sure it's a corner you are familiar with....
Oh, wait, maybe not, I didn't do it in mine until I had had it for three months.
Be careful, but it's a heck of a machine.
Nothing else like it in the world. (((((((BIG GRIN)))))))

 

same here

and the TSB's should correct any quirks that were worked out in the 05's and 06's