Hey everyone, I'm looking to buy a RX-8 (used or new, whichever way I can afford one) by the end of the year but I still have a few questions; namely the communities opinon on what the up keep and maintinece is like on the 8's. If anyone wouldn't mind, please let me know what your opinions are on maintaining your 8. I'm looking for straight up honest answers, not dealer lines. I have to many mechaics in my family not to know that the best way to find out about a car is to find out what people don't like about it. So guys, what DON'T you like about you 8? I don't care how trivial. I want to hear it. Thanks everyone.

 

the front cupholder position is real awkward cuz i cant put my arm there wen i have a drink makin it a lil hard to shift, (i got 6spd).....other then that, i love my 8...i would recommend the SEARCH button b4 nebody else flames u.

 

I don't like it when people don't use the search button

 

mechanical:
oil consumption
hard starts/stalls in the summer.
crappy gas mileage.
worse mileage in the winter.

other stuff:
crappily designed center console.. it buckles in on itself when passengers rest their arms on it.
integrated stereo/dashboard.
suicide doors look neat, but are not practical at all.
Tiny opening to a huge trunk.

 

Cupholders suck!

I was a little annoyed the other day. I had a few "drips" on my moonroof. I didn't notice because it hadn't been raining and teh rest of the car was dry. I opened the moonroof and when it tilted the water ran off and I got wet. Fortunately, I was leaning over doing something in the passenger seat and it landed on me instead of the interior.

 

I've not had any problems mechanically really. Mazda's fixing what's wrong with ( stupid things like water in taillight and broken heater **** etc.. ) my car..

My main gripe is that 90% of mazda dealers SUCK. There is NO service after you buy.

I've had hard starts below freezing, but that's because I have the 300 CCA lawnmower battery....

Mileage for me has always hovered around 20 mpg. after 15K it went up the car got smoother, and felt more powerful, @ 30k it leveled off. I'm consistently getting 22-23 mpg now. Doesn't really matter how I drive it.

Stock tires SUCK. and they cost $250 a pop. buy used ones on the board, or get some much cheaper better quality tires... it's a diffrent beast entirely with better quiter tires.

 

that's the EXACT reason I got one without a moonroof. More head room and no leaks, either from water around the edge, or from inevitable seal failure. Also no roof rot.

 

I have to disagree--the suicide doors are very practical -- they make access to the rear a breeze. I often drive 3 or 4 deep on the weekends.

 

^agrees, the rear doors are VERY useful to me, putting gym bags/grocery in the back seat is a breeze

 

Mine just happened to be user stupidity for not looking to see that the glass was dry before I opened it. Nothing else with it has leaked. had I not really wanted to open it, I would have stayed dry.

I love my moonroof. Besides, I'm too short to need extra head room.

 

and in terms of maintenance, other than checking oil level every 1500 miles, it is as maintenance-free as any other car i've ever had

 

^Agrees also. It's easy to get things out of the back seat, and much easier to climb into than if it was only a 2-door. And my daughter loves having her own door.

 

Those rear doors make this car extremely versatile. I recently moved and had to go to Target to buy a whole crap load of stuff. The trunk opening wouldn't fit the microwave I just bought, but the open the rear doors, scoot up the passenger seat and the microwave box fit perfectly in the back. Even if I had a 4 door sedan I think I would have had trouble fitting it in the backseat (though it probably would have fit in the trunk then).

but still, my 8 held a all the crap I bought and I didn't have a problem storing the 20+ bags of stuff. I was impressed!

~~~~~~~

back to the original post:
- Cup holders blow for me
- Checking oil is difficult after driving the car, hard to reach the dipstick, plus engine bay heat.

That's it for me... and they don't detract from the enjoyment of the car.

 

^ Yeah. You almost need really long oven mitts going up your arm. LOL

 

Mine burns no oil.. I get 22 MPH mixed. The console works fine for me.. Everything is good but the AC isn't cold enough for my liking.

 

No car's a/c is cold enough now that we have the 'green' refrigerants.
The suicide doors are good for me too. My buddy, with a strained back, actually finds it eeasier getting into the rear seats than front.
Oven mitts for oil dipstick check. Nice!
The console hatch is a bit weak. Every time I lean on it it moves.
No significant maintenance items for me, other than oil of course.

 

its my daily driver in the city- DC - which if you dont know has crappy traffic.

i went from a Civic coupe to the rx8. in terms of 'upkeep' no major differences other than more trips to the gas station (expected) and checking dipstick every 1000 miles or so. I certainly get to places quicker.

i also park further away.

 

I'm more paranoid about traffic than I am driving other vehicles. I worry that some idiot is going to run down and hurt Bella. LOL

I also notice that every crap vehicle on the road makes a huge point of speeding around me just to slow down again when they pass me, usually pulling right in front of me and going slower than the speed I was driving to begin with. I don't know if they wanted to prove they can outrun a sports car or what the deal is. It's particularly funny since I just set it to cruise and steer.

 

This car is much more tempermental than any other I have owned. YET, that being said. I don't care. You purchase the car and you join the cult. But, since you asked, here are the things I found to be a bit annoying:

1. Checking the oil so often (YES, you HAVE to keep a quart with you at all times. Luckily, it fits great in the pocket of the pass-thru--be sure to put in a Ziploc bag first tho!)
2. Tires suck and can't be used in any type of snow. So expect to buy a set of winter wheels (rims and tires cuz not many brands make winter tires that fit our stock rims)
3. Flooding. Yep, I'm a member of the flooding brigade. Seems some cars are just prone to this problem. The resolution is a trip to the dealership on a flatbed tow truck. Mazda covers this while your car is under warranty.
4. Mysterious rattles that appear with cold weather.
5. Weird cupholder placement (and they get really hot when running the car hard ... great for coffee, bad for iPods)
6. TSB (tech service bulletins) are plentiful. These are all warrantyable (sp?) items that you can choose to keep track of or not. They are listed here on the site, but it means another trip to the dealership.
7. Certain items are just shoddy. My little tongue under the e-brake finally broke off completely. The little tow door on the rear bumper fell off. Glove box ratchet broke. Water in the rear tail lights. All of these are warranty items, but again require a trip to the dealership.
8. If you are short: the clutch has to be pushed to the floor, which means you will sit super close to the steering wheel (almost uncomfortably close). I hate this and am going to check out the DIY on clutch assembly. You also have to deal with the seatbelt choking the left side of your neck.
9. Craptastic gas mileage. I range from 14-21mpg. I'm currently experimenting on the vent settings (I know the condenser comes on when the floor or defrost option are on, so I'm trying to use only the panel vents to see if this makes a diff).

That's all for now ... but even with all that high-maintenance kind of crap ... I LOVE this car!

 

I've not flooded yet (only two months and 1,500 miles), but I'm religious about the 10 seconds at 3K RPM thing tho'.

I kept my 2002 Jeep Liberty for the heavy Winter driving.

I guess my biggest 'up keep' item is fuel. I really enjoy driving this machine, and find it hard to take it easy on 'er.