I am a new car salesman at a Toyota dealership in Kansas City. I have been looking for a weekend/track car that is focused around handling which is also rear wheel drive. I found the RX-8!! I have read about the special maintenance required to keep the vehicle running strong and for "long long time". I am aware of the cooling problems and how to fix them. I already know this car will be a hands on yet rewarding hobby as well as a vehicle. I keep getting steered away by other salesman I work with in new and used. I found a used 2008 at another dealership with 31,500 miles. It is Black on Black with the 6 speed transmission. The exterior and interior of the car is immaculate. I pulled up Carfax and Autocheck and they both came back clean with two owners. Why shouldn't I buy this car? Why shouldn't I buy an RX-8?

Btw I am new to the forum! Hello community!

 

make sure you get the 150 dollar compression test. Compression is everything. Get a manual too. I didn't and sort of regret it now. Even though the autos are good too IMO.

The RX8 is a cheap car because of its reliability issues, horrible gas mileage, and general high maintanence. But for the true enthusiast they are a steal at current prices. I say go for it. The two things you should do though are try and get a dealer warranty if possible thrown in at 36k miles. Try and get snow tires thrown in or at a discount on them if possible if you plan on driving the car in the winter. Dealers might throw them in just to get rid of an rx8 off their lot. And get the compression test. Make them pay for it.

 

Main reason people regret a RX-8 purchase: Torque, or lack of.

If you like torque, and are used to muscle car acceleration, then you will be let down with a RX-8. Otherwise it is a fantastic sporting tool for a very reasonable price.

I personally think there are many more reasons why people SHOULD buy RX-8's than reasons why people shouldn't, and hence, I own one.

 

Agreed on the compression test. The only other thing I would add is make sure you get one with maintenance records. The 2008 has the Mazda engine core warranty till 100k miles - assuming you can prove it has been properly maintained by the previous owners.

When you own the car, follow the recommended maintenance schedule in the manual, and maybe change the oil a little more frequently than recommended. Save your receipts.

And really the maintenance isn't that bad IMO. I've put 50k miles on my '08 and haven't done anything that I wouldn't have done to my other cars in the same time period. Spark plugs and fluid changes are a little more frequent, but I tend to do those early anyway. No problems at all with mine.

If you're looking for a great track day car, you've definitely found it in the RX-8. It's bad on gas, but huge on the smile factor. And there are very few cars you get Porsche level handling at this price point.

But I'm not directly answering your question - why NOT to buy an RX-8. In relation to other sports cars in this class, reasons NOT to buy would be:

- Engine reliability (Not much of an issue with the Mazda engine core warranty)
- Gas mileage (Not a huge issue for a weekender IMO)
- Low torque
- Limited power mods (stock engine/exhaust/intake are well optimized by Mazda)

That's really all I can think of. Good luck!

 

You should not buy a RX-8 because if you buy one there always comes a day on which you have to say goodbye to your car.
After that you will miss him definitively every day.
The only solution to get rid of the pain is to buy another one...............

 

Rotary engine cars have idiosyncrasies that piston engine cars don't. They are like having a wife. You have to love them or you would never put up with them. As for me, it's obvious.

 

This is one way to say it...


...and another one...

 

Don't buy one as a DD because everyone and they're brother sweats it and is always trying to race you lol Although it sure does turn a lot of heads :-)

 

Of course your buddies at Toyota will tell you not to buy an Rx-8...

They're used to driving/selling low budget, practical, boring, cookie cutter, cars with pedal issues. The fact you work in a car dealership, you should know ALL cars have their ups and downs. Personally, I think like someone stated before, the only reason you shouldn't buy an 8 is because of the possibility of having to say goodbye to it. I made the mistake of selling my first 8... that didn't last long I ended up buying another.

They're addicting, no car is as fun to drive and I literally mean no car. I've driven everything in the 30-40k range. 350z, 370z, S2000, Genesis Coupe, Mustang, Camaro, Miata (that is a fun car though) Solstice, GTO, Evo and was passanger in a supra would still prefer my 8 over all of those. Haven't gotten to try out the BRZ or FRS as I just bought my 2nd 8 a few months before it came out but I heard those cars sucked anyway.

Now a Skyline (70's) , Rx3 or Rx7, GTR R35 or corvette would be a different story... I'd think of selling my 8 for one... Or just save and get both. :D

 

I appreciate all of the feed back. When I go test drive tomorrow I will make it clear I won't be buying unless a compression test is done first. I wont be driving it in bad weather. We will be having our first baby on January 14th and I'm keeping my sedan to tote the baby around if need be. So all of my extra money will be dumped into the 8. When I said it would be the weekend/ track car I meant drifting. I will not be dragging. I see no fun in going in a straight path really fast. This sounds like the car/hobby I need. It's the exact color scheme I was looking for too. I'm super excited!

 

i would say youve already talked yourself into buying one, your looking for us to talk you out of it.. Not gonna happen, just buy the damn thing, and yes, get a compression test done.

 

When I get the compression test results what am I looking for? Would a Toyota dealership be able to do a compression test on a rotary engine?

 

Most likely not your probably going to have to go to a Mazda dealership I doubt a Toyota dealership would have the property testing equipment as they do not have rotaries

 

Yeah, you specifically want to have the compression test done at Mazda or a specialized rotary shop. Normal compression testers for piston engines don't exactly give you the info you are looking for.

Don't forget those maintenance records!

 

Very true I asked for the maintenance records on my 8. Compression test at a local Mazda dealership would be a must before buying an 8 Can't wait to see pics of your potiential/your 8.

 

there's another reason to buy an RX-8.

You can safely tote your baby around in the backseat. There are safety harnesses built-in for modern child seats plus the 8 is littered with airbags.

That's how many of us got it past our wives. I was smart and showed my wife a 640x480 picture of it... I said it had 4 doors -- and she saw them... I said RX-8 and she heard Mazda 3 or maybe 6.

Gawd I loved the look on her face when I pulled into the driveway for the first time with it.

 

Fixed.

 

I live in Lansing and recommend you take her to Tumminia Mazda - talk to Don the service manager for the compression test, and a general inspection before you buy.

Fabulous car, although I would recommend an R3...

 

Yeah I'd recommend an R3 if you do get one. They've made some reliability updates for the S2. The gearing is a bit more aggressive and the suspension has been tweaked... it's a few seconds faster a lap than a S1 stock for stock =)

 

where do you find that a s2 is a few seconds faster than a s1? what track? a few seconds on a track is huge. please link this info. every 8 ever built will put down different #s because the engines are hand built. i agree about the 3rd oil injector but dont forget your lack of tuning.

 

The gearing should make a slight difference, but I agree that a few second seems a bit extreme unless it's an unusually long course.

 

The sociological answer to the OPs question is: "It's a great way to get a Toyota salesman fired."

The family man's answer if: "Sure, go racing, but after you have a year's salary in the bank, maxing out your 401k, have a good portion of your house paid off, and $1 million in death insurance with no racing exclusion."

 

Possible reason not, the engine between idle and 5,000rpm, but that is a crappy reason.

Reason to buy, the engine between 5,000 and 9,000 rpm. That its what a smile sounds like. Use that part once a day.

++ on compression test, for track, read a lot. If you are starting out, get some DE training, this forum is pretty good for finding events, where do you live?

 

No, they're about the same. In fact, at the course I normally track my R3, the S1 gearing is better. 4th is taller, letting you get a faster speed on the front straight. You spend most of the time in 3rd on a track which is largely the same on both. IMO performance wise, the difference between two RX-8s will be bigger than the difference between the two series.

And "a few seconds" is massive. An M3 on R compound tires is "a few seconds" (okay, around 10 at pacific) faster than an RX8 on stock tires.

Stock, the best bet is an R3. But honestly, I'd get a series 1 for a track toy. More aftermarket options, and you're going to replace the suspension changes anyhow. So why limit your power mod options?

 

Well, yea I wasn't being exact, but on a long course I suppose it would be a few seconds. The main source I was using was Car and Driver's lightning lap articles (VIR)... they ran the S1 and got a 3:19 lap vs. the R3's 3:16.7. Granted the lap times were set years apart and I'm not sure on the weather conditions but if you read each respective article for the years that they ran it, I think both were similar conditions.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...to-2012-page-8
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...erformance.pdf

Also from personal experience at my local track (Toronto Motorsports Park) I know many stock S1's will lap around 1:27-1:28 as their best times stock whereas R3's run 1:26's stock. That's not very scientific either since the drivers aren't the same but just speaking to other RX8 owners who have driven both (including myself) concur that the stiffer suspension and rear suspension changes add significant rear grip mid-corner and on corner exit.

Edit: I should note that I'm just talking about road courses not autox. I think the S2 would be slower there since it weighs more.