Hi.
I am a prospective buyer of a new RX8.
Previous owner of an RX7.
Is there anything I need to know that could be negative other than the gas mileage? I think I know everything positive.. help.. Thanks.. ;)

if you're looking for leftover 'new' '04s, make sure it has all the relevant TSBs/recalls performed on the car prior to delivery. New '05s would figure to have much less issues off the bat.

good luck with your search :)

You will need a set of winter- wheel/tires or tires because the stock summer tires blow on snow. Besides that and gas you are good to go.

Can't say it enough....winter tires!

Winter tires and potential flooding are two concerns. The 8 is a great car IMO. Unless you listen to classical music, the front speakers will eventually start to sound poopy. Indulge yourself with a set of Boston Pros. :D

I bought my 8 in febuary 04(build09/03) off the dealer lot and thankfully to this day, havn't had any issues with the car except brake pad replacement and I have to admit I don't baby the car religeously either.I suppose that it was just one of the few that came off the line ok... I like the car and all,but its unfortunate that the car seems to have as many issues as is reported...:confused:

The rx8 is not a replacement for the rx7.

hmmm... will I be seriously disapointed then?

hmmm... will I be seriously disapointed then?

That would depend on your expectations. I love the car even with all it's little quirks.
I have yet to have any substantial issues with the car overall.
I hung out here for a long time before deciding to buy the 8. Lots of good information can be found here on the forum.

sounds good.. can anyone tell me more about the carbon build up?

also, what is with the TSB recall?? I was at the dealership today and this sales guy tried to sell me a 04 for 24.. of coarse he had it marker @ 38 gs.. Is the SB thing on all 2004's?

TSB's are the technical service bulletins that recommend or require dealers to do specific maintenance (recalls and mini-recalls basically).

I bought my 8 in febuary 04(build09/03) off the dealer lot and thankfully to this day, havn't had any issues with the car except brake pad replacement and I have to admit I don't baby the car religeously either.I suppose that it was just one of the few that came off the line ok... I like the car and all,but its unfortunate that the car seems to have as many issues as is reported...:confused:

What kind of issues are we talking about? :confused:

I think there are issues for a first year production car that are being worked out- a couple rattles, flooding, ac amplifier replaced, film in headlight all not 'major' and covered under warranty. Like many on here, I haven't had any major problems with mine. Owners usually rant when they are having problems and you'll read about them more often. Did you test drive it yet?

firechic, if you want to save yourself some hassle, just get a '05. Probably easier to find a '05 with the color/options you want now than trying to find a leftover '04 with the same options.

'05s are pretty much issue free, i think ;)

an '05 will cost you a few grand more, but you get a 'newer' car, with all the updates installed from factory, so you can spend more time on the road driving, rather than in the shop :)

Have not test driven one yet. maybe this next week. I am concerned about fuel mileage as well, what kind of mileage are you all getting versus type of driving, city highway etc. Also, what about maintainence costs? oil changes tune ups etc. how often and how much?

mileage is very dependent on driving style/traffic condition. I'm getting 18-19mpg in stop-n-go highway driving, which you may consider to be high or low, depending on what car you're switching from. You do need to check the oil level maybe every 2000 miles, as the rotary engine consumes some oil by design. All other costs are comparable to regular piston engine new cars.

people have reported that they are getting very favorable insurance rates with the 8, must be the 4 doors and a teeny 1.3L engine ;) :p

What kind of oil capacity does it have? I find it interesting that it consumes oil like that.

I get around 18 MPG or 22 highway. it's really not that bad. It did, however, take a few thousand miles before I reached those numbers.

What kind of oil capacity does it have? I find it interesting that it consumes oil like that.

all rotary engines injects a little bit of oil into the combustion chambers for internal seal lubrication by design. on my 8, i am using about 1 quart every 2500 miles or so. it's not a problem at all, just one extra thing to check regularly, that is all.

keep oil fresh and topped off = one happy rotary engine :D

how much do you know about rotary engines in general??

ok, being that this is a naturally aspirated engine, i was reading and there are some cold start/shut off issues. What about the intake and carbon build up, and fouling of spark plugs, is this something along the line of older naturally aspirated piston engines like mid 80s ear vehicles?

Uh oh, I think she just compaired our engine to an old 1980's piston engine. This is gonna get ugly...

all rotary engines injects a little bit of oil into the combustion chambers for internal seal lubrication by design. on my 8, i am using about 1 quart every 2500 miles or so. it's not a problem at all, just one extra thing to check regularly, that is all.

keep oil fresh and topped off = one happy rotary engine :D

how much do you know about rotary engines in general??

Not tons, i do have good concept of how they operate and the mechanics of it all. I just do not know all the little quirks of the motors.

Uh oh, I think she just compaired our engine to an old 1980's piston engine. This is gonna get ugly...


No, please do not misundestand, i would not compare the engines at all. It is like apples and oranges. no comparison what so ever. just the fact that some 80's era vehicles had carbon build up issues due to their manufacture, and the question is this, is it along the same lines? is it something that i will need to worry about.
I am not trying to start an argument just trying to become more educated. Dont read into it.

i know that the fouling spark plugs are related to flooding, which is related to cold start/shutoff. I believe the newest ECU progamming has greatly reduced occurance of this issue, but it is still highly recommended to warm up the RX-8 before shutting down. The new ECU program is yet another reason to look for a '05, as it already comes with the latest version of software from factory.

IIRC, the carbon buildup around the intake ports is really a non-issue if you drive this engine like it's designed to after break-in. Like any high-revving engine, it is best to run the car through its full RPM range regularly to make sure all mechanical components are functioning properly. That means take it to the 9000rpm redline once in a while!

and no, the carbon buildup is NOT due to any manufacturing process as you stated. It's a result of owners *not* working out the engine like it needs to (ie driving the car below 4000 rpm for *years* and never letting the engine fully extend its legs)

ok, that is what i needed to know. I know that it is a higher reving engine and it needs to be run in its power band and at operating speed, i was just curious if anyone had experienced something excessive like that.

clear something up for me. Naturally aspriated meaning not forced like turbo right?

Right, but there are turbos on the market for it now, if your worried about power.

That means take it to the 9000rpm redline once in a while!

Or 2-3 times a day!

no not about that at all. Do you know where i could get a good look at what the intake is like, I would like to see what it looks like and how the air flow/ fule mixture moves into the engine chamber.

no not about that at all. Do you know where i could get a good look at what the intake is like, I would like to see what it looks like and how the air flow/ fule mixture moves into the engine chamber.

hmm, very good question. IIRC, there is an Official Mazda RX-8 technical highlight DVD floating around, which basically discusses tons of major engineering feats that are featured on the RX-8. I believe some people on this forum have a copy of it, maybe post another thread asking if someone can make a copy of the technical DVD for you?? :o

but even before that, I think no techno-chatter can replace actually driving the car... so maybe wait until after the test-drive to ask more questions??

I certainly will be asking more questions after I drive one. Thanks for the info.

Make sure you read a couple of threads. The Little Things thread (stickied at the top of this forum) is great and will tell you all the good things about the car. The Little (Disappointing) Things thread http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=15980 is even more useful since it points out the problems folks have with the car. That's the thread that cemented it for me - way fewer negatives than positives.