Spectre722

Hey everyone. I've read through the FAQ but I have a special scenario. I've been in the market for a good weekend car for about 6 months now. Now, I finally have it narrowed down to a 1999 Miata or a 2004 RX-8. I noticed that in the FAQ you all say to give it a decent push to 7500 rpm once a day, does this mean that the car will have to be driven every day to stay in good shape?

If that is the case, I may want to go with the Miata. I'm currently in the process of weighing the advantages and disadvantages of both to see what suits my needs best as someone who is looking for a weekend driver/occasional track car. I'd really appreciate any of your insights, I feel like I can't go wrong either way but I would like to make the best decision.

Bladecutter

Get the Miata.
Once you start worrying if you need to drive the car more than you want to drive it, its best to get something else.

BC.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I am a current owner of both those options

No, the 'redline a day' is 'average driving day'. It really means don't just lug it around all the time, open it up and let it breath and burn off carbon. The only rotary specific potential problem with just letting it sit is high humidity +6 months or more of never turning over could rust the seals to the housing.

Other than that, just like any other car when it comes to not being used. Battery, fuel stability, rodents, etc...

Spectre722

Thanks for the quick responses guys, I have gotten good insights already.

I'd be driving the car about 2-3 days a week, would that be problematic? If it is then I guess the Miata is my choice. BC touched on this but I don't know if he said it due to preference or technical reasons. Thanks again!

timmytriangles

hey hey, i drive mine as a weekend car now. like twice aweek and its fine. there was a time id let it sit for a month at a time and it was ok, dont sweat it. def go with the 8. the aftermarket support is sometime to consider too. iv always found everything i was for my 8 they make. the miata is a much smaller car too. i know the rx8 turns heads a little better if ur into that. i dont know what state ur in either tho. but i like to meet up with other rx8 drivers, its a lot of fun. hope u make the right decision

timmytriangles

everthing i wanted they make* sorry for the spell errors

Spectre722

I'm in FL. If you are ever in the area and want to hang out with a fellow car enthusiast though I'm game. Haha

timmytriangles

sometimes, i have family in deltona but wen i go i take a plane so i dont hav my car lol lemme no if ur in ny. did u get the 8?

Spectre722

Oh no, it'd be a few months. I have just narrowed down my decision between a Miata and an Rx-8. Admittedly, the Miata is an awesome car, but the rear end is ugly imo. I love the look of the Rx-8 but I've never cared for a rotary before. Reading some of the FAQs helped me feel better though.

If I don't have to worry about it being bad that I only drive the RX-8 on the weekends then I have a pretty good chance of getting the RX-8. I realized that a 2004 RX-8 could be had for about the same price as a 1999 Miata. I've heard about the RX-8 engines blowing up but seeing how much the average person takes care of their cars, it doesn't surprise me.

timmytriangles

yeah ur totally right people dont check the oil and they wonder y it blows seals. mazda tell u to check it every so often and they mean it. lol i dont check mine alot but mazda changes it for 27$ so i change it often instead. usually every 2k+. but for a weekend car thats not too often if u think about it. but definitly its not gonna have problems if u dont drive it too much. on the 04 if the motor blows while u havent had the car for a year yet mazda will replace it under warentee, trust me i went thru it. they said i hadnt had the car long enough for it to be my responsibility. u can take the vin of the car u want and call mazda and ask them , they will tell u its under extended warranty cuz of the problems with the 2mm seals. they later changed them to 3mm. the 2010 engine i have burns less oil too some how. the 8's are so much fun tho. i drive a xterra as a daily and wen i get in my 8 it feels like a race car every time! def the way to go , if u need any help with any of this warentee stuff lemme no

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Spectre, take timmy's post with a grain of salt.

A) oil changes have nothing to do with 'blowing seals', positive or negative, so relating the is only through ignorance.

B) engine failure is a very real state that you have to be aware of and accept. Weekend only means that you will likely get more time (years), but definitely get warranty coverage if this bothers you. Read my sticky in RX-8 Discussion. (New and potential owners) for a list of the failure causes and ways to address.

That being said, i've had 2 engines fail in my 99 Miata, 1 in the 8. The 8's failure cost me 4 days and $54, the Miata's failure are up to $1,300 +7 months for the first, starting the $3,000 rebuild for the second failure in a couple weeks, probably be down 1-2 months.

I'm not normal, internet statistics are skewed

timmytriangles

"ignorance" no, he was worried about the car having trouble starting. not blowing seals. im not a rocket surgeon or anything but.. yeah.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

The Mazda extended warranty for the engines is good for 8 years from date of purchase. 2012-2004= 8 years. Markets are pretty efficient, so that's why '04 RXs are going cheap. On the one hand, the 8 is in about every way a more capable car, faster, more space, weather tight, etc. Odds are, you'll use it more often than an MX-5. On average, however, it will cost more money to run, and take more effort to keep running well.

New Yorker

Two or three times a year? Problem. Two or three times a week? You have no issue whatsoever. No engine requires daily use to perform optimally. Millions of healthy cars are not driven every day.

Corso

My 8 is a 'weekend' car....and if it's raining, it's not even that. It will sit dormant from mid-Nov thru mid-April. I can't be worried if it's good for it, bad for it or indifferent because that's just the way it's going to be.

Get the 8, you will love it.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I was pulling out the first line from your post as an example of misinformation, but if you want to quibble:

Changing/checking oil has nothing to do with common seal failure. Common seal failure is due to carbon buildup or insufficient oil injection over prolonged use. Neither is impacted by oil condition or level before e-shaft bearing seizure. Which e-shaft bearing problems are from low oil or improper oil weight.

Actually, you need to check the oil level because it burns it. Doing it 'because Mazda tells you' is like you only putting gas in 'because Mazda tells you'.

Frequency of issues is related to mileage, not time. Driving 30,000 miles over 10 years will still give you the same 30,000 mile ignition problems as will 30,000 miles in 1 year. Saying that 'you won't have problems' is grossly inaccurate and misleading.

Incorrect. You are confusing 2 things. Your 8 was under it's 8yr 100k warranty still, and due to the short duration of ownership, the dealer did not hold you responsible for the maintenance records. If you were past the warranty, the dealer would have rejected you. Many dealers will still require records for most owners, even if they just purchased.

This is correct

This is incorrect. Mazda extended the powertrain warranty on the engines to satisfy consumer fears. The flaws are with the over carbonation, inadequate cooling, and inadequate lubrication. Niether of the two Renesis variations use 3mm seals, and even if they did, the problems wouldn't be solved, because the seal size doesn't affect those problems.

You don't have a 2010 engine. You have a remanufactured Series 1 Renesis. There are extensive modifications that would be required to run a Series 2 Renesis in a Series 1 RX-8. ECU, omp, oil lines, etc... Warranty replacements do NOT upgrade you to a series 2 Renesis.

If you are using less oil, that is bad.

Please stop spreading misinformation and start learning first.

Spectre722

I do love the look of the Rx8 and I do enjoy the prospect of the challenge to keep a completely different kind of engine running. If the engine blows, I can easily afford to replace it with another rotary or even a different kind of engine. Money really isn't an issue at this point.

My daily driver is a 2004 Hyundai Elantra.(Great car by the way). One concern that I did have about the Miata was that it was only a 2 seater and I wouldn't be able to drive it with my friends unless only one would be coming along with me.(The trunk wouldn't be that comfortable for the rest of my friends!) So it seems to me that since I do want a reasoanbly comfortable ride for long commutes, and I do still need just a little bit of practicality for my second car, that the Rx8 may actually suit my needs better than the Miata. Thanks for the info guys! I may be taking a look at that blue Rx8 that has been for sale on this site for the better part of the year. :P

Spectre722

I just wanted to say that I read the sticky and it was extremely helpful and any question I could think of asking. Thanks for the write up!

monchie

My car is a everyday car. I don't drive it on long distances, but i drive it just locally.

pistonhater

'timmytriangles'....give it up man. You got nailed. You definitely don't know what you are talking about. RIWWP is a veteran member here with lots of knowledge. Stop arguing!!

OP: I would also confirm what others have said already. There is nothing inherently different about not driving the RX-8 everyday as compared to other cars. As others said, the issues to consider would be the same: battery, fuel stability, rodents, tires, etc. But even those issues would be more of a reality after months and months of storage.

My RX-8 is basically a weekend car too. In fact, the RX-8 is perfect as a weekend car. Mind you, when I get behind the wheel on weekends I do drive several hundred miles at a time (mostly highway as I go out of town) On occasion I drive the car during the week to run errands, but mostly because I miss driving the car so much that I cannot wait until the next weekend!

Any car you get as a 'weekend car' will give you many years of trouble free enjoyment - granted that the car is in good mechanical shape to begin with. With a weekend car you are basically extending the usable life of the car over a longer period of time.

Spectre722

Hey Pistonhater, does your daily driver have a piston engine? :P

Thanks for the great variety of insight that you all have given me. I know I'm getting an Rx-8 now. I am actually looking at buying one in the marketplace on this site. Now I just have to do some reading about buying from other people online to avoid getting screwed. o_O

timmytriangles

indeed i was debating becuase i didnt like the way he put it. i was tyring to help, i think my information may not have been exact, but should of answered most of his questions and worries about buying an rx8

Spectre722

All of you helped me a great deal and I certainly do appreciate it!

pistonhater

Yes, it does have a piston engine but I actually love that one, LOL. It is a toyota truck with a 4cyl engine. Super realiable. As you probably know, those trucks have a great reputation for reliability and years of service.

In regards to buying a used car...well...private sell or dealer; it is always a risk unfortunately. Best thing is not to rush into it. I would look for a used car that has not been too 'molested' with mods.

Your statement does not make much sense. How could you be helpful to the OP if the information you offered was essentially inaccurate?

Well, you posted on the right place to begin with. Some people on the other folders can show a lot of tough love to new members

New Yorker

I had the same thoughts as you, and I owned 3 Miatas over 14 years. In practice, though, this situation didn't come up in real life all that often; when there was more than one friend, we'd simply take their car.

But I do love being able to carry a third or fourth passenger, or just having the ability to haul stuff in the back seat. The only times I miss the little roadster are on beautiful spring and fall days (and hot summer nights), driving around town or on scenic twisty backroads. Nothing beats a Miata under those conditions. (Alas, how often do we enjoy "those conditions"?)