(Another) new 8 owner from VanCity
03-07-2010, 02:33 AM
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(Another) new 8 owner from VanCity
Well, after debating and researching the car for some time, I bought myself a nice '04 Nordic green RX-8!
I have been looking at these essentially since their intro but because of the price, could never swing it......but now that they're 'reasonable' - I figured it was a good time.
She is a US car imported to BC about 2 years ago and currently has 72000kms - or about 42000 miles. Not much in the way of records, but the oil change receipts were there and I will be tending to a some maintenance issues in the next few weeks.
Bone stock - as far as I can tell - with all the bells and whistles except nav and headlight washers (if they were even offered in '04?) Leather, heatet seats, Bose system, moonroof, sports suspension, keyless entry, etc......
What has spooked me about the rotaries is the typical 'issues', such as oil appetite, gas mileage and the dreaded flood. My fuel concerns were validated as I got about 15/16 mpg (90% city) on my first tank! About 250 kms in (160 miles) before the light came on! Of course, since it was new, I was a tad heavy on the loud pedal, but still, how much better will it get? I've heard people claim near 20mpg if driven prudently and perfectly tuned, so I'll keep my hopes up.
What I did notice (as many have said here) - if you drive it like you're in a bad mood and constantly try to emulate Mustangs off the line, she'll gobble the gas like crazy! My new mechanic (Mazda rotary specialist) says ease off the line and try to avoid stop and go traffic, and it'll be a lot better.
Well, since doing so, I'm at 240kms and have 1/3 of a tank left! So I figure she'll be at 300 before the light flickers on! I've even opened her up on a late night freeway run (twice) and it didn't seem to affect it negatively! Plus, I shift at 3500-4000 around town and skip from 2-4 as often as I can (and 4th-6th) I never let it bog, however. Bottom line - it seems - is once she's moving, you can enjoy the power more aggresively and readily, but don't launch it hard if you value your $$!
I just got all the brakes done and a new battery, plugs and air filter put in. I was advised to replace the stock (original?) plug wires so I got some NGKs and will be installing those asap. I'm 'thinking' of doing all the coils as I have heard they affect mileage as well? But I don't want to throw hundreds of $$ away if they're still decent, so......
I've owned over 30 cars, including many newer and older Mustang (V8s), many 944s and 1 Turbo 944, a 76 911S, an SVT Focus, a '93 Corrado VR6, a couple of 3 series (E36) BMWs and a number of 60s musclecars, including my current mint '66 Comet (which seems to get the same mileage with a 4 barrel 289 V8! lol) I apparently have no allegiance to any style/demographic/nationality of car, though I must confess I lean towards German marquees and good ol' (mostly Ford) V8s. This is actually my first real Japanese car, other than a Swift GTI and some winter beaters! I've always had a thing for Mazda....for some reason!? :^) ALWAYS loved the 3rd gen RX-7s and older Turbo II's, but was advised to avoid turbo rotaries for a number of reasons! (reliability especially on the 3rd gens.....too bad!)
I have to say - with the possible exception of the 944 Turbo - this car handles and performs better than any car I've driven! They truly are planted and stable and FUN, even though the bottom end isn't 'there'. Seeing the car willingly pull to 8000 rpm so quietly and 'electrically smooth' is a trip! Seems like I shouldn't be revving so high, but the car shows no signs of stress and everyone seems to agree, they can handle it. I've heard it said that these get quicker with age?
I am meticulous (**** even) for maintenance and upkeep so if the car needs any service or attention, she'll get it.
A few things hopefully someone can answer -
-as mentioned, I have new plug wires. I was all ready to put them in today but after sticking my head in there, I'm thinking this may not be a diy job?! I can't even see where they start and end!! Should I bring it in to the shop? I've done many tune-ups, but underhood on this car is a little intimidating!
-how do I know if I have a GT model or a base model?
-do these have lsd? If so, will my vin verify this?
-without getting obnoxiously loud, is an aftermarket exhaust a worthwhile upgrade? Maybe just a throatier muffler? I have read that a full on catback style set up doesn't really add much for hp, which isn't really what I'm after, but a little more 'bark' might be nice.
I think that's it/enough!! (Sorry)
I truly look forward to this wicked little beast and hope it doesn't let me down........so far (as everyone else seems to agree!) -I look for reasons to go for a rip!
Now about that drivers side fogged up taillight and sorta rattling drivers side door mirror!! :^( (well, it is a used car!)
Cheers!
I have been looking at these essentially since their intro but because of the price, could never swing it......but now that they're 'reasonable' - I figured it was a good time.
She is a US car imported to BC about 2 years ago and currently has 72000kms - or about 42000 miles. Not much in the way of records, but the oil change receipts were there and I will be tending to a some maintenance issues in the next few weeks.
Bone stock - as far as I can tell - with all the bells and whistles except nav and headlight washers (if they were even offered in '04?) Leather, heatet seats, Bose system, moonroof, sports suspension, keyless entry, etc......
What has spooked me about the rotaries is the typical 'issues', such as oil appetite, gas mileage and the dreaded flood. My fuel concerns were validated as I got about 15/16 mpg (90% city) on my first tank! About 250 kms in (160 miles) before the light came on! Of course, since it was new, I was a tad heavy on the loud pedal, but still, how much better will it get? I've heard people claim near 20mpg if driven prudently and perfectly tuned, so I'll keep my hopes up.
What I did notice (as many have said here) - if you drive it like you're in a bad mood and constantly try to emulate Mustangs off the line, she'll gobble the gas like crazy! My new mechanic (Mazda rotary specialist) says ease off the line and try to avoid stop and go traffic, and it'll be a lot better.
Well, since doing so, I'm at 240kms and have 1/3 of a tank left! So I figure she'll be at 300 before the light flickers on! I've even opened her up on a late night freeway run (twice) and it didn't seem to affect it negatively! Plus, I shift at 3500-4000 around town and skip from 2-4 as often as I can (and 4th-6th) I never let it bog, however. Bottom line - it seems - is once she's moving, you can enjoy the power more aggresively and readily, but don't launch it hard if you value your $$!
I just got all the brakes done and a new battery, plugs and air filter put in. I was advised to replace the stock (original?) plug wires so I got some NGKs and will be installing those asap. I'm 'thinking' of doing all the coils as I have heard they affect mileage as well? But I don't want to throw hundreds of $$ away if they're still decent, so......
I've owned over 30 cars, including many newer and older Mustang (V8s), many 944s and 1 Turbo 944, a 76 911S, an SVT Focus, a '93 Corrado VR6, a couple of 3 series (E36) BMWs and a number of 60s musclecars, including my current mint '66 Comet (which seems to get the same mileage with a 4 barrel 289 V8! lol) I apparently have no allegiance to any style/demographic/nationality of car, though I must confess I lean towards German marquees and good ol' (mostly Ford) V8s. This is actually my first real Japanese car, other than a Swift GTI and some winter beaters! I've always had a thing for Mazda....for some reason!? :^) ALWAYS loved the 3rd gen RX-7s and older Turbo II's, but was advised to avoid turbo rotaries for a number of reasons! (reliability especially on the 3rd gens.....too bad!)
I have to say - with the possible exception of the 944 Turbo - this car handles and performs better than any car I've driven! They truly are planted and stable and FUN, even though the bottom end isn't 'there'. Seeing the car willingly pull to 8000 rpm so quietly and 'electrically smooth' is a trip! Seems like I shouldn't be revving so high, but the car shows no signs of stress and everyone seems to agree, they can handle it. I've heard it said that these get quicker with age?
I am meticulous (**** even) for maintenance and upkeep so if the car needs any service or attention, she'll get it.
A few things hopefully someone can answer -
-as mentioned, I have new plug wires. I was all ready to put them in today but after sticking my head in there, I'm thinking this may not be a diy job?! I can't even see where they start and end!! Should I bring it in to the shop? I've done many tune-ups, but underhood on this car is a little intimidating!
-how do I know if I have a GT model or a base model?
-do these have lsd? If so, will my vin verify this?
-without getting obnoxiously loud, is an aftermarket exhaust a worthwhile upgrade? Maybe just a throatier muffler? I have read that a full on catback style set up doesn't really add much for hp, which isn't really what I'm after, but a little more 'bark' might be nice.
I think that's it/enough!! (Sorry)
I truly look forward to this wicked little beast and hope it doesn't let me down........so far (as everyone else seems to agree!) -I look for reasons to go for a rip!
Now about that drivers side fogged up taillight and sorta rattling drivers side door mirror!! :^( (well, it is a used car!)
Cheers!
03-07-2010, 05:59 AM
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your RX8.
Well done on taking the plunge into RX8 ownership, I'm a fairly new owner myself ( five weeks ago ). You are right, there is some fairly good deals out there especially in the Lower Mainland.
I live in Kelowna and we have a well established Mazda dealership here, I may have been able to save some money by buying down in the Vancouver area but I did lots of research into used RX8's before I bought and I knew exactly what I wanted.
I'm not even sure how many models of this car there are, on paper my car is a late model 2006 RX8 GT. It's fully loaded with the exception of navigation,,,Hell I know where I'm going ! I noted the condensation inside the rear tail lights at the time of sale and they resealed them for me but with little success
The condensation won't be noticeable once the weather warms, my car is automatic with the paddle shifters, I sacrificed a bit of horsepower but there is more than enough performance from this machine for my needs.
We accept the fact that the RX8 is a gas thirsty machine, I drive mine like it should be driven, I don't baby it and I don't have any concerns about fuel consumption,,,,,that's the price of owning one of these cars. Like you I have owned a number of cars in my years ( I'm 64 ) but without question nothing comes close to the handling and performance of any set of wheels I have ever owned ( well,,,,with the exception of my Ducati twin sport motorbike when I was a teenager,,,,,,another lifetime ago ).
It's definately a driver car and I certainly hope you get the enjoyment out of it as I am getting out of mine,,,,,,,,,,,good luck.
I live in Kelowna and we have a well established Mazda dealership here, I may have been able to save some money by buying down in the Vancouver area but I did lots of research into used RX8's before I bought and I knew exactly what I wanted.
I'm not even sure how many models of this car there are, on paper my car is a late model 2006 RX8 GT. It's fully loaded with the exception of navigation,,,Hell I know where I'm going ! I noted the condensation inside the rear tail lights at the time of sale and they resealed them for me but with little success
The condensation won't be noticeable once the weather warms, my car is automatic with the paddle shifters, I sacrificed a bit of horsepower but there is more than enough performance from this machine for my needs.
We accept the fact that the RX8 is a gas thirsty machine, I drive mine like it should be driven, I don't baby it and I don't have any concerns about fuel consumption,,,,,that's the price of owning one of these cars. Like you I have owned a number of cars in my years ( I'm 64 ) but without question nothing comes close to the handling and performance of any set of wheels I have ever owned ( well,,,,with the exception of my Ducati twin sport motorbike when I was a teenager,,,,,,another lifetime ago ).
It's definately a driver car and I certainly hope you get the enjoyment out of it as I am getting out of mine,,,,,,,,,,,good luck.
03-07-2010, 12:51 PM
#4
One Shot One Kill
Plugs, Coils, Plug Wires, are extremely easy to change, search the DYI for the thread for spark plug change and coil change, there is a trick that makes it all easier with a couple tools and extension. rx8 uses coils instead of distributor, which i think is much easier (careful when re-tightening to not over-tighten, i broke a bolt doing that.. had to repair it myself.
GT has leather, base does not, simple. sports will have the button for stability control near your display light adjustment. (base is like a 100lb lighter than GT)
Base have no stability control, but i think have LSD. no need for vin, what type you got is what you will have.
i recommend a "bite" is any street version exhaust, i personally think racing beat street edition sounds nice, people have told me my racing beat race exhaust sounds mighty mean, but it's not a looker, and if you drive highway alot... can't live with it, i recently took it off cause i was driving alot of highway.
GT has leather, base does not, simple. sports will have the button for stability control near your display light adjustment. (base is like a 100lb lighter than GT)
Base have no stability control, but i think have LSD. no need for vin, what type you got is what you will have.
i recommend a "bite" is any street version exhaust, i personally think racing beat street edition sounds nice, people have told me my racing beat race exhaust sounds mighty mean, but it's not a looker, and if you drive highway alot... can't live with it, i recently took it off cause i was driving alot of highway.
03-07-2010, 03:39 PM
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Thanx for the input and advice so far. The plugs were done by the p/o so I just gotta get that air intake housing outta the way to get to the coil and wires.....I guess once that's done, it isn't that difficult. I went in yesterday not even knowing where they were! lol I know it's probably been asked, but is it best to go oem (Mazda original/updated) coils or is there a 'jobber' (NGK, etc....) replacement that's just as good? Sorry if it's been asked over and over but there's so many threads regarding coils I just thought I'd quickly throw it out there....in here!!
Cheers!
ps - so all models have lsd?
Cheers!
ps - so all models have lsd?
03-09-2010, 07:12 AM
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Racing Beat make a great cat-back. Very 'mature' sound not ricey. (I'm 58)
You can get local at http://www.eunos.ca/ ....good guys.
You can get local at http://www.eunos.ca/ ....good guys.
03-09-2010, 02:49 PM
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Thanx! Funny you mention Eunos, as they just did my brakes last week. I will talk to Chris and pick his brain.
Anyone have any advice on the coil issue (oem or....?)
~T~
Anyone have any advice on the coil issue (oem or....?)
~T~
03-09-2010, 03:11 PM
#8
One Shot One Kill
all model should have lsd, stock coils are just fine, look around for cheapest deals. or support on of our vendors. (i look around, and from time to time the vendors have best deals.. but like i said, from time to time)
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