th1rd3y3

I'm VERY interested in purchasing a RX-8 in very near future (or as soon as I sell my car). I've already test driven one and absolutely loved it.

However, I'm beginning to have a few concerns after reading what is going on with this car.

What I am hoping is that someone can outline some of the problems that a lot of people are having with this car, because as much as I love this car I don't want to purchase another car and completely regret it.

thanx in advance

The Beav

just remember it's a sports car not a lexus, alot people here seem to have forgotten that

th1rd3y3

not to sound like an *** but what the hell does that mean?

PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

It mean that don't complain when the ride starts to hurt your ***, and the A/C isn't ice cold. What people have is little nitpicks and nags nothing to worry about.

ramfann

overall the car is a dream that has well been worth the time waiting for. with every car you get there has always been little nuances that are there that will not be to your liking, but there are very few to mention.

overall, what you are hearing nowadays is the "lack of hp" so to say. well let me say that the car is plenty fast and really if you want something more off the line then you are really looking for a different car.

now that everyone has taken a stance about the power of the car, many other attributes are being overlooked. the handling of this car is an absolute dream! it has everything that i want from a car, from a sporty, sexy look, power to push the car, the handling (as mentioned), a nice feel to the ride....not too stiff, not too mushy, and actually some room in back and in the trunk. from my perspective overall, mazda has nailed this one right on the head.

if you really want to worry about all the naysayers about the hp issue, take one for a spin and just figure out for YOUR needs if this is the dream car for you like it is for me.

good luck with the choice! :o)

th1rd3y3

ok well thats encouraging

Digisan

Since when was it a sports car? It was a sports car until it started dynoing like a friggin' civic! J/K, not about the dyno part though

D-san

BillK

If HP numbers are what defines a sports car for you I suggest you buy yourself a Dodge Ram 2500 with the Cummins Turbo Diesel - talk about HP and torque!! (It will get better mileage than the RX-8 to boot!)

DAC17

IMHO, we spend way too much time on these forums obsessing abut numbers, as opposed to how the car looks and feels. Go drive one, sit in it, look at it. What do you think about it? I love mine; it's a great mix of stunning good looks, more than adequate power and great handling. I think the internet age has caused us to fixate on things that aren't always the most pertinent.

Racer X-8

Aaaaack! Stop, stop, stop!!!!

The car (my car anyway) is flawless in every way .

About the hp thing, it's a whole lot faster than any other car that I have owned. My daddy's '69 Impala 350 cu.in. 4bbl V8 with posi-traction rear end might have been faster for sure. She would smoke the tires when I cruzed the circuit real nice.

Glad I didn't have to pay for the gas or the tires.

Since I've stopped driving daddy's cars (some 30 years ago), this is my fastest to date. It's got more power than I really need and I am satisfied. I am not a "sunday driver" either. Not by any stretch! Just ask my wife & friends. But I don't stoplight race anymore (I finally grew up).

That said though, the real issue for me is, if it should have even more hp than it now does, then I want that missing hp. Why? Cuz it'll go even faster. And I paid for it.

Putting that behind us, the car is oh so sweet! Handling/suspension/steering is perfect. Paint, fit, trim, materials, lighting, controls,seats, roominess, everything is perfect to me.

A lot of "complaints" are really nothing more than "my _____ (fill-in the blank) had _________ (again) and this car is different and I liked the other better I think." Maybe because he got used to the other one and this one is just different?!? Humans are definitely, without a doubt, creatures of habbit. Sometimes I think, moreso than even other animals. If you don't believe this, just go to some church - any church - and sit in some pew that "belongs" to someone or some family. You'll get frowned at the whole time, if they don't actually ask the usher to move you.

The car is perfect. And hopefully soon, will be even more perfect.:D :D :D

RX-GR8

here's what i've seen as being the bigest complaints other than hp. your car may vary.

1. low MPG
2. excessive oil consumption
3. A/C cycling
4. excessive interior heat
5. cel comes on intermittently
6. oil pressure light comes on. defective oil pan?

i can live with the lower hp. but if i had 2 or 3 things wrong from the list above i'd be concerned.

Elara

But then, quite a few of us have not encountered ANY of the above problems. I am completely in love with my car. I can honestly say it's one of the top two cars in terms of fun that I've ever driven.

But, it's completely your decision. If you are comfortable with taking the risks, even if they are small, that the above might happen, perhaps you should reconsider. But they exist with any car you buy. The reason they stand out so much is that those who are happy are usually less vocal than those who are having issues.

TomsterRX8

My single biggest concern? Not the cabin heat (which one is more likely to feel in Texas than Virginia), not the low mpg (which is inexcusable given the light weight and average power), not the lower power than advertised (and may be still lower than newly confessed figures).

My biggest concern? The fact that there are 26 currently sitting at one of 3 area dealerships as of this morning. Many of which have been onsite for a while now. Go to a Honda dealership and you might find one S2000. Go to a Nissan dealership (which I did last night) and you might find 2 or 3 Z cars). My concern, if I were looking to buy today, is that buying today could very well cost you $3,000 over buying in late Autumn.

But to be fair, I've been looking for a replacement to buy assuming I turn my RX8 back in to the manufacturer and each time I walk off the Nissan or Toyota or Honda lots and come back to my car sitting there I say to myself, "Damn, this car looks so much better than everything I just looked at!".

rotarygod

If horsepower were the deciding factor in what makes a sportscar then I guess my 1st and 2nd gen RX-7's aren't sports cars. They get comparable gas mileage to the RX-8, have far LESS horsepower, the a/c doesn't work near as good, there is far less room inside, don't handle quite as well, pollute more, are much louder, had many interior quirks and problems, and I will still drive one for a daily driver. Even the 1st gen!!! If you are used to Hoda gas mileage then you will be dissappointed. I have a Civic that gets 30 mpg in the city and I drive 25000+ miles a year as a real estate agent. I am still about to trade it in on the RX-8. It is faster, looks much nicer, and has MORE interior room. Even the backseat has more room. The ONLY negative that I can find is with the gas mileage but as the aftermarket takes off there will be ways to tune this a little better. One guy on here said that his gas mileage has been getting better with added mileage. Others have reported less exhaust soot with added mileage and that corresponds well with the other statement. I guarantee that I can get at least 20 in the city in that car and that is fine with me. Here in Houston everyone and their redneck drives a truck or SUV (expedition, excursion, etc) that gets far worse gas mileage than the RX-8. (Yes I know that not all SUV's get poor gas mileage). I never hear anyone complaining about how terrible it is to drive those vehicles. Too many people are expecting Honda gas mileage with Ferrari speed and handling and it isn't going to happen. If people can't accept the fact that this is how the car is, then they don't need to own a rotary. It is still the most technically advanced and highest performing non turbo rotary ever made for street use and many people seem to forget that.

BRx8

all you really need to do is go for a real test drive...tell the dealer you're very interested in purchasing one and don't be afraid to open her up...try out the acceleration, speed, and handling as well as how comfortable you feel...take all the time you want...if you like it during the test drive, you'll love it even more when you get it home...if you're so-so with the test drive, don't buy it...go test drive other cars on your list and if you like those better buy one of those...there's a good chance, IMO, you'll come back and purchase the RX-8, however...

Racer X-8

Autumn 2005?
This is a 2004 car already...

Rotarygod mentioned non-turbo. When a turbo becomes available, this car's gonna ROCK!!! (rocket?)

If you decide to buy another 4-popper with a badazz turbo already on it, whatchya gonna do to it to make it more powerful? Add a turbo turbo? Superturbo? Sure, you have tricky intake/exhaust mod's, but they don't add all that much, then you're done, whether you like it or not, unless you wanna drop a bigger unit in there somehow. That's nuts.

This car's gonna get bad when turbo's start coming in for it!

Mook

My $.02

I don't own an RX-8 (yet), but I when through a similar situation with the 2002 Miata. Focusing on HP, 0-60, etc. is fine if that is what you appreciate about a car, but for me and a lot of other folks, there is much more to it than that. It is the overall experience that usually make us happy or not. For me, my Miata has been a blast. I'm looking to get an RX-8 only because it suites me and my lifestyle better (I think, I'm test driving one later today), not because it is slow, has less HP, etc.

I saw a quote once on the Miata.net site that said "it is more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow". So don't let other opinions scare you away from a car. The best thing to do is drive it and other similar cars. Having something to compare against is best. I drove an Audi TT, S2000, SLK, Mustang all before deciding on the Miata. So, do some test drives, multiple ones if necessary and see if the car makes you happy and don't worry about what everyone else thinks.

I don't profess to know what is up with Mazda and their HP quotes. I would have thought they would learn from the Miata incident, but apparently they haven't. I think that competition is tough in this category of car and it is easy to get good press with impressive numbers. I do know that Mazda is trying to put things right and is standing behind their product. So, I wouldn't be overly concerned about problems with the car. Any new model goes through this and keep in mind there are lots of folks who have bought this car that don't even know about this web site. If problems were a big issue, we'd be hearing it from other sources.

Besides the car, be aware of the dealer you are buying it from, remember they are the ones you will deal with throughout the life of the car. A bad dealer can ruin a perfectly good car experience. Trust me, I got rid of an Audi A4, not because of the car, but because of the dealership I bought it from.

Best of luck and I hope you find the RX-8 is the car for you.

rotarymotory

This board is convincing me that I have a very strange little RX-8. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it that I can detect.

It's got the power I expected. And I've owned some strong motors in the past. A trick 911, an Audi Turbo Quattro Coupe, an RX-7 Turbo, even (I can't believe I'm admitting this) a Camaro Z28 with the corvette engine (it could lay rubber for about 100 feet). The RX-8 is getting smoother and stronger by the mile.

The AC works great. Almost too great. Last night the ambient read 88 and I drove all over town with the fan on 1 and the cool turned down one click.

The heat coming into the cockpit seems appropriate to such small quarters. And to a real sports car/sports tourer. I mean, the engine and trani are RIGHT THERE. Where they should be. If you DRIVE, those parts get hot. You feel it. I like that a lot. I love that the shifter is attached directly to the Transmission. So old school. It's warm and vibrating. Gotta love it.

There is no soot problem. It's cleaner than the other cars I parked near. LOTS cleaner than the Audi TT I checked out this morning. (I swear I have never before touched another man's tail pipe and never will again.)

No oil light coming on. No unusual oil consumption. No bad noises (plenty of good ones though). The stereo works great (better than the Bose system in my old M-B ML430). The taillight aren't cracked(?). The paint isn't chipped.

And as far as the gas mileage. It's a rotary. I knew it was a rotary when I bought it. I've owned on in the past. It's what I expected and have zero complaints.

So... what should I do? I'm trying to be part of this club and find things to complain about but there just aren't any with the particular 8 I got stuck with. I'm feeling a little left out.

RM

Neddie Seagoon

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rotarymotory
[B]This board is convincing me that I have a very strange little RX-8. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it that I can detect.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The same with mine - so far, touch wood!
I'm getting just under 19 mpg in LA traffic, my AC makes me shiver and I've blown past many a smaller tricked out car.
I have some soot in the pipes but it doesn't seem excessive.
That said, I did put in a pint of oil at 2500 miles - I just don't know yet if that is really bad or not.

One thing I really enjoy is the seat - I am a long-legged 6' 2" and the seats are the most comfortable I'ver had in a loooong time!


I'm wondering how much the cars will go down in price now, which will effect my resale value down the line.

But I'm having a blast!

ggreen29

No problems here either...nuthin' but love (& frequent visits to the gas station still).

JJFlash

I took delivery on July 17th and my car IS experiencing many of the problems expressed on this forum. I have had hesitations in power at the 6000 RPM mark, extremely poor gas mileage and excessive oil loss to include the oil light popping on and off. Don't give me that I have to live with it because it's a sports car crap. It was advertised as 4 seater and an everyday driver. While I am not going to drive mine in the snow/ice, etc. I do expect to be able to take a brand new car on a 500 mile trip after I babied it for the first 750 miles and not get an oil light out in the middle of nowhere. I'm sorry but that's BS. The service department at my dealership doesn't have a clue about the oil problem. If it's normal for rotaries to burn a quart of oil every 2000 miles then why wasn't that told to the potential buyers and why does the service department think it's odd, and why is Mazda so easily willing to buy back my car over a measely 9 HP? If I were wondering about buying an RX8 right now with all of the info posted on this site I would wait until '05 when they've had time to truly analyze the car instead of being one of Mazda's guinea pigs!!

Wankeler

HERE'S TO STRANGE LITTLE RX-8s!!!!!!
Hip hip! Hooray!

I love mine... it's STRANGE TOO!

Maybe we should start a club. The Strange 8s.

The Beav

it's to mean that sports cars aren't supposed to have all the creature comforts in the world, were as lexus's are built for creature comfort (and status cars), i've noticed alot of people here complaining that the ac isn't cold enough, the car uses too much gas and that kinda stuff, which is nice that's true, but it's not a priority on a sports car

P00Man

ive had one problem...and it is nothing posted so far...


the gasket to prevent water coming into the engine compartment (the one under the hood nearest the windsheild that runs the width of the hood) has been sticking to the hood...however, i beleive its due to some cleaner that may have denatured the bonds in the rubber, cause its not melted, it isnt even warm...

oh, there is one other thing, the other day, someone complained about the ac being TOO COLD! which is a good thing, cause now ive got a complaint against the car, so ive got something to post about for the first time in a good while

drive the cars on your list, buy whichever you feel suits you best, i for one, know i wouldnt even have a car if the rx-8 wasnt available, its cool, stylish, fast (looking and moving), smooth without being "old-man" smooth (ridewise) and quiet on the inside. its luxurious enough to please the senses of touch and sight, and sporty enough to indulge in other things, its the best car for me, and i wouldnt have any other
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Squidward

just get the damn thing, you'll LOVE it and will NOT regret it ONE bit.

if you already test drove it and love it, then what's stopping you? All these complains on this website are either overblown or nitpicked and very minor...

I have an RX-8 now for 2.5 weeks, and it is an absolute delight. I also owned an Audi TT and I think other than the "luxury factor", this car tops it in every way that is important to a sports car fan.