BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Hi, sorry for your loss. 144k would be considered outstanding by some 8 owners.

Just out of curiosity, and as a fact finding query, did you premix, use a Sohn adapter, or any other mods?

Did you redline it when you drove it, get pcm flash, or any other improvements recommended?
Any info regarding these or related issues would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Phil B

I reved it to approx. 87k practically every time I drove it. The oil was changed between every 2500 to 3000 miles. There were no mods added. PCM flashed twice.No premix or Sohn adapter. I'm sure considering the level of performance this car produces it would be unrealistic to expect 160,000 miles of engine life from a 13B renesis, but this car is mesmerizing due to its stratospheric performance. It spoiled me. So I'll pony up the 4 grand , and head back to rotary heaven.

chris_04_rx8

Highly dissatisfied with the quality of the car in general. Overflow onto electronics nipple on rad breaks car floods no matter what. I hate this car more than I enjoy its zippy little cornering and all.

chris_04_rx8

Mine has 150k now and just trying to make me kill her

chris_04_rx8

Upon just checking the oil I do believe I have a lot of water in there. Its got quiet a bit of white milky residue. That being said twmps have dropped a lot around here since last checking as well.

hirpm

I've owned my 05 shrinkage for 8 days, it has a factory reman engine installed 3weeks ago, then immediately taken to auto auction and ended up on a small car lot where I bought it, I'm still breaking the reman in.
I love the car, but am having to replace the heater circuit board.
After reading all the doom and gloom on here, I'm concerned I bought a "money pit", what is the general opinion or experience on reman engine reliability?

chris_04_rx8

reman engine should get you around like a new car, thing is some new ones died at as little as 20k miles.

All_Day_Dre

iTrader: (2)

I both love and hate my car...it is the most sensitive, and at the same time, toughest car ive ever had, ive beaten the $hit out of it for years at autocrosses and track days and its never failed me...every day I love driving it but also every day i feel like this could be the day my engines dies, Im at 67k, every mile is a bonus in my mind

jcblessing

At 72 yrs. young,I've own a few fun cars(covair monza spyder w/turbo,1963 split window vette w/340 hp,TR4 IRS,Sunbeam Alpine Tiger(w Ford 269 ci) MR2. Have to say I really enjoy my 07 RX8. Love the road handling,with the mph/rpm relationship it really keeps you alert to your driving. If there is a minus,I guess itwould be the mpg.-but I get 20mpg no matter what I do.I can live with that(unless Obamacare starts to kill my wife & I.) I try do maintain the best I know how & just hope the engine life is good.

Heavytarget

Two Engine Replacements. Maddening PCM issues. Actually out-right hateful PCM issues. Countless spark plug and ignition coil replacements. Knuckle-breaking-forearm-burning oil changes. And now that I'm in the 100K club; interior mechanical issues, like a broken door latch, tearing leather seats, or power window failure. So many wonderful "Why did I buy this thing?" moments. That was in 2006. Shes' paid for now and I still have those moments.

And when I raise my heart rate by drifting around a traffic circle at 4am on my way to work or, it's still worth it. Though the doc is still trying to figure out how I burn myself so much.

savger

only had the rx8 evolve 231bhp a couple of months love everything about the car except mpg but lets face it you know all about that before you buy the car,that said an absolute stunner of a car inside & out and has the performance to give any other car a run for ther money, i have the special edit copper red and i feel really priv to own this one 06 plate 27,500 and i love it.

gendry

Somewhat satisfied. The spartan interior and limited tech inside (e.g., aux input, bluetooth, etc) with a steep power curve keep it from being top satisfaction level. Not complaining or sayings its inadequate, but a little more power and interior gizmos would put me over the top.

Handling, agility, gokart feel are the best attributes in my mind.

jcblessing

Have an '07since 2010. Highly satisfied. Great handling & feel. Mileage could be better,although I'm getting a pretty constant 20 mpg. Just put on the BHR coils & new plugs- GOT FIRE IN THE HOLE! My wife is tired of driving it-says: Too much work! With the 6 spd. & smaller cc engine you do keep after it-it's definitely a driver's car.
Just past 50,000 - hope the rotary lasts.

TotheFloor

2004 RX8 Highly satisfied

I love my zoom zoom . Purchased it a year ago used with 33,000 miles and was sold on it when the sales man opened the double doors to show the interior with the black and red leather seats. Makes me feel like a different person when I drive it! I don't mind the fuel mileage (about 16).

KDispel

I'm on my second RX8 now. I didn't lose my first one to maintenance, engine or any related issues. It was destroyed by another vehicle while parked outside of a Fred Meyer.

The thought of buying a different car didn't cross my mind in any case. I found a good deal on a low mile 2004 GT and bought it.

Khurram

I have an 04. We just celebrated our first Anniversary i gifting her BHR Igntion kit.

She has 246k kms on the odo, Bought it at 170k.. Been Great changed coils, plugs, wires and clutch ones and she has been solid. Love it, Never Dissappoints on free ways..I get 16-18 mpg

mc2rx8

I've got a 2004 RX8 and recently have been unsatisfied with it. Its been dealer maintained from Day 1 and now with only 83k miles i've got weak compression on one rotor, oil in my air intake, constant radiator problems, a keyless entry that doesn't work, and power steering that comes on and off. Not to mention the car chugs 93 octane case like someone who ran a marathon through the Sahara.

I wont be buying another Mazda.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

This is your mistake. Dealers ignore the important stuff out of ignorance. It works for piston cars, because they tolerate negligence. It doesn't work with a rotary. It's a trait of the engine, not a trait of Mazda. Mazda has quite a few cars that will go for a million miles with only basic half-hearted maintenance. None of their rotaries have ever been like that.

FNLR3

Want to echo RWIPP and add this: An RX-8 is not just a phenomenal driver's car, it is also a sort of partnership through corners and in maintenance. No matter how much I enjoy music when I drive (turns off my conscious mind and just lets me DRIVE), on every trip no matter the duration I listen to my engine at idle, through acceleration and while revving down at stops. She's very communicative, and I try to be very open when I listen.

And not just engine note. A slight misalignment is easy to feel, and any mysterious thing that she tells me I make an appointment to get her checked. (Got bad solenoids replaced one time.)

"Dealer maintained" is a relatively empty statement. There are three dealers nearer to me than the one I take mine to, only do it on days of the week when one of two mechanics are there. Even for "routine maintenance" like oil changes.

That said, two other Mazdas in my family get the minimum maintenance from their drivers and they're fine. Pistons are for people who treat their cars like refrigerators, and Mazda builds those for the relative few who want to sometimes DRIVE.

As for those of us who chose to take home an RX-8, different story. No less competent engineering, just different.

Smileynh

I've never had such odd electronics problems with a Nissan.
All known issues here.
The speaker amp on the door needs replacing, it cuts out.
Warning light for the radiator comes on under hard acceleration.
The HVAC controller barely functions.
The alarm system drains the battery if it sits two weeks.

I need to get the time and a solder gun to fix this but just never have the time.

At 80,000 miles I've had 2 floods in 2 years.

superdan50

I voted "somewhat satisfied" though feel that isnt quite fair, since im just not completely satisfied, and thats what i attributed the highest satisfaction level to. This is because i wanted to get back into a rotary, but needed a "family friendly" car, but i came from a 3rd gen rx7. i knew that they weren't as quick or torquey being NA vs FI, I just want that little extra.

For those that have rated poorly for reasons of reliability or mpg or gadgets, etc. shame on you for not doing your homework. (though it is irritating that some of the reliabilty issues are due to the e-shaft oiling, or lack there of.) you bought a sports car, a drivers car. theres likely a reason you didnt buy a prius. as far as gadgets, you are supposed to be one with a drivers car, gadgets are just distractions.

side note there are some of the minor problems (electronic failures, and such) that are issues on all cars in some form or another, but suck none the less. IE my wife and i owned a Scion tC and the sunroof "lost its memory" (what ever the hell that means) twice, the sunroof switch, the radio replaced, calipers seized up, and rusted from the inside out. so even the all mighty toyota has a bad apple here and there. also we had trouble with the paint, though that might have been due to me sliding into a semi at 50mph, so we'll say toyota is in the clear on that one.

DreamWarrior

Ugh -- I've been a member here for a long time (lurker mostly), put a deposit on the car before it even came out like many of our old-timers, and from the very beginning this car has been a disappointment that has just continued. I think I can finally say I wish I never bought it! Let's see --

From day 1 -- "oh, we know what we said power output would be, but...sorry...emissions and all, we'll buy it back if you don't like what we came up with." OHHHHHHHH how I WISH I took them up on it! It's been:

- Terrible gas mileage (which I know about going in, but now it's just another thorn in my side)
- Adding oil all the time (again, I knew about it, but...it gets OLD)
- The cheap interior -- I've replaced the ***** on my A/C unit and they are once again broken, the center console lid doesn't close any more, the dash plastic is cracked right where the passenger airbag is, probably bad design around the airbag causing stress cracks over the lifetime.

Those are just the nits...but then there's:

- Engine blown at 90k after struggles with hard hot starts for a while, and I kept begging the dealer to do a compression test because of all the knowledgeable people around here saying its probably losing compression and that's why it's hard starting....they said all was fine. Then a few months later, they tell me the engine is dead. GIVE ME A F#$%#$%@#$% break! It was dying, you lied on all the compression tests because it was just around the end of the extended warranty and now it's dead. THANKS!

So, I drop the money for an engine repair, even with all the other garbage, hoping that I'd still find the drive enjoying. And then, I find out a year or so after the engine replacement that the oil lines are all rusting. The car is leaking all over my driveway and I need to add a quart of oil a day until the parts come in. AWESOME!

I am so glad I never modified this piece of crap -- given how many people have had trouble in that category! In fact, I bought it with all intentions of paying someone to turbo it at some point like the RX-7's of yesteryear. Yeah, that worked out well. As I read all the problems turbo owners were having I can only imagine how much worse I'd have been off if I did that. So...it disappointed me there, too, because I thought it'd have been more reliably mod-able.

So, yeah -- I HATE THIS CAR! I wish I never bought it, and I'll NEVER buy another Mazda again in my life. All the things that have happened and they never once took care of me. I would have hoped they'd have helped a bit with the engine, after all I had been having issues well before the warranty was up and was told the compression was fine it just "needed a new starter". Uhhh huh.... Heck they wouldn't even replace the A/C ***** for free! How many people have had that problem? Lots! I showed the dealer how many people were having them replaced, some for free, when it happened; they didn't care. Mazda must hate this car as much as I do.

Honestly, I suppose if you want a car to be your project and have the resources and ability (and time) to work on it yourself, maybe it's a great car. You'll be spending a lot of time fixing it, lol. But, it is not a project for me, I just wanted a fun car and now it's a money pit pain in my butt. I'd never recommend anyone buy one. Maybe I've just had bad luck with my dealer, or I'm just too nice and let them walk on me, but...the whole thing has left a bad experience in my mouth and I'll never do it again.

edit: oh, and I forgot to mention the power steering harness and now the airbag harness. Both design flaws, both expensive fixes *if* you listen to the dealer. At least on the steering harness I got them just to clean it off and replug it...they don't seem to want to do that with the airbag even though people here have successfully fixed it similarly. They do, however, want to charge me $600 to fix it.... Personally, with how many people have those issues and the fact that they can both negatively affect the safety of the car, I think Mazda should recall and fix them. But, again, they don't seem to really give a crap about this car. And so, I don't give a crap about them, and will (as I mentioned before and reiterate now) never buy another Mazda product.

Priently

Honestly, I am highly satisfied with by rx8

gwilliams6

I have owned seven rotary engine cars since 1973, with combined over a million miles driven on street and track and never an engine failure. Sure these cars aren't perfect and I have fixed a host of other things over the years, but never an engine problem with proper maintenance and use.

Currently my 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 is suffering some usual aging problems at 55,000 miles. I had to replace a failing fuel pump (replaced with a dw200 pump from BHR), and now one of my taillights has moisture in it. I will get that fixed when I do my next service. Otherwise the car has been really bulletproof. (knock on wood).

loewenm

I loved my Shinka so much I am considering on looking for another. I do miss that car.