New to Rotary HELP!
 

Hey guys, so im planning on purchasing a mazda rx8. Currently 19. Yes, I know about insurance cost etc.. But, what do I need to look out for when purchasing an RX8? How do I maintain one? Yes, I am a noob. I have a rotary specialist in my town and if i do buy an 8, ill have them check on it frequently.




Any feedback would be helpful.

Wrong subforum
Horrible thread title

You're off to a good start.

Try searching.

Read this >>> https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...t-here-202454/

ok, thanks :D

I was going to attack you like a hungry dog, but I see you are going to read that thread and absorb everything.
:beer:

Man, talk about a meat necklace. Welcome friend. Play nice guys.

That sums it up.

there is a thread on the top that says something like new owners start here, and you should click on that

I just recently read the new owners sticky myself... down towards the bottom it gives you a list of very important things to ask about the car you are considering purchasing.. If you start getting bored by all the info at least scroll down and read this area before moving on.

I should have mentioned the one thing I myself have learned and continue to learn, do not buy an 04. :nono: If you do be prepared to spend many many hours in this forum.

I owned an 04 for 6+ years and 70k+ miles. Only problems were engine at 73k miles. Covered 100% under warranty and no hassle by Mazda. Yes I'm sure there are bad ones out there but I would not say to not buy an 04. Only reasons I sold it was to buy a Z06. If not i would have kept it and drove it for years to come.

Fair Enough... but you did have to have your engine replaced at 73k miles.. If the engine had needed replacing 27,001 miles later your opinion would be a little different. And since you can no longer buy a new 2004 you don't get a warranty, and all of the dealer covered TSB repair orders are expired It is probably very sound advice to a potential new owner to not buy a used 2004 RX8. Especially since by 06 and 07 they had very few of the problems the 04's and 05's are notoriously famous for.

And there were some bad ones, and some good ones. I consider mine to be a "good one" it has 115k on what I know to be the original engine, but it also has the faulty radio, faulty A/C Amplifier, Faulty Coolant tank and just recently the oh so common P0661 and P2259 CEL Code issue.

I'm no expert by any means. I have only owned my RX8 for about 2 years but in my opinion and personal experience I would definitely recommend spending the extra $$ and getting an 07 or newer. If you must settle for an 04 do lots of research first, ask lots of questions make sure it has records of recall repairs performed engine replacement etc. If it has no records, CEL's Coolant light on, over 100k miles on it at least do what i did and make sure you get it for about half of the asking price. I bought mine for $3800 from a guy that was asking $7500

Test drive a bunch from a range of under your budget, at your budget and slightly over your budget. That's what I did and picked the best one I could find.
Listen to the engine, noises of the car, squeaks, clutch etc.....
If you get a chance to drive a newer model and compare power from that to the older model, do so or just get a compression test done.
'06 tend to be less problematic than an '04 or '05...but can't always be so sure as owners vary.
I ended up with a very clean summer only driven '05 with great records too.

Regardless, best of luck with the purchase, and enjoy the mind-bending grip :)
PS. If you're going to a dealership, at the very least you can haggle "tax-in" with the price....I did that and some ;)

The rings go bad a lot. :naughty:

haha thanks for your advice(s)
Yes, there are alot of information in the tread posted. Gonna take my time reading it haha.

:ftw:

Year doesn't matter, Compression does!

Year doesn't matter... lmao. Mmm, yes it does. Rx8 had way more problems than just compression. Yes compression is important factor, but to say year doesn't matter is just retarded. Check the TSB and recalls on 04-05, then on newer ones. The list is about 4 times longer.

Of course the 04-05 are going to have more recalls, any car does when it first comes out but to generalize that the 04-05 is of lower quality is just ignorant.

Any year Rx8 is a poor choice if your concerned about reliability,

And I would love to hear your facts supporting your opinion

I have owned seven rotary Mazdas since 1973, one RX3; two RX4's both sedan and coupe; all three generations of RX7 - a 1978 (12a engine. Then later race modified with Racing Beat 450+ hp race-ported turbo 13B rotary engine; a 1990 Turbo II; and a 1993 FD Twin-turbo; a 2008 RX8 40th Anniversary Edition (w/Mazdaspeed CAI) and a 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 GT (w/Mazdaspeed CAI).

I have been through every nuance of the rotary's development for 40years, and yes the year of the model CAN make a huge difference. I have had great luck with all my rotaries, never ANY engine failure, even the race modified cars. But I know how to run and care for them properly, on track and off.

The fact is the early RX8s had more teething pains than Mazda has had with any of their rotary models. Some here have had good luck with 2004s and 2005s, but the statistics will show they had more recalls, more engine failures and more upgrades needed for some important items. Some 2004s and 2005s have gone over 100,000 miles with little or no problems, but they were the exception not the norm. You will find 2004s and 2005s at great used prices. Buy one of these only if you are prepared to do work on these and possibly pay for a new engine as the eight year/ 100,000 Mazda retroactive rotary engine warranty will soon or already have run out.

I myself, for the first time didn't buy an RX the first year it was out. I got a heads up from my friends at Mazda that they were having problems with the first ones. So I waited until the 40th Anniversary Edition came out in 2008. It was a great mix of upgraded suspension, very unique interior, great wheels, other perks and badges and exclusivity with only 1000 in the American market. It was a great choice and I have had a bulletproof ride for the past five years with it with just minor performance mods like a Mazdaspeed CAI. I recommended this 40th anniversary model to others and they found good used ones and have likewise been very happy.

Most of the RX8 problems were sorted out after the first couple of years so start there in your search for a good used one. For sure get a compression test, that is a must. This forum is a great source for knowledge about the RX8 from people around the world. We can all help you along the way. Read the stickies and then ask questions.

Welcome aboard

Upgraded starter and re flash for MOP rates

Yup tons of upgrades

Thank you very much. My point exactly. No ignorance here. And as far as facts go how many 04-05 engines did mazda replace versus the later models. ?? Of course first production years have bugs to be worked out, but to ignore the fact that 100's of thousands of dollars were lost and still believe those year models were not completely inferior... now that would be plain ignorant.
I would love to hear your opinion about how they are any way near the same quality.

Just goes to show being the member of a forum longer than someone doesn't necessarily make you any wiser.

Not giving an opinion, I believe I gave facts unlike any of you have. Mechanically the 04-08 have the same setup (except upgraded starter and re-flash). So again please provide facts stating why even though mechanically they are exactly the same a 2006 is better than a 2004.

Also to clarify every year RX-8 was a loss, Mazda never made money off of any of them, and they will continue to lose money replacing warranty engines from all the failing ones still under warranty. You know the 2006 models :lol:

As for mr. Gwilliams, I have an issue that I made a post about that I would like to have your opinion on. You obviously have more experience than I do with rotary engines and I'm in a bit of a bind. If you don't mind having a read, you can check my post and any ideas you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

And for the record people, I posted on this guys topic to share an opinion based on my personal experience in order to possibly save him time, money and frustration... I did not add my two cents so I could debate the quality, workmanship or reliability of the early RX8 with people who want to try and impress themselves by assuming only their opinion could possibly be correct. Just an fyi. Here for help, to help if I can and maybe meet some interesting people, not to have a pissing match

I do believe everything you have said is an opinion. What fact have you said? I think the only intelligent statement you've made is "compression matters" that's a fact, I give you that one. I never said anything was a fact. I offered my opinion and never brought up facts. ;)

Fact is the starter and flash were not the only differences. I've only been a rx8 owner for a short while an I know that. Do some research, get your "facts" straight.