Hi all,

I live in Sydney and have laid down a deposit for a red 8 which I am expecting to receive in around 6 weeks. I have some concerns about the car but wanted an Australian perspective.

I have been keeping an eye on the US forum and there appears to be quite a few unhappy customers with problems such as the engine flooding.

Any feedback on whether we are experiencing the same problems over here?

Appreciate any comments.

 

Congratulations... as a fellow Velocity Red owner I can honestly say, you won't be disappointed. I've had my car since August and the love affair is still as strong as day 1.

There has been a couple of mentions of flooding here in Australia. If I need to move the car for a short distance (e.g. to move it out of the garage), I go for a quick spin around the block.. by that time the engine is warm enough to not cause a problem.

Another tip I have read is to run the engine up to 3000 rpm then switch off... the fact that the engine is slowing down with no fuel flushes any remaining fuel out of the engine.

Other major complaints I recall have been:
- 1 instance of a cracked engine causing leakage of coolant into the motor. I believe that owner is very happy with the response from Mazda to the problem.
- 1 instance of a rock flying through the air dam and cracking the radiator. Hymee has a solution to this... his easy to fit grille.

Hymee tested the engine control unit with some bad fuel and it responded well... basically put the engine into limp mode and saved it from further problems. Don't buy Caltex.

I'll let others speak for themselves, but I believe the general experience here is very positive. I'm certainly very happy with mine.

To be honest, I don't find the general experience of some the US forum members that interesting... the number of times I've read about stupid things like "how do I stick shift" and "I cruise down hills in neutral" and "I cruise round at 6000 RPM and my fuel economy sucks" makes me take much of what is in the US area with a pinch of salt. The RX-8 is very affordable with many younger, inexperienced drivers in the US.

 

We have a red one, build date early June 2003 (first batch in Oz). Not quite 10,000km, with absolutely zero problems (cross fingers). I can't wait to drive it every day. It's a gorgeous car.

 

I agree with SCO that you should ignore the US forum, the car is far too cheap there so its full of 19 year old kids arguing about 1/4 mile times and how to fit stupidly large wings and neon lights.

Although you aussies have had the RX8 about 5 months longer than us, we've got quite a few now, so you are welcome to read about our experiances at the UK RX8 Owners Club.

Cheers
---Dave

 

Giannig... I think you're doing the right thing by researching. Like Sco says, with proper treatment, you will be able to avoid flooding problems. And even if you happen to make a mistake and not follow the procedure, there's no guarantee that you *will* flood. It's just that the odds decrease dramatically when you follow the recommended procedure.

As for the US, well, I agree with sco... and maybe not with Druck. I'm not sure ignoring the US Forum is the way to go because there is useful information there.

However, yes, a pinch of salt is *strongly* encouraged... and this is coming from a US member of the US forums.

For the most part, the users on all the (worldwide) forums are knowledgable. However, there are idiots everywhere... and maybe because the US population is larger, we have more of them.

 

giannig,

sco summed it up quite well. From a reliability point of view, I have had zero problems at over 10,000km with its fair share of "spirited driving"

What sort of car are you getting out of for the '8? I don't know anyone here who is dissapointed. Even those of us looking for more power are very happy.

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

giannig -- you will love the car. I've nearly done 20k now since August, with no problems. The only 'fault' is the tendancy of the cruise control to surge up hills and overshoot the set speed if you hit Resume at the bottom of the hill. That is definitely a fault, and one I will raise with Mazda at my upcoming 20k service.

Congratualtions on choosing red, too :p

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I am currently driving a Honda CRV so the 8 will probably feel like a Ferrari in comparison. Other cars I was considering were:

- 350Z but I cannot live with 2 seats. I found it awesome to drive though

- Monaro but I kind of think it is already starting to look dated

- Liberty GT, still considering it but looks a bit conservative

- Falcon XR6T/8 far to big to park in our back yard

The 8 was just a stand out in this mob given it combined the best of all worlds. I must say that I feel like I am taking a risk on the long term reliability given it's a new engine and hasn't proven its durability.

 

I think we all took a risk getting a car that was so different in every way.

The upside of the risk is a really sensaional car that has no peers.

So, so far it's been a huge winner ... and with Mazda's rotary experience and virtually no hiccups so far.... I think it's looking good.