Hew Jorgan

Hi All,
Brand new to the forum. My son is dead set on buying an RX-8. Probably '04 to '07 to stay within his budget. Trying to help him not have his 1st car experience be a bad one. Any advice would be appreciated. Should we take the prospective car to a Mazda dealership and pay for a compression test before we buy? We live in Guelph ON. Any good local mechanics for the rotary engine other than Guelph Mazda?
Thanks!

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

definitely get a compression test before you buy and with prices being as low as they are I'd recommend getting an '06 or '07 if possible.
04's had issues as Mazda was still trying to figure out the tuning and oil injection rates so those motors haven't held up as well as some of the newer ones.

also, make sure it's a manual. Auto RX8's are no fun.

gwilliams6

Read through this thoroughly, and as Jedi54 said get that rotary-specific engine compression test BEFORE buying any RX8
https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/


Also an '08 should not be that much more expensive than an '07. Mileage , engine compression test results and overall condition are most important when choosing between "06-'08

Hew Jorgan

Awesome. Thanks guys for the help! I missed that link in my initial search, so I'll check it out. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

BlackStealth

iTrader: (3)

To be honest, Rx8's probably aren't the best first cars to buy... unless he has automotive experience in terms of go karts and/or racing or he is a huge car enthusiast willing to learn and spend money to maintain them. These cars aren't rocket ships, but they are very much handling orientated more suited for those who can take advantage of their setup. Think about it, rear wheel drive, basically mid-engine, with mechanical differential = fun, but can skittish unless you know what you are doing.


Then there are issues in terms of keeping things properly maintained - you need to make him aware that he has to be fastidious in terms of changing oil every 3000-5000km (crucial!) and toping the oil level off every 500-1000km (crucial!) and other items that are unique to rotary engines. In other words, they aren't that cheap to maintain.


With all that said - I dare you to find a more fun, modern, attractive and relatively quick car for the same money.

nissannx

iTrader: (1)

The biggest question is "Does he need a winter car?". If the answer is yes, then the second question is "Can he afford two cars?". Because an RX-8 is not an ideal winter car. As others have said, it's a great car and they are a fantastic price. I have an 04 and, unlike others, have had no issues with it. But it is not an ideal first car. And far from an ideal year around car. That, of course, is just my 2¢.

yurcivicsux

With the price of these now i would buy a series 2 2009+ as these were a lot of great improvements made the 2nd time around most important the 3rd oil injector. but any series 1 with a healthy compression test low km and rust free will be a great car also. the rx8 is the most practical rotary car hands down. i live in Barrie ON and drove mine in the winter for years it was an amazing car in the snow as long as you have GOOD winter tires. Guelph doesn't get nearly the snow we do, you should be fine.

get a manual GT car, which is easy to find as most Canadian models were sold as GT which has leather sunroof xenon lights and 6 port. the autos are 4 port which have drawbacks which is why Mazda dumped them after a few years ... stay away from the 4 ports. typically base models in Canada which again are hard to find anyway.

disclaimer* rotary cars use a lot of fuel and require special care........

arakawa

Oh yeah, my average fuel cost is $0.229/km. And that's with Calgary gas prices.

iverzc

Manual is the way to go. Driving my 2009 through winter all I can say is you definitely need good winter tires and you must drive conservatively when the roads are dusted with snow/ice. The car is fishtail happy so I'd suggest he should get plenty of winter driving experience before hitting the roads with the 8.

So yeah adding to what others have basically covered, compression test, service history, know your oils (I use 10w40 royal purple synthetic), get into a habit of checking oil levels every 2 fill ups and always keep a small bottle handy, GOOD WINTER TIRES if you plan to drive winter, and a whole lot of ***** to redline on the roads (safety first and watch for popos). Good luck!

hello_it'sjoe

Read the link posted above regarding tips when looking to buy a Rotary as those are incredibly helpful. A compression test is a must for any Rotary engine you get, as you will want to make sure the engine is healthy. As many have mentioned above as well, the RX-8 is not a friendly car for winter driving. I had mine out in late November this year due to some issues with my winter beater, and it was quite the experience; even for someone with 8 years of extensive kart racing experience. They're a great car and a lot of fun, best of luck finding one!