Okay so here we go, I've owned my RX8 since February this year and have probably sunk about £1500 into repairs and service this far (starter motor, 4x new tires, oil cooler lines, brakes and a new radiator/hoses) in a seemingly endless spate of bad luck the last couple of months. Well the other day I had it at my local Mazda garage for a compression test as I had noticed its less than stellar start up when hot (typically at a petrol station) and I got the dreaded phone call saying my engine has failed its test scoring only 5.0 (or thereabouts) on the test and that a rebuild/new engine would be in order.

So this is my dilemma as I've already got the rest of the car fixed over this year I'm in two minds about getting a rebuild done. One part of me is saying "it's a sweet car to drive and I'll have the benefits of a pretty good engine for a few years" and the other part of me is saying "Just ditch it and look for something else. Write it of as a bad investment"

I have been doing some rotor shopping and can find two garages who will do a rebuild for about £2000 tops (Apexrotary & Rotaryrevs) and the theory I'd then have a decent car for a good while after hopefully. If I do ditch it I'll have lost money on the original purchase and all of the subsequent repairs and new tires this last year and then still have to find a car with hopefully no issues locally for about that price range.

I really love my RX8, but while no one can ever guarantee nothing will go wrong would it be wise to just go ahead and get the rebuild or am I simply holding on to the dream that it'll be better if I keep throwing money at it?

Any help or guidance would be welcome on this as it's quite a commitment for me either way i choose.. Do I roll the dice on a rebuild or roll the dice on another non rotary car?

 

Hello, sorry about your 8.
I've had my O4 GT 6spd. for 2 1/2 years.
I dread the day when I get the news, but I think I would invest in reviving it.
I absolutely love it, and doubt I could find a comparable replacement.
I am in the position now that I could afford it, and have an old truck I can drive in the meantime.
I'm not familiar with your currency, but I would say if you can afford it, do it.
You're already in the hole, unlikely to recoup it unless you're willing to part it out.
I would hate to let mine go without doing everything I could until it's no longer possible to continue.
I wouldn't want to wonder "what if?"

I also admit I probably have an unreasonable attachment to mine.
Just ask my wife.
Good luck!

 

All I can offer you is my opinion but here it is. I have a 2006 with only 36,000 miles and I've already had a few small issues that will need addressed eventually. Rotaries aren't as reliable as I'd like but I love my car to death and plan to hold on to it indefinitely. That being said I can afford to buy another reliable car and will be doing so soon. It's all going to come down to how much you're willing to spend to have a car you love. Yeah you can find something cheaper or more reliable but is that really what you want?

I'm not sure if that helps or not but at least it's something to think about.

Good luck to you with whichever direction you choose to go.

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Cheers for the comments so far, I really do love the RX8 even through the **** I've had to deal with to date. It's just too dam fun to drive and looks pretty dam nice to boot. I was hoping to get some feedback from other members who have had rebuilds and see what they say as I'm in a situation of it being either or..

I was also just after some realistic advice as it can be all to easy to just keep burning through cash without realizing it was a lost cause. I now understand how my mate felt with his old Mini cooper which we used to take the **** out of but he just kept rebuilding/repairing it and loved it all the same, suffice to say he still misses that car after eventually selling it.

 

I may be mistaken but it sounds as though you might have just made up your mind to roll the dice and keep it. If so, here is another alternative. Start making phone calls to auto recyclers and see if there is an 8 out there that has been crashed with low miles and a good engine. You mentioned a couple of rebuilders in a previous post and, if you ask nicely and are prepared to compensate them for their time, perhaps one would be willing to do a compression test on the one(s) you find in return for a pledge that you will give them the job of installing it for you.

Just a thought.

 

You're right I think I am swaying in the direction of a rebuild but I wanted to at least ask what others thought so I can get an outside opinion, a sanity check if you will.

 

^+1
Excellent suggestion.

 

I may have missed someting, but is your 8 covered by a warranty similiar to North American 8s - good for an engine replacement if mileage is below 100,000.?

 

No such warranty over here I'm afraid. Get your car to Rotary Revs for a rebuild and have a street port at the same time, you won't regret it

Buying used engines is a gamble, they tend to lead a tough life in the UK

 

Actually, buying ANY used engine is a gamble but the risk can be minimized by a) getting a compression test before buying and b) reading the new owner's thread and learning fully how to properly care for and maintain an 8. The old saying "forewarned is forearmed" was never truer in the automotive world than with a rotary engine because so few previous owners took the time or interest to learn about what they bought, usually on impulse.

 

For what it's worth, I'll also add that I have put way too much money into upgrades and mods to even think I'll make it back if I ever have to sell my 8. The way I see it is cars are my hobby. Realistically I've dumped way too much money into my car. But I'd rather do that than spend it on say a vacation or a new TV.

If you love your car and it makes you happy, it's worth spending a little extra to get exactly what you want. If you're anything like me you're just wanting someone to validate that feeling, not really sway you the other direction. I think you know what you want to do, you're just afraid to do it. Don't be, it's worth it.

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That's a really good throught. The 8 is special enough that replacing or rebuilding an engine should be thought of as a mod for your own driving enjoyment. It's not an investment that needs to make economic sense the way putting that much into a generic car would be.

Ken

 

I'm with the guys ^ I have an S5 vert a 94 FD and 04 8 and my cars are my hobby everyone has had to have engine replaced or rebuilt but they make me smile.
My vert I have $5k in rebuild and another $1500 in a new top in a car I saved from scrap yard future. I will never see close to that back out of it.(plan on driving it till it dies)
But it sure is fun to drop the top and go give it hell. I also know that I'm not going to see another one every time I turn a corner.
So keep your smile and put a motor in it because another reliable car is going to cost about the same and supply no grin factor. Good Luck

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Just from the feeling of your post i would say rebuild it & hopefully you will love it for a few more years down the track. There are many things that can go wrong with any car but its kind of a labour of love with these cars, thats why not everyone wants one but the price you pay to drive something unique.. keep it alive & do the preventative maintenance, i think its still a great car worthy of spending some money on. A couple of those items are just wear an tear, brakes & tires etc but yes unfortunately it all adds up.. but there are more expensive cars to repair & maintain out there!

Good luck & get a reputable rotary engine specialist to do the work. You get what you pay for..

 

Compression check your engine as soon as you get back at least once every two weeks for the first few month to make sure they did everything right. In fact, if you can be present while they perform the work, do so. Mechanics can be a sleazy group of mother.... Make sure they don't rip you off. Just a heads up..you never know with some people .

 

Looks like I am voting with the crowd. You have done a lot that will make the car last, the engine is one of the last pieces. I know mine will go some day, and have 3 shops that will get the core for the rebuild. The car is too much fun to let an engine stand in the way. And, the picture above is beautiful. If Green were not the fastest color, I would have blue.

With the new engine, read all the new owner and engine stuff here. There are things you can do to make things last. Some of them are in the Congrats thread below. I am almost to 100,000 miles on my engine (133,000 on the car) and have some thoughts for the milestone.

So, I vote fix it and while the engine is out, do as many of the Congrats things below as possible. They are really easy with the engine out.

 

Nuthin's faster than LIGHTNING!
(Yellow)

 

Ummm..... why do yo think they call it * Velocity * Red?

Velocity = speed of travel

'Nuff Said

 

This is easy, if they have to get the marketing guys involved to pump up the name with words like "velocity" or "lightening", nuf said....

; )

Now, Winning Blue, Lightening Yellow and Velocity Red are absolutely beautiful colors. It is just that green is faster. That is why the painted the moonshine cars green ; ).

 

So Einstein, ()
What's the velocity of lightning?

 

That would be c

 

High or low altitude lightning?

 

I already know.
OP's probably wondering what happened to his thread.
Fwiw, My preferences are LY, NG, BB, TG, Ambivalence, VR, & SS last.

 

186,000 miles per second it not just a good idea, it is the law. yes, I used to have that on a t shirt.

And, Cajun, that was pretty much my list until I saw one, waxed and polished, in the sun, at the dealership. That is the only car I ever bought based on color. I really did not care if it ran. don't tell anyone.

Besides, the folks at work told me if I was looking for a car, I should get something green.

 

Megabiv, sorry for derailing your thread, but that's the camaraderie & good natured ribbing that exists here.

To get back on track, if you have not done so yet, read "The Little Things" thread.
That is also a window into the feelings of many 8 owners.