Flew to TX this week and drove my "new" 2010 RX-8 Sport home to Iowa. I was concerned about the trip but the car didn't miss a beat across the 1,200 mile trip home. The first day I was listening to every sound the thing made wondering when the gremlins would strike. Nothing happened. Day two was a 500 mile day running 75-85 mph all day. Same thing. Starts instantly cold or hot. Averaged about 20.5 mpg across the entire trip. My wife was giggling at me as I ran it up the tach for each gear change. She observed me each time and said, "You're kinda likin' that, aren't 'ya?" Yup. What a fun car.

It's in the shop and will start coming apart today for a deep clean and heavy service. Looking forward to getting to know it better and having more fun.

 

Congratulations! And get used to waiting for gremlins to strike and nothing happening. I've been waiting for 12 years and 43K miles. Most reliable car I've ever owned.

 

1200 miles on one engine? Troll

 

Congrats on the car! Looks like the previous owner took care of it.

Who doesn' t like revving the car up? Especially when the engine needs it.

 

I had mine for 5 years before I ever drove it long distance.
I made three 2000 mile trips last year in June, July, and September on a failing engine.
I enjoyed it as much, if not more than any of the other rentals I would usually use for those trips, comfortable, quiet and smooth ride.
It cemented my love for it, and I'm resolved now to try and keep it as long as I can, barring any unforeseen issues.
I'm leaning towards a reman instead of rebuild.

 

Had mine for 13 years but never went on a trip longer than a few hundred miles. Good to know that everything worked out ok for you. 1200 mile road trip? Man I don't think I could have done it.

 

 

I hear you, it's a great road trip car. I drive between Montreal and Boston for work and pleasure several times a year. Once, I took a rental Camry instead of the 8 and discovered that it's possible to make mountain roads boring. Never again.


@Kehrecke, if you're feeling fancy, LRB and I think RX8Performance make aluminium engine trays. Otherwise, one plastic splash-guard set came up on sale here or the RX8 parts for sale Facebook group not too long ago. I'm sure the dealer can help, but it's probably expensive.

 

That reminds me: I need to try driving the Sea-to-Sky with my 8 this year.

Last year, I did it with a rental X3 and it sucked. I felt like it was going to tip over a lot of times, and the turbo is laggy as all hell. I can just imagine how good the 8 is on that highway.