SquallyZ06

Hey everybody, I'm going to be purchasing a new car in about a year and I narrowed it down to two cars, and one of them is the RX8. I am wondering what RX8 owners think of their cars after they purchased them. What are the highs, and what are the lows (if any).

I wanted a corvette but they are too expensive and I would need two cars, becuase I can't drive that in the winter. Then I thought of the S2000, price isn't bad but I don't want a convertible so scratch that. Then I thought maybe a WRX, good power and torque, and all wheel drive is nice. But with the spoiler and big hood scoop they look too.....young I guess you could say. If I remember correctly, that the WRX is a 5 speed, and I want a 6-speed.

Now I've come down to two cars, the RSX type-S, or the RX8.

The RSX type S is good because it's a little cheaper, and you get better gas mileage, but it lacks the power that I want. Honda's are also very reliable and that is also a plus. It also comes with a standard 6-disc in dash CD changer which is also another plus. I've driven a Type-S before and it was quick, and very nice on the inside, but it still had that overall civic feel to it, and I already have a civic and I don't want that.

The RX8 is a little more expensive but in my opinion I think it's worth it. It has an awsome high reving Renisis rotory engine that is pushed farther back to give you a nearly perfect 50/50 weight distrubution. That leads to better handling and I plan on taking a couple road trips and I want someting that can carve through curvey roads. It also has more power then the RSX type-S and it has that head turning styling that the RSX doesn't. If I did get it, I would get it with a 6-speed, in red, with red and black leather. Overall the interior is nicer then the RSX as well. It is also a quad coupe, so it is easier to get into the back seat, yet it still looks like a coupe, while the RSX has more cargo space but it's harder for people to pile in the back seat.

I've driven all of the cars above except the RX8 so I was wondering what RX8 owners opinions are on their car. Thanks in advance for anyone who replies, it will be a great help.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

All I can say to this is you have GOT to drive the RX8.

I too was looking at a few vehicles but when I drove the Mazda, I was blown away!

I believe if you do a search you'll find a thread where the WSJ compared the RSX and the RX8.
TONS of good threads here discussing the highs / lows of our vehicles. (ie: The Little Things thread, etc)

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

DRIVE THE 8

END OF COMPARISON.

TRUST ME


(dang i got a little CAP happy there lol :D )

p.s. SNOW TIRES FOR WINTER!!!

khtm

FWD vs. RWD.....

you'll have WAY MORE FUN driving the 8

but you also make some good points: the type-s is cheaper and better on gas

you've gotta take the 8 for a test drive...the smooth reving engine is addictive :D

SquallyZ06

Yeah thats what is leaning me more towards an RX8. I had a feeling that the driving experience would be far greater then a RSX. All the reviews I read about the RX8 have been good. One of the highs is how it dirves at high speeds on the highway, and I plan on taking a couple road trips home.

I probably won't get a chance to drive one for about a year though. I don't wanna start test driving them until I get a good solid down payment saved up in about a year. Insurance is also cheaper in the RX8, probably because it's considered a four door and is only a 1.3 liter. I got a quote from progressive for 218 a month, while the RSX was about 248 a month.

Two other questions I had that I forgot:

Is it true that if you start the engine, turn it off, then start it again, it will flood?

I also heard that the rotary engine is supposed to burn a slight amount of oil. Is this true?

khtm

Rotary engines are prone to flooding if you don't let them warm up before turning them off, yes. A lot of members of this board have never had a flood (myself included), some have. The ones that haven't usually think the ones that have did something wrong...who knows. The recommended trick is to rev to 3000 RPM for 10 sec. before you turn off your car if it's not warm. I don't see why people have such a hard time with this...

There is also a problem with "hard-starts", but it seems that a replacement battery (more powerful) and a better starter is what Mazda has been doing recently. By the time you get your 8, you shouldn't have to worry about this problem.

And yes, the engine burns oil as part of its natural process. Again, people make a big fuss but to put this into perpective, I've driven > 20,000 KM and probably spent a whopping $20 on added oil. The manual recommends to check the oil level every 2nd time you fill up with gas, but hardly anybody does that. Every month or so should be good enough. Eventually you'll get a feel for how much your car uses; every 8 seems to be different.

G-ReX

If you drive them both, you won't even think about the Acura anymore. I drove them back-to-back on my test drive (I took the 8 to the Acura dealer) and there was no comparison.

The flooding issues is always in the back of my mind, but I follow the recs and have had no probs. The mileage is a bummer when you compare it to 300hp cars that get the same or better, but that's the price for the packaging and screaming revs the engine provides.

Take the drive and you too shall believe!

army_rx8

i just drove teh RSX type S the other day..it wa okay..a lill disappointing at about 6800 rpm it feels like the engine is havign a heart attack (teh redline is 8100 on the S 6800 on the standard). felt like it had to try really hard to get any power out of it. make torque hits at 7000 and make hp at about 7500. very disapointing to me. the 8's hit at 5500 for torque and 8500 for hp. so you don't really feel like you are going anywhere when you give the RSX gas...well except mayeb the hospital for you engine..didn't seem to flow very well. well that just what i felt after driving them.

oh on the 8 you have to rev it up to get anywhere as well...difference being it likes to rev and has no problems with it....feels to want to go higher and higher..while the other car felt liek it wanted to stop and take a break.

SquallyZ06

Yeah I was leaning more towards the RX8 once I came here and now I think thats what I'll get. I like the high revs, thats why I was looking at these two. Too bad I won't be gettting it for another year, I'm shipping off to basic training for the air force in 2 weeks. But that will give me a good amount of time to save up about 15,000 for a down payment, I'm not gonna settle for cloth seats in the 6-speed, I want the GT package with the sweet *** red and black leather. Depending on where I get stationed, I might have to get some snow tires.

Thanks for the input guys, I posted this same thing in an RSX forum and they didn't help me much. They were mainly saying that you can mod out the RSX to make it faster, I don't plan on doing too many mods. The RSX still has the too young feel to it, I don't want a grandma car, but I want something that feels refined and mature.

jaguargod

I think Mazda has worked out most of the issues with the RX-8 at this point. I was under the impression that the most recent flashes had alleviated the flooding problem, but I guess that could be misinformation. Wow, that is some expensive insurance. I take it you are under 25. I pay about $62 per month, but I am 32 years old.

SquallyZ06

Yeah I'm 22, I'll be 23 once I get the car, I'm sure insurance will drop at least 50 once I turn 25. But I figured why wait for insurance to go down and get another little low power car. By the time I get the car I would probably have gotten two raises by then. They give out a yearly raise, and if you test for your next rank and pass, you get a raise. I also will be going into the service at a higher rank due to college. I won't have to pay for housing either, I plan on living on base, so I won't have a probably once it comes to insurance.

kuleto

i own an rsx-s and i'm 21 about to turn 22...i am going to encourage you to buy an rx-8 because at this age i do feel that the car is a little "young" for me. and the 05s make the car look even more for a younger audience

SquallyZ06

I got a test drive lined up for tuesday or wednsday. It's a black 6 speed, I'm excited.

dazygirl415

I have an 8 and my roommate has an RSX. I drove her car occasionally while mine was in the shop and the drive is what makes the difference. The inside of hers is nice and all, but there's just something about driving the 8. You're in your own world and all your problems seem to disappear. The 8 BEGS to be driven and it's so hard to get out of it. I'm constantly looking for places to go/errands to run just so I can drive it more.

Good luck on your test drive. I know you'll feel the same way we do. :D

And when it comes to maintenance, have no fears. Everyone here on the forum is here to help whenever you need it!!

kraeji

If you are going to get an RSX you might as well get a civic. It looks and feels the same. Seriously.. save your money.

SquallyZ06

Well, it doesn't look like I'll have the time to go on that test drive today. I think it's supposed to storm all day tomorrow so I might not go tomorrow either. As soon as I test drive it I'll come and tell you guys what I thought.

army_rx8

seriously arent' the times for the civic Si the same as for the rsx-s......so why pay more .... the world may never know

khtm

^
Stop spamming threads with your pyramid scheme crap!!! What you wrote above doesn't even have anything to do with the topic of this thread.

I wish I could e-slap the chit out of you.