alpherd

I saw a 2007 Mazda RX-8 and it has about 31k miles on it; and it only costs $15995.00. This car is also an AT car. I'm not really good in operating MT car and I don't want to be regret for getting a MT car. I'm really in love with this car because of the cool exterior and very fun driving sport car (as lot of sport car driver said) I have been dreaming of getting this car for so long!! What happen is;
this will be my first car and also will be my first rotary engine car. I did a lot of research about this car and a lots of positive and negative comments ppl post about it. The main problem which is the "engine flood",need to change "spark plug","coil", the car cannot start after couple days later if you didn't run the engine and hard to start when it's cold. So I'm not quite sure is it easy for a new sport car driver that have not much knowledge about cars and also rotary engine will be to take care this car nicely (which is me). I'm just afraid of the maintenances are expensive. Does this car needs to change the spark plugs and coil very often and so do oil? I can't really afford for car tow and expensive maintenance if somethings wrong. I also read that this car needed to add fluid oil very often and I'm not sure what it is and how to do it. For use purpose; I only use this car to work from Monday to Friday and my job is about 1.5 miles away from my apartment. Weekend drive around town to run errand such as grocery shops, dinner and etc. All are pretty short drives and I don't want to have problem restart it after shut off the engine outside the restaurant or grocery store. Maybe once in a while on the weekend I will drive out of town from Victoria to Houston (about 120 miles away). I heard that is not really good to start this car and drive for short distance and shut the engine off. So should I get this car or not? Hope to hear from you and I really appreciate for additional information how to take care of this care this car with less problem and also good advice.

Are those problems only occurs on the 04,05 and 06 models? I can't really find people posting the problem for 07 models and through the latest 2010. I have been Google the problems for the latest RX-8 problem and can't really find any.

renesisgenesis

If you are getting into sports cars, you might wanna learn to drive a stick. Auto rx8=

Lunacy

Auto's are fine. But don't let the reason for getting it be that you aren't good at stick. I've never driven a stick in my life when I bought my 8. Learned it in a big parking lot that afternoon and loved it ever since.

SheffieldSteel

Car #1: Mazda6 auto
Car #2: RX8 manual
Regrets: 0

REDRX3RX8

Alpherd,
Unlax, this car is the most fun of any car you will ever have. I have the 07 RX8 6 spd auto which I track to the limit, and it never makes any noise on way home. I use Mobil 1 0w40, change at 5,000 miles with lab analysis, and use only 1/2 quart each 2000 miles. I put 1/2 ounce 2 stroke per gallon of 93 octane gas. I went once to the dealer after I bought new to get the free oil change and drain 2 quarts ATF out of trans (?). I plan to buy BHR Yukon ign upgrade so I'll never buy weak stock coil replacements. Some guys on here try to flood and can't if your ign is good. I always run car a few minutes before shutdown and it most likely won't happen. Get your ZOOM ZOOM on!

One more thing; I did run the battery down in a few days when I locked it with valet key (?). Now, I always lock with remote until lights flash to know its shut and locked. I still have that battery, and I have left it alone for 2-3 months with battery connected during winters, and always starts right up. I see you live near the Texas coast, so you shouldn't have trouble with low temps, but if it has summer tires on it understand they don't work under 40 degrees f, or on any snow (that would be under 40 degrees). On next set of tires you can decide if you want good grip for about 20,000 miles like Kumho Spt's or longer lasting all seasons for maybe 40 or 50k miles. Tirerack.com will give you all those details.

Oh yeah, I bought a scan gauge II ( best car toy ever for water temp, mpg, cat temp, hpr, etc.), and I got 24.1 mpg going to West Texas from San Antonio @ the 80 mph speed limit (really) with 2700 rpms ( geared up way more than manual, but not much slower). My insurance for full coverage is now $325. for six months (57 years old). I don't know a much cheaper car except maybe the 97 Stratus I have with defective front bearings with 95k miles.

ken-x8

That's far enough so you don't have to worry about cold shutoff. I live that distance from the nearest grocery store, and when I just go out on a grocery run my 8's warmed up by the time I get there. Even in the winter.

Once you have the 8, you may find yourself seeking a longer route to work just for fun.

With that short daily drive, try to do enough driving on weekends so the car will fully warm up and the crud will boil off. But that applies to any car that routinely does short trips.

Ken

Old Rotor

Ken-8 is correct. Your car will build up more water and crud in the oil and it needs to get hot enough long enough to burn this off. Then after it's warmed up good find that red line buzzer and enjoy what the rotary does so well.

zara

To be honest, let's face the facts behind all the sugarcoating.

The RX-8 auto is slow, and by slow, I mean slower than some Accords, even the manual isn't much quicker
The handling is great, but you'll never be able to experience it safely around town, which is what you're gonna be doing (from reading your post)
As your first car, and being not so knowledgeable about them, you're bound to make mistakes. Crash, or whatever. Think insurance.

But most importantly, reliability. The last thing you want for your daily driver and first car is something that requires extremely high maintenance (for it's price range and age) and will still very likely screw up on you. Even if you have warranty, an engine replacement is still more a hassle than anything.

With the MT/AT thing, get the MT, you'll regret AT. If I could learn MT in a 6puk ceramic clutch equipped road race car, with nobody to teach me apart from some youtube video, then you can too in an RX8.

How old are you if I may ask? When I was shopping around for my first car, I wanted an RX-8 too. I read these forums for 3 years straight before test driving them, I knew about the maintenance, the oil, the recalls, redlines, etc... Still, I didn't get one. Why? Because I know I'm 16, I want something that looks cool, goes fast but more importantly, does NOT require constant attention. What if you accidentally forgot and shut it off 20secs after starting it in cold? You're gonna be taking your chances. So, in the end, I got a Nissan Skyline 300GT (3L version of the G35, JDM car), it's quick, much quicker than RX-8 AT, it's very comfortable, doesn't look bad, and very very reliable.

Now with a reliable daily driver, the Skyline, I am capable of owning a 300ZX Twin Turbo. These are much much quicker than the RX-8, handles very well if proper suspension work is done, and react to mods very very well. They're also much cheaper to buy. I've also been able to purchase my 3rd car, a 92 NA Miata, and I absolutely love that little thing too!

The idea is, get something else for a first and only car. Get something non-Toyota but still reliable and fun! I don't live in the USA so I don't know about prices, but you could get a WRX? SRT-4? Anything but a 350Z lol, it's a huge disappointment if you know what Nissan was capable of 20 years ago with the 300.

Edit: I'm not bashing on the RX-8 in any form or way, I'm only stating my opinion. The level of attention this car asks of you is supercar level. If you're a true car enthusiast, you wouldn't mind it because you'll probably be doing the same to all cars you own, but if you just want a sweet looking, good performing car, there are far better options out there than the RX-8. I think many people confuse the role of the RX-8. It's not a 350Z or Mustang competitor in that, it's not designed to be driven around town on a daily basis. It's more of a toy, a grown up Miata with a more practical side that you take to tracks and spirited drives. If you insist on wanting an RX-8, I'd say invest in the 09+ ones, Mazda learnt many lesson with the 04~08 RX-8s.

xsnipersgox

rx8 is for the +2 seats, the ease of handling, and the trust you get when you put it through it's paces.

The details that you have to put into this car will make you the most knowledgeable of any of your friends concerning vehicle operation, instead of yapping engine code and hp numbers.

this is not a honda or a bmw that sits and nicely take u from A to B and back without events, you will be filled with events.

i don't recommend any nice car for a 1st car. period.

ken-x8

Three years of anticipation, and you wimped? Geeze...you're no fun at all.

Ken

zara

I lived with one for 2 months (friend's, went oversea) and after a lot of evaluation, I decided against it. Till this day, I still cringe whenever I see one on the road, because I seriously wanted one, and still do lol.

jasonrxeight

if you dont know how to take care of your car then dont get it as a first car, get a toyota or honda something that require almost nothing

alpherd

redrx3rx8, I have a few more questions for you. You said there's someone here tried to flood the engine and it don't flood? How is that possible? Have you ever gotten engine flooded for all this time by the way? How much does usually a spark plug and coil cost? Do you know anyone else that drives that same car and had the car repair for couple times? If something really common happen one day, how much it usually cost to repair them if the parts that warranty does not cover.
I might have to take notes from you for what kind of parts and oils you use and how you take care this bad girl everyday.

alpherd

I think you are absolutely right and it is not really suitable for a first time car owner to get car like this nut I really love this car and I always get one this forum to read about this car. Just the repair and the maintenance that is what I really the most. I can use some good parts and oils like redrx3rx8 said. And many ppl does not have any problem with this car. I like Mitsubishi Eclipse too but i don't really like the exterior as much as I love RX-8. Is just really handsome.

alpherd

So that means is not a bad thing to drive a short distance on week days and drive it longer and further on weekend? All i need to do is just warm up my car as it suppose and shut it down when the engine is idle?
How long it usually takes the engine to warm up before you shut it down? And have no problem to restart it again?

alpherd

Ken 8 do you drive short distance back and forth to work and go home too? Actually I gooled the miles from my apartment to my work is 1.8 miles away but is still seems like a short distance to me. Have you ever had problem with your car so far?

alpherd

I 'm just curious what kind of oil is good for this car? So is 50w20 or 50w30? I head ppl said if the car filled with 50w30 oil mazda will void the warranty for the car. And redrx3rx8 use a totally different oil which is 0w40. Does that oil work perfectly with the engine? What I should need to know about this car?
Anymore suggestion and advice?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Flooding is only a concern if you have a weak ignition system. The problem is, your ignition system usually fails very slowly, so it is a gradual decline. The alert and responsible owner will detect the drop in mileage, the drop in power, the rougher idle, the occasional misfire, and replace their coils, plugs, and wires before it gets bad enough where there is a chance at flooding.

Every single flood I have seen reported for the past year or so ended up coming down to a failing or failed coil or spark plug or spark plug wire. But by then, they also generally have a fried cat that needs to get replaced as well, and possibly an O2 sensor or two. Stay on top of the maintenance (long term included!) and you will wonder what all the fuss was about. Coils ($160 for all 4, 20 minute swap), plugs ($80 for all 4, 10 minute swap), and wires ($50-140, depending on quality, 2 minute swap), should be replaced every 30,000 miles, possibly sooner if you detect something starting to fail, since people have had them fail as early as 8,000 miles or 15,000 miles, though that's rare.

You don't want to shut off while it's cold simply because when the engine is cold, the ECU dumps more fuel into engine to help it warm up, and it leans back once the engine is warm. This extra fuel can make it harder to start an ignition, which a healthy ignition system is perfectly capable of overcoming. Weaken the ignition with failing plugs, coils, wires, alternator, or battery, and you have a flood on your hands, and all the associated problems from that.

Once the engine is warm, you will need to do a hard acceleration (wide open throttle, or WOT, as we call it), at least periodically to open up the 3rd set of ports and keep them clear of carbon and debris, the higher the revs the better, and redline is there begging to be hit anyway, so why not use that, and that's where we get the 'redline a day' line.

Redlining isn't a solve-all though. It simply helps to reduce one risk factor, just like taking cholesterol medication for your heart. And just like heart failure on people, it is entirely possible that you do everything 'right' (keeping oil topped off, regular changes, keep temperatures down, redlining, premixing, healthy sensors and ignition, etc...) and you still end up with an engine failure. It's also possible to do nothing right, and not have any issues what-so-ever. Just like someone can smoke and drink and such all their life and live till their 90s. Some hearts are better able to withstand that abuse than others. Not all engines are equal, and that is the biggest, unknown, factor.


I would not recommend the 8 as a first car however. First cars get wrecked, neglected, abused, etc... This will kill an 8 far faster than a crappy beater. The 8 also instills confidence in the driver like very few other cars do, and this is incredibly dangerous in a young driver with no experience to back up that confidence.

Get another car, leave the 8 as a dream car for at least a few more years.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Avoid asking about oil. It's the biggest unsolved debate around here. Go with 5w-20 to help avoid warranty issues, go with 5w-30 (recommended outside the US) for a bit more protection, go higher if you feel the need. Houston, being hotter most of the year, should help prompt you to go higher weight in the oil

ken-x8

My commute is 18 miles each way, so Zoomy warms up on a regular basis. Short runs to the nearby grocery on weekends have been fine. If I just need to move the car, or drive a shorter distance, I'll drive around the block a couple of times to get up to temperature.

If you leave out the wheel I bent when I hit a pothole, I've had no problems. But Zoomy is just uner 4 years old, only 32000 miles, so problems are not expected.

Zara is an admitted wimp. The sensible thing to do is not always the smart thing. Just go into it with your eyes open, and decide if you can survive any of the doomsayer's events.

If what you're after is a real sports car, can't afford RX-8 risk, but can do with a two seater, consider a Miata. Those have a really good reputation for reliability. If you fit (I don't, and I'm only 6 feet) they're a blast to drive.

The Eclipse is all style (such as it is) but not really a driver's car.

Ken

alpherd

the parts don't seem that expensive. Are the prices of the parts you mention they are all good quality or just moderate other than the wires that up to $140.

I'm not consider a new driver bcoz in past years I only drove my parents car and now I'm using my fiance's car to drive to work, but those they are all driving a SUV which I really hate big cars. I just haven't owned any car before and I used to work as a valet parking and I know a little bit of driving a sport car, but this is the only car i haven't get a chance to drive it and I have been dreaming of getting it so bad. And also i never learn anything about the car engine until i started to read some stuff on the internet and this forum. So is that still not a good idea to own this car as a first car?

zara

Can't help but say, do us a favour and don't get the Eclipse. It's called that for a reason, it blinds everyone it it's ugliness. IF you are willing to go down the path of a pure sports car ownership, the RX-8 WILL reward you greatly. The car puts a smile on your face no other car is this bracket can. Evos, WRX, all those family sedans on steroids will outrun you. They will have better mileage, respond to mods a lot better, have a more knowledgeable owner-base globally speaking, and get better mileage than the RX-8. HOWEVER, they don't make you smile. They don't make you want to take her out on Sunday mornings for a cross country drive.

My post was directed to an average young male wanting a fast, good looking car. However, if you're not an average young adolescent, if you appreciate the car for what it is for, then by all means go for it!

I'll have to use the 300ZX as example again. The money I've spent on TLC, maintenance, repairing broken parts etc, + the money I spent on buying the V35 Skyline, I could have gotten a really nice Evo. But I don't appreciate them, they don't make you smile whenever you wake up thinking you get to drive the Z again. The same for the RX-8, it's a truly awesome car that only some appreciate.

zara

Sorry sir, I don't believe you know me AT ALL to call me a wimp lol. Just because I don't drive an RX-8, it doesn't mean I made a stupid choice. No offense to other RX-8 owners, but the 300ZX is a MUCH more dangerous car, and requires more attention and maintenance. But I followed my heart. I'm merely providing a more "logical" side of the argument than what would be expected from an RX-8 board. Obviously you guys will want him to get one, but I'm actually trying to help the dude out by giving him BOTH sides of the argument. What he wants to do with 15 grand is his decision.

Razz1

Get a different car. YOur commute is too short.

Plus take an auto shop class.

Your question about 5-20 or 5-30 is just plain uneducated.

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

i think people need to leave out the MT/AT crap, if someone wants an AT, don't give the **** about it. it's not that bad....

the question is if the car is right for him/her and not "bash me to hell because I want AT over MT"

I think for a new sports car driver, these are great if you can handle the maintenance costs and fuel costs. You aren't going to pushing tons or torque and HP like other vehicles which is often what gets new drivers in trouble. You'll have a sporty car, that handles like a dream on the road, push the revs up and you'll get places.

I think your best bet is an 06+ if you want AT, see if you can soemthing that still has the warranty and low mileage. Keep up the maintenance and the car will give loving.

the short commute isn't going to kill you. Long as you don't push the revs high while it's cold, you'll be ok. I used to do a very short commute and never had problems starting it.

then get prepared to spend more money doing upgrade and having fun learning to them yourself. it's an eye opening experience.


Again, everyone needs to leave there MT/AT **** out of these kinds of threads. People can get want THEY want, don't crap all over them for it. It makes a great first impression of the community here.