buying an 8, need advice and info.
 

hey guys, im new to the forum, Names Shannon (male) 19, and my dad will be comming hoem soon from Iraq. when he does get back we are gonna sell my 87 cougar and with the money from the sale along with what i have now, I am in hopes of trying to purchase a 04 RX8.

My question though, is how reliable is the RX8?
alot of people on my local area forum, keep telling me negative things about the RX8, things like the motor is a complete failure and joke because it pretty much just goes to **** before 100K miles.
along with other mechanical issues and what not.

I am aware that the RX8 does use a bit of oil for the apex seals and what not, but is the car really a pain to maintain? or is it pretty much just like every other car, as long as the car is taken care of and maintained well it will last a while?

thanks guys.
shannon

Wow, there's a new one of these threads like every day now.

As sports cars go, the 8 is reliable enough if taken care of and driven right. The only special maintenance is to check the oil once in a while and top it off when it's low. Aside from that, the maintenance is like any other sports car, you just need to stay on top of it and not neglect it.

There are plenty of 8s with over 100k miles. Some do not last that long, but all '04-'08 8s have a 8 year/100k warranty on the engine. It transfers, so if you buy used you get the warranty.

EDIT: Oh, before you buy the 8 make sure you can afford to drive it. It drinks a LOT of gas, and it likes premium. And parts are expensive if anything goes wrong. It's not the most economical car to drive.

But it is lots of fun:)

If you are looking to buy an 04 make sure that the previous owner has done all the recalls. The most basic ones are the upgraded starter, battery, and MSP16.

wow, didnt know it ran on premium. by if anything goes wrong, lol you mean if there was an accident or just regular replacement parts?

though it runs on premium, its gotta be better than my 5.0 cougar that only gets about 10 or 13 MPG.

I think the key to this subject is only by a case-by-base basis. Some people have have catastrophic failure for no reason and are on their second or even third engine. My car is still on its original engine and transmission with 45,6XX on the clock. Still runs great. A lot of people have bugged me about the ignition coils desperately needing replacement but mine are still original and it fires up and runs great so I see no need to replace them. Again, case-by-case basis.

The oil is really the oil major concern on these cars. The engine only has 3 moving parts. Mechanically speaking the only way the engine should die is from being neglected as far as maintenance goes.

Do your research first and make sure this is the car you really want. I'm a prime example of why you should. I wanted a solid platform to build a lot of power for not a lot of money on. Epic fail on my part. Do I hate the RX8? Hell no. I've driven every single car (save one or two) in this things price range and nothing else compares. Am I stuck with the RX8 sitting on the sidelines while my dad adds another 100 rwhp to his C6 Z06 with a simple cam swap and long tubes for $5K? Yep. The RX8 isn't for everyone. I'm a huge fan and don't really have any regrets about buying mine, its just that if I knew what I know now about it, it might have effected my decision on buying it.

Its recommended to run on premium. During a gas frenzy when premium was gone I added a bit of super into the gas tank. That was several thousand miles ago so I'm pretty sure its ok.

Mazda was actually really accurate with the projected fuel consumption of this car. I usually average about 16 mpg in the city and clocked just about 22 mpg on the highway last I checked. The fuel tank is pretty small and only holds just over 12 gallons so it kind of gives the illusion that it gets way less mpg than it really does. But hey, its a sports car. Good mpg in this genre of car is a bonus, not a standard.

Over all I love the RX8 style, I thought i wanted a miata to play with, but with me in college, GF, and younger brother, and occasional friends from soccer. I know i need a car that seats more than 2. I was looking at a Protege or Protege5 but i also wanted a car that looked good and had a bit of a punch.

I know the RX8 uses a bit of oil, so if i can get one, i'll be keeping a quart or two in the trunk. im pretty picky on keeping my cars maintained. even on my old 87 though its not a gem, I always change the oil, check the fluid, check belts and everything, wd40 what needs it and stuff like that.

the car wont be drivin hard, more or less a A - B car with looks, and possibly just minor mods, exhaust, and appearance. school is my focus but I would like a newer car. lol the fact my car doesnt have air bags is a bit of a puch for a new car. rx8 just always stuck out as a beautifuly crafted car.

so the warrenty on the motor really carries over, owner to owner? always thought the original warrenty was for the original purchaser.

Warranty info varies, but yes Mazda implemented a new warranty with the RX8. 8 year/100,000 miles (whichever comes first) and transfers from owner to owner.

You say you won't drive it hard but I said the same thing when switching from my 1995 T-bird (ironically a similar car to the Cougar) and the 8 proved me wrong. I don't trash it by any means but Mazda is known for putting a lot of soul into their cars and it just makes you want to drive faster and faster.

Mine is a 2005 and even though its 5 years old and the new RX8 just "replaced" it, mine still turns heads wherever it goes. And I am by no means exaggerating on that point.

If you mean replacement parts like oil filters and brake pads, no, not that. I'm thinking more of repair costs when something goes wrong. You're talking about a six-year-old car, things will break eventually.

Not by much. I get about 12-15 MPG, with mostly city driving. I can get well over 20 MPG during highway cruising.

eh, I know your not exaggerating. I turn my head everytime i see any model RX8. rx8 is a beautiful car, just as the models that came before it. the newer models are just more or less stepping stones on advancement and new ideas.

much like the old datsun 240z (dream car :P) it began with one. now look how many predecessors its had. 260,280,280zx,300zx,350z and now the 370z. any real car enthusiest can appreciate and love the older models of the current line. theres not way around the fact that if it werent for the early models, we wouldnt have what there is now.

But im really interested in getting a Rx8 04 or 05 model.
theres been afew around my area for about $10,000 or less.
just figured that when i get it, the first place im goin is to the dealership to get a full multipoint inspection. and have all the needed recall replacements installed.

Replacement parts are pretty expensive when compared to normal cars. Spark plugs run $15-$20 I piece if I remember right and I only ever use premium oil filters (not required but another $20 bill). And while you won't go through them terribly fast, tires are pretty pricey as well.

Its not terribly hard to inspect a vehicle yourself. Before you buy any car, always request that the car be put on a lift so you can see underneath it. Look for any leaks or obvious damage. Make sure the tires are still in decent shape (if not most people are more than happy to throw in a new set if they haven't already). Check the body for any obvious damage and make sure all the "lines" of the car are in order and smooth (all doors open/close properly with no big gaps). Make sure the AC and all electrical operations work ok. Always test drive and always get a Carfax.

ummmm... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the fuel tank 15.9 Gallons? At least that's what the owner's manual says (60L). And that's a big tank for a small car like the RX8. There are no illusions, it does make sh***ty mileage with only 238hp (that's not to the wheels).

If you gonna buy one, get 06 and up. Less engine problems, supposedly...

So overall would even an 04 or 05 model be reliable and decent? Given that the motor has been maintained well, oil changes when needed, oil levels checked regularly and added as needed?


If i can find an 04-05 for around $10k or less and if it has less than 100k miles. would the dealership do a full check on everything and inspect the motor in accordance with the warranty? Had the thought that if i can find one, i should try and take advantage of the warranty and have have a full check.

when buying a used RX8, would there be any imediate things to look for or check into?

besides bringing a mechanic along with me, would there be anything I should do to further inspect the car? would mazda charge me if I asked them to do a full inspection on the car?

only asking because I brought them my B-series and they did a full inspection at no charge. unsure if that is normal or they just did so for the cruise control switch recall.

I've had no problems with my latter '05 built '8.

Good advice from Red Rex.

A Mazda engine compression test prior to purchase would be a plus and of course less than 100k miles to be availed of the engine/drivetrain warranty.

save your money and don't buy the RX-8. I bought a 2004 RX-8 and I loved it, except, it needed to have the engine replaced every 30 to 35k miles. I had three engines when I got rid of it with 71,000 miles. OK so they were under warranty and that didn't run out until 100k miles so maybe I could have gotten a 4th engine. The dealer told me that I had done everything right. I talked with another dealer and didn't admit I had an 8 and he said the only people who had problems were people who didn't run the car hard and people who didn't keep an eye on the oil level. I did both. In fact since 2004 I have only spoken to one RX-8 owner who has the original engine and the cars had more than 35k miles on them.

If it were just the engine I'd say OK that's not out of my pocket, but I also had a power steering sensor go out and they will not sell you just the sensor...they have to replace the entire rack & pinion assembly $2400.

Oh yea then there was the time when I was driving and I heard this terrible scraping sound under the car. Some sort of metal plate had come loose and was rubbing on the pavement. I was on vacation and it was 5 A.M. I just pulled if off and put it in the trunk. I also had a sensor go out on the manifold $800.

All this happened and the dealer furnished me a rental car each time. The funny thing was each of the gals who picked me up to take me to the rental agency just asked, "Are you driving an RX-8?" I asked why and they said they picked up a lot of customers from RX-8 drivers!

The gas mileage is terrible, might as well be driving a muscle car from the 60's!

I gave the car to my wife to trade-in on a new car. I was pleased with her trade-in value. Now I'm driving her old supercharged Nissan Xterra trying to decide if i should get a 370Z or a 2011 Mustang GT.

I loved my RX-8. She was sexy, she really was sweet through the curves, but she was too expensive to maintain and was not reliable. I would have liked something a little quicker off the line.

I have an 04 no problems.

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