AJ's Shinka

Read this https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ight=satisfied

The masses can't be wrong.

Mendossa

Here's a little thing you can do if you still have doubts. Go lurking on 350Z, M3, Boxster, etc forums.

You'll learn that:
- all 350Z are crap there's an engine recall that means putting a whole new block in the car for early models, alignment is always off, tires go away in a month...
- all M3 are crap, every pump in the car dies at 20 000 miles it rattles like a one man orchestra...
- all Boxsters are crap, the rear main seal asplodes on every car and costs a bazillion to change, the intake on top of the engine drips intake oil into the engine and it f*cks up a bunch of stuff...

Just like all RX-8 are crap because there's an engine recall, it floods all the time and transmissions go boom after 40k miles

For every post about a trouble there's 20 posts that will never see the day from owners who have no problems at all. Hell, if the car runs smooth you're not typing furiously on a forum to tell others about it, you're out driving

My experience showed that you can expect about the same from every sports car: it WILL be more quirky than a regular econobox because it's build for more extreme driving and you WILL drive it harder than your econobox. You can also expect cars with similar power to consume the same amount of gas, it doesn't really matter if it's a rotary, V6, I4... power = gas burning. I was quite surprised to learn a lot of 350Z and S2000 forums have MPG threads identical to ours.

So... my 2 cents coming from a guy who had the same second toughts you're having and ended up getting a '04 MT RX-8 with 10k miles on it, now at 20k miles

CarAndDriver

Dear God.

eviltwinkie

^
+6

And +6" for male enhancement...I was also quiet about that as I thought it was only me...

Aseras

I've got 61,000 miles on my 2004 rx8 and mechanically it's flawless. my only gripes are the shitastic dealership service and the sunvisors.

coll3735

You guys only got 6"? I got 8", but then again, I bought the Extended Warranty.

CarAndDriver

I want the appearance package.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

meh

New Yorker

Fourteen months, 9,400 miles, zero problems.

What others have said is true—people are far more likely to come on here and post their problems than the fact that their car is running normally. (Think about it—that's just human nature. When you have a problem with something, you go looking for solutions, which means first telling everyone what the problem is. Or, if you have a problem and can't solve it, at the very least you want to to complain and 'vent'. People are far less likely to post that things are going normally because they're not seeking a solution or solace. What's more, most cars are fairly reliable, so the fact that your car is running normally is not "news", and generally what gets posted is news. Thinking the RX-8 is a disaster from what you read here would be like thinking everything that goes on where you live is terrible because everything you hear on your local newscast is bad.)

So… to go to a car forum and walk away thinking the car is not reliable from reading all the "I'm having a problem" posts is not a good way to get a sense of how reliable a car is, because you will always read "problem" comments in disproportionate numbers. A good way to check how reliable a car is is from "long term" tests in car mags ("Road & Track" rated the 8's reliability "excellent") or checking Consumer Reports, which says the RX-8 has dropped again to "below average" (which is not good, but hardly the reliability disaster you'd think it is just from spending time here).

CarAndDriver

meh meh

User24

iTrader: (1)

I took a quick read of rx7club for perspective. Such time, maintenance, and money is expended over there that I'm not sure if some of them are aware that there is a new RX available.

Aseras

well keep in mind that only the die hards post there and most rx7 are at least 10 and most are 15+ years old. of course they are going to be money pits to a point. any car that age will need some serious dough to keep it running well.

CarAndDriver

It's Sunday. Time to go to Church.

Buford

Sort of depressing that some of you feel this way. As it is, the first thing anyone tells me when I say I might like to buy an RX-8 is "those things drink oil and blow seals." I sort of feel the angst of the person who started this thread. I want to add the RX-8 to my shopping list, but I'm not yet convinced I'm a good match for it.

I'm used to Japanese cars that run forever and don't need "serious dough to keep running." I have a '90 Miata in my garage that my wife has owned since it was new. It could use some work, but nothing major. My extended family has owned a bunch of Toyotas and Hondas over the years, and I don't think any of them have ever even had a minor problem (knock on wood). Of course, none of them are very exciting cars.

Anyway... I'm still struggling with my shopping list. My wife will need a new sedan eventually, and I'm hoping to convince her to look at the Mazdaspeed6. We have test driven a couple Lexuses; but I think we would prefer something more sporty (at least I would).

XRX8X

40,500 miles new trans,oil pan ,front and rear lights.etc.etc...still lovin it and who needs sun visors when a cool set of sun glasses keeps your eyes on the road and the sweet sound in your ears!just do your part and the rest will fall into place.happy motoring!

mysql101

I don't think Dec 03 really counts as one of the "early cars" - by Dec they had worked out most of the initial issues.


This thread is funny though - yesterday I noticed on the first page of new topics, the most threads were talking about rx-8 issues. It really makes the car look like it's problematic. Yet I know most 8's are perfectly fine, mine included.

TheKDog

No one can make you restore your faith in the rotary, just like no one could make Luke have faith in the Force.

You just have to do it.

LionZoo

How about the RX-8 has been the most trouble free car I've ever owned? (Knock on wood.) My previous cars were a Toyota and a Subaru, both of which are highly regarded brands for reliable cars.

Phantom Menace

Yes bro. Most owners were premadonnas that never checked their oil and tire pressure, I'm betting and "having" to check it has put a bug in their *** that they are unaccustomed to. So, to [over]compensate, most new owners will keep a small oil field's worth of petrol in their trunk..."just-in-case" the rotors drink all the oil in between checks.

I admit! I used to keep 3 quarts in the trunk for the first two months of owning an 8. But after regular oil checks, I've realized how little the Renesis actually drinks.

RX-XSIV

haha when i first got my 8 i woudl buy a quart or 2 quarts of oil every week.. to the point wehre i had like 6 quarts stocked up in my trunk....now i gotten used to how little oil it acutally burns.. people make it seem liek you gotta add oil eveyr other fillup.. no.. i check the oil every other fill up.. but if i see that im close to being topped off..i dont bother adding oil until i see it get considerably low.. no problems whatsoever for me yet..

RX-XSIV

32k miles on the car.. been turbocharged since 20k miles.. nothing out of the ordinary either. .forgot about that

csuttman

A little reality...

I can't say my 04 has been flawless, but that doesn't make me love it any less. It is truly the most fun to drive car I've ever owned and car to own.

I took it back to the dealership and they fixed each problem to be like new without a problem. Warranties are awesome! I now have a new engine, ignition system, 2 rear tail lights, a new center console, and a new a/c ****.

I started to wonder if I should be looking for another car after the engine got replaced, but when I started test driving other cars... I couldn't stop thinking about my 8! If you really enjoy driving... the 8 is worth the possible problems! The warranty covers them and odds are that you won't even have any problems.

I'm truly amazed at what the Mazda engineers have accomplished with this car.

If driving isn't a passion of yours... the 8 is still a work of art to look at too!

(And the extra 6 inches doesn't hurt either. Damn they're good!!!)

csuttman

Oh, and the 8 needing tons of oil is BS!

I change the oil every 3k and have rarely needed to add any oil between changes.

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

I know what you mean - this is getting old for us. I have an '04 build date 09/03. No problems at all also. The only issue I have is a squeak somewhere up front that I cannot seem to find yet.

CarAndDriver

Post padding eh?