clockwoRX

I read through the "New and potential owners start here" thread, which had an excellent writeup at the beginnig of the thread. With that said, it almost seems to me that this is not your ordinary start up and drive 98 corolla, which it isn't. My only concern is that if and when I do purchase an RX-8, I am going to be spending more time on maintenance and going through the step by steps on how to avoid issues such as flooding, oil pressure issues, engine failure, etc. Is this true or am I just reading into it too much? I understand being an 8 forum, the answers to that question will be pretty biased, and don't misenterpret and flame me on this with responses like, "If you're that concerned why bother purchasing one?" I'm just looking for some straight forward answers in regards to; Will I spend more time driving it or fixing it???

ken-x8

Much more time driving it. The 8 is not like a Honda, and you need to want one rather than just randomly pick one up. But if you lust for one don't let that thread scare you off. It's much like the fine print on a surgical consent form, or the insert that comes with most medicines.

At five years and 44,000 miles, the only big ticket repairs I've had were a broken shock and a couple of blown coils. Daily driver, no other down time. The only annoyance has been making sure it's warm before shutting it off. For my normal activities that's only been an issue a few times. If you live in a multi-car household with one driveway and are always shuffling cars to let someone else out, it could be a pain.

Ken

Colorcode

iTrader: (1)

Im at 99k miles and have had no real problems with it. You just have to be careful with it and take care of it. Then you will be happy. =)

04Green

iTrader: (1)

I got mine a few years ago. It took me a bit to find the stuff in my $100 thread (why I collected it all for others), but those things, and coils, took care of just about everything. Flooding does suck. It happens after the coils quit. I mess with mine, and tweak and try stuff, but it is a hobby. I do the same for the truck, the Expedition, and the 6.

Post the year you are looking at, any options, miles and asking price. This group will be great to help evaluate the deal. Unless something is bad wrong (get a mechanic to look at it, check compression if motor has not been replaced) get the car, do the $100 stuff, change the coils for the updated (I think B version) and enjoy.

WhiteDealershipRice

My 8 is my daily driver. the only times it has seen the shop is for regularly scheduled oil changes & a TPMS sensor that went bad (& was replaced under warranty)

It is not an appliance that you can pay no attention to, but if you do your preventive maintennance it should give you little or no trouble.

RobGraz

I've had my 8 about six months... It's been the happiest 6 months of driving ever. However, if you do not love LOVE this car - do not buy it. Not because it isn't a great car, but it needs that extra-mile of love. You have to want to lift the hood and add oil.

monchie

The rx8 needs to be pampered. If you don't want the hassle of doing it, then don't get this car.

Anyway, the rx8 is a rotary engine and it needs some care, not more than the piston engines out there. I like this car because its unique and it's a fun car to drive.

dirkyd3rk

Im going to be honest, i bought my 8 simply because i saw it and first words that came to mind were "chick magnet". I bought it in 2008 with about 30k and had NO idea what i was getting into lol. Seriously no idea. But i will say over the past few years and few repairs later ive learned alot. I ran into a few problems (glad i had extended warranty) but i was making pretty good money at the time so it worked out. This car needs tough love, attention, and money!! There's so much you'll learn from this site and you won't feel less of a man walking into dealer or mechanic when you know what you're talking about! Last week i walked into the dealer and said "my coolant light comes on after a 30 min drive so my sensor is bad" it felt so good lol! You'll save yourself a little money if you learn to do the small things yourself. My last tip; I have an 04 (runs great, new engine) but with the rx8 id recommend keeping 2500-3000 in the bank especially if you're buying one without an extended warranty of some type. Rather than dumping all my dollars in my baby i keep 3kthe hanging around for that rainy day...you never know with our cars. Like others said above, plugs, coils, and oil changes will take you a long way. Good luck

iemdan

iTrader: (2)

Not sure why so many keep saying it needs to be pampered.. aside from adding oil every now and then, it doesn't require any special attention.. ok maybe the warm up before shutting off?

checking oil should be standard with any car and i do the same for my civic, which eats equal amounts, if not more oil, than the rx8.

if you made the effort to make an account on this forum and read even a couple threads, then you are already ahead. you are probably the type to care for a car and if so, then there is no 'extra' maintenance this car requires. just change the oil regularly, check oil levels occasionally, and don't shut it off cold. i treat my civic the same way.. and it's happy as a clam at 190,000 miles.

maybe something to watch out for is that you may need to change spark plugs, ignition coils, and wires a little more often than a "98 corolla". you may want to be aware of the clutch pedal problems. you MAY also be more inclined to look for ways to improve the car and customize things here and there.

good luck with your decision!

Hesselrode

iTrader: (3)

I baby my car and do oil changes between 2500-4000. Dirty oil can potentially eat up the apex seals, so I try to keep my oil golden color. Hard to do realistically, but i try. Premix oil for the gasoline also is a preventative, that you may or may not want to do. It is the small things that make us different from other car owners. Redline the engine daily, seafoam the engine annually. check oil weekly. Clean maf sensor every so often and the essentric shaft sensor (crankshaft sensor). Change coils between 40k-60k miles. Rev engine to 4k turn off key, then hold gas pedal down until rpms get to 0.(Keeps engine from flooding). Since I started doing this my engine has never flooded. Not trying to scare you off from it but there are small things that a lot of us do differently than most drivers. I love my car and wouldn't trade it for anything. I have replaced my engine at 120K, but due to not doing pm. I lost my job and stuff and couldn't afford to change the oil very often, it caused my apex seals to eat them selves. This nice thing about a bad engine, is it runs fine and still has lots of power, it just doesn't start. You have to push start to 3mph and pop out the clutch. It won't idle after it gets really bad and you will have to keep about 2k rpms to stay started. But thats if you don't do the preventative maintenance like you are supposed to do. Hope this helps. I love my car!!

pistonhater

I thought that step was not necessary anymore with the newer cars or w/older ones that had battery/starter upgrades

Hesselrode

iTrader: (3)

Man, you never know. I am unsure I have the upgrades. I bought my 04 GT in 2007. I don't take my car to anyone, I do everything myself. Once the starter goes out it will have the new one and the battery I got at oreillys.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

many of the issues are overrated.

WHAT FLOODING? I start my **** cold move it around and wash my car, no flooding.

and other crap are just overblown.

clockwoRX

Thanks for the input. I have a upgraded and tuned WRX, which I will actually be selling when mid next year. That's when i will be purchasing an 8. I've always loved the car, well looks wise at least. I'll have to see if a dealership nearby has one. I'll be looking at 2004/2005 models as those will be in my price range. I have no problem with giving my vehicles a little TLC....or a lot. And being married, I am aware of the phrase "high maintenance." Gonna be a long 8 months before I can get my 8. Hopefully, they come down a little more in price and i can find one under 10k with less than 100k miles.

sjschutz

I've done the same with my '04 and have never had a flooding issue with it (of course I always try to remember to warm up the engine before shutting it down - sometimes it just slips my mind). The '8 is an amazing car, and I've never drove/ridden in another vehicle that has made me feel the same way the '8 does. As long as you're willing to gain the knowledge necessary to take care of this car, then it won't give you any more problems than that '98 Corolla you mentioned.

Also, this being an RX-8 forum, the only threads you're really going to see often are "Help, Engine Problem" or "Power Loss" etc. etc. People post those a lot because they know this community can help them. You won't see many people making threads about how much they love their '8 just for the hell of it. Just something to keep in mind.

Good luck and I hope to see you back on here in eight months with you RX-8

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I admit that part of the intention of that thread is to scare away people that don't actively WANT an 8. As noted by someone else above, if you don't actively want an 8, and would be just as happy with another car, you would be better off getting that other car. Reading everything negative that I wrote up, if it actively concerns you, or makes you pause, you (and the potential 8) would probably be better off not finding each other. If you acknowledge it as things to be aware of and it shifts the gears a bit about the frame of mind you have to approach ownership of it, then it's probably going to be fine and a decent fit.

Keep in mind that ANY car that has a similar write up would list all the negative points. The 350z's and their oiling problem, Miata's and their thrust bearing issues, Corolla's and their sludging problem, etc... There is no such thing as a perfect car. Every car has issues of one type or another, to some degree or another, and at a varying frequency. Even the most reliable model in the world HAS FAILURES. And those failures are going to be talked about, and pointed out as something to watch out for. If they could build a car with zero problems under all possible worldwide driving conditions, ownership care or abuse, and weather/time aging parts, then that car would have an unlimited lifetime warranty and be the top selling car on the planet. Such a car doesn't exist. Other car's issues are simply less frequent and/or less deadly. Other cars can take failures on the chin without big problems, and other cars can take ownership negligence and shrug it off.

The 8 can't. Ignore important stuff and it will die. It's not harder than most cars, just penalizes you heavily for ignoring it.


And, as chance would have it, the writer of that thread lives about 20-30 minutes from you




My help and assistance isn't limited to text on the boards, and as long as I live in RI, I'm a local resource you can turn to for advice or help.

ken-x8

That ain't the procedure. You might want to read the Quick Tips manual for what Mazda actually says about short trips and revving.

Ken

clockwoRX

It's too late to turn back. I've been committed to buying an 8 since before I bought my WRX. Yeah, I noticed you were in RI, just didn't want to be a bother with a PM or something. I guess my biggest concern is you hear a lot about engine failure. And, since I'll be buying used, I'd hate to have my engine blow after 3 months of owning it.

What part of Prov are you in? I grew up in East Providence (Riverside to be exact).

And since you're so close, we might have to meet up sometime so i can get some first hand experience lol!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

(I edited my prior post after you replied)

The concern is understandable, and why you need to insist on getting an engine compression test BEFORE you buy the car. Lets you know if the engine is on it's way out or if it's good to go and nothing to worry about.

Your budget of under $10k means that you will likely be getting an 8 that is no longer under warranty (even the 8yr 100k engine warranty), so if you get it from a dealer, I'd seriously consider an extended warranty (from a reputable company that would cover engine failure).



I don't mind discussing locations through PM, but I don't post closer details in publicly searchable forums. I'm not a native, and looking to get away from the corruption and fiscal mess of the state, but while I'm here, I don't mind helping you out.

clockwoRX

pm'ed you RI

Hesselrode

iTrader: (3)

It doesnt' matter what the procedure is, it matters what works. Holding the gas pedal down and cranking then letting off pedal and starting doesn't work either, and that is what mazda says to do. So your telling me that what mazda says is best is always best, when they are thhe ones that designed the clutch pedal that breaks the temperature control that breaks, the starter that wasn't strong enough and the batter that sucks? On top of everything else? I have flooded my car twice, since I started reving the engine and shutting off, I haven't flooded the engine in 3 years. So it works regaurdless of the "procedure", do what works and stick to it. You can read a lot of posts also that say to rev and hold the gas pedal down. Tons of threads about it and again, it works.

ken-x8

Mazda's procedure has always worked for me. No floods in five years.

Ken

Hesselrode

iTrader: (3)

Some RX-8s just don't flood and you probably have all the upgraded parts like the starter and the battery and all that. I don't have that as far as I know cause mine has flooded, and I asked mazda what maintanence has been done and they never said a new starter.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Mine flooded for the first time, in over 7 yrs, last week. The regular Mazda procedure worked fine.

ken-x8

I've got an '06, which should have the better starter. I also got the 4206f flash really early in the car's life - at about 3K miles. Doubt if I had better coils (did Mazda ever improve those?) since they blew on time at just over 40K. Never had problems even when the original battery was weakening. No floods yet. Mazda procedure worked for the handful of times when I could not drive to warm up.

Sorry for jumping on you like that. I usually get set off by people who say to rev instead of warming up...think I'm just getting grouchier with time.

Ken