Craftsmanship of the 8?
 

Yes, I searched.

I've been lurking in this forum for probably around 6 months. Battling back and forth of which car I should buy next. This isn't another one of the 8 million "Should I buy an 8" threads. I've done my homework and I'm pretty much set.

I just wanted to know about what everyone thinks about the craftsmanship of their 8?


I'm coming from owning a 2002 Ford Focus ZX3... So there is plenty of room for improvement. I can't begin to tell you all the times that something small has broken.

For example:

-Air vents
-Shade for the sun roof that seems to come out about once every three months.
-Various covers to storage compartments
-Various handles
-the CD player
-The "splitter" that emerges when the sun roof if open and vibrates a ridiculous amount
-The wheels that manage to crack or bend every time you sneeze

I'm obviously to blame for some of these things, but the car just doesn't 'feel' like they gave two sihts about it while they assembled it. The way the car is put together, and the materials that were used are sub par at best.

I know "it's a ford… :banghead: " and "it's and economy car." etc. Thanks. I'm very aware.

I just want to see how you guys and gals feel about how your 8's are put together. Please be as objective as possible.

Thanks for reading, and the input.

Didn't have any problems whatsoever..., and it doesn't feel nasty or cheap, even though on closer inspection, it's sort of cheap-ish.

I've yet to break anything..., and all the buttons and such seem to be very well taught out.

Plus, it's Mazda's flagship car. Can't say the same about your econobox.

I think they did a great job. I've got an '04, and it has had its rattles and stuff, but you can get rid of them (there are TSB's for most of them I've had). I think it is a real solid car, and I'm quite happy with how it was built.

A buddy of mine has a 350Z and recently had a G35 rental, and IMO neither car was finished out as well as our RX8.

Had mine for a year now. No problems so far......

I think the workmanship is pretty good. Mazda is not super high class, but they're pretty good at fit & finish and the RX-8 interior is rather attractively designed ... except for the 1973 clock radio red LCD, of course.

Yeah everything here is great....I havent' broke anything.....(knock on wood) it is designed very well with all the controls being pretty simple and easy to find without having to look down and find them....Go for the 8 you will not b disappointed!!!

i LOVE it...

every car mag says the rx8's interior is a cut above all others in its class.

i have to agree.

Except for the Audi TT, the RX-8's interior is well crafted amongst its segment. Certainly better than the 350z, G35c, Mx-5, Mustang and the S2000.

But that dorky LCD info panel gotta go!

I've had my 8 just a couple of months, but i'll have to back-up the build quality. Driving the car everyday to work and whatnot has made things very routine for me, but every so often i will sit and just take a pan around from the steering wheel clockwise right to the seat behind me and just take in how nice and how sturdy the inside really is on this car. The only thing that has broken...or should i say was broken, was the fan knob when i bought the car used...other than that, the finish on this car will do nothing but make you smile :)

The rear deck and door panels tend to rattle. Everything else is quite solid.

The e-brake handle has a flap under it that covers the opening when the brake is engaged. That part is prone to breaking off. Mine has cracked over the last 2 years and I have a friend who has broken it. It's really the only piece of the interior that I think is going to break on me.

There are a lot of rattles (door panel, dashboard, sunroof, rear deck, vents, etc.) but otherwise, everything is very solid. Fit and finish on this car is very nice, everything looks like it's made of quality materials, and nothing "feels" cheap. If the rattles don't kill you, you'll love the fit and finish.

If you buy one, make sure you get the rattles fixed before 12k miles, otherwise you have to do it yourself, or live with them.

I've had mine for 16k miles and love the build quality inside and out. No complaints whatsoever; it is solid.

Two things to note:
There are threads about a broken latch on the center console slide cover (over the drink holders) and I think I know why it breaks for some. I'm a tall guy and in my old car when I'd get in I'd put my weight on my arm using the center console in order to shift myself onto the seat (no room to use legs, I'd bonk my head). When I first got my 8 I was about to do the same but remembered the threads about the latch I had read while researching the car and thought, "ah ha! I will not break you!" and so I adjust myself differently now.

Also, don't slam your trunk; some people have cracked their tail-lamp cases (they must have slammed it pretty hard though).

It looks great, the controls feel like they're exactly where they're supposed to be and the car fits like a glove. Durability is somewhat questionable.

Some owners have had sun visors fall off, center console latches break, HVAC controls stop working, clutch pedals break off the firewall along with other assorted problems. Others have had no problems.

I'd suggest checking out several sources for reliability reviews, as most of the time owners come on her to complain or look for fixes to problems rather than to say that everything is in perfect working order.

the ash tray area tends to break off, i've seen plenty of used one with the left notch broken off, other than that.. no major problem.

The old visors used to become ungluedin the sun but were replaced by warranty. I nw live in Las Vegas and my visors have held up fine. Everything else is solid.

Overall, quality of materials is good—not great. Better than most non-luxury cars, though not as good as VW. Certainly a cut above Nissan, though that's not saying much, is it?

Generally the plastics you first notice look good when you first see 'em; upon closer examination some of them (door sills, seat control handles, etc.) seem a little cheap. When you turn the ventilation knobs they don't feel cheap—but they don't feel "quality" either. In the middle.

And many of the plastics scuff if you even look at them the wrong way. The "piano black" finish is beautiful, but also reminds you that other materials nearby aren't in the same league. Leather is pretty nice on my Shinka, but not the quality you typically find on luxury brands. Overall I'd give craftsmanship a 'B'.

I don't think any craftsmen worked on the RX-8, so craftsmanship is not the right term..... Except for the rotary engine, they are hand assembled (I think).
But the build quality of the car in general is quite good. Some small problems include broken armrest latch (my fault, but latch seemed weak to begin with), squeaky rearview mirror (not my fault, but surprising source for a squeak), condensation in rear lights (intermittent problem only on really cold days). That was it and all were taken care of under warranty.

4.5 years 90k miles.

stuff that i had issues with. some how grease got on one of the seatbelts while inside the door.

i have a hairline crack on the defrost button.

that is it..

beers :beer:

Not the Car and Driver "sports cars for under 35k" comparison with the Audi TT, 350Z, Shelby Mustang, and RX8.

In that article, the writer praised the TT's interior so much that "the rest of the competition's interiors felt rental car like in comparison". That didn't make any sense to me, as the RX8's interior was scored exactly the same as the TT's interior.

To the OP, for an affordable sports car, the interior is top notch. Sit in one and you'll see. Comfortable, the ride quality is top notch (praise the suspension on this one), and tons of amenity's.

You've probably seen this one before as it's been posted her 1000 times, but watch it again if you want to see for yourself what the interior is like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRiPSlx8PxA

(yes, it is the Top Gear video).

Yeah, not to sound blasphemous, but my '04 Golf GL had the most solid interior of any vehicle I've ever had. The seats were not too comfy and too small, but everything was built to last. I got lots of compliments from passengers about how good it felt to be in that car. The RX-8 does come in second, though. One of the first observations I had when I drove the RX8 was how close it felt to being in my VW.

The 6 is mostly well-done, but the door panels are SERIOUS suck. Even brand new, they have never held tightly to the metal. I hope Mazda improves that in their next-gen.

The car is put together very well, but the quality of some of the interior plastic pieces are kind of embarrassing. The center console is like rubbermaid.

I only have two problems with the interior. When I bought the car used, the heater wouldn't turn on. I took it to the dealership and they fixed it under warranty (though since they fixed it the fan control no longer lights up at night). The tech told me that they have had problems with the knobs coming loose, so that turning them wasn't changing anything. The other problem is with the middle console. The lid slides back to allow access to the cup holders. My problem is that every time I put on th brakes, the lid comes slamming forward into my can/cup/etc. It is quite annoying. If I do not have a drink, I make sure to keep the lid closed.