rx8gamer

Hi, I recent got my car totaled coz some driver didnt look before turning right T_T...so now I am searching for a new car and I ve been dreaming bout owning a Rx8 for years..

I was never the car nuts kinda guy =( but i heard Rx8 is a car that needs lots more attention than ur usual car, so i ve spent at least 3+ hours everyday reading every post here on the forums hoping to catch up..I had to google like every car term or ask a car mech frd =(..( I m that bad as to google what a spark plug is....)

I admit its mostly the beautiful looks that the 8 caught me, not quite performance/or becoz its rotary. So would Rx8 be the car for me? Heres some info bout myself :

-I am 23, half work half college in BC, Canada making 1.2 grand (Canadian a month
-I am VERY WILLING to learn how to maintain a car, as I ve dreamt every second bout owning a car as good looking as the rx8 and I dont mind the runs to dealer if needed.
-Almost every one of my friend who are car-fanatics or works at a car bodyshop etc told me NOT to get the 8 becoz I wouldnt be able maintain it and said lots of rx8 have huge problems with them.

I ve stood firm bout the fact I love the 8 , so I ve been reading on the tech forums etc. I hear the main problems are flooding and oil matters( still trying to understand what premix and other terms mean..).

Also been doing some research on my local rx8s, looking to own a white or red one, thinking of buying a new auto one(i dont drive manual T_T) at the dealer, 07, 36000 pre tax(in can) or maybe theres a silver one 04, 56000km. Anyone can shred some light on me for if I am getting an 8, pros and cons? and what to look out for?

hehe, sorry for the long post :P but can I also ask how does the gas mileage compare to the 05 TL Acura? because thats the car I am driving( my parents of coz..) if I needed the ride.

Thanks to all those that paid attention to the thread

IcarusX8

"not quite performance because it's rotary" ...keep in mind it's 240HP from a 1.3L and that should be impressive.

As far as your friends... 99% of car engines are piston. That means there are very few mechanics who know anything about a rotary. They are not wrong, the engine does need to be taken care of like any, but it's not that big a deal. Watch oil and replace plugs/coils when necessary- the basics.

As far as flooding, you can read about that all over this site, just do some searches. All you need to know is not to turn the car off when it's still warming up.

Also try to avoid silver 8s. They come stock with a curse.

rx8gamer

Thanks for the reply What I meant was I luved the 8 mostly because of looks more than the handling and all those goodies it comes with =p hehe Eng is not my first language so confusion there ><..

I heard the 08 has better waterpumps and other stuff in the stock model? So is it worth it for me to hold back and wait for 08 to drop price a little? or is 07 exactly fine ?

reaper1

This car is no different than any other car . You just need to keep an out with your oil no big deal. The rotary burns a little more than your piston. I check mine once a month, if it needs I'll add. It also depends on your driving style.

Learn to drive manuel , you'll enjoy the car more. Plus more HP.

Gas for me is around 16 mpg .

You make the final call , test drive and see if you like or not.

rx8gamer

thanks I was thinking of manual too, as my uncle used to drive manual and can help me with the learning..just the prob is we dont own any manuals T_T...and I dont want to hurt my rx8 baby with the crappy manual driving .. I live in a very steep hilled area, like VERY STEEP..which is what is kinda making me thinking of going auto.

Maybe I ll buy like a high mileage civic to learn manual first..save up some more money and then get my manual Rx8 =p

Fuel wise, should I constantly use 91+ chevon wif the techron, or 89 and occationally the 91 to clear the tank? Thats what I used to do with my v6 mazda 6

CyberPitz

I just do 91 all around. There are people that do 87 and are 100% fine, it's really up to you. The argument I like most is "You're spending so much money on a car, why not the extra 2-4 bucks on gas?"

rx8gamer

So lets say if I was learning manual on my 8, what if I suck so bad that my clutch "broke" if thats the term....warranty wont cover it would it =(? and what actions would actually cause this? so I can avoid it if possible

mikesol

I'm in Vancouver. The only problem you will have with the 8 is the gas mileage, in all honesty. Performance is great, adding a couple drops of oil once every few weeks isn't a big deal, and if you buy an '05 and up there won't be any major mechanical issues to deal with (and you'll still have some warranty).

Use 90 octane or more. Stay away from the Mohawk "90 octane" ethanol enhanced stuff - I used it for a while but the mileage is *** on it.

Do not buy an automatic. It's a sports car. Get a manual or go home.

Flooding it is not a problem if you aren't stupid: don't turn the car on and drive for ten seconds and turn it off. Turn it on if you mean to go somewhere. Sometimes you may need to park in a more conservative location further away to ensure you don't have to move for someone to back out; big deal.

mikesol

Learning manual is not difficult but you would be best served to follow the standard procedure:

1. Find a cheap piece of **** car that is gutless and sucks. Borrow from a friend or buy for like $300.

2. Learn standard on it. You will be terrible at first. The best way is as follows:

a- Make sure you know how to start it. In neutral, clutch in, no gas or brakes. E-brake on.

b- Clutch in, figure out where all the gears are. Practice going between them until you know what gear you're in simply by where your hand is on the shifter. You can do this with the car off to save gas.

c- Car started, clutch in, e-brake off, first gear, and slowly let off the clutch. SLOWLY. So slow your ankle and foot will not be used to the precision of movement required. At a certain point, you'll feel the clutch start to 'grab' and you'll move forward a bit. Keep letting it out smoothly until you're moving forward. At no point will you have touched the gas.

Practice C over and over and over.

d- Now, do the same thing but as you approach the end of the clutch pedal (almost all the way out), start smoothly applying gas and move forward more.

You'll learn the balance between the "grab point" and the gas pedal over time.

Then all you have to do is mash the clutch in and shift up when the revs are high enough. Advanced technique can wait.

So:

3. Drive that piece of **** for like a month or so until you can drive its clunky old transmission so smooth it's like silky butter.

4. Go test drive some manual RX-8's and be amazed. Don't be afraid to rev the everliving **** out of it.

Mobile

Why is it that money all of a sudden have less value just because you bought a new car? Just because you spend a lot of money on one thing, doesn't mean that you now have to start throwing away money on other things. If you find you don't need to run premium, why throw away cash?

Do the numbers math instead tricking yourself into thinking a sum of money is worth less because you put it next to a larger sum - the only actual difference of value is in your head.

Rems31

so by this logic you must also be against using synthetic oil... :-P

Mobile

If you think that if can help the car - go nuts. All I am saying is the value of your money doesn't decrease because you now own a RX8 instead of a Tempo.

I was referring to the argument that you should do something unnecessary solely for the reason that you have spent X amount on a car - as if spending more money on a vehicle means that you should not think twice about wasting proportionately higher sums of money.

"Why would I worry about 2-4 bucks a tank now that I'm driving around in this?"

CyberPitz

Because if you feel like penny pinching after you bought a brand new car, your priorities might be a little whack..?

You can use whatever gas you really want, but if the extra money for is gas is the breaking point on you, THAT is what I'm talking about.

Mobile

You are entirely missing the point. This has nothing to do with priorities or breaking points.

Say you were looking to buy a $50,000 toy. The store down the block had it on for $50,000 but the store across town had it on for $49,900 - with your logic that $100 in savings isn't worth driving across town - you would view it as insignificant. "Why would I penny pinch"

However if you were looking to buy a $200 toy and the store across town had it on for $100 - suddenly that $100 looks a whole lot bigger.

The truth is the $100 is worth the same no matter how you save it. Some people think of money through mathematical terms, some through psychological. You are obviously the latter - but don't make the mistake in thinking that you have your "priorities right" because of it. Some may think its quite the opposite.

My argument is not whether you should run regular or premium, but to your reasons why.

For the record, I run premium but its not because: "You're spending so much money on a car, why not the extra 2-4 bucks on gas?"

rx8gamer

After a bit of thinking , I decided I might try and find a tempo manual car to learn first? So i went to the automall and see if I could find an high km civic etc.

Anyways, on the way I pasted by the mazda dealer that I got my first car, thought I d take a look at their 8s. It happens they have a 07 white one in auto. I was looking at the beauty when a sales walked over ( the same sales who sold my mazda6 to me) and asked if I wanted to get an 8 this time.

After some talk with him, he asked if I am unsure to go auto or manual why not try out the auto one first, since they have one right here. I thought hey why not, so he gave me the keys and told me to go for a spin...

When he drove the car up front, I heard the "weeee" sound from the engine.....OMG THAT SOUND IS NICE...me and my buddy's mouth juz dropped from the sound of the engine.....jeez :p

Then me and my friend went to drive the 8 around, and WOW i must say that its smooooooth.....thats after I tested drove a TL yesterday too...The ride in auto was sooo smooth I almost pulled out my credit card and paid deposit.........But i decided not to yet :P since I juz might get manual...

Now I am home thinking if I should juz learn manual on my 8...or spend a couple of month learning on a tempo...or HELL juz get the sweet auto =)

Razz1

Definately wait for the 08.

Believe me........... that is the 09 version is what you want. Should be out soon.

vroom808

Some idiot hit my the car while parked in the gym parking lot and didn't report it. A*&HOLE.

rev8

two year thread revival and that is what you come up with.

getdamafiaonyou

So you found a 2 year old thread, in which to post something that was completely irrelevant?

yiksing

Please really consider the mpg and the straight line performance of the 8 before you buy it. We had some owners that regretted buying the car because of their lack of research in these.

Having beta-tested a lot of 8 (at least I feel I'm one of the guinea pigs), a great deal of improvement has been revised for the 09+ in terms of reliability issues.

yiksing

lol i didnt notice its a threadsurrection....