I want an RX8 but...
 

...is anyone here willing to tell me about the car's dependability and maybe what your experiences are with your own?

There's a sweet blue '04 RX-8 6-speed (a good price @ only $21,000) waiting for me at this dealership just around the corner from where I live. The wife and I discussed trading in our '04 Toyota Matrix for it. I already know I want the car, I've done some research but haven't test driven it yet, but I still can't find some of the answers I'm looking for.

What's average cost to repair a rotary engine?
Gas mileage on any car these days seems false? What does your average?
I hear that the car drinks oil like mad! This true and how often should it be filled?
Any horror stories or warnings I should hear of?

Any assistance on this would be really helpful! Thanks!

I can't really comment as I have owned my 8 for less than a day, but I was in the same situation you are in. I was nervous about the purchase and then realzed that Mazda actually acknowledged the issues they had and actually did quite a bit in order to ensure their customers were taken care of. Not sure of how many other companies would offer to buy back vehicles or do a mass recall on engines.

21k is NOT a good price for a '04 RX-8

52,500 miles of ZERO problems :)

I'll let the forum reply to you other questions, because I know what they will say... Use the s____ button.

mpg will range from 13-21. I am pretty consistent over the 10 months I've owned mine @ 16mpg.

Cost of repair should not be too much different than any other car, but I'm really not the right person to answer that. Dependability - well there aren't many w/high miles yet . . .

Doesn't really drink oil. Change every 3k, and usually once between changes you will need to add 1/2 - 1 qt. It varies depending on how you drive.

21k for an 04 seems pretty high, unless it's really low miles or has some aftermarket mods.


Take a look around, starting with the "sticky" threads for answers to the common Qs. Good luck!

First let me welcome you to our club.
Next is a request: please enter your location in your profile.
I've had my 04 since I bought it used in Sept. 2005. I've put almost 35000 km on it since then with visits to the dealer for service and warranty updates (TSBs) only.

and since i'm in a good mood right now, i'll actually help a newbie out instead of telling you to search :lol2:

cost to repair a rotary? the powertrain is covered by mazda up to 5 years/60000 miles, so come back and ask again when the time comes, not really something you need to worry about right now

gas mileage varies highly from car-to-car, some gets over 20mpg in the city, some can't get over 15mpg on the highway, most gets around 18-20mpg in mixed driving. in my experience thoguh, mileage is highly dependent on how heavy on the gas you are when you drive.

oil use is designed into the rotary engine, but it does not 'drink like mad', for typical street driving the engine uses about 1 qt every 3000 miles or so. checking oil level every 1000 miles and top off as needed is a good starting point. again, oil use highly dependent on how often you drive the engine hard.

I have no horror stories to share with you, mine's been pretty much perfect since I got it new back in November 04

now go test drive the car and realize what you've been missing driving a Matrix all these times :lol2:

$21,000 is a horrible price for an '04. You can probably get it for $17k or so.

To answer your questions:
Never had to replace my engine (works perfectly)
I routinely get 20+ mpg on 60/40 hwy/city driving
Barely use 1/4 quart of oil every month or so
No horror stories, mine runs great.

This is after 13,500 miles. The only things I've taken my car in for were oil changes, routine check-ups and TSBs. I love this car!

You should expect between 15-19 mpg with mixed driving. You don't have to worry about it "drinking" oil. Most people will see about 1 quart of oil used per 3,000 miles. Which also happens to be the same point that your oil should be changed.

Remember the rotary engine only has 3 moving parts, and while it has a 9,000 rpm redline, the engine actually spins at 1/3rd that number. So highway driving at 4,000 rpm is actually 1,200 rpm in the engine. Less moving parts with slower movment means it's more than reasonable to expect 200,000 miles out of the engine. We won't know for sure for a few more years though, since it's a new car and a new rotary design.

I agree. That was pretty much my price on my '07.. Well.. Pretty much..

I can't believe how much response this guy is getting O.< Usually he'd be flamed to a crisp already but hey good for 8club being nice ^.^

I'll be the first one to tell you to hang onto that Matrix tho! It's Toyota, it'll last forever. Try if you can and have both cars.

As for the oil, the oil is actually injected into the rotor housing to keep the seals lubbed up and then it burns away. It's designed this way. I have to explain this to people who can't believe I use nearly a quart of oil every 2 to 3 fill ups. (Watch, I used a term incorrectly and I'm going to get flamed myself.)

Great choice in picking out an RX-8 ^.^

I bought my '8' in october of 04. I have had zero problems with reliability.I average 20 mpg . I drive it normally except I take it to the redline about once a week just to remind me how quick this car is and clean it out a little. I add about 1/2 quart of oil every 1,000 mi. or so. The dealer probably will deal some on the price. Price of a car has a lot to do with how well it has been cared for, is is super clean, ever been wrecked, mileage,what part of the country you live in, ect.. Get the previous owners phone number and give them a call . Ask questions. Was the car driven hard , raced, and why did they trade it? You can get a better price if you find a motivated seller, but it may not be the car you want. You can maybe save a couple of thousand dollars from ebay ,but you may have to travel a few hundred miles, but I would never buy a car that I have not had my hands on first. Hope this helps.

for 17.5 i got an rx8 with 21k miles on it (04) Nav system, leather seats, dsc, bose stereo system, new tires, and a smile on my face :) (including spoiler, "roof spoiler" and sunroof")

Edit:
Gas milage-14 mpg ALL town driving (with plenty of redlines)
-18-20 mpg with mostly highway driving (with few redlines)

I paid about 22k for an 04 with 7500 miles on it back in May of 06 and resale prices have been dropping then. Just like everyone else, I think you can find a better deal.

I have had no major problems since I got it, and it only drinks oil by design, just check it every other gas fill up.

I have consistantly gotten 16-17 mpg with a city/hwy mix. I also have a tendency to hit 9000 rpm...a lot. :)

Wow! Thanks for the insight, guys. I was checking cars.com on prices and it the normal price for this car was around 21-19k for a 2004 but after looking at Ebay Motors I see that they do go for a quite a bit less. Glad I know now.

Wing5: I was expecting some flaming going on but glad to see people aren't as cruel as other forums can be. We already have a 98' Mitsubishi Eclipse that the wife is restoring for herself, and as practical as the Matrix is though, I need something to play with. It was a toss-up between an RX8 and a Subaru WRX STi - the Subaru lost that battle.

Well, it looks like I have some threads to check before I ask too much here. I need to find out how much tires cost for this car...

One Hundred dollars and up....... check www.TireRack.com

- The rotary is more expensive to repair then most because it is unique. That being said in theory the rotary should be a pretty solid performer. In reality there are a few out there that are having issues and Mazda is doing very little to help them. Mazda service is a pain to deal with,

- Gas mileage is poor at best and horrible at worst. I do 95% city driving and average 11 to 12mpg, on the highway I get 18 to 22mpg. The car is a real crap shoot as to what your mileage will be and again Mazda claims this is normal mileage for the RX. Test drive the car for a few days and check your mpg before you buy. When I bought I figured Mazda would stand behind the car and any problems it might have, they have proven to be a joke in respects to standing behind the car. Unless it is and obvious issue your pretty much on your own.

- Oil consumption is way over stated. It burns oil as part of it's normal function. You'll add a quart every 1000 to 3000 miles depending on your driving and conditions. I check the oil once a month give or take and it is fine.

- The car really kicks ass, it is beautiful, drives great, is very practical for a sports car and is relatively problem free I have had it back for a few minor things. The real issue is Mazda and their really poor service. This is not just my opinion JD Power rated them right at the bottom in Service experience. I would say that maybe 20% to 15% of all RX-8 deliver really poor fuel economy that can not be explained and Mazda will do absolutely nothing to help you with this issue. There is also a sporadic issues with a marble in blender sound in the engine which Mazda has been incapable or unwilling to fix. They will will only fix issues that the computer reports, if no error code your pretty much on your own. This is the biggest problem with the car...it's a Mazda.

the rx8 sucks, dont get it. :)

Click on my garage banner for details on every bit of cost, maintenance, fuel, and mileage data. Of course .... ymmv.

Cheers,
Oranje

Heh, sounds good. Your wife sounds like a cool customer too, very lucky u r.
Welcome to the addiction! :D:

+1. That is not "a good price."

Got a new 05 in 06 - Blue!
Oil use about like a normal car - I change it with cheap stuff every 3000 miles and it seems to love it!
Mine gets about 20+ mph but we have few stops, lights, or traffic -
Only problems - Stupid rat got inside and chewed on firewall (replace by insurance Co,)then died in the airconditioner (cleaned out by insurance co,)
And unusually cold weather killed my battry (dealer replace it)

We have a very good dealership here! They took good care of my 15 year old Mazda 323, and so I got the 8 from them...We have a thread on good and bad dealers - do check them out to find a good one in your area.

Keep your toyota - you will want a banger to protect the good car!

Just got my car last week. Runs perfect. Getting around 18mpg hwy and 16 mpg city. Heavy foot on the highway. LOL!! Who doesn't in this car?? Already my first 1000 miles, can't stop driving it, and no oil needed. This car is better then the miata, mx-6, and 626 i've had all combined Also my 8 is an 04 Touring with 55000m at purchase and I picked it up for 16,900. So ddefinitly thats way over priced.

Hey bro, welcome to the forum and nice avatar. Jumped right in with both feet, eh? I remember the anticipation I felt before my purchase and just not-being-able-to-stand-it!! I wanted my blue RX-8 so bad I could taste it.

Anyway, let me offer a different point of view on one of your points -You probably didn't think before you popped that in the list. How many piston cars have you owned and paid repairs on? What do you want to compare?

Cost of a timing chain replacement? $0 - doesn't have one.
Replacing the head gasket? $0 - does not apply.

Seriously, RX-8 engines are backed by a 60,000 mile warranty. If it last that long it'll probably last forever (from a practical stand-point). If it doesn't last that long....

cost to repair: $0 (unless you boast about racing it and get your warranty canceled, but that hasn't happened around here for quite a long time ;) )