farmoore

Hello

First of all i hope i post this in the right section, second please dont shoot me if this has been asked or explained in faq . Anyways as a big fan of rx7/rx8 and crazy car fanatic ive got this crazy idea while looking for everyday reliable car: disregard the practicality and sense stretch out the budget till you are broke and get your self a car uve allways dreamt of. So now ive been looking into this sweet looking black 2004 rx8 with 85k km's on it and im seriously about to go ahead and book a testdrive so i need a couple of pointers and hints. What i should be looking out for? i really dont know anything about this car.

And second question is, ive been told im insane to even consider this car for everyday use they keep telling me that rotary engines are highly unreliable and high maintenance. And as a poor student i really cant aford a lot of "garage" time hence the allready stretched out budget and third thing that worries me is the climate i live in at the moment the winters are extremely cold and the roads are salted but thats what u get when u live in scandinavia, then again u can allways install engine block heather, so i guess thats not even a problem.

So please tell me im sane to even consider this, as viable and reliable everyday car.

Mazurfer

Given all the circumstances you are under(based purely on what you posted), I would say.................... "You are Insane".


I would ask that you please go review this thread............ https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/



It's really not that this car is unreliable, I just based this on three things I didn't like right away in your post.

1.) Student.........stay in school, get a beater, there is always time later. Focus!

2.) Money....see above.............there will be some maintenance, and if/when things go wrong, it ain't cheap.

3.) Climate. For how much of the year you could safely drive it....not sure if worth it.


You asked for opinions, there ya go! I'm not going to steer you towards this car even though I love it and really have had zero problems in almost five years of ownership.

Read that thread!

the1jesster

Just like all cars if you take care of them they will take care of you. That said the it is more expensive to maintain our cars then lets say a coblat or civic, but if you stay on top of oil,plugs,coils your 8 will run great. A used car is like marrying a prostitute she is hot and cheap but what kind of baggage is she packing under the hood. It is hard to tell what kind of person owned that car before u this could lead to an ultimate fail for you small student bugget. If you do decide to test drive pay very close attention to how the car starts. Dose it start easy or hard, then drive it and shut it off and start it again did it start easy our hard, also pay a lot of attention to how it idles. The car should have a nice smooth idle no shacking or bouncing of the tac, and if you like what you feel and hear ask them for a compression test do not buy a used 8 with out one. Good luck

Mazurfer

^..................all of which is expressed in that thread I linked, but he's right.......pay attention to what he said as well.

farmoore

I think i can manage all that. im no mechanic but i can swap spark plugs, oil and coils.. unless its somehow diffrent vs, a regular engine. isnt this pretty much basic stuff that every car owner should be worried about ? what about timing belt and oil filter.. how long of a life span these parts have on a rotary. oh about the compression test what sort of figures i should be getting (i hope the dealer is willing to do one) honestly im more worried about the bigger parts like engine and transmission etc.. "sportier" cars tend to eat them for dinner, unless u drive it properly. Oh and as far as the climate i think i should be fine.. as long as i use proper winter tires and traction controll.. in fact theres a lot of rwd cars used as taxis here mercs beemers etc.. and they have no problems during the winter times.

i guess i should explain the poor part a bit better, im not exactly on ramen.. but i will be if ill have to ditch out 1k on repairs every month. But i really rather not spend any extra.. i realise ill have to do all the normal service stuff and thats all fine.

Mazurfer

Change oil filter everytime you change the oil, hopefully between 3k and 5k miles(not km's).
No timing belt, don't have to worry about that.
Can search and see what compression numbers should be(there are threads on it). Honestly, I wouldn't buy a used one without having it done and it is special so a normal compression tester won't do it. You bneed three readings on each of two rotors.

You have my opinion on the matter, so let's see what others tend to say.

yiksing

Seriously get a beater car while you are in college. There will always be new and better cars when you start working. The mpg of the 8 will own you a college student.

farmoore

I get the impression after reading some topics around the web that 2004 8's with over 55k miles on them are pretty much at end of their lifespan. A. Im slowly starting to stear away from this option. Makes me sad tho, id really love to own one.. well there are other options out there.

Mazurfer

That's not a true statement at all, but..............neither does it change my overall opinion in your particular case.

ken-x8

If money is tight, it's never a good idea to buy a six year old sports car. It's also risky to buy a low-production car, rather than something ordinary that you can get worked on anywhere.

I bought a 7 year old Alfa when I started graduate school. I understand the passion of wanting something special, but that car probably caused me to take a year longer to finish than if I had just bought a Chevy.

Ken

Cylestyne

RX-8 is unfortunately not an everyday reliable car, especially if you're a college student.

Razz1

Nothing wrong with 2004's

The RX8 forum is know for containg the biggest cry babies

Get something wth high MPG like a Civic or Saturn.

The worst parking lot is a college lot. Guareented you wil get dinged and hit.

farmoore

Im not from states so ive never even heard of saturn, cobalt etc.. anyways talked to some duude at a parking lot who was about to sit in his yellow 8's apparently it was 2004 totally stock, and he had 2 engine swaps/failures.. wut ?. But still happy as a clam with his 8 I dont know if i should cry or laugh.

Btw whats the diffrence between at low power and high power ? to my understanding the high power revs to 9k.. and thats about it ? meaby the low power version is tad bit reliable then ? Now im actually scared to even think about an 8, let alone own one.

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

Not necessarily true, and I'd say it's not generally true either. There can be some problems and regular maintenance can be more expensive, but this is not a car you should be worried about breaking down every couple days. I had mine for 5 years and kept up with everything. The only real issue I had was that my battery failed after a couple years and then failed again for some unknown reason. All that was covered under warranty, so it was no big deal. As long as you're within warranty period, there is definitely not much of a reason to worry.

I'm not 100% sure what the differences were between the high power and low power, but if it is the rev limit, the higher rev limit is safer. These engines are prone to carbon build up so regularly revving them to redline is a good way to protect against carbon build up.

The smartest choice would be to save up. I'm not going to recommend you run out and buy one in your case. If you do decide you want to get one, be sure you have the ability to afford some repairs. I wouldn't really say you need to be ready to drop $1000 (US dollars), but be ready to spend a few hundred dollars unexpectedly. I wouldn't say it's likely or that you should expect to have something expensive come up, but it would be smart to plan for it just to be safe.

tglander99

Finish school first. Get good job, make money. Then get "car of your dreams." You don't even know what you want yet. Many years of experience are needed before you know. RX8 is amazing. But for student, probably not. Unless you can find a newer one. I got a 2008 for $19K total with 60K miles extended warranty. Shoot, you can do the same. Don't get a 2004 unless there's no other option.

zoom44

the low power engiens are where the majority of failures have happened.

but to get to the point. poor college students dont buy "the car of their dreams" or anything close to it. you buy transportation. after you're out of school and in your career- thats when you get the good stuff.

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

I lasted through college in my RX8. But it sucked, royally. My car wasnt a 'good' 8 either. I had a lot of drivetrain problems (still do; transmission # 3 and still leaking fluid!! ).

However, my engine is running great at 82K, and I made it through (on ramen noodles most of the time).

Look into other used cars that are cheaper and easier to work on. Maybe a used Civic Si. Quick, reliable, and much easier in the winter.

Just a friendly suggestion. If you're set on an 8, your assumptions of the 'issues' is very untrue. There are a lot of great 04-05's available, you just need to make sure the engine's healthy. My car was different and the previous owner did something to knock my driveline angle off causing my personal issues so do not let my story scare you....

GL with your search

ken-x8

What country are you in? Since you encountered another owner I presume it's one that has a Mazda dealer network and that they support RX-8s. Keep away from anything that's not officially imported. When I had my Alfa there were not a whole lot of dealers, but it was official and you could get parts...at least in New York. My parents' next door neighbor brought an Opel back from Europe in the late 50s, and the lack of a dealer network made it a nightmare.

If the guy with the yellow 8 was happy even after two engine swaps, maybe he could afford it. I bought my 8 at a time in my life when I could afford the loss if the engine blew out of warranty, or even if I decided to sell it and take a bath on depreciation. 20 years ago, when I had a mortgage and a daughter not yet in college I couldn't even think of this kind of car.

Back when I had that Alfa while in school, it eventually did go belly-up. It was a write-off. Financially, I just got along on $50 beaters til I finished school and got a job.

Ken

Bluerenesis

well, you will need some really good snow tires. that will cost you. Ignition coils will cost you if you want to prevent flooding. Who knows how it was driven before you. It obviously wasnt an RX8 lover unless they really needed cash. Chance of clutch assembly taking out some expensive components with it. I definitely agree with those who say by pratical until you make some good money and could care less about paying for repairs and maintenance. As far as RX8s, I personally would never by used but that is just my opinion. Give it a couple years. Maybe another rotary car will come out that is superior.

farmoore

Finland, and yes its fully supported by the mazda dealers. Thanks for the answers guys, now i feel like i have second set of parents out here. . Ill stay away from 8's for now. One last question what does r39 stand for ? release year ?

Heres the pic of the 8 i was intrested in btw, isnt she beautiful.

Lvis

use 5w30 regardless of the 5w20 recomendation
let car warm up before driving
keep up with maintenance

and you will have a reliable rx8

tcole6

Really? All my time on this forum and that's the first time I heard using anything other than the recommended... Hmmm.

Can anybody second that? If so, I have an oil change coming up this weekend and I will switch it right away.

Thanks.

dmorales

If you can afford it, and realistic manage to drive it safely year-round..then I don't see why it would be a bad decision...

I think it will be reliable enough with your basic mechanical know-how.

That being said, I think it would be slightly better to just save your money and combine it with the money you will be making when you get out of school to buy a nicer car then or buy an rx8 and have money to do immediate modding. (modifying)


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redheaded Webcam

dmorales

I can't speak for everyone's experiences, but I personally have used the 5w20 Castrol GTX with success. I am very happy using this and will continue to do so, most likely up through 200K miles. (crossing fingers)

If I make any adjustments it would have to be the addition of pre-mixing.
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Laguna Bay II Condos Prathumnak

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

Some dealers do not view this as a recommendation and can void your warranty in some examples.

Dont re-invent the wheel OP, if youre not a mechanic, just use what the owners manual suggests, worked for me.

/oildebateinprogress