Interest in buying RX-8 , got questions
 

Hey everyone, Im thinking about buying an RX-8, plain and simple, but I got some questions. My main question is, 'Is the car reliable enough for a daily driver'. I currently own aa DSM , 95 Talon TSi AWD, and it wasent the most reliable car. Im not looking for speed seeing as I want to get rid of my TSi which would eat the RX-8 im looking @. Workin on the car I dont think will be a problem since i do all my own along with the help of friends.

Another question is, is this a good price for an RX-8. Its a 2004 and It has 20k on the clock, with heated leather seats, 4 brand new tires, navigation, moon roof, 6 speed. The dealer is asking 18,995 and i think that is reasonable.

Thankx, any input would be much appreciated.

Reliability is fine as long as you don't get one of the few headaches floating around out there. Basically, if it has a turbo, stay away...Otherwise, you've probably got a pretty good bet that it will be plenty reliable. Remember that what you see around here is basically focused in on all the people who have problems, since people don't post to talk about how they haven't had any problems.

As far as wrenching on your own car, I don't think you'll have much of an issue. I really don't know that there's a whole lot of wrenching to be done aside from a few basic bolt on mods. (like exhaust and intake)

This is exactly why Ive come to the other side. I love my RX-7 with all my heart, and it has been a daily driver for about 2 years now. I have accumulated a lot of ideas for the car, and that means taking it off the road for a while. Im ready for a new car, and having owned 3 FCs, and the Miata I personally want to have a new rotary in the driveway. Most people who buy an RX8 have never owned a Rotary powered vehicle before, Therefore there not prepared for the little things that can be the differance between calling a tow truck or pulling a fuelpump relay. I guess thats how you guys de-flood your cars too......right?

the price is good for the car

Actually, there's a new de-flooding procedure where it doesn't require us to pull a relay anymore and you do it all by just sitting in the cockpit! Talk about convenience! It's also very hard to flood the RX-8's Renesis Engine as well, I have never flooded mine.

Non-turbo (N/A) rotary's are relatively reliable. This depends on the owner though; if you are meticulous at maintenance and are a good responsible driver you should be fine. If you're redlining 24/7, hard launching at every red light, and letting the oil change go for a few couple of thousand miles you'll obviously have problems.

You sound like a car guy. I don't think the RX8 will give you any problems. Good luck!

Good to know, I guess my 7 does it about once every couple of months. Ive never owned a brand new car, and I have been studying on what to buy because it will be with me a long time. My heart is with the Wankel, I love driving something thats not mainstream. Ive meet some great people by owning my RX7 and im excited about the prospect of having a new RX8. Im used to driving something with about 150hp and 20 years old. My car has been very reliable despite the little quirks, and I know the RENESIS has a lot more development.

How about voice of REAL experience here. I've got 37,000 miles of "daily driver" use now on my RX-8, delivered in July of 2004. I also had an '85 RX-7 years ago that was a daily driver. My experience with this car is similar to what I had with my '85.

Here's notes:

- Flooding: Mine has NEVER flooded. Never. And mine is an '04 - the supposedly most flood-prone car. What most often causes flooding is starting the car ice cold, moving it a few feet and shutting it right off. I follow one basic rule - if I have to move it, I drive it around the block once or twice. I also make damn sure I don't ever stall it with the clutch when the engine is cold. No floods ever as a result. BTW, I also followed this rule with my '85. Never flooded it, either and it had a carburetor!

My only real complaint in daily use is "ingrees/egress" - getting in and out of the car. I'm 45, a bit creaky and a bit chubby. When you drive a car that you basically have to "put on", well ... getting in and out is a chore.

Beyond that, the only other impediments to daily use are gas mileage (lousy - but a fact of life), and winter driving. My car has all season Pirelli PZeroNero M+S tires on it - it can get around in snow, but it's certainly a bit of an adventure when you do drive in snow. If snow is a feature of your climate, it's worth investing in dedicated snow tires for the winter. Because I don't have a daily commute to deal with, I went with the all seasons (I work from my home when not traveling to clients, which is about 50% of the time). If you drive at all in weather below 45 degrees and with rain, the summer tires that are stock with the car just plain suck. And they will completely strand you in 1/4" of snow - so if snow is an occasional thing in your area, at least upgrade to the ultra high-performance all seasons from Pirelli, Kuhmo, Avon, Continental or others. They work great and don't noticably degrade the handling of the car.

The only things I have had wrong with my car didn't do anything to it from a "usability" perspective - the airbag circuit in the car went bad and had to be replaced under warranty, and I've had a handful of small appearance and convenience things break that were no big deal to deal with and to fix. Nothing at all that's left me stranded anywhere.

You do have to pay a bit more attention to this car than a Toyota Camry or some other "utility device" type of car. I check the oil every Saturday morning as part of a ritual that includes washing it, vaccuuming it, cleaning the glass, airing the tires and going for a spirited half-hour or so drive to nowhere and back. It uses a quart to a quart and a half of oil between oil changes (I change about every 4000 or so miles), so I add a few ounces of oil every other Saturday to keep the oil near the full line. But this little ritual just adds to my satisfaction with the car, not detracts from it.

Therefore, I think the RX-8 (based on my experience only here) is a great daily driver and is just as reliable as anything else on the market out there from a major manufacturer, and more reliable than most, actually. The benefit from driving it as a daily driver is in the fact that you're driving one of the most enjoyable sports cars out on the market, every day. And reality is, at this price point and marketplace position, it's not some special collector car like a Ferrari. It's a $30,000 Japanese sporty/luxurious car. It's meant to be used like a daily driver. Might as well use it that way.

I'm sure there are others that will say otherwise, but that's my opinion.

Here's more experienced comentary.

2004 RX-8 with 53K on it purchased in January 2004. It's a daily driver that has also taken many long distance road trips with the wife and me. Very stable and fun to drive car. I've never had any flooding issues at all. Never. I've started the car, moved it in the driveway and turned it off without being hot. Only thing I usually do with this is rev up to 4K and cut the engine off sometimes. But again, NEVER had any flooding issues. I usually burn about a quart of oil between oil changes, which is normal. I've been to the dealer for all the service announcements and the only other issue I've had is an O2 sensor which went bad and was changed under warrantee. I pop the hood and check things on occasion, but I'd do that anyway. I've tracked the car for 2 years as well and it's been such a blast to own.

It has a decent trunk for trips. No Camry, Altima, or Accord trunk, but my wife has an Altima if we need to go somewhere for a long time and we have taken the RX-8 for some long vacations.

It's been very reliable and the gas milage, well, I didn't buy it for that. I get about 19-20mpg in the city.

I wake up every morning and this car makes it so I can't wait to drive to work. I smile every time I drive it. I couldn't be happier.

No matter what happens . . . you are gonna be WAY better off with ANYTHING other than your eagle talon.
I worked in an Eagle service drive at a dealership in 1995. . . . .
As for reliability . .

with a little maintenance, the rotary is much more reliable than any other type of engine. And you sound like the kind of person who would take the time to do the little things it takes to ensure a long engine life.

Thanks guys for taking the time to devulge some real world experiances, I am looking forward to owning an 8. And nothing scares me as far as the car goes,
my FC has been bulletproof reliable and has taken more abuse than it should have. That being said, anytime I had a problem I fixed it, and I am very particular with my maintainance. I drive my car like it was intended to be driven but never abuse it. I live real close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and 276, at least twice a week I go for a mountain run. After owning 3 FCs, I really want an RX8. If I want great fuel mileage Ill drive the Miata! I personally despise FORD with all that is me, but I believe that the 8 is all Mazda and that is the only reason Im considering buying one. Also considered a FD, but I dont want to make a car payment and have issues too. The FD can be a reliable car too, but keeping those Turbos at full boost is way to tempting and therefore Ive decided to stick with something N/A 4 now.

That price is crazy good. I would definitely get it.

The price is good ... but dont be afraid to beat the dealer up a bit more. It's not like they sell used RX8's every day.

I got the dealer to take 1 grand off they're alredy good asking price , and they gave me killer trade in for my old 626 that was getting ready to hit 200k miles :)

I personally guarantee you will never have a single problem with your RX-8. Until you reach 60k miles, at which time you will have to replace the engine at least once.

Thankx everyone for adding to my thread, you guys really reassured me about buying an RX-8. Matinence is no problem for me haha, Ive done stuff from changing turbos to installing Front Mounts and putting a 3' Turboback exhaust on in my small garage lol. ANother thing is that you RX-8 people are not like other car forums, if I would go on a Honda, forum for example they would flame and rant about how their cars are better than DSM's and what not. Even though i will be getting rid of my DSM, I will always like them just for the fact they are cheap and fast, 4 grand will get you into the 12/13's with a stock motor.

Im going to look at that RX-8 tomorrow and if they give me around 3k for my car I will most likley be joining the RX-8 Family :djcelebra

what's a "DSM"?

That's the airport designator for Des Moines, IA, by the way.

Diamond Star Motors which incorporates the first and second gen. Eclipse and Talon as well as the Laser from the same time period.

Ah - more Japanese car bloody acronyms and initials in an effort to sound cool, huh? Like "JDM" or FD or AHM or all that crapola.

How's your Evo, by the way? One of my good friends bought a 2 year old one used for track use only - we spent last weekend stripping and wrenching every last piece of unnecessary crap out of the interior. Thing goes like hell. We traded cars for 3 days after he got it, just for fun. Thank GOD I don't have to drive that crazy thing for a daily driver, but I can't wait until he turns me loose at Road America in it (he promised me a track day session for giving up a weekend helping me strip it down).

His goes in next for a roll cage fit, then he's putting in a Sparco seat and while there, they will be removing all the extra insulation and crap from the doors, trunk, etc. and stripping away the AC system and all the rest. After the weight stripping is totally done and the safety gear goes in, then he's start actually doing performance mods. Good race car!

DSM was an acronym long before just about anyone in the import world knew what JDM was. Also, it's pretty tough to call them Japanese cars since they were all built in the US and never available as models in Japan.

Goodluck with the Evo and I hope you guys have fun with it. Is he having AMS do the cage and performance stuff?

Not sure, but I'll find out ... it's someone local here in the No. Suburbs ... thanks for the good thoughts though.

He's also thinking of painting it a florescent Orange pearl. I told him it will look like a pissed off tangerine. Currently it is silver.

If he isn't having AMS do it ask him why? They're the premier tuner in the country/world and in recent years have been heavy into road racing and time attacks. Best of all, they're right in your neck of the woods.