Just picked up my new RX-8 yesterday! (Pics) Also some concerns!
 

Hey all!

As the title states, I'm a (proud) new RX-8 owner! After a 4 hours of negotiation, and a few headaches the following day due to some paperwork and out of state legality issues, I finally have me new car!

I had a good 2 hour drive home from the dealership, and I had a chance to get a taste of what this car can do. I am thoroughly impressed by not just the power of the car, but the amazing handling and how comfortable/solid the car is on rougher roads.

I knew about the Oil consumption, less than great gas mileage, and a few other quirks about the car prior to buying --- but I really wish I had joined this forum earlier and reviewed the sticky. I just spent the last hour reading. And some of it made me nervous about my purchase.

Concerns*

I was reading about the starter being weak on 2004/2005 RX-8s. I thought that my starter was weak before I even read this, and I just thought it was normal/characteristic of a rotary engine - after all, I have no baseline to compare it to. It takes a good 2-3 seconds to start, and seems like it is turning over slower than a normal car. Is this normal, or should I have this checked out?

Today, for the first time, I noticed a some hesitation while at a red light - and I thought the car was going to stall out. the rpms fluctuated. They were at 1000, dropped to 800, then to 500. The light turned green, and I gave it some gas and it was fine. Otherwise, the engine is smooth as be, and no signs of a misfire or poor performance. But again, I don't have a baseline to compare.

Well, thats all for now! I'll shower you with specs, and pictures now! :)

2005 (6spd)
28,400k miles
19" Rims (8.5 front, 9.5 rear)
Intrax (sp?) lowering springs
Mazda Aero kit (side and rear)
Eyelids
Mazda Slotted rotors and brake upgrade
HID's
Fog Lights
Moon roof
Bose stereo
Rear wing
Silver side grill accents
Spare tire


I'd love to go to a meet sometime soon - I checked out the regional forums, but doesn't look like anything close to me is going on. If anyone is from RI/MA/CT/NH, let me know!

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nice bro good luck with the 8

Nice bro..about the issue at a red light doesn't seem like much, but the clutch pedal on a rx8 is a lot more sensitive than most cars. It takes a little getting use to. That might be it. Besides that congrats and welcome...

Looks nice, glad you're enjoying the car. How far into RI are you? I'm about 35-40 minutes away from Providence / Bristol over in MA. If you're not too far away I could meet up with you sometime to check out some of the concern issues. Not too many steady meets around here it seems but there are some here and there. I know Altspace does a lot with the NEPOC guys.

Hey NErx8,

I'm in North Providence - so I'm not to far from you. That would be cool if you want to meet up sometime!

Haze310 - The rough idle at the light happened when I was in Neutral, with the clutch disengaged. (I never keep the clutch in - bad for the throwout bearing) I've been driving manuals since 18, and I'm 27 now - I've pretty much mastered it. But to your point, the RX8 is much more sporty then what I've had in the past!

Hmmm...weird then well if its running smooth then it should be fine but just keep an eye out for it. Hopefully ur cat wnt start going bad if that should be the issue n the long run

i love the rims.

those rims really set it off . Nice ride you have there man .

Congrats and good lookin 8. I like the wheels. Enjoy the ride.

Congrats and good lookin' 8 ;)

First thing on you list since it's a used 8 should be spark plugs and coils. Should get rid of the slight hesitation. Starter may have been replaced to the updated one depending on the cars maintenance record. Nice 8 and GL