I have just recently purchased a 2004 Cobalt Blue RX-8 M/T with 52k mi. on it. I haven't been this excited in a while. The car was owned by an ASE mechanic who put in new spark plugs, a new battery, brand spankin' new tires (can't remember what type, but he spent quite a bit on them. Hope I get what he paid for ), and performed an oil change, which he has done every 3kish miles. The car's exterior and interior are pristine, and, from my test drives, runs very smooth.

Useless filler back story. Skip if you aren't in the mood.

When I first saw this car, I was in love and was ready to throw my money on the table then and there. Alas, my initial estimates on financing coupled with a brief mention of a flooding possibility/problem (I was too star struck to pay attention to anything the owner was saying until I reflected later) put this ride out of my reach.

So, I went car shopping. Test drove an '07 mustang: pretty car, rougher ride, especially compared to the '8'. Looked an '08 eclipse: "meh". I still couldn't shake the thought of that pretty blue RX-8. I figured I was skipping steps, better to check my financing and then see what was out there. Turns out, my initial financial estimates were way off.

Hurdle one being overcome, time to check out this so called "flooding problem". Enter rx8club.com. Man was I in for a surprise. So I read and I read and when all that reading was done, I read some more. Now armed with a nearly overwhelming amount of information, I feel more than prepared for the, um let's call them, idiosyncrasies that come with this sweet, sweet car. I'm ready for the ownership requirements. I'm ready for 9000rpms

Main Point of the post follows here:

I am amazed at the wealth of information presented within this forum. All I can really say is a huge thank you to every DIY writer, every FAQ answerer, and every member who takes their time to increase the collective knowledge of these forums. It has made a huge difference in my confidence as I went to purchase this vehicle, and I'm sure I will continue to use it as a resource as well as just plain great reading. Thank you very much rx8club.

Now for me to hammer out a few final issues. To premix or not? Dino or Synthetic?

My first post. Hope I didn't screw it up.

 

A) Winning Blue, not cobalt.

B) you are welcome, thank you for reading

C) yes to premix

D) you have to decide for yourself on oil type.

Note to anyone else responding: if you discuss oil, keep it civil, or I will take away your swords.

 

Winning blue? really? The owner listed it as Cobalt blue, and I was trying to compare my car to the other Winning Blues I saw on this forum. From the pictures, it seemed like Winning Blue had a little something extra in the paint. Like it had flecks(for lack of a better word) that added a sparkle to the paint. Sorry that's a pretty crappy description. Seemed flasher than my car's paint job(maybe I just need to give it a good wash). And to think, I was wishing all this time that it was Winng blue instead of Cobalt blue. I'm a dumbass.

Also, I have those last two figured out. Was J/k

 

Idemitsu

 

Welcome to the club.

 

Congrats and enjoy the ride.

 

That's Mazda's colors for you In 2004, the only 2 paints that were NOT "mica" paints were Lightning Yellow and Brilliant Black. Every other color had the mica flake in it to one degree or another. Never really shows up in pictures, but easily does in person. The only "medium" (and lightest) blue for the 8 was Winning Blue. The only 2 other blues were Phantom Blue, which is a darker green/blue that seems like it shifting colors (but not actually a true color shift), and Stormy Blue, which is a really deep deep blue, and neither were in 2004.


Glad to hear that

 

You attached pics to a new owner's thread... Your first post was excellent!

 

RIWWP said it all

 

Congrats and welcome!

I concure.

 

Welcome and congrats you made the best choice possible! What part of FL are you in?

 

Tampa. But I'll be moving to Orlando in August for law school.

Thanks for all the warm welcomes.

 

Yes to pre-mix.

Without getting into the oil dilemma directly, I think it is more cost effective to use regular oil in the long run. The rotary engine burns oil, which means you need to keep adding oil between changes, which in itself defeats one of the advantages of using synthetic (meaning, longer oil change intervals.)

In my toyota truck, for example, I always use synthetic oil and usually do one oil change per year (I do change the filters every 3-4K miles or so). But I NEVER have to add any oil. So using synthetic is the most cost effective option for the truck. (I buy the filters by the case online, which makes them very cheap)

In regards to the actual technical issues between the two types of oil and how they help the rotary engine or not..well...go to the oil thread, sit down, and enjoy hours and hours of never ending debates