sto16

Hello,

I ordered a RX-8 for April 2004 model GS.

But, I've been reading posts on this board and I noticed there is allot of unhappy RX-8 owners. I would said 70% are unhappy about their RX-8.

My question, mostly concern is, am I doing the right choice of buying a RX-8? I'm wishing they will fix any details in the production of the car for April or so, but are they?

Any recommendations?

My initial choice was the Mustang Mach 1 (completely different style).

Thank you in advance.

Simon.

RobDickinson

70% ?

Theres 5000 registered users of this forum, which, if everyone owns an RX-8 is about (by my calcs) 1/8th of all owners at most.

I've only owned mine for 2 weeks. Its a wonderfull car. The only downpoint is its fuel economy, and I'm from the UK where we pay $5 per gallon and I still love this car.

Theres a few (a dozen?) discgruntled owners on this board. You hear any complaints from the Japanese members who've had their cars over 6 months? No , you dont.

Spin9k

I don't know about you doing the right thing buying one, but for me the answer was "yes". BUT I do think your assessment of 70% UNHAPPY with their cars is maybe an order of magnitude to high... 7% MAYBE (on this board - but that's still likely high too)!

Remember the comments you see are the ones with problems, perceived or otherwise, posting multiple times in different threads....... while the happy ones are ..well.. happy and driving the car any chance they get.. so they aren't complaining, only smiling :D :D :D

Good luck deciding, hope you join the happy ones, don't let the rest get you down, the 8 is an awesome vehicle, both to drive and the see driving IMHO.

Kev

Simon, 70%???

I swapped my money for an 8 and I think I got the good end of the deal - it's a great car.

100% of me loves the 8.

Kev.

rx8daniel

agree - 7% is probably too high. Consider too that unhappy folks - and trolls [aka non-RX-8 owners who may pretend to] - make a lot of noise and their percentage seems much greater than reality.

sto16

Yes, maybe I'm too dramastic with 70%. But I was just concerned about some owners having problems with their RX-8.

I felt IN LOVE with the RX-8 look + drive (test drive was awsome).

Anyway, thanks allot for your replies, I just can wait for April to get my black RX-8.

Simon,

RotaryStalker

Did you know studies have shown that 30% of statistics are wrong?

RotaryStalker

cruzdreamer

Gee, hope it's not 70%....sounds a bit high. I would wait and see how they improve on this car. With some of the issues they are bound to work on remedies. Once that takes place...go for it! The car is awesome!

shift_zoom8

Go ahead and get the Mach 1.

A friend of mine has it. He recently noticed that the alignment of the taillights differs by .5 inch. I confirmed it. Obviously, quality control on the Mach 1 is par excellence.

So go and get the Mach 1 and have fun in the turns.

Haze

Most of the people complaining are really just having buyer's remorse which has nothing to do with the car just their emotional states. I find the 8 to be one of the better cars for initial quality than others I have owned. The only thing that I would say about the 8 is if you buy it, be sure to really break it in gently. I found mine to be a very tight engine when I bought, and the few true mechanical issues that were in the car seem to be getting fixed already. The oil pan has been replaced, and other issues addressed. This is Mazda's halo car, and they seem very vested in standing behind it. Mine runs great.

As for the Mustang, that is a different ethic in vehicles. When I was 18 I went looking at all kinds of sports cars and the mustang was seriously on my list. If the dealer hadn't been such a jerk to me because I was so young, I may just have bought it. Instead I got a VW. They both have their images, but the 8 is a far more refined and REAL sports car than a mustang. The suspension in the Mazda is of the highest quality competing with the best of European sports cars. It reminds me mostly of an Alfa Romeo. It's alot more car than the mustang although the straight line power won't come close to competing. If that's what you want then go for the mustang. If handling a twisty road is what you want, then go for the 8, but don't worry about the quality. It's good.

rxeightr

There are hundreds of threads you need to check out within this forum. Once read, you will either solidify your decision to buy an RX-8, or something more appealing.

A high percentage of owners, like me, are completely content with what the Mazda engineers have designed & implemented.

Is there room for improvement? Just as much as there is with any other vehicle. But in my opinion, there exists no 'deal breaker'. The closest that exists is the mileage, however I justified that expense BEFORE I took delivery, so it is a non-issue for me.

Time is on your side - use it wisely, and learn.

Nubo

It's hard not to to worry when you see the failure reports. On the other hand that's pretty common on user groups - those with problems come seeking answers.

I finally decided to get one because it has a unique combination of features that I like. Top reason is the handling, then the beauty of the car. Power is important but I dont' race and don't care diddly about the "missing 9 hp". 4 seats is very good news. I see this as the Miata's big brother.

One concern is mileage but I can live with that within reason. If I was still commuting 70-80 miles per day I might have reconsidered though.

As far as the other stuff, I too am hoping some of the glitches will have been worked out of the line by the time mine's built (in a month or so they tell me). I have been spoiled by Miata's reliability. It's hardly ever been to the shop in 13 years. Once at 90,000 mi for a new clutch and shocks. I'd consider those a wear item. I put on a new top at about 7 years, which is reasonable. I replaced a leaky rear caliper recently (147,000 mi) and realized that was probably the first bona-fide "repair" on the vehicle. I'm hoping the great design of that car bodes well for the new one.

cruzdreamer

Haze...not sure you are correct completely about buyer's remorse for the ones complaining. You pay a ceratin dollar for something and with the advertised info on the car, you expect to get what is being sold to you. If certain people have issues with different things....most are legit......then it's ok to talk about. You guys are way too sensitive and hard on the people who are having trouble. We want all 8 owners to be happy and satisfied... not put down cuz they might have a car that has problems. Be kind all. Take the good with the bad.

Kaliken

ROFLMAO!!!! Awesome!

I think I need to put in an obilgatory Homer Simpson quote:

"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true."

But on the serious side. As a soon to be owner, yes I have been getting nervous reading some of these posts. But after I sat down for a bit and rationalized things I figured that I am willing to take the risk(all purchases have this). Can I live with mediocre mileage, yes. Will I accept the possibility that mine can have a defect, yes. etc..

All cars have their problems and where else will people talk about it, a forum. This forum is not only a place to talk about the RX-8's style and performance but its also a place for information and helping other owners who may be experiencing similar problems to the ones other owners may have faced.

If anything I realized I am less risk adverse when it comes to purchases and investments (the car is definitly not an investment) than I previously thought!

Simply put, everyone knew the risks (even the unforseen ones as you can anticipate something like that happening) and were comfortable with their choice. Its like the risk adverse investor who puts all his money on smallcap high tech growth stocks. Put your money only where you are comfortable and are willing to accept the inheirent risks.

RX8by

Your satisfaction with the Mazda will be 200% over the Mustang. I went through this same complaining everything is bad on the forum with tmy 2000 Tundra. Where there things that needed improvement yes. My truck is over 4 yrs old with 35,000 miles on it and I still love it. Would I trade it for a Ford F150 H*ll no. I think most problems have been resolved. I havn't seen any resistance from Mazda to fix the problems. Toyota took over a year + to finally decide the dip stick was to long and was causing a 1/2 qt over fill.

dashunde

For a real feel for quality and reliability take a walk around the area where cars being worked on are parked at your local dealership. Take a count of the 8's. (look for the tag on the mirror)

If your lucky, you might just catch an 8 up on a rack getting a new oil pan, if the tech is friendly you can probably get a quick look at the underside... which is fantastic. You may want to grab your salesman though, some places are finicky about people just wondering into the shop.

So far, I've seen a silver 8 wait a week or so for an engine, and another day for it to be installed. We've sold quite a few of them and this is the only engine replacement seen to date.

We've had four brought in on trucks after flooding, which = user error. (Gently bring it up to, and hold 4000rpm... turn ignition off. Injectors and Pumps shut off, rotor blows extra fuel out.)

Overall, they seem to be staying away from the shop, with the exception of the oil pan fix. And believe me as a sales person and as a possible very near future 8 buyer, I am asking questions and keeping my eyes out for problems.

sto16... I'm curious, why the need to order? What configuration did you order?

Hayseed

70%? No way. Again, remember that if you're having any kind of problem, this is the place to go to get help and moral support. So it's not a representative sample. Having said that, I would say that the vast majority here are very happy owners.

cebat

I love my 8. A truely unique SPORTS car. Those who say otherwise are folks who have trouble thinking outside the box. A sports car with 4 seats and 4 doors.......YES!!!

sto16, Iv'e driven mustangs and mustang covertibles before, and Iv'e also owened other ford products. They have there fair share of problems, and you could notice the difference in how both cars drive.

No remorse here. 100% happy.

s1mike22

check out this thread and poll:

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=15000

Oversteer

I've been a rotary fan since I bought my first Rx7 in 1990. However, it really bothers me that there are so many people here that are unhappy with the 8. It's at least 20%...and this is an enthusiast forum with a very small number of owners. Think about how many people in the general public who are having A/C issues, CEL problems, bad transmissions, etc. If you look at the Discussion forum section at any given time, 8 out of 10 posts at the top of the list are negative. I'm glad that many owners are happy with the car but it raises some serious questions for those looking to buy.

I want to like the car but with all the negativity, it's hard to. I went and checked them out at the dealer recently. The dealer had 32 of them!! Every car i looked at had orange peeled paint...and bad. For $31K, Mazda should be able to do better.

Hopefully these are first year issues and will be corrected soon.

Had I been happy with the 8, I wouldn't have had to bought my first american car...a Vette.

Geek

When was the ford mustang first developed?????
How long have they had to produce a perfect no problems car????
How many people still bhelieve the ole FORD Found On Road Dead????

When was the first mazda rx8 developed????
How long have they had to produce a perfect no problems car????
How many people talk so much crap about mazda'a etc rx7 miatia as far as reliabilty????

shift_zoom8

Look, you human dipstick,

What the hell is "orange peeled paint?" EVERY car had it, whatever it is?

"Wouldn't have had to bought..."? Your grammar is atrocious or I wouldn't have to have had wrote this.

Moron.

Haze

I didn't mean that people with blown engines, oil lights, ac cycling, broken switches, bad paint, low heat . . . have buyer's remorse. I did not mean all the people with problems. As a matter of fact I don't really consider that complaining. I just believe that some of the threads, particularly some of the more noisy threads, are people with buyer's remorse since there are few factual complaints in the threads. Just I hate this car sort of statements, and a desire to damn Mazda to hell fire. What I think that I was, and am, getting at is that this poster should read some of the threads with a grain of salt. However, I want to make it clear that I am not denouncing anyone here. Buyer's remorse is real, and I've experienced it myself with other cars, escpecially when I was a younger guy. It is a pretty scary thing to plunk down alot of money on something and know that you have to live with it and think that you made a HUGE mistake. There isn't much to do about it, but it does happen.

kimhsoj

Ive been looking at the Rx-8 since it came out. i know the specs and stuff but reading this forum made me take a second thought about it. i love how the car looks, love the rotary engine (new to this rotary thing), love the way that it looks when it drives. the things that made me worry are the following:

1) i hear about all these lemons... is mazda remaking the engines for the newer models?

2) gas mileage, i hear it gets less than the estimated 18/24.

3) Cannot performance tune? i read here that u cant change the cat or anyting.. can u turbo it? iono...

4) reliablility. i hear that the engines break down and the trannys are all messed up.

5) Apex seals breaking? i read it 2 or 3 times now..

6) Irvine dealers are dumbasses (haha)

7) warranty on the Rx-8 (nobody mentions it)

8) Electrical Problems (tire pressure, fuel light etc etc)

9) slow car? ( 230+ hp right? i wonder wat its 0-60 time is)

10) Subaru Impreza STI is my other choice.. which one is better? (please i need unbiased oppinions)

WELL.. its november right now.. buying car in jan... got 33,000 to spend on car... dunnoe wat to get.. tell me the pros and cons so i can make a choice.. and oh yeah.. how is the sound system?

brothervoodoo

You wonder what the 0-60 is? You wonder? You obviously spent months pouring thru all the posts to reiterate each one. And you wonder what the 0-60 is. My advice, go for the impreza.