RamRaider

With all the recent posts about engine replacements, engine flooding, bad gas mileage etc… I for one would also really appreciate hearing other’s accounts of trouble free ownership. (Certainly not to belittle the situations of those who are having problems with their RX-8.) I also understand that people who post on forums are usually the ones with issues. It’s rare to see someone starting a new post just to state that everything is fine.

I don’t have an 8 yet, but have planned on picking one up in the next few weeks. I’ve driven it on a number of occasions and have compared it to the obvious alternatives…(G35C, 350Z, STI, EVO) and the not so obvious alternatives…(E36 M3, M Coupe, E46 330 Sport). I came away from all these test drives saying to myself…On a purely emotional standpoint, the RX-8 is just the best drive all-around.

I love the 8 and the way I feel behind the wheel. I sense a certain level of connection with the engine, drive train, and steering that I just can’t get from the other cars mentioned.

But…I feel reliability is a must these days. I am not buying an Italian exotic from the 70’s here. Ultimately, my new purchase will need to be my daily driver…my workhorse.

Anyway, if I appear to be rambling…it is only because I am a bit disillusioned about my decision to purchase the 8. I am not looking for you guys to tell me what to do…just looking for some good ownership experiences.

Thanks.

epgs1

Hi Ramraider, I have not orederd an RX8, but I love the car and the way it drives. The only issue holding me back at this moment are concernes about reliability and longevity of the engine.

I really want to be confident that the vehicle will give me many years of fun.

Cheers. Graham

XUrotaryrocket

OK, for the millionth time...........

there are no reliability/longevity issues.

every car model has a couple of lemons in the basket - that is normal.

The rotary engine is perfectly reliable with proper maintenance.

I have put 12000, yes 12000, miles on my RX-8 in 3 months. I have no issues whatsoever and I am still thrilled to be the owner of this fine automobile.

anyone who is flooding their engine is doing something wrong.

buy the car. read the owners manual. drive it. maintain it. you will love it.

rxeightr

Don't wait any longer, and go get your RX-8.

I received mine in the 1st preorder group, and have owned for 4 months now. It was the best vehicle buying decision I have ever made in 29 years of car ownership. (That's saying alot, since I also own a 1964 Corvette Stingray ragtop)

The number of problems I have had are zilch. Nada. Zero. And I am not babying her either. She gets revved above 8500 every time I take her out. The TCS light usually comes on as often, since I am pushing her hard taking off & around corners.

Now that I am getting a feeling of being 'one with the RX-8' (6700 miles), the TCS will be getting turned off, and then a new level of fun will be enjoyed.

VelocityRedRX8

I for one have owned no fewer than 15 cars in the last 27 years, from AMC POS to BMW to Miatae. The RX8 is by far the most interesting, unique and fun to drive. The engine really sold it for me, frankly, even with the reduced horsepower/torque. It is smooth and willing to rev freely (above 3,500).

Another thing that amazes me about the car is the road feel and alignment. It's hard to fully describe but it feels really solid. Highly connected to the road, totally smooth. My alignment is absolutely right on.

OK, so I like the car. A lot. My wife thinks I'm obssessed. I have lots of RX8 trinkets now. I tell her there are others like me - even worse. She is amused, I think.

I think, it is clear that this car inspires a very visceral response in people. The number of 'RX8 Encounters'(tm) I have had now has to be more than 20.

My most recent 'Encounter': My 9 year old and I are at the McDonald's drive thru, waiting for our order. I've got the Nav up and running, tunes, my son is reading a book.

Drive thru lady (who is probably 50ish), "How fast does that car go? How high is the gauge?"
Me, "Well, it doesn't have a speedometer, ..."
Lady, "Sure is purty"

Me,

This is now typical. I imagine that will go away with more cars on the road. Very interesting now, to be part of the original wave.

f1michel

i'm at 12000Km and the car is trouble free. I have no DSC or stuff like that and the car handles like a charm. This is a great car with very little problems that can be solved easily.

epgs1

Its great to hear postive experiences. Sometimes forums get rather full of bad experiences and perhaps skew the truth of the bigger picture. I am happy to hear of lots more good tales.

Thanks
Graham

Gord96BRG

I'm just under 10,000 km and the car has been fantastic, with zero problems. 2 weeks after I picked it up, my son and I did a road trip to Monterey, CA, for the Historic races in August. It is a fantastic touring car, being quick, fast, but very comfortable. I've got winter tires on it now, and it is also great to drive in the snow. No regrets at all about buying it, just lots of pleasure!

Regards,
Gordon

cruzdreamer

I have had mine for two weeks now and love it. My brother says it handles awesome like a corvette! I would not trade my car for any other....it's looks are incredibly sleek and awesome and I feel like a million bucks in it. I am not use to the gas mileage but it is a sportscar and well worth it!! It has so many cool features and options and ways to customize it that makes it appealing to many people. I look forward to driving it every chance I get and with the rotary engine, it trully is one unique vehicle well worth every penny! Go for it....you will not be disappointed. Every car has it's pluses and minuses and all have issues of some sort!

Chuck Clifford

I have had my RX-8 for 4 month, and have 4400 miles of carefree around town driving. I am looking forward to a long road trip, when both the wife and I can break away from work. When I am not driving it, I am thinking of driving it. I thought this feeling would wear off long before now. If you have a demanding job that requires a lot of concentration, don't get this car, your thoughts will be devided, your concentration will drift. Get the car now, you can always get a less demanding job. Enjoy!!!

matt

This sounds like the f-ing ferrari board.....

It's a car. Things go wrong with a small number of them. Even Rolls Royce has issues.

Buy, Read, Drive, Enjoy.....in that order.

BTW many happy carefree miles. apart from the quart of oil every now and then.

oldguy

I have had my car since mid-July and now have 10,000 miles on it. I have had no problems of any kind. It is the best handling car I have ever had and is getting better every drive. It is sure-footed on wet roads and will soon see what snow is like. I have Kazera KZ-V's with Blizzak LM22's waiting in the garage for the first sign of real snow. Enjoy the ride - I know I am.

mostron8

Had my car 4200 miles. Get between 13 and 21mpg. Drive it hard, 9000rpm, I drift thru corners, traction control is off most of the time. Other than the lug nuts needing a bit more torque after I bought it, I've had 0 problems.

Genom

Very lucky SOB and got my car in the first allocation group 4 months ago but I didnt pre-order. Just found a smart dealer :D 5500 miles so far. No flooding, no problems, decent mileage (16.6-26.6) AWESOME car. Like Chuck I thought the novelty would wear off after a couple weeks but I spend my time at work thinking about driving home, and usually taking detours if I leave work late so as to extend the 4 mile drive :D

This is the 4th car I have owned only, but I tend to keep cars for at least 4-5 years. My last one was 6 years and I hated that sucker. I think this puppy will stay with me for a while as long as it doesnt blow up or anything :D

DisneyDestroyer

I got the first 8 in San Diego County, among the first half-dozen in the state of California. No problems whatsoever in over 7k miles. That incluldes lots of short drives (under 20 miles), medium drives (under 150 miles), and long drives (over 300 miles). I lost 1 qt of oil at ~2k miles, not since.

-Nick

graphicguy

Got mine in the first batch that came over....NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER.

As others have said, whoever is stalling their car doesn't need to be in it as they are doing something very wrong (whatever that might be).

Mine is rattle free....very fast....handles better than anything I've ever owned (including a couple of BMWs)...comfortable....great stereo and very high quality.

Lots of FUD going around about this car from non-owners and wannabees. If it sounds suspicious, it's probably wrong information being spread.

Mazda did their homework here with a lot of development. Buy one if you're so disposed. I don't know personally anyone who has one who doesn't think it's the best car they've ever owned.

GooOnYou

I got mine in mid July in the first Houston batch and have just over 6000 miles on it and its still driving as good as the day I bought it. It still turns heads and total strangers still come up to me to talk about it.

rx8daniel

add me to the list. 9500+ miles. My wish list is short: wish mileage were a little better (maybe 10-15%, and maybe Canzoomer's mod will get it there); and I've gotten mostlly over it, but the glare on the steering wheel. BUT NO problems. Besides a flat tire early on (from construction around my house).

rxeightr

This happens all the time to me.

During my weekend run for some beer (didn't really need to, but wanted to go for a cruise), and while coming out of the store this dude heading in asks "does it go as fast as it looks?"

Gotta love it.

oldguy

I agree as well. I took a trip to Legacy Village (new trendy outdoor mall in Cleveland) and parked it outside a Restoration Hardware. My wife could hardly believe the constant knot of people stopping to peek in the windows and gaze at the beautiful lines of the car. I should charge Mazda advertising fees - the "viewing" continued the whole two hours that we were there!

Omicron

1500 miles and absolutely ZERO ZIP ZILCH problems. Best car I've ever owned, bar none, and I've had over 30 cars over the years, from Mercedes to BMW to Lexus to Acura to Honda to Toyota and every domestic make.

For lots of reasons people love, and get so obsessed with their RX-8's, be sure to check out this thread: https://www.rx8club.com/violations-53/little-things-9437/

Also, I can tell you I seriously considered a G35 before I bought the '8. I ultimately went with the '8 because (a) the G35 is $5K more expensive for the way I wanted it, (b) there are TONS and TONS of problems with the G35 (many many more than the 8), and (c) the nearest dealer is 50+ miles away from me, through totally F'd up city traffic almost the whole way there. If you want more info on how bad the G35 can be, check out http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/We...saMS.0@.ef0b872!

There are also a lot of "trolls" on this board who either pretend to own an 8 but don't really, using their (made up) experiences to bash the car; and people who don't claim to own an 8, but logon here just to bash it anyway. Point being, don't let what you read on this board alone be your guide.

It's an awesome car.

grogiefrog

I had two 1st Gen RX-7's, and I drove them both hard. They lasted a long time. I ran them in all kinds of weather conditions, and I usually parked them outside. They would start up in the dead of a Colorado winter, and run just fine down to Arizona during the summer months. After 15 years, I sold my '84 GSL-SE with 180,000 miles. She needed some minor work, but she still had that kick on the highway. Boy do I wish I had kept her.

You guys really make me want an RX-8 and I am sooo jealous. :D An RX-8 is on my list for Spring 2005. What a following summer that is going to be... sigh.

Last, I recall getting as low as 8 mpg, and up to the high 20's.

Lock & Load

OVER 8700km so far smooth sailing as arnie would say NO PROBLEMO.

The rx8 leaves the kangarros well behind .

khoney

6800 miles of pure bliss... no problems whatsoever. I'm averaging 20MPG. This car is infinitely better than my FC Turbo.

Wankeler

5600 miles and counting...

No problems so far... cept the occasional oil light (when 1/2qt or more lower) at a constant highway speed. Replacement oil pan on order.

This car is a JOY. I like this car much better than when I bought all my other "new" cars. After the first year, the "charm" wore off all those other cars... I'm 100% confident that this 8 will charm me for much more than the first year. It's a very special piece of hardware. EnJOY it!

Peace