Hi All,

me and my wife just registered on here because we are looking at rx8's, mainly her, im more domestic, but the rx8 was the only non-domestic car i'd allow her to get. But we did test drive one and all seemed okay, except for noise in the rear of the car bugged me. it was mainly when you started to take off and when you were slowing down. it was an 04 with 35,000 miles, and an automatic trans. she really enjoyed the car though and that is the main point here. and i just wanted to ask some questions about the rx8.

we have a 3mo old daughter and was wondering how a baby car seat fit in the back, it looks like plenty of room due to the suicide doors.

and i've tried reading about them. im a mechanic but have never messed with rotary's. i think i can do alot of the work on it if it needs it. and on the gas mileage. will it be bad all the time no doubt? or will her not very heavy foot keep the mpg up? and you have to drive it hard every day for atleast a little bit?

if we get an 04, will it for sure have engine problems or can that be completely preventable? im trying not to get into another money pit(rx8-her baby). as i have my own money-pit in the garage(my baby)

any suggestions would be wonderful! thank you all.

 

I would not suggest a female with very little rotary knowledge to get a rx8 cuz there WILL be times when she shuts the engine off cold and floods it.
the best you can get outta a rotary is about 17/24, most time you sitting around 15/20 if a lot of stop and go traffic.
and red line a day is highly recommended to keep the engine healthy and strong.
there are preventable solutions to make it last longer such as premix, but as far as Ive been reading threads on here, it really is a hit or miss. some lasted 30k with absolute care, and some lasted 100k with just regular oil changes.

 

I am not sure what type of noise you are talking about when starting and stopping, but that is not normal, may be a concern.
I would highly recommend looking for an eight that is 07 or newer as cars that are older than that had many years of their lives with bad pcm mapping. Resulting in many of them to have wear that could result in a failed engine at a latter point (as damage may have been done before receiving the pcm flashes.
Yes the average car seat will fit in the back in a rear-facing position behind the passenger side, and forward facing one either side.
The gas mileage will suck, but if driven lightly if will help some, and highway mileage cane be decent. Plus your wife will need to the oil topped off. I pre-mix as well, but you can decide for yourself about that.
And yes you need to rev the car to at least 8500rpm in the manual transmission and I think 6600rpm in the auto, but I am not 100% on that second number, once a day.

Edit: Too slow. I got distracted.

 

If you're getting an automatic, look for at least an '06. Those have the six port engine and six speed transmission.

There are a lot of posts here about fitting child seats in the 8. Look around for those to see if there are particulars on which ones worked well.

Everything on the car other than the engine internals will be familiar. Since most work will not be inside the engine, you won't have any more trouble working on it than you would with the oddities of any other car.

Gas mileage will suck. No getting around that. For most of us it's worth it.

Ken

 

What kind of noise are you talking about? The rx8 shouldn't sound any different than a normal car (besides exhaust) when accelerating or slowing down.

The MPG these cars get depends on what kind of driving you do. If its a lot of highway expect around 20/21 but if its a lot of stop and go expect 16-18.

There is no reason why you would have to drive it everyday but you will NEED to make sure the car only gets shut off when its warm and the oil is checked(and added) at least every time you fill it up with gas.

Also if you are going to get an Auto get an 06+ unless you want a car that is slower than a minivan. (4 gears vs 6). Also the 04 autos probably had the biggest engine problems.

 

Potential welcome to the cult.

2 links in my sig have good data. Track down the sound unless you are sure it is exhaust. The new coils seem to combat the flooding, at least in my case. You can get a set for about $120 if I remember correctly, will need on an old one.

I have an 04, I love it, but I have an MT. I also have Nordic Green, which is by FAR the best color...

 

Ja, go with a 6 port.

If I remember correctly, at some point they added an extra oil cooler.

The back seat is good until the kid is 12. Then you may want to consider a replacement.

 

Yeah, you can always get a different kid, you will want to keep the 8 though.

 

Hahaha^^

 

The autos get better fuel mileage, but its not better by much :P. The sixth gear is taller in the automatics so your fuel mileage is a hair better.

 

Teach her to drive stick. I just got my 07 grand touring in December and love it. I used to be a die hard miata fanboy and did a bit of spec racing, but the RX-8 is just epic!
I did a lot of online research and I think Mazda hammered out most of the problems with that year. ( knock on wood)