I have some questions about the latest RX-8. First, rattles are something I cannot tolerate. I understand many people here have had them and posted ways they eliminated them, but are they only an issue with the older cars or are they still all potential problems?

Secondly, do the cloth seats of the base RX-8 (the "Sport" one) have height adjustment? Or are they only four-way adjustable like the R3 seats (tilt and forward/back)? I don't like leather seats so I wouldn't want the GT.

Next, do oil changes have to be done at the dealer (if not by yourself)? I have 70k miles on my Camry and have never taken it to a dealer; I just get all maintenance done at Valvoline instant-oil-change places, takes 5-10 minutes for whatever I need done (oil change, brakes, filters, wheel balancing). And can someone briefly explain what regular maintenance is needed? I've seen some information from 2004 but I don't know if it's still current.

And assuming the engine is always warmed up properly, and oil replenished often, are these cars reliable or do things break fairly frequently?

 

Rattles is an issue on any car. You can have a freaking hand built Rolls Royce that will rattle with time.

Yes, they are height adjustable.

No, you can do it yourself.

Yes, it is reliable with proper maintenance.

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I don't agree with that. I had a VW Jetta that never had a single squeak in six years and 100k miles. I have heard similar things about BMW build quality. Squeaks and rattles are design faults caused by parts that are too closely-fitting and/or not dampened properly.

 

Sounds like your options are limited, then.

 

No, they're not a deal-breaker if they're fixable. They're just a concern.

 

Good for you, but things get loose eventually, it's just the matter of when and how.

 

sounds like you're in the market for a trouble free car. this is not it.

 

I never had a rattle in my 05 RX-8 in 45k miles, nor does my 09 have any rattles in 12k miles.

 

it's a sportscar not a Bentley , anything can happen, if you don't have the time to sit and search and learn about rotary ( RX8) and you're looking for the less problemed car, the RX8 is not for you...

The next thing you'll complain is about the mpg....

 

taking it to jiffy lube and taking it to dealer is the same thing when it comes to regular oil changes.