Dear RX8ters i need some help. I am looking at buying a brand new RX8 2008/09.
I took one for a test drive and i fell in love.The only thing i am not sure of is the reliability of the rotary engine. The car is great and i also love the fact that there isn't many around which is where my dilemma starts because there is nobody around that i can ask.Your help and information will be a greatly help in my decision.

 

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...56#post1875956

click the link and read

 

Don't buy the 08, wait till the 09. They pretty much re-amped it.

 

Cool! A really new 8. I really don't think reliability is such an issue. All cars need preventive maintenance and servicing. Hope you have some honest dealership(s) nearby. Aside from that, I just wouldn't worry about it. Get the dream car, enjoy the hell out of it, fix when broken. It's all going to be fine.

 

Reliability has never, ever been an issue with mine and it's an '05.

 

reliability is not an issue with this car. Overall, it's highly reliable.
Click on the link Chris posted and you'll be good to go

 

When will the reability question go away ?

 

never

 

It's something not widely known and understood...people who don't understand something fear it. Fear stems the idea of poor reliability.

We're so screwed :P

 

i'm about to buy an 07 and have no fear at all about it lasting as long as i need or want it to (150k).

BUY THE CAR if you like it. Learn about it like I'm doing. This forum rocks and folks are very helpful and informative.

Historically it's very reliable, but if you want a good read then https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/renesis-engine-issues-finally-identified-138114/ there's a link to a good thread by Rotarygod

 

Consumer Reports recently put the 8 on its list of "Recommended Cars." And they revised its reliability rating up to "average" overall. If you search and read every long-term road test of the car in every magazine, you'll find that, compared to all other cars, overall reliability appears to be about average, and that includes the rotary engine.

I've had my '05 for over two years now and have never had any problem with the engine whatsoever. None. It's as smooth and powerful as the day I bought it, and has been as reliable as my kitchen toaster. (Needless to say, I use 5W-20 non-synthetic oil as recommended by Mazda, check oil level every other fill-up, and have not modified the engine in any way. And of course, no "pre-mix".)

 

knock on wood!

 

I said this elsewhere, but I'll repeat it here…

The Renesis gets a bad rap HERE, on this website.

Seeking help, explanations or sympathy, owners unlucky enough to have experienced serious engine problems will most certainly find their way to this forum in far greater numbers than the vast majority of RX-8 owners whose cars are fine. That's just human nature. Unfortunately, anyone reading this forum—assuming it's representative of all RX-8 owners—will conclude that the Renesis is unreliable.

That's not to say a small percentage of Renesis engines haven't had problems; they have. So have engines from VW, Toyota, BMW, and others. If you could learn the reliability of all Renesis engines—not just the few you read about here—I think you'd find that the Renesis is, compared to all other engines—about average in reliability.

As it's not uncommon for brand new models to have a higher incidence of problems (I never buy a model the year it's introduced), I wouldn't be surprised if properly maintained, unmodified Renesis engines prove to be higher-than-average in reliability if you factor out first-year '04 models.

 

I can't tell you how many owners I meet that never posts here or never heard of this forum.

And they all have reliable cars.

 

Eighteen owners have responded to TrueDelta's reliability surveys. Only one of them had the engine replaced under the general recall.

Overall, the reliability of the car is at least average, maybe a bit better.

 

It's funny when someone hears of an engine replacement they freak out, and since the RX-8 has a rotary it gets slapped with a bad reliability tag. Newsflash, the RX-8 isn't the only mass-production to have engines replaced under warranty. The early 350Z's did, but no one made a big deal about it since it's not a rotary engine. And early Porsche Boxsters had their engines replaced at a ratio of 1 per 3 cars. That's insane. But it's Porsche and not a rotary so it didn't ignite all the fears that occur with the 8.

To the OP; get a new 8 and it's under warranty, so you're good to go. If you have any major issues, Mazda will take care of it.