Is the RX-8 the car for me? Or is it not?
10-24-2007, 09:30 PM
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Is the RX-8 the car for me? Or is it not?
I am 21 years old and in college. I am an intense car enthusiast with a lot of drive time under my belt from a LOT of very nice cars... this makes it hard for me to settle. I am very picky and I don't think that is a bad thing however picky and price range sometimes don't always click. I am coming from a 2005 SRT-4 that I made rather quick, and to handle very well. The lack of "niceness" got to me as did FWD and though it was a great car and very strong... I ultimately found myself always checking out other cars, it was time for it to go. I am wondering if the RX-8 will fit the bill... I need a NO BS assessment from the source... the good, the bad, the ugly... not OH this car is great but in your mind youre thinking "well, besides the transmission problem"...
I need a car that can handle my driving style, I am not a differential crushing moron or a person who has complete disregard for belongings respect. I take care of my things and will my car but I will not drive it like a baby, there will be WOT on ramps... off ramps and the car may see auto X or an occasional strip... or maybe get a lil sideways sometimes...
I need a car with a strong components, not something I am going to have to baby... or a car that has an inevitably short life. Reliability is important, performance can be enhanced, appearence can be changed... I have driven a few RX-8's and I love the interior, the gear box feel... it is not too slow that other attributes can't make up for it. It has HID's which I love, seats 4 and I am sure can be managed in the snow... my MAIN concern is reliability... I need to know the good the bad and the ugly of it.
All I know is this, you need to add a quart of oil every other fill up... the gas mileage isn't great (18mpg) I can live with that... but I also heard some have a crazy problem where they get no better than 13mpg or so (EVER) and it can't be fixed. A few guys have told me that there a car that is ALWAYS in the shop and has intense and expensive yearly maintinence schedules and a short life of say 60,000 miles. OUCH. Please fill me in guys. Oh and how much can I find a 6spd in without having to look too hard?
I need a car that can handle my driving style, I am not a differential crushing moron or a person who has complete disregard for belongings respect. I take care of my things and will my car but I will not drive it like a baby, there will be WOT on ramps... off ramps and the car may see auto X or an occasional strip... or maybe get a lil sideways sometimes...
I need a car with a strong components, not something I am going to have to baby... or a car that has an inevitably short life. Reliability is important, performance can be enhanced, appearence can be changed... I have driven a few RX-8's and I love the interior, the gear box feel... it is not too slow that other attributes can't make up for it. It has HID's which I love, seats 4 and I am sure can be managed in the snow... my MAIN concern is reliability... I need to know the good the bad and the ugly of it.
All I know is this, you need to add a quart of oil every other fill up... the gas mileage isn't great (18mpg) I can live with that... but I also heard some have a crazy problem where they get no better than 13mpg or so (EVER) and it can't be fixed. A few guys have told me that there a car that is ALWAYS in the shop and has intense and expensive yearly maintinence schedules and a short life of say 60,000 miles. OUCH. Please fill me in guys. Oh and how much can I find a 6spd in without having to look too hard?
10-24-2007, 10:26 PM
#9
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OK - that out of my system...but your first "know" has it coming...
All I know is this, you need to add a quart of oil every other fill up... the gas mileage isn't great (18mpg) I can live with that... but I also heard some have a crazy problem where they get no better than 13mpg or so (EVER) and it can't be fixed. A few guys have told me that there a car that is ALWAYS in the shop and has intense and expensive yearly maintinence schedules and a short life of say 60,000 miles. OUCH. Please fill me in guys. Oh and how much can I find a 6spd in without having to look too hard?
I've had mine for a year, 12K miles, zero problems. Mileage is right where I expect it : one or two mpg below the EPA 18/24. Lots of people here with similar good reliability with lots more miles. There are posts from people with lemons, but it's impossible to tell what percentage of 8's those represent. CU reliability ratings, if you look at their charts item-by-item, are very good.
Maintenance cost by the book is modest. Mostly regular fluid changes. Spark plugs are expensive, but they're easy to get to (unlike some transverse V6's). No timing belt, so no recurring $400-$500 event every 60K. You can, of course, blow a fortune buying into a dealer's recommended maintenance program, but that's true of any car.
Engine has only three major moving parts, so it will run forever. There were some blown engines due to seal failures, a problem apparently fixed via the latest ECU flash. Knowledgable folks here blame the engine failures on people babying the car, not running it hard enough.
Are your friends interpreting the 60,000 mile power train warranty as being the expected life? Get them a statistics book.
No personal snow experience yet, but the consensus here is that if you put good snow tires (like Blizzaks) on it's very good in the snow. Get 17" wheels and snow tires, not 18".
I love on-ramps. So do RX-8s. Great place to get your daily beep done.
I had no trouble finding a new 6-speed at my local dealer.
Ken
10-25-2007, 12:15 AM
#12
I think you would like the 8 as long you realize a few things. The 8 isn't about all-out straight line acceleration like your SRT-4 was. The 8 was made to blend speed and handling. However good of a handling machine you thought are Neon was the 8 is much, much better, I garrantee you.
Of course, this doesn't mean the 8 is slow in a straight line. A lot of people here seem to think that's the case, but it's still a decently quick machine that will run 14.7's or better in the 1/4 mile stock. Not many people drag their 8's, but some with Nitrous have gotten into the mid 13's on just a 55 wet shot.
Also realize the aftermarket support for the 8 is still blossoming and there probalby isn't as many choices as there were for your SRT. And parts are much more expensive as this is a nitche vehicle.
The driveline of the 8 is pretty stout, but there have been a good amount of reported transmission issues. The good news is a used transmission isn't all that difficult to come by and can be had for under $900 or so. The other good news is if you get a newer 8, you still have a warranty. The warranty is 5 years, 60,000 miles on the powertrain. It's true a lot of Mazda service depts suck and have no idea what a rotary is, but you will need to do your homework on that. Find a good dealership with a rotary mechanic. Some have rotary mechanics they only bring in to work on RX-7's and RX-8's. Also make sure all the TSB's are up-to-date and you have all the recalls done. I would also make whatever place you buy the car from do a compression test for you before you purchase the car as well. If the numbers are low, skip on that one.
The 8 is a lot of fun once turbocharged (or supercharged, or nitrous'ed) and is a very unique car. I rarely see other 8's on the road, whereas you run into Mustang's, 350Z's, Camaro's, etc, all the time. I like being unique.
The Renesis also loves to be abused; redline it all the time, give it hell, and it will reward you. It's actually good to redline the motor, as it keeps carbon from building up.
As far as fuel mileage, I average about 17 MPG in the city, over 25 on the highway, and that's driving it like it's supposed to be driven. I actually noticed a nice increase in fuel mileage when I strated premixing.
Test drive some more 8's, find one with a good warranty, and adjust your expectations and I think you'll love it.
Of course, this doesn't mean the 8 is slow in a straight line. A lot of people here seem to think that's the case, but it's still a decently quick machine that will run 14.7's or better in the 1/4 mile stock. Not many people drag their 8's, but some with Nitrous have gotten into the mid 13's on just a 55 wet shot.
Also realize the aftermarket support for the 8 is still blossoming and there probalby isn't as many choices as there were for your SRT. And parts are much more expensive as this is a nitche vehicle.
The driveline of the 8 is pretty stout, but there have been a good amount of reported transmission issues. The good news is a used transmission isn't all that difficult to come by and can be had for under $900 or so. The other good news is if you get a newer 8, you still have a warranty. The warranty is 5 years, 60,000 miles on the powertrain. It's true a lot of Mazda service depts suck and have no idea what a rotary is, but you will need to do your homework on that. Find a good dealership with a rotary mechanic. Some have rotary mechanics they only bring in to work on RX-7's and RX-8's. Also make sure all the TSB's are up-to-date and you have all the recalls done. I would also make whatever place you buy the car from do a compression test for you before you purchase the car as well. If the numbers are low, skip on that one.
The 8 is a lot of fun once turbocharged (or supercharged, or nitrous'ed) and is a very unique car. I rarely see other 8's on the road, whereas you run into Mustang's, 350Z's, Camaro's, etc, all the time. I like being unique.
The Renesis also loves to be abused; redline it all the time, give it hell, and it will reward you. It's actually good to redline the motor, as it keeps carbon from building up.
As far as fuel mileage, I average about 17 MPG in the city, over 25 on the highway, and that's driving it like it's supposed to be driven. I actually noticed a nice increase in fuel mileage when I strated premixing.
Test drive some more 8's, find one with a good warranty, and adjust your expectations and I think you'll love it.
10-25-2007, 12:28 PM
#17
coming from a dodge . . . you would LOVE this car.
Thr RX8 is a drivers car. It responds wonderfully to the driver inputs. I have never had such a 'fun to drive' car. ( this is about my 40th car )
But you do need to be a responsible owner;
check your oil regularly
redline it once per day
make sure it has all the TSB's done
etc. . etc . .etc
If you truely love cars, and really enjoy driving . . . . Get one. Even if it is only for a short time, every true car enthusiast needs to own at least one rotary powered vehicle in their lifetime
Thr RX8 is a drivers car. It responds wonderfully to the driver inputs. I have never had such a 'fun to drive' car. ( this is about my 40th car )
But you do need to be a responsible owner;
check your oil regularly
redline it once per day
make sure it has all the TSB's done
etc. . etc . .etc
If you truely love cars, and really enjoy driving . . . . Get one. Even if it is only for a short time, every true car enthusiast needs to own at least one rotary powered vehicle in their lifetime
10-25-2007, 01:04 PM
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Take it for a real test drive for at least an hour without the salesman and drive it like you stole it. If you don't like it they have a great deal on the 07 Mustangs right now
10-25-2007, 01:11 PM
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The SRT-4 is certainly faster. If that is ok, yoiu will love the RX8. It absolutely destroys the car in every other comparison besides straight line speed and raw tourque.
10-25-2007, 01:50 PM
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10-25-2007, 02:10 PM
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