Okay so I am interested in a RWD decently fast car. At first I was looking at the S2000 but the only beef I had was only 2 seater. So I was watching top gear and the RX8 looked very badass. Not to mention faster than my Prelude SH. So basically it has what I want. RWD, newer, faster, and more seats. I was asking around on the prelude site and they said that its a decent car just not reliable and it has to have a rebuild done around 80k miles. Is that true? And whats the quarter mile time for a stock RX8. And how much HP would I expect out of full bolt ons?

EDIT: Does anyone live in SoCAL long beach area that I can test drive their RX8? The dealers dont let you drive it how I'd like....

 

hmm, rotary engines are very reliable. Not as many moving parts as a piston engine. The 3rd generation rx7 gave the rotary a bad rap for reliability but it had a complicated twin turbo system.

You will get very small if any gain from simple bolt on with the rx-8. Common catback systems and intakes give 2-3 hp each max typically.

I believe best quarter mile times I have been seeing is around 14.5 for the rx8.

 

Okay so 70k miles is a lot or not much? Its on a 2005 im lookin at. And can you explain the packages? And the gains are the same I'd expect from my prelude. I dont need anything faster as I am getting into trouble as it is already.

 

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/what-gt-package-performance-package-139663/

 

Thank you and now for the miles....

 

Well, to me 70k is getting up there for ANY car. I mean, after 100k miles, ANY car is going to start having stuff break down based on age alone. My old, very reliable honda civic back in college was a great car but still cost me 500 bucks when the radiator went, and 1300 buck for a used transmission before I got rid of it at 130k miles.

The engine itself should not give you any real problems for many many years. But resale value on these cars isnt that great so you should be able to find one with 40-50k miles for less than 17k.

 

Ive seen 2006 models with around 20k miles going for about 17k here in miami, which that sucks for me since mine is a 2006 and i got it new at 28k but then again i like having my rare car with a rare color.

 

70k getting up there? I considered that low mileage....My prelude has 136k and mesides the tranny going out t he problems have been pretty much none. I consider 150k getting up there! Does it use a timing belt? I dont know **** about rotary engines.

 

Apparently Consumer Report recently rated the rx-8 as Average for reliability. Apparently that rating is considered pretty good.

 

As long as you take care of the car *keep up with the fluids* then it will last you quite a while. The Rotary has been known to get to 200k EASY, some upwards to 300k with a little more care. I don't see it being too much different than a regular car *besides the making sure you maintain it that slight bit more*

 

it doesn't have anything to time eric (cams if i'm not mistaken) so no it doesn't have one of those

 

So do oil changes and etc cost more than lets say my car? I do a full tune up every 5k miles. Distributor cap, plug wires, plugs, oil filter change, oil change. So does a RX8 with 70k miles for 12.9k sound bad?

 

No distributor cap
no distributor
no pcv valve
no lifters
no cams

plugs are expensive, but the oil and filters are cheap insurance.

S

 

You change all of that every 5k? seems like overkill, especially on a Honda.

Plugs seem to be a bit expensive, I have not replaced mine yet but I am sure someone else will chime in.

Can you get a service history on the car?

 

Wow none of that? I really need to take some notes on a rotary engine! Um how many plugs do you need to buy for a rotary if it doesnt have pistons? Would maintenance be cheaper then? Since I dont need to replace all those parts? And how about the mileage for a 05? And a carfax on the car is that what you mean?

 

14.5 sec @ 95.6 mph for 2004 model according to Road & Track.

 

Looks exactly like what I want then! Faster but not by a lot. RWD newer etc. Can anyone answer some more of my previous questions?

 

Seriously you dont want to get one with more than 40k miles on it, mainly because alot can happen in 40k and with a rotary engine if the previous owner did not take care of it then they got rid of it for a reason and you dont want to have to deal with that reason.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGrD7FTFLJc might help you out a bit to understand how it works

 

Hmm I might be looking at more than 13k then with 40k or lower on it. I'll try to get a carfax on it to see if they kept up with maintenance.

EDIT: And WOW that link is awesome. THANK YOU! That helped me a lot.

EDIT2: What about gas? Do I HAVE to use premium to get the advertised performance?

 

Premium would be better on the engine especially if youre looking at used ones.

The problem is when youre buying a car like this you cant be cheap, and when I say a car like this i mean this car or even its compettitors. When youre buying a sports car and you try to get it cheap 8 out of 10 times the reason why its cheap is because there is comething they arent telling you and that is will dig into your pockets more than if you had spent that extra few grand to buy one with less milage.

 

Hmm okay thank you. I bought my prelude a year ago almost exactly and put 9k miles on it. Got it for 6500. I wish I would of looked into an RX8.

 

So the previous owner(s) put the first 127K miles on it. Any idea what they spent on it before you took over?

I've got an Accord with around 208K miles. Very reliable. For the first 100K there were very few expenses: mostly brake pads and spark plugs. Around 110K I started having a series of $1000 to $2000 years. Nothing catastrophic or unexpected: just things wearing out. Clutch. Ball joints. Axle boots. Timing belt. Exhaust.

These days cars should generally be trouble free for the first 100K, but expect stuff to wear out after that. If you're buying used, keep that in mind when you see the mileage.

Ken

 

there are plenty of members over 80k and plenty over 100k.

There are two threads with cars over 100k.

Remeber a new engine is only about 2500 bucks.

The cost of a top end job on a piston car. In fact I think the top end jobs are more for a complete rebuild with new parts.

So what's your point? Don't listen to the S2000 boys.

 

Thanks for all the insight and tips guys. Now the real question. Anyone want to let me test drive their RX8? 20 bucks! And my mechanic friend didnt even know what a rotary engine was....I was like WTF how can you not know being a mechanic?