View Poll Results: What is your overall level of satisfaction with the RX8?
Highly Satisfied
2,880
71.93%
Somewhat Satisfied
710
17.73%
Neutral
157
3.92%
Somewhat Dissatisfied
130
3.25%
Highly Dissatisfied
127
3.17%
Voters: 4004. You may not vote on this poll
Satisfaction Survey with your RX-8
Registered
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
well, arent you lucky. ive had 4 engines and im about to need a 5th. 4 engines and i havent even hit 80,000 miles yet. truely THE WORST car i have ever had, my gf bought a kia a few years ago and i thought that was a peice of crap; and then i buy this thing. and im glad im not the only one; everytime my car has to be taken to mazda, theres on average of 6-10 other rx8s sitting in their repair bays. i cant have this car for more than 12 hours before there's another problem. i absolutely hate this car and will never buy another mazda again. RX8s are worse than the Yugos
Since nobody else seems to need engine replacements at 20k miles x 4, I might think that maybe the problem isn't the car. You might find a lemon, but after replacing the engine that many times, I might look in the mirror. I could justify one, but after that I would start to think that maybe...just maybe, it's me. By the fourth engine I would know. Luck isn't a factor.
4 altenators(last one caught the hood on fire)
3 shuttervalve replacements(one after the other w/ ~50 miles in between them)
3 new Mazda batteries(warranty wouldnt cover those ~$220 each)
2 new radiators(gem mazdas fault on both)
1 new transmission at 43,000
struts had to be replaced at 30,000
A/C system replaced 6 times
2 new catylitic converters
and im not the only one. i meet up with a guy everytime im there and hes havin the same problems except he might be on engine #6. im not the worse case in gem mazdas shop, the manager says im from being the one with the worse rx8. apparently theres someone the with the shinka who cant seem to drive the car away without having a problem.
besides, how can you go from and 88 rx7 turbo II w/ 240,000 on the original engine to less than 20,000 on each motor in an 04 8? i know how to take care of a rotary, ive owned my old rx7 for 5 years and never had a problem. and this pos will be gone next month.
ok, well how do you explain:
4 altenators(last one caught the hood on fire)
3 shuttervalve replacements(one after the other w/ ~50 miles in between them)
3 new Mazda batteries(warranty wouldnt cover those ~$220 each)
2 new radiators(gem mazdas fault on both)
1 new transmission at 43,000
struts had to be replaced at 30,000
A/C system replaced 6 times
2 new catylitic converters
...
4 altenators(last one caught the hood on fire)
3 shuttervalve replacements(one after the other w/ ~50 miles in between them)
3 new Mazda batteries(warranty wouldnt cover those ~$220 each)
2 new radiators(gem mazdas fault on both)
1 new transmission at 43,000
struts had to be replaced at 30,000
A/C system replaced 6 times
2 new catylitic converters
...
Super Moderator
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10,880
Likes: 340
From: Australia
You mean the owner/PRIVATE dealers Mechanic is a Lemon..
There is something Drastically WRONG when one goes through 6 (I guess) compressors for Air cond, alternators, Batteries in that quantity...it is Certainly NOT the Norm...as far as engines go, well apart from side exhaust ports and no middle Apex Seal Oil Injector the RENESIS 1 Engine Core is a 13B from an FC RX-7 of 1985.
Read my sig..
There is something Drastically WRONG when one goes through 6 (I guess) compressors for Air cond, alternators, Batteries in that quantity...it is Certainly NOT the Norm...as far as engines go, well apart from side exhaust ports and no middle Apex Seal Oil Injector the RENESIS 1 Engine Core is a 13B from an FC RX-7 of 1985.
Read my sig..
Registered
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,319
Likes: 58
From: NYC
ok, well how do you explain:
4 altenators(last one caught the hood on fire)
3 shuttervalve replacements(one after the other w/ ~50 miles in between them)
3 new Mazda batteries(warranty wouldnt cover those ~$220 each)
2 new radiators(gem mazdas fault on both)
1 new transmission at 43,000
struts had to be replaced at 30,000
A/C system replaced 6 times
2 new catylitic converters
and im not the only one. i meet up with a guy everytime im there and hes havin the same problems except he might be on engine #6. im not the worse case in gem mazdas shop, the manager says im from being the one with the worse rx8. apparently theres someone the with the shinka who cant seem to drive the car away without having a problem.
besides, how can you go from and 88 rx7 turbo II w/ 240,000 on the original engine to less than 20,000 on each motor in an 04 8? i know how to take care of a rotary, ive owned my old rx7 for 5 years and never had a problem. and this pos will be gone next month.
4 altenators(last one caught the hood on fire)
3 shuttervalve replacements(one after the other w/ ~50 miles in between them)
3 new Mazda batteries(warranty wouldnt cover those ~$220 each)
2 new radiators(gem mazdas fault on both)
1 new transmission at 43,000
struts had to be replaced at 30,000
A/C system replaced 6 times
2 new catylitic converters
and im not the only one. i meet up with a guy everytime im there and hes havin the same problems except he might be on engine #6. im not the worse case in gem mazdas shop, the manager says im from being the one with the worse rx8. apparently theres someone the with the shinka who cant seem to drive the car away without having a problem.
besides, how can you go from and 88 rx7 turbo II w/ 240,000 on the original engine to less than 20,000 on each motor in an 04 8? i know how to take care of a rotary, ive owned my old rx7 for 5 years and never had a problem. and this pos will be gone next month.
so many revs?!?!
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Houston, TX
so far i love it. it has some quirks ive been having to work out but based on what ive been reading about common problems all thats been going wrong doesnt seem to be rx-8 specific. i cant argue i picked up my '04 with 68,000 miles for $5,700 haha.
My savings account is just a holding for my checking account because of my 8.
Her interior rattles and gets obnoxiously hot.
She doesn't have enough power (previous cars I've DD'd include '91 2jz supra, 350+whp legacy gt, geo prism <--second best car I've ever had lol).
I think more about my fuel gauge than the cute girls staring at it during red lights.
"****, do I have a quart of oil in my trunk?"
Mazda dude knows me on a first name basis.
"Hey man want to go out tonight?"
-"Sorry bro I can't, I'm saving cash for my car."
^almost every Friday.
Voted highly satisfied. I love this damn thing.
Her interior rattles and gets obnoxiously hot.
She doesn't have enough power (previous cars I've DD'd include '91 2jz supra, 350+whp legacy gt, geo prism <--second best car I've ever had lol).
I think more about my fuel gauge than the cute girls staring at it during red lights.
"****, do I have a quart of oil in my trunk?"
Mazda dude knows me on a first name basis.
"Hey man want to go out tonight?"
-"Sorry bro I can't, I'm saving cash for my car."
^almost every Friday.
Voted highly satisfied. I love this damn thing.
Last edited by ttame16; Oct 29, 2010 at 09:22 PM.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
Highly satisfite
Just bought my 2007 with 18,500 miles. Driving it is a near religious experience. Had two RX7s back in the day, have been waiting 20 years for my kids to grow up so I could go back to a sports car.
Real Racing 3 fan
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
Gas consumption is the only real concern, but considering that I bought my mint condition '04 model with under 40,000 miles for only 11 grand, i can easily buy an additional focus or civic for my longer drives, when i get out of college, and still be much happier than if i'd spent say 15 grand on a new POS econobox. In short, this is the best car I have ever owned!
Registered
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Navarre, FL
I just purchased my 04 2 days ago, so I am an RX-8 newb. I drive this car and marvel at the purr of the engine and the fact that you can spool the revs up to redline without stomping the acceleratorm then glide so smoothly through the gears, then I notice I'm doing 100 and I'm in fifth gear, but the engine isn't screeching or straining, it's wanting to keep going. The car seems so well balanced through turns as I have found on the few twisty bits i can find here in Kansas. I am looking forward to more of the sheer enjoyment of driving this car. It is a car that seems to have been designed simply for the pleasure of driving it. I am Impressed.
I guess I cant really give a full in-depth analysis. But I have owned the car since May and have only dropped 4200 miles on it. Bought it brand new. Had 0 major issues so far and the car just feels great. I am sure I will report back after a few ten thousand miles.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Rotarys are very sensitive to predetonation, usually induced by bogging the motor which is fairly easy to do with a manual, but you appear to have an AT. Have you ever floored the throttle with the revs below 3k or not known to never do that? From my sig, you can see that I've been running Wankels, since '84, and the only motor I've "lost" was when I lent the GXL to my brother with 60lbs oil pressure and he returned it with 15lbs. After ?ing him, it appeared that he skipped a gear upshifting and bogged. A month later the engine gave up in a huge plume of tailpipe smoke. From my own experience, seems like if you know how to care for rotarys WITHOUT FAIL (i.e., never bog, redline at least every 200 miles, keep oil/coolant levels up and filters changed) then you'll likely crash the car before the motor even starts to show signs of retiring. So, the saying "your mileage will vary" really applies here. My '04 has only been tracked, since 80k and now just turned 120k of REALLY HARD driving. Since replacing the igniters at 110k, the motor seems almost as strong as when new and even more free revving, all the way to 10k RPM and 250F coolant in 20 minute track sessions, now that it's a bit more "broken in"!
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
what a difference a year makes...
one year ago - somewhat satisfied
on my 2004:
highly satisfied with it; no problems. got to 40k with just routine maintenance and me doing preventative maintenance like oil changes at 2k to ensure clean oil was being burned...
on my girl's 2005:
a few problems starting, especially when the engine was warm. she had a non-Mazda warranty that replaced the spark plugs, wires, etc., which seemed to fix the problem temporarily. the Jeep dealership she bought it from then tried to start scamming her on her warranty coverage so that effectively was the end of trying to get it fixed
this year - highly dissatisfied:
on my 2004:
* brakes needed to be done, battery needed to be replaced, spark plugs needed to be replaced... no complaints there as that was expected maintenance
* ECU went out @ 44k; lost my car for a week but Mazda gave me a rental (some sort of boat... Ford Mustang convertible) and covered it under the emissions warranty
* coil packs went out; annoying because my Miata has 95k on it and I've never had to replace coils on it, so I know Mazda can properly engineer an ignition system...
* automatic transmission AND torque converter failed @ 46k. no coverage from Mazda. dealership wanted $4k to fix, which might be reasonable except there was only a one-year warranty. I was able to get a new LevelTen torque converter for less than a Mazda rebuild; also snagged a 19k mile used transmission to get the cost down to just over $2k, but still, the car was never abused, the renesis has low amounts of torque, the transmission should not fail at 46k miles
* motor went out @ 48k; still waiting the details on this but hopefully Mazda will repair it for free
on my girl's 2005:
* motor went out @ 78k
* coil packs needed to be replaced again
in conclusion
honestly, I don't mind little problems like the sun visor cracking, needing to pull the dash out to resolder heater connectors, heated seat light not illuminating, gear selector light not always lighting up, etc. but I do mind my car spending 3 months a year at the dealership being repaired plus the cost of repairs.
I'm really torn. I love my rx-8 and all, and it's really cute for me and my girl to have his and her rx-8 license plates, but I'm thinking of selling the rx-8 and dumping some of the money I get for it into my DSM. yes, they're money pits, but they're both reliable and fast. they might not corner as well, but then the cornering on the RX-8 really suffers when the car spends a reasonable amount of time on the back of a tow truck. likewise, the dealership has been nice, but even though my Miata has been bulletproof in the time I've owned it, I think I might be done with Mazdas... I simply cannot afford to spend $23k on a car and not have it get to 50k miles without having to replace the engine, transmission, and ECU. the irony in all of this is that I passed on buying a FD3S for the RX-8 because I was expecting the RX-8 to be more reliable.
on my 2004:
highly satisfied with it; no problems. got to 40k with just routine maintenance and me doing preventative maintenance like oil changes at 2k to ensure clean oil was being burned...
on my girl's 2005:
a few problems starting, especially when the engine was warm. she had a non-Mazda warranty that replaced the spark plugs, wires, etc., which seemed to fix the problem temporarily. the Jeep dealership she bought it from then tried to start scamming her on her warranty coverage so that effectively was the end of trying to get it fixed
this year - highly dissatisfied:
on my 2004:
* brakes needed to be done, battery needed to be replaced, spark plugs needed to be replaced... no complaints there as that was expected maintenance
* ECU went out @ 44k; lost my car for a week but Mazda gave me a rental (some sort of boat... Ford Mustang convertible) and covered it under the emissions warranty
* coil packs went out; annoying because my Miata has 95k on it and I've never had to replace coils on it, so I know Mazda can properly engineer an ignition system...
* automatic transmission AND torque converter failed @ 46k. no coverage from Mazda. dealership wanted $4k to fix, which might be reasonable except there was only a one-year warranty. I was able to get a new LevelTen torque converter for less than a Mazda rebuild; also snagged a 19k mile used transmission to get the cost down to just over $2k, but still, the car was never abused, the renesis has low amounts of torque, the transmission should not fail at 46k miles
* motor went out @ 48k; still waiting the details on this but hopefully Mazda will repair it for free
on my girl's 2005:
* motor went out @ 78k
* coil packs needed to be replaced again
in conclusion
honestly, I don't mind little problems like the sun visor cracking, needing to pull the dash out to resolder heater connectors, heated seat light not illuminating, gear selector light not always lighting up, etc. but I do mind my car spending 3 months a year at the dealership being repaired plus the cost of repairs.
I'm really torn. I love my rx-8 and all, and it's really cute for me and my girl to have his and her rx-8 license plates, but I'm thinking of selling the rx-8 and dumping some of the money I get for it into my DSM. yes, they're money pits, but they're both reliable and fast. they might not corner as well, but then the cornering on the RX-8 really suffers when the car spends a reasonable amount of time on the back of a tow truck. likewise, the dealership has been nice, but even though my Miata has been bulletproof in the time I've owned it, I think I might be done with Mazdas... I simply cannot afford to spend $23k on a car and not have it get to 50k miles without having to replace the engine, transmission, and ECU. the irony in all of this is that I passed on buying a FD3S for the RX-8 because I was expecting the RX-8 to be more reliable.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
From: Montreal
Sucks in Winter
This is a good car for non-winter driving - if you plan to drive in winter get a second car - the RX8 even with great winter tires (Toyo Garit KX) will get you skidding all over the place and don't try to drive it when it is below 10C - keep in garage and take the bus. I am giving mine in once lease expires getting a car which can handle the winter's here.