Undecided on buying RX-8(HELP)
 

I'm new on here and having second thoughts on buying the RX-8 on wednesday. The car is a 04 manual with 21k miles for 24,500 includes 100k warranty. I've been reading alot of post on all the recalls and other problems people are having and I'm not sure I want to deal with this. I'll be using the 8 as a daily driver and putting 800 miles a week on it for work,will this be a reliable car for all that driving? Thanks for any suggestions,comments.

I use mine as a daily driver without and problems.

i have school, so mines a daily driver and i have no probs, jus take care of it and it will be fine

Yeah i would get one, they are very cool cars. A sports car that is also functional.

have you read the 50k mile club thread yet

this car is solid as a rock

Thanks for the replies,alot of thinking to do. The dealer also has a 03 350Z for the same price in a touring edition might consider that instead.

I'm not sure if anyone in these forums has taken the 8 near or over 100k mi., but hopefully someone can tell you. From what I've read/heard, the rotary engine won't give you troubles unless you don't keep up with the regular attention that it needs -- like feeding it oil, redlining every once in a while to clean carbon deposits, etc. There aren't that many things you have to do to keep the car in shape. The rx8 is not a straight-line performer nor a gas saver, but it truly is a beauty, unique, and in its own class.

But consider this:

800mi/wk. is ~40Kmi/yr.
~41.6K mi. / yr. x ~ 1 gal. / 20 mi. (depending on what kind of driving you do) x ~$3.00/gal. (premium) = ~$6240/yr.

That's a lot of money in gas a year! I love my rx8 and everything, but I would personally consider another means of transportation for my daily work. Maybe like a motorcycle, hybrid, or something else like an old Honda Civic VX (56mpg).

If what you want is the rx8, then I would consider it only if you can get the recall work done on it along with that 100k warranty. If you're still flaky, I encourage you to spend some more time reading through this forum, and hopefully that'll give you better direction.

-jc

I drive a 04 Maxima now and that doesnt get great gas mileage. My company pays me .41 per mile so that covers car pymt,gas,oil,insurance. I love the look of the 8, and also theres not many around where I live especially not modded.

03 Z's are notoriously known for excessive tire wear/noise, IIRC...

Thanks for the info.

Do read the "anyone over 50k miles?" thread... hopefully that can give you some more insight.

350Zs have had their fair share of issues, and the 350Z is not as comfortable (very stiff suspension)... I recommend you test drive both and see which one you'd want to spend 800 miles a week in. You probably don't care about the rear seats, since you are looking for a commuter car.

Also, at 800 miles a week (I used to drive 125 miles a day on average ), of what I can only assume are highway miles, you are looking a lot of easy-on-the-car miles. Redline it getting onto the highway every day and you'll be OK. Check your oil every 1000-1500 miles and fill to the F line. Do the regular maintenance, including oil changes every 5K (as per "heavy duty" maintenance schedule).

why get it used for 24k when you can get a brand new one for like 25k ;)

It appears to me, albeit at my grasshopper stage of RX-8 fever, that most of the problems seem to be occurring with the automatic transmission RX-8.

I could be wrong, but if I'm even partially right, that should mitigate against your reliability concerns.

Take it for a good drive if you havent yet. I bet you will fall in love with it, and if you already did i dont know whats wrong with you man. lol j/k. Mine already has 24k miles on it and i use it as a daily driver. I had all the recalls done on it nad thats about it. Never had a problem with it. Its truely a great car.

I only have 5.3K on mine but all the issues with the RX8 have been pretty minor, read up and you find out. Heck...even one of the Recalls was in regards to a situation that 99.9% of everyone would never get the car into.

On top of that Mazda has shown that they care about this car...releasing new PCM updates to make the Rotary fun even better.

But, I agree...for a used RX8 that's too much money. This year is almost over so that RX8 will be 2 years old soon. I'd pay no more than 21K...out the door.

I got my base 6spd for basically 25K, so it's possible.

100k warranty? Holy crap. What's to worry about then? And besides, if you have so many problems, you can just report it a lemon.
Well, I haven't had ANY problems whatsoever. No blown apex seal, loss of combustion, brake squealing, a/c not cold, lack of power, etc. etc.
This car was all I thought it could be and I love it.

100k mi will be gone in about 1.5 yrs if this guy keeps on driving @ 800mi/wk. So from his perspective, it ain't much! From our perspective it's kick ass. (I also have 100k mi warranty on my '05).

-jc

Buy the car! Even if it turns out to be a mistake at least it will be a fun mistake!

I agree with pretty much everything that's been said. There have been no serious recalls... things such as the a/c was to improve it's performance, not prevent the car from breaking down or blowing up. The most serious recall is the gas tank insulation, and even then... I don't recall seeing anyone here post about their 8 blowing up or catching fire. Do like they say... follow the heavy wear maintenance schedule, check your oil at every other fillup or so (which you should really be doing with every car anyway) and enjoy!

Price. For not only a 2004, but a USED 2004?! Don't buy it at that price. You're getting taken for a ride. Check out the prices people are picking up new 8's, especially leftovers, in the purchasing/financing/leasing forum. A new 2005 with sport package for $25k is not unreasonable. In Dec/Jan, you should be looking at around $22k. If they won't budge, keep shopping.

I agree on the pice being too high. Look on line to see what people are asking for used. I checked and there are quite a few ranging in prince from 18k to 22K. Don't rush into this. Also what does the 100k warranty cover? I'll bet it's the engine only.

Yah.. I'm sure you could get a better deal... but I'm not really posting to talk about price..

The Rx8 is an amazing car... after buying it... and reading more about it and researching.. it seriously is the most awesome car I've seen... There are other sweet cars.. like 300zx tt or fd rx7.. m3 were sweet.. porsche.. ferrari.. blah blah blah...

but I can say this is seriously my dream car now.. rx8 is just sweet... just a little low on power.. but handling is awesome...

read the "little things" thread... it will make you love the car so much more..


https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/little-things-67045/