I'm new to this site, but not to Mazda. I had an '04 RX-8 for a year, then an Evo VIII, now a MazdaSpeed 3. I'm going back to the RX-8 and I'm just wondering what happened while I was away? The car is not holding its value at all and its reliability has been called into serious question. So, before I buy, can the extremely knowledgeable crowd here shed some light on what's up with the RX-8? Thanks in advance. I'm looking forward to my return to rotary!

 

warranty just got extended to 8 years 100k on the engine.

 

^indeed, plus there are now alot more FI options, alot of ignition options, cooling, Accessport tuning units for flashing the stock ECU, in a sense life is alot better than when you first ditched your rx8.

 

^That's what I thought, too. I was completely convinced of this until I started reading some of the information here. It was also surprising to see so many people selling their RX-8's and at such a low price.

 

thats not necessarily a bad thing, you can find all sorts of nice 04's with under 70K for under 12K if you search right. Already depreciated for you

 

The new o9 model has many of the issues addressed, whether or not for the long term remains to be seen...Knowing Mazda I believe they have sorted all of them out with the new model.

Look around you will see the list of updates.
For example.
2 electric oil metering pumps and two extra oil injection ports for rotor seals lubrication.
Larger crankcase and oil pump.
Cooling system improvements internally and externally (hence the larger front grille mouth on the car).

New manual gearbox..

 

when did the warranty get extended???

 

about a week ago
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/8-years-100-000-mi-extended-warranty-147287/

 

Great information. Thanks! So, they're not necessarily unreliable, as long as those issues have been addressed?

 

Extended warranty, Accessport, BHR/MM turbo kit, BHR ignition solution etc. etc. etc....

There's no better time to be a rotary nut or an RX8 owner than RIGHT NOW!

 

Get it TODAY...DON'T WAIT!

 

No, they are still unreliable. The engines, anyway.
But: At least you can own one up to 100,000 miles or 8 years without getting stuck with the bill for it.

You still have to hunt down a dealer good enough and clueful enough to actually do the work and the recalls..

And, one you could actually trust to do an engine swap without f%^&ing it up!

Oh, yeah, and the gas mileage still sucks..

 

Wow nice choice of cars. Why are you going back to the 8?

 

You've owned a rotary once you know how to handle them you will b ok and with depriciated prices you can find one used cheap or hell wait and get the 09'

 

What's the deal? The deal is that the rotary is intoxicating. It's qualities defies mere measureable numbers. It is about feel. At the end of the day no matter what car you may have had, you secretly lust to get back into another rotary car. So just dump what you have now and get over with it. You know you want it.

 

lol..well put mate...so true...so true.

 

Great information on all fronts! Thanks for the input and I do miss the rotary. I also miss the stunning good looks of this car. I seriously could stare at this car all day long. I'm working a deal on a blue 2004 RX-8 with 39,000 miles. It's a GT with the appearance package, sunroof, and leather. There's a scuff on the front lower appearance extension that needs to be addressed. It's also running with the traction control light constantly on. Other than those two issues, the car is super clean. The interior is like new. I didn't think I would like the blue until I saw it in person. It's really tight. I negotiated the dealer down to $14,200. Is this a good deal? I'm still weighing out all my options. Thanks for whatever info you can provide!

 

^Right you are. And remember kids as long as you take good care of your baby you'll be all right. Pre-mix, check your plugs, filler up and WOT! that bitch

 

Engine works for me, and a lot of people.

all cars have their own engine failures. Its just that Rotary is *special* kind of engine, people have been paying *special* attention to it, so when something goes wrong, they will say this engine *sucks*, completely forgot about other engine fails too.

 

Sounds great. Thanks again for the information. I guess if Mazda says I have to, as Dominion so eloquently stated, "WOT that bitch," I will. Come on! How sweet is that? I spoke with a Mazda rep this morning just to get info on these engine problems and he completely supported Dominion's statement. I don't know of any other car manufactorer out there that encourages you drive the **** out of their engines to retain reliability. This may make the RX-8 the coolest sports car out there!

Any thoughts on the deal I've been offered? I'm going to see if the dealer will let me take it to a Mazda dealership today and have it looked over. Is this a waste of money? I have some concerns about the traction control light. Thanks again!

 

If this is the light that stay illuminated once the battery is disconnected, it is no worry. You can reset it by turning the key to Acc. position (just before cranking) and turning the steering wheel all the way from left to right (lock to lock) as stated in the Owner's manual.

You may be able to use the light as leverage for a lower price, as it may point to a potential problem...then fix it as you drive off with a better deal.

 

Well, I pulled the trigger on a 2004 Nordic Green with every option Mazda offered. The car is pristene and I'm already crazy in love with it. The looks I get are unbelievable! Thank again to everyone for the information and I'll be starting a new thread soon with pics. You guys rock it hard!

 

My car was built in Dec 2003. The original engine had 51k miles, with 2 years of FI under it's belt.

We recently did a rebuild and the engine is like brand new:

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-multimedia-photo-gallery-6/charles-hill-engine-rebuild-51k-turbocharged-rx-8-a-148395/

The cracked front iron was due to some faulty hardware (Not FI related, and not due to Mazda).

Given what I've seen, I'd say the renesis is pretty reliable and I have no problems with FI use on it now that we have the AP.

 

^Great info. Thanks! Oh, and your ride is sick!!!

 

It's a gas guzzling sports car. Of course it has no resale value. It's a money pit not a sound business investment.

As for reliability, it's exactly as reliable as you are about keeping up with maintenance, just like any other car. Maintenance is going to cost you more then it would on an accord, but you already knew that because it's a sports car.

the 09's are probably the most reliable yet with the engine modifications they've done, but we wont know until we get 09's with 100,000 miles on them.