ozbot87

Hey guys, I'm new to these forums, so bear with me.

For about a year and a half, I've been looking at the RX-8 as the car to purchase when I graduate from college and get a job. The problem is, I have been hearing that Mazda reliability isn't as great as Toyota's or Honda's. Reliability is one of the main factors of buying a car for me and I was wondering if the RX-8 (as well as the RX-7 and previous iterations of the RX cars) will last through just about anything I can throw at it without getting into too much trouble (meaning the car won't break down on a hot summer day in Phoenix).

Pleease let me know!

wakeech

hey ozbot,
what you have to keep in mind about these kinds of statistical comparisons is that they often amplify the actual quality differences between the makes. also, those are averages over the entire product line, and not factory or model specific.

that being said, the RX-8 is a first year car still: that means there will be first year problems. already many have worked out that the front cup holders are near useless in the 6MT, other than for change, or something small that you don't need to fuss with when you're driving, the AC is a little weird yet, and that the sunvisors are a little funky.

there will be niggling problems, but if you're concerned that the RX-8 will be a heap of junk off the lot, well you shouldn't be.
from initial reports, the quality of the interior really is top notch. as far as mechanical reliability of the RENESIS, well, any engine can go for hundreds of thousands if taken care of, and this series 9 13B isn't actually any more care-intensive than a Toyota 1.6L.

i'll let those who actually own the car respond: listen to them instead

B-Nez

Funny, the cupholders work just fine for me. I have to modify my grip on the shifter slightly, but it's worth not spilling $26/lb. coffee all over my interior. Not sure which would upset me more - the waste of good coffee or the ensuing mess...

Now, if you are the type of driver who fondles the shift **** like it's your own, and rests your right arm on the center console rather than keeping 2 hands on the wheel, then sure the cupholder location inhibits that. Either way, I still prefer the present position than the alternative of blocking the radio/AC controls with a big mug. Also, the present position is much better from the standpoint of inertia, and I have yet to send my RX-8 travel mug flying through the cabin while cornering at decent speeds.

Skyline Maniac

If you want some statistical data, here is the recent J.D. Power studies:



As you can see, Honda and Toyota have excellent reps for good reasons. Here is one more chart on Initial Quality.

zoom44

my elbow hasn't touched my mug yet or any container in the cup holder. i kinda keep my elbow on against the seat bolster. the problem is the heat there. a bottle of water left there awhile got hot! i like the sunvisors.

loco4rx8

I agree, from what I've seen the cupholders are awkwardly placed. But I had a '92 Miata in which I replaced the ashtray right behind the shifter with dual cupholders, so it was a similar problem for me for the eight years I owned that car. I guess I got used to it, so it doesn't really worry me now.

As far as reliability goes, I don't own the RX-8 or have any special information about it. Fact is, none of us really knows what to expect. But I do know that you take a chance whatever car you buy. Hard as it is to believe, Honda makes a few lemons. On the other hand, my first car was the infamous Pontiac Fiero (STOP LAUGHING!!), and I never had a single problem with it.

Based on my great experience with my Miata, I really expect Mazda has done a fine job with the RX-8.

ozbot87

OK, so I guess that so long as I take care of the car and don't abuse it (like I will), then the car will last as long as I think it will (10-20 years). Great!

RodsterinFL

Ozbot

I have owned several cars due to my brevity of ownership - new and used. I can say from my own experience that the greatest woes to any make are design flaws that go unchanged. Like wakeech says, any car will go for miles but design flaws continue on and haunt you - examples?

1975-1979 VW Rabbits AC compressor brackets (loosened and broke continually) VW addressed but never conqured. Many people experienced this

1992-19?? Lexus ES 300 - Required new battery every YEAR. Reason ? alternator cycled incorrectly Lexus comment? operating as designed. Also cyclops brake light bulb replacement impossible by dealer after days of work. Seats removed etc. TRUE! Lexus!!!??? 92 and 93 stock radio popped on sustained higher frequencies confimred by service mgr and 5 different cars. Yes a Lexus!

The 2001 Mazda Millennia S gave me no problems. The ratings said outstanding reliability. Judge for yourself on this forum what people are saying regarding problems. That is one of the reasons I am here. (and to learn) I will tell you though that my family experienced more serious problems with european cars and that includes VW, Mercedes , BMW and Audi. You are a careful shopper and will certainly find what you seek.

akrx8

you cant go buy these charts that were posted because those numbers dont break up what our true mazdas and what are fords with mazda baging.true mazda only(manf in japan)are much better than most others and its too bad that ford brings them down that chart.

frogzapper

I'm one of those shift **** fondlers and my problem isn't the cup holder, but accidentally hitting the seat warmer switches! Not something I need here in the summertime! :p

(sorry for not posting on topic)

DonG35Miata

My 1997 Miata (bought new in April 1998) has been, without question, the best car I have ever owned. Five years with nary a hiccup. Still on the original brake pads!

My 1981 RX-7 did not require anything other than brake pads, gas, oil, and filters. Bought with 70,000 miles on it; sold three years later with 105,000 miles.

I have two friends who had a lot of problems with Mazda- one had an older 323, another, a more recent 626. Both were bought new.

Based on my own experience, however, I would not hesitate to buy any
Japanese-manufactured new Mazda vehicle.

rxphink

A non-turbo rotary will last for ever, 250K miles is no problem. Just ask all the 1st gen RX-7 owners.

sun stroke

ozbot87, your post caught my attention since I am in AZ as well. I have had my 8 for a couple of weeks and I like the car even more than when I decided to place my order.

A few reasons:
None of the pictures did the car justice.

Almost everything seems to be very well thought out.

Very solid, everyone who has been in it is amazed at the four doors, amount of room, and ride quality.

I have had some very serious car people , racing and collectors, drive the car and they have all had really big smiles on their faces. I have a good friend who currently owns a brand new G35 coupe and an almost perfect Ferrari 308, and who previously had a 911 and I didn't think he was going to give me the keys back.

As others have mentioned there are only only some very small "nice to have" things I would change. I did cook myself with the seat warmer the other day as was already mentioned and this is the only thing I have found that I would change.

I bought the car as a third vehicle and have driven it every day.

That's my two cents!

ozbot87

Wow, seems like the overall view of Mazda's reliabiliity and quality is, generally, really good. Let's hope that by the time I graduate in May of 2004 that the RX-8 withstands the tests of time (which it should if the 8 is just like other Mazdas).

Now I gotta start saving money for the down payment:p

jonalan

Wow, that "Vehicle Dependability Study" graph puts things in perspective. Even the highest rated Lexus has 1.63 problems per car!

eccles

It should be pointed out that "problems" as defined by J.D.Power means anything that the user complained about, regardless of whether the complaint was reasonable.

One of the reasons that the Hummer scored so low was that purchasers were whining about the noise and gas mileage! Hello? You bought a three-ton behemoth with the aerodynamics of a house brick; what did you expect?!?

You'll probably find that a goodly percentage of those 1.63 "problems" per Lexus were people complaining that the air conditioning messed up their hair, and other trivial nitpicks.

RomanoM

Mazda's warranty claims, which at one time I had access to, are pretty good. With the Tribute being a bit worse than expected.

The Tribute and Ford Escape are shared, but the current SUV is a Mazda developed and engineered product. So you can't blame Ford.

I would not worry about getting a Mazda. Where it counts, they are very good cars.

The Miata has an outstanding record for low warranty claims frrom what I heard.

Don't remember if I ever saw the RX-7 data, that car would never had been relevant in the departments I worked in, medium and large Ford branded cars.


J.D. Powers is a MARKETTING tool, not an engineering tool.
Warranty claims is what shows the real picture of a car's build and design quality.

liondogs

You also need to remember that the J.D. Power initial quality study ranking covers just the "first 90 days of ownership". It does not cover what happens 4 years down the road after the warranty has expired. GM likes to promote the J.D. Power initial quality score for some of their brands. But they do not like to point out that their long term reliability score is pretty poor.

BRealistic

One thing to remember when considering a new or used Mazda, look at where it is assembled.
If it is a Japanese manufactured and imported vehicle, then you are buying a high quality vehicle that should have higher than average reliability.
If it is a Ford partner U.S. UAW built vehicle, you need to be more careful and inspect any possible purchase (new or used) as a used vehicle- check for paint flaws, dents, and interior assemble problems.
Are UAW built Mazda bad? Heck no. But if you look at the entire Mazda vehicle quality as a whole, you will see definite trends. The recent Japanese manufactured Mazdas are:
Miata, 323, MX-3, Protege, Millenia, 929, pre 93 626/MX-6, pre 94 B-series trucks, RX-7, and now the RX-8.
Several of these were on the Consumer Reports best used car bets at one time (if not all of them).
The recent U.S. built Mazdas are:
Tribute, 93 and later 626 and MX-6, 93 and later B-series trucks, and now the Mazda6.
None of these U.S. built Mazdas are considered unreliable, but they suffered considerably more 'issues' than the Mazdas built in Japan- with the exception of the new Mazda6. It is too early to tell on that one (crossed fingers) But it did get a poor initial review from Consumer Reports.
I must point out that the only significant recurring 'issue' on the old U.S. built Ford/Mazdas are automatic tranmission related problems. And this only effect certain models (like the inline four automatic 626/MX-6, and the newer five speed auto Mazda b-series trucks.)

I have owned nine Mazdas (82 GLC, 85 RX7, 86 323, 90 323, 90 B26001, 92 Miata, 97 Protege--- 01 B2300, 01 B3000) and the Japanese manufactured ones were durable and reliable, even when I drove them like I hated them. The recent trucks (rangers in disguise). Hmm, the B2300 was solid and well built, but the B3000 has had way too many paint problems for a factory paint job (drips, trash, peeling )

RodsterinFL

Right

Even is you look at the chart you cannot go just by rank order of car make. Look at the numbers Lexus 1.68 (2 problems basically)

Mazda 2.88 (3 problems basically) and Mazda is a midpoint..

In essence there are not that many problems.

I recently saw one of these and I remember it was a reliability scale. ALL of the Japanese car companies were at the top with Mercedes and GM at the bottom. I cannot recall where this was - paper or internet but the summary mentioned the Japanese cars were reliable overall. I DID hear that the new civic is Honda's 2nd big mistake (don't know what the first was)

msrecant

In general you can't beat Honda and Toyota reliability. Mazda is good but it is certainly not the best. But remember, today's "good" is not that bad. "Good" is actually better than what was considered "excellent" in the late 70's and early 80's.

However, each car is still a specific situation. I would put my 1993 Miata's reliability up against any Honda or Toyota model. My 1979 RX-7 was top-notch also. If you go to the Consumer Reports Auto Issue you will see a number of Mazda's in their list of reliable new and used cars (just not as many as Honda and Toyota).

I suspect Mazda over-engineers its sports cars based on expecting them to be abused.

ozbot87

Thought that I would revive this thread again with owners posting new feedback on the relibility concerns of the RX-8.

Seems like the major problems going with this car is the shifting form 1st to 2nd (clutch?), the ticking noise, and the excessive heat.

Am I right on this, or has this changed for better or worse?

Also, could the problems listed above be consideded "first year kinks" that the engineers would fix as the RX-8 continues to be fixed year after year?

THOUGHTS!!!

dawurst

Here is my experience.

I bought my first Mazda...RX8 on 8/23/2003

It was towed to the dealership this morning from my house because it wouldn't start...still don't know what the problem is.

My condensor was damaged due to the poor design of a wide open gap a few inches from the ground.

Let's just say that these incidents speak more than any graph you can present.

ozbot87

Dawurst, Do you think you may have gotten a lemon?

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

Are you taking your percieved design flaw that allowed damage to the AC condensor any further?

I plan on taking mine further up the line. The first line of defense didn't really want to know me, and I am unhappy with there response.

BTW - This is my 5th new Mazda, and it will probably not be the last.

Still Smiling!
Hymee.