RE: Shed Of The Week: Mazda RX-8
Discussion
BFleming said:
Also, there's a build thread on UKSaabs.co.uk about a guy who has put a Saab B204 engine into an RX8. It's a lot of work...
http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=35&am...
A 1JZ-GTE (or 2JZ-GTE if you can afford it) is the way to go.http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=35&am...
Glad it's in Somerset otherwise I'd take a punt on it even though I already own one. Imo it's worth it for the Mazdaspeed bodykit alone, the best front end of any RX-8.
You can get rebuilds for under £2k which come with a 30,000/2 year warranty so it's a no brainer if you want a practical sports car and if you premix then it will likely have good compression for the next hundred thousand miles. There's a thread on an American RX-8 forum where people post massive mileage's on the original engine, quarter of a million on one of them! This is due to the oil service intervals in America being a lot shorter than here and they only have one oil cooler instead of two so the engine warms up quicker, iirc they use 10w oil instead of 5w which is better for the bearings as well.
One thing to be weary of is rusting along the sills and under the rear arches, I can just see the start of some bubbling under the paint on mine so I'm going to nip it in the bud and treat it but if left it can do loads of damage whilst still looking ok from the outside, dunno what it is with Mazda's and rust, the mk2 MX-5 was notorious for it as well.
I think if people properly took care of them then examples like this SOTW would be at least £6k but people hear second hand info then don't go near them.
You can get rebuilds for under £2k which come with a 30,000/2 year warranty so it's a no brainer if you want a practical sports car and if you premix then it will likely have good compression for the next hundred thousand miles. There's a thread on an American RX-8 forum where people post massive mileage's on the original engine, quarter of a million on one of them! This is due to the oil service intervals in America being a lot shorter than here and they only have one oil cooler instead of two so the engine warms up quicker, iirc they use 10w oil instead of 5w which is better for the bearings as well.
One thing to be weary of is rusting along the sills and under the rear arches, I can just see the start of some bubbling under the paint on mine so I'm going to nip it in the bud and treat it but if left it can do loads of damage whilst still looking ok from the outside, dunno what it is with Mazda's and rust, the mk2 MX-5 was notorious for it as well.
I think if people properly took care of them then examples like this SOTW would be at least £6k but people hear second hand info then don't go near them.
I like the RX8 - they are interesting and that is a rare thing indeed in today's world of diesel clonecars, beloved of so many on PH.
A friend had an RX8 quite a few years ago. He averaged 19mpg in it, which for him at least meant it used too much petrol. The car was fairly new and the depreciation he suffered when he sold it was horrible. Even so, I'm slightly surprised to see them down to £1000.
I never drove it, only ever travelling in it as a passenger. It seemed to handle well and had decent performance. He loved the noise of the rotary engine - I thought it sounded a bit grim to be honest, but it is the heart of the car and what makes it stand out. An engine swap would negate that, and besides wouldn't an LS1 be quite expensive and heavy?
A friend had an RX8 quite a few years ago. He averaged 19mpg in it, which for him at least meant it used too much petrol. The car was fairly new and the depreciation he suffered when he sold it was horrible. Even so, I'm slightly surprised to see them down to £1000.
I never drove it, only ever travelling in it as a passenger. It seemed to handle well and had decent performance. He loved the noise of the rotary engine - I thought it sounded a bit grim to be honest, but it is the heart of the car and what makes it stand out. An engine swap would negate that, and besides wouldn't an LS1 be quite expensive and heavy?
Joeguard1990 said:
At 50,000 miles its definitely going to be due an engine rebuild soon, especially as it's already suffering from the hot start problem. Make sure you've got an extra 2k saved up for when it happens!
On a side point, I'm still surprised at the massive price difference between these and the newer R3 models. Basically the same car/engine albeit newer cosmetic changes but triple the price!
If anyone's selling a low mileage White R3 let me know
The R3's had mechanical upgrades as well as cosmetic, there is an extra oil injector for a start, to help the life of the engine. Along with bilstein suspension and a few other tweeks. It's what the first gen RX8 should have been!On a side point, I'm still surprised at the massive price difference between these and the newer R3 models. Basically the same car/engine albeit newer cosmetic changes but triple the price!
If anyone's selling a low mileage White R3 let me know
otolith said:
Joeguard1990 said:
On a side point, I'm still surprised at the massive price difference between these and the newer R3 models. Basically the same car/engine albeit newer cosmetic changes but triple the price!
The R3 engine is slightly different, it has an additional oil injector.Beat me to it!
Norma Smellons said:
Brilliant article as always.
Shame about the choice of car. Surely a car with known problems breaks the SOTW rules?
Time to increase the SOTW budget to £2k!
Stop trying to change the rules - start your own thread on great cars at under 2K budget if you want.... It'll probably be greatShame about the choice of car. Surely a car with known problems breaks the SOTW rules?
Time to increase the SOTW budget to £2k!
Most cars at 1K have issues - shedding accepts and just fixes what's essential to make it go & stop
B'stard Child said:
Norma Smellons said:
Brilliant article as always.
Shame about the choice of car. Surely a car with known problems breaks the SOTW rules?
Time to increase the SOTW budget to £2k!
Stop trying to change the rules - start your own thread on great cars at under 2K budget if you want.... It'll probably be greatShame about the choice of car. Surely a car with known problems breaks the SOTW rules?
Time to increase the SOTW budget to £2k!
Most cars at 1K have issues - shedding accepts and just fixes what's essential to make it go & stop
Kentish said:
Somebody I know has successfully put an Lexus LS430 V8 engine into his RX8.
He said it was quite straightforward, the worst part being the electronic engine management.
I like the idea of that, but does that mean he has a manual box, or a redundant clutch pedal for the Lexus slushbox?He said it was quite straightforward, the worst part being the electronic engine management.
I too was in a position to buy one of these before the panic set in. my choices were 2004 Civic Type-R, Nissan 350z, or Mazda RX-8 - they were all around the £9k mark, so glad i went of the type-r, had it for 3 years and sold it for £5500 with some issues. The ass had fallen out of the RX8's and they were going for £3000 ish.
Im really surprised these aren't now being snapped up. So much car for £1000. If you just assume the engine is knackered and it will need a conversion then for a cool looking, reasonably young shell with tons of toys £1000 is a tiny outlay for a project car.
i don't know anything about engine configurations in these but would other mazda group engines fit? 3 MPS ?
Im really surprised these aren't now being snapped up. So much car for £1000. If you just assume the engine is knackered and it will need a conversion then for a cool looking, reasonably young shell with tons of toys £1000 is a tiny outlay for a project car.
i don't know anything about engine configurations in these but would other mazda group engines fit? 3 MPS ?
otolith said:
I don't really see the point of engine swaps, other than "because it's there". Once you've spent a load of money you won't get back to turn it into an ordinary car, you could have just bought one of the millions of ordinary cars on the market.
People that are in the market for an RX-8 type car want anything but 'ordinary' Engine swap is sometimes the cheaper option than rebuilding an existing.
Also, its about the money isn't it - if you pay £1000 for the car and another £2000 on an engine swap you've still only paid out £3000 - for a lovely looking sports coupe that will be super reliable and (depending on the engine you've chosen) properly fun and sleeperish too.
or you could have a 100,000+ mile vauxhall vectra diesel for your £3000.
Pixelpeep7r said:
People that are in the market for an RX-8 type car want anything but 'ordinary'
Engine swap is sometimes the cheaper option than rebuilding an existing.
Also, its about the money isn't it - if you pay £1000 for the car and another £2000 on an engine swap you've still only paid out £3000 - for a lovely looking sports coupe that will be super reliable and (depending on the engine you've chosen) properly fun and sleeperish too.
or you could have a 100,000+ mile vauxhall vectra diesel for your £3000.
Or an MR2 turbo engineered by professionals. Or any number of other interesting bits and pieces.Engine swap is sometimes the cheaper option than rebuilding an existing.
Also, its about the money isn't it - if you pay £1000 for the car and another £2000 on an engine swap you've still only paid out £3000 - for a lovely looking sports coupe that will be super reliable and (depending on the engine you've chosen) properly fun and sleeperish too.
or you could have a 100,000+ mile vauxhall vectra diesel for your £3000.
Are you sure £2000 a realistic all-in price for an engine swap, given that it there are no drop-in options?
The reason I loved my RX-8 was the handling. It isn't going to handle the same with a larger, heavier engine mounted higher up and further forward, especially if you decide not to downgrade to a four pot.
Great cars, much maligned, lots of internet cobblers. Keep on top of the ignition and they last very well.
The rep is great as it means they are so cheap for the rest of us
Wonderful handling for a semi practical 4 seater - compare the turn in and balance to something like an E46 3 series and there is no contest whatsoever. Absolute bargain.
Let us not forget though, even a new one never started when they were hot, apparently.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
exceed said:
Jeez, 19mpg.
I get that in my car, and I know which one I'd rather be sitting in...
Presuming you're talking about the car listed in your garage, can you tell me where you could buy one of them for a grand? I get that in my car, and I know which one I'd rather be sitting in...
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