Mazda RX8 - What should I know?

[Fastdruid]

Oil use is way over-exaggerated by the internet experts. The difference between an RX-8 and a piston engine is that the RX-8 burns oil by design while piston engines burn it un-intentionally and the higher the spec the more they burn. A boggo 318d could burn more oil than an RX-8 and still be in spec and something like an M3 will use far more oil.

We filled ours up once a month and rarely had to put more than 1/3rd of a litre in, I used to put more oil more regularly into our Mondeo 2.0i (although it did do way more miles)...

Anyway, there was a car pool on them
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
and a pher wrote a review as well. https://www.carthrottle.com/post/Lk12zA/

[Mr2Mike]

WarnieV6GT said:

I looked into these and really fancied one but I couldn't live with the little things you had to do to avoid the compression issue. Such as not being able to turn it off straight away after, for example just moving it off the drive.

That's the avoid flooding it, not to avoid loss of compression.

[otolith]

I liked ours. The engine is marmite, you need to be comfortable using the lower gears to access the performance. Sounds a bit anodyne unless you fit aftermarket exhaust and / or induction, but very smooth. Anything four cylinder will feel horribly coarse in comparison. Thirsty, obviously. Uses oil, obviously, though not to the extent that people imagine, and the correct oil is relatively cheap compared to the fully synth long life unicorn tears that a lot of cars demand. It's also a small sump - an oil change and 12000 miles would be about 10 litres, which would cost you about £60 for the Mazda branded stuff. You'll pay more for the oil change on a lot of cars.

Very practical and comfortable, lovely handling, quick enough.

The Mrs has a 350Z. I liked the RX-8 better, though I think the Nissan is probably more mechanically reliable.

I think the suggestion of buying a good one with a knackered engine for peanuts and paying for a rebuild is probably the safest option.

[TREMAiNE]

Absolutely LOVED mine, see my thoughts here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Bluehawk]

What are servicing costs like with these?
Are garages funny about them? or are garages not bothered by the rotary engines?

I know we've mentioned oil cost...

Edited by Bluehawk on Wednesday 19th August 11:50

[otolith]

Mine was a year old when I bought it, so I serviced it at the main dealer. It wasn't at all expensive.

Routine servicing doesn't involve anything that the engine makes unusual - changing air and oil filters and plugs isn't anything special. Some specialists recommend treating the ignition coils as service items and replacing periodically (usually 30-40k miles is suggested) - that would add quite a lot to the cost of a service. Undetected failing coils seem to be responsible for a lot of early engine failures.

[WarnieV6GT]

Mr2Mike said:

WarnieV6GT said:

I looked into these and really fancied one but I couldn't live with the little things you had to do to avoid the compression issue. Such as not being able to turn it off straight away after, for example just moving it off the drive.

That's the avoid flooding it, not to avoid loss of compression.

sorry, me being lazy and not checking before typing..

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Ali_T said:

Sold the last one to move up the performance ladder then realised that performance and fun are very separate things.

Oh how true this is. A fact totally lost on 95% of PH posters I would guess.

[southendpier]

I have a 40th Anniversary, has covered 29k.

Doesn't use much oil at all, just keep an eye on it. Lovely high revving engine that comes alive over 5k revs. You can hit 64mph in 2nd gear, it is no slouch on the move if you give it some beans.

4 seats are a bonus and the boot is big enough.

I really love the car, just let it warm up and treat it properly. It handles well and to me feels very sure footed and balanced.

Fuel consumption is high but then who cares about that when buying a car for the heart?

As said before beware of cheap cars because they're cheap for a reason (like any Car)

[stugolf]

Fastdruid said:

Oil use is way over-exaggerated by the internet experts.

There's a flip side to this, maybe all the RX8 owners are trying to justifying that they bought the wrong car, a gas and oil guzzling car with serious reliability problems and stupid tax

I don't know any other car which is so bad on fuel other that an Evo or Scooby, but at least you get serious performance to match

Its a no brainer

Again, there cheap for a reason!

[Jakdaw]

Bluehawk said:

What are servicing costs like with these?
Are garages funny about them? or are garages not bothered by the rotary engines?

I know we've mentioned oil cost...

Edited by Bluehawk on Wednesday 19th August 11:50

Servicing costs... well it's only the engine that's out of the ordinary, it needs oil changes and slightly more expensive than normal spark plugs (but not as many as you'd need in a V6/V8 etc). So long as you don't have compression issues then there's big services for the engine - there is no cam belt so there's never anything like that to change.

For the rest of the car it's just like any other sporty car - tyres, brakes, suspension...

Look after the eccentricities of the engine (keep it topped up with oil every few thousand miles, use the right procedure for turning it off when cold), use it like was intended (esp for the 231 - use those revs so that the port above 7500k RPM doesn't get sticky) & not just for short journeys & I'm sure it'll provide years of trouble free motoring.

They get slagged off for poor fuel economy but it's worth bearing in mind that barring v short journeys in the winter (where it'll drink fuel like mad to warm up) the fuel economy doesn't vary much depending upon how you drive it - you just get 20mpg! So they're particularly well suited to those who drive all the time with a heavy right foot! Given these days they cost practically nothing the fuel economy is pretty much irrelevant anyway.

[lostkiwi]

stugolf said:

There's a flip side to this, maybe all the RX8 owners are trying to justifying that they bought the wrong car, a gas and oil guzzling car with serious reliability problems and stupid tax

I don't know any other car which is so bad on fuel other that an Evo or Scooby, but at least you get serious performance to match

Its a no brainer

Again, there cheap for a reason!

Says an internet expert....

[otolith]

stugolf said:

I don't know any other car which is so bad on fuel other that an Evo or Scooby, but at least you get serious performance to match

There are at least a couple of us who are former owners and still think they were great cars. Including one who went on to buy an Evo.

Here's the thing. If all that matters to you is bang per buck on mpg, you will drive a diesel, probably a BMW one. And that's fine, if that floats your boat.

For the same level of performance, you could have a turbocharged four cylinder petrol. It will use more fuel than the diesel, but it will be likely to be lighter, higher revving, less clattery. Same performance, worse mpg, but lots of people would choose the petrol.

For the same level of performance again, you could have a NA six cylinder petrol engine. Smoother, nicer sound, better throttle response, probably higher revving again. Same performance as the four, worse fuel economy, but it's not weird to prefer a six to a blown four, is it?

And, for the same performance you could have a rotary. Very smooth and refined, NA throttle response like the six, lighter and smaller than any of them, allows the car to be packaged with more interior space and better handling (through low centre of gravity, near to the middle of the car). Same performance, worse mpg, but suddenly it doesn't compute with you?

[J4CKO]

I can sort of see the appeal, but it is a bit like going to Middle Eastern holiday destinations against advice, you may have a great time and come back with a suntan but it probably isn't worth the risk for what you get, when you can just look elsewhere.

[stugolf]

otolith said:

There are at least a couple of us who are former owners and still think they were great cars. Including one who went on to buy an Evo.

Here's the thing. If all that matters to you is bang per buck on mpg, you will drive a diesel, probably a BMW one. And that's fine, if that floats your boat.

For the same level of performance, you could have a turbocharged four cylinder petrol. It will use more fuel than the diesel, but it will be likely to be lighter, higher revving, less clattery. Same performance, worse mpg, but lots of people would choose the petrol.

For the same level of performance again, you could have a NA six cylinder petrol engine. Smoother, nicer sound, better throttle response, probably higher revving again. Same performance as the four, worse fuel economy, but it's not weird to prefer a six to a blown four, is it?

And, for the same performance you could have a rotary. Very smooth and refined, NA throttle response like the six, lighter and smaller than any of them, allows the car to be packaged with more interior space and better handling (through low centre of gravity, near to the middle of the car). Same performance, worse mpg, but suddenly it doesn't compute with you?

I don't see the attraction no, yes Mazda tried something unique and I have much respect for the RX-7 at least they are great bang for your buck

Handling is excellent on the RX-8 but other than that, what's special exactly? Bad fuel, high oil consumption, tax, tips need replacing, engine needs rebuilding, compression fails, starting issues, flooding, for me an S2000 is a far better proposition or even a Civic Type R/ DC5 Integra

[Joeguard1990]

I own an R3 so I'll give you my 2 pence.

They drive superbly, be if you fancy having a bit of tail-end fun or grip track use. You really feel connected to what is going on underneath you and that's all thanks to the 50-50 weight distribution, LSD, and low centre of gravity. It give you a lot of confident to push on around the corners.

Speed-wise, not too shabby but there are quicker cars. 0-62 in 6.4 seconds is still respectable but don't expect to win any traffic light grand Prix as the low torque in these cars won't help, you really need to red-line them to get the most of of them (but that's not bad for the engine unlike in a piston one!). You will catch most cars up in the corners. The power delivery is smooth and predictable which makes for excellent driving.

Don't assume that just because they are cheap to buy that they are cheap to run and maintain because that's the reason why most are cheap on the market! Budget £3-400 for a proper ignition system that doesn't need replacing (BHR or Rotary Revs).
Tyres need to be decent, so again look at Decent P-Zeros, Michellin Cups or Vreds all round.
Fuel is going to cost you loads. I can get single figure MPG when going for it... and yes then there's the oil top up. 5 Litres of the Rotary Specialist's Recommended 10W-40 Semi Synth can be had for around £17 and this will last you 6 month-1 year depending on how hard you drive it and how many miles you do. Check the oil level after every 2 full tank fill-ups.

If you are looking to buy one privately, don't buy one without compression test results first done by a Rotary Specialist. Failing to start when hot is also a tell-tale sign of low compression. Also ask them if they have had the ignition coils changed, as the standard ones are only good for 30K miles and aren't changed as part of the servicing schedule. Poor ignition can lead to Cat failure and ultimately engine issues. I would recommend actually purchasing one from a Rotary Specialist, or buy one from someone on the Owner's Club Forum.


Look after it and it will look after you. Few cars for the money genuinely put a smile on your face every time you drive it

Edited by Joeguard1990 on Wednesday 19th August 14:32

[Joeguard1990]

WarnieV6GT said:

I looked into these and really fancied one but I couldn't live with the little things you had to do to avoid the compression issue. Such as not being able to turn it off straight away after, for example just moving it off the drive. Those issues plus the mpg and the oil usage put me off despite them being so so cheap and I'm an alfa man so it takes a lot to put me off ...

Op you can get a 3.0 GTV for a couple of grand, I know where my money would go.

You can turn the car off straight away if still cold if you follow the correct cold shutdown procedure, which is in the Owner's manual

[Joeguard1990]

Bluehawk said:

What are servicing costs like with these?
Are garages funny about them? or are garages not bothered by the rotary engines?

I know we've mentioned oil cost...

Edited by Bluehawk on Wednesday 19th August 11:50

Same as any other car in terms of spark plugs, oil, filters, etc.
Only advice I can give is there are a lot of RX8 specialist around now so don't take it direct to Mazda, find a RX8 specialist and stick with them.

[Joeguard1990]

stugolf said:

I don't see the attraction no, yes Mazda tried something unique and I have much respect for the RX-7 at least they are great bang for your buck

Handling is excellent on the RX-8 but other than that, what's special exactly? Bad fuel, high oil consumption, tax, tips need replacing, engine needs rebuilding, compression fails, starting issues, flooding, for me an S2000 is a far better proposition or even a Civic Type R/ DC5 Integra

Bad Fuel - Yes
High Oil Consumption - No (requires frequent checks but uses a reasonable amount)
Tax - No (Pre-06 models are in the cheaper tax band)

All your other points are due to neglect. People bought these and didn't maintain them properly, hence why there are so many cheap ones with issues available. It's not a car you can just drive around on the cheap and avoid servicing it.

[Camoradi]

I've only driven an RX8 for a brief period on track at Thruxton. In terms of power delivery it felt to me like a turbo diesel in limp mode. It may have a great chassis, but when you arrive at every corner at about 40mph, it really doesn't matter. The gearbox was pretty dire too if I recall