Discussion
Why are they so cheap second hand? Is it because they are not very popular, is there a reliability issue with these types of engines or is it running costs etc? Also how do you find out how much they cost in Tax per year? Thanks in advance the girlfriend wants one. Also any tips or insight into what to look for when buying would be appreciated.
My girlfriend has had one for 18 months,bought it off my stepdad who had it 3 years.Only had a eccentric shaft sensor fault (£40)
A hoot to drive and stunning to look at,i would say a real drivers car as you have to work at it,handling is great,they are made to rev and sound great at 9500rpm
MPG is poor,she gets 21mpg knocking around and ive had 27mpg on a run,up to 2006 iirc the tax is £245.Oil comsumption isn't as bad as the pub bulls
tters would have you believe,I check every other fill up.
Low compression engines are a problem so look for starting problems its a common sign.Coils need to be changed every 30k ideally as the work hard and when they start to get weak it doesnt burn the fuel as well and can cause CAT failure and tip wear.I believe people not checking the oil and poor maintenance is the main cause for engine problems.
Check out the owners club for further info.www.rx8oc.co.uk
A hoot to drive and stunning to look at,i would say a real drivers car as you have to work at it,handling is great,they are made to rev and sound great at 9500rpm
MPG is poor,she gets 21mpg knocking around and ive had 27mpg on a run,up to 2006 iirc the tax is £245.Oil comsumption isn't as bad as the pub bulls
tters would have you believe,I check every other fill up.Low compression engines are a problem so look for starting problems its a common sign.Coils need to be changed every 30k ideally as the work hard and when they start to get weak it doesnt burn the fuel as well and can cause CAT failure and tip wear.I believe people not checking the oil and poor maintenance is the main cause for engine problems.
Check out the owners club for further info.www.rx8oc.co.uk
chrisgtx said:
My girlfriend has had one for 18 months,bought it off my stepdad who had it 3 years.Only had a eccentric shaft sensor fault (£40)
A hoot to drive and stunning to look at,i would say a real drivers car as you have to work at it,handling is great,they are made to rev and sound great at 9500rpm
MPG is poor,she gets 21mpg knocking around and ive had 27mpg on a run,up to 2006 iirc the tax is £245.Oil comsumption isn't as bad as the pub bullstters would have you believe,I check every other fill up.
Low compression engines are a problem so look for starting problems its a common sign.Coils need to be changed every 30k ideally as the work hard and when they start to get weak it doesnt burn the fuel as well and can cause CAT failure and tip wear.I believe people not checking the oil and poor maintenance is the main cause for engine problems.
Check out the owners club for further info.www.rx8oc.co.uk
I have to be honest, i like the look of it and the concept but it has to be said Mazda dropped the ball on the RX8, it has very few plus points and is hard work and expensive to own. I think Mazda tried to create a show piece to demonstrate how clever they are and indeed 200hp from a 1.3 wankle engine is pretty clever but they didn't really plan ahead and I fail to see any good reason to buy one??A hoot to drive and stunning to look at,i would say a real drivers car as you have to work at it,handling is great,they are made to rev and sound great at 9500rpm
MPG is poor,she gets 21mpg knocking around and ive had 27mpg on a run,up to 2006 iirc the tax is £245.Oil comsumption isn't as bad as the pub bulls
tters would have you believe,I check every other fill up.Low compression engines are a problem so look for starting problems its a common sign.Coils need to be changed every 30k ideally as the work hard and when they start to get weak it doesnt burn the fuel as well and can cause CAT failure and tip wear.I believe people not checking the oil and poor maintenance is the main cause for engine problems.
Check out the owners club for further info.www.rx8oc.co.uk
Evil.soup said:
chrisgtx said:
My girlfriend has had one for 18 months,bought it off my stepdad who had it 3 years.Only had a eccentric shaft sensor fault (£40)
A hoot to drive and stunning to look at,i would say a real drivers car as you have to work at it,handling is great,they are made to rev and sound great at 9500rpm
MPG is poor,she gets 21mpg knocking around and ive had 27mpg on a run,up to 2006 iirc the tax is £245.Oil comsumption isn't as bad as the pub bullstters would have you believe,I check every other fill up.
Low compression engines are a problem so look for starting problems its a common sign.Coils need to be changed every 30k ideally as the work hard and when they start to get weak it doesnt burn the fuel as well and can cause CAT failure and tip wear.I believe people not checking the oil and poor maintenance is the main cause for engine problems.
Check out the owners club for further info.www.rx8oc.co.uk
I have to be honest, i like the look of it and the concept but it has to be said Mazda dropped the ball on the RX8, it has very few plus points and is hard work and expensive to own. I think Mazda tried to create a show piece to demonstrate how clever they are and indeed 200hp from a 1.3 wankle engine is pretty clever but they didn't really plan ahead and I fail to see any good reason to buy one??A hoot to drive and stunning to look at,i would say a real drivers car as you have to work at it,handling is great,they are made to rev and sound great at 9500rpm
MPG is poor,she gets 21mpg knocking around and ive had 27mpg on a run,up to 2006 iirc the tax is £245.Oil comsumption isn't as bad as the pub bulls
tters would have you believe,I check every other fill up.Low compression engines are a problem so look for starting problems its a common sign.Coils need to be changed every 30k ideally as the work hard and when they start to get weak it doesnt burn the fuel as well and can cause CAT failure and tip wear.I believe people not checking the oil and poor maintenance is the main cause for engine problems.
Check out the owners club for further info.www.rx8oc.co.uk
Rotaries aren't particularly hard work, they just need regular maintenance that all the investment bankers/chavs with finance couldn't provide.
I always fancied an RX8, but then got the cash for an RX7 and instantly fell in love with an FD. The main thing to remember is that oil is used as part of the combustion process, so if it isn't burning, then change it regularly. If it is burning, then still change it regularly, but keep it topped up.
I won't particularly attack/defend rotaries. I love mine, but I can't lie and say I wouldn't be just as happy with a decent 6/8 cylinder.
I always fancied an RX8, but then got the cash for an RX7 and instantly fell in love with an FD. The main thing to remember is that oil is used as part of the combustion process, so if it isn't burning, then change it regularly. If it is burning, then still change it regularly, but keep it topped up.
I won't particularly attack/defend rotaries. I love mine, but I can't lie and say I wouldn't be just as happy with a decent 6/8 cylinder.
dern said:
Bought a 231 today for my wife. Don't understand the poor driving position thing at all, it was spot on.
Can't comment on anything else as we pick it up tomorrow. Not enough power for me but I reckon my wife will love it.
Mark
let me know how your wife gets on with it. mine has never had a decent car before so it would be interesting to know what your wife thinks of it. Can't comment on anything else as we pick it up tomorrow. Not enough power for me but I reckon my wife will love it.
Mark
I absolutely loved mine. Had to sell it because of a 120 miles a day commute. Definitely would have another one - particularly an R3.
I found the driving position absolutely fine, completely baffled by that. The oil consumption was fine, MPG pretty awful, interior was a beautiful place to be in - particularly as mine had sat nav too. Brilliantly made, and simply the best handling car I have ever been in - driving it was superb - particularly in the early hours, B road driving was superb as they are so balanced and revving the nuts of them is ace!
Xenon headlights, brilliant stereo, comfy, leather, and a total bargain!
I understand that people have trouble with them - I see people driving them sometimes and wonder if they understand the needs of a rotary engine; I was meticulous with mine and it gave me no problems whatsoever.
Just be aware they do have problems when not maintained properly - so get a compression check, check service history and look for all the signs that the owner knows what they have (e.g. religious checking of oil, not used in a start/stop way, and so on)
I found the driving position absolutely fine, completely baffled by that. The oil consumption was fine, MPG pretty awful, interior was a beautiful place to be in - particularly as mine had sat nav too. Brilliantly made, and simply the best handling car I have ever been in - driving it was superb - particularly in the early hours, B road driving was superb as they are so balanced and revving the nuts of them is ace!
Xenon headlights, brilliant stereo, comfy, leather, and a total bargain!
I understand that people have trouble with them - I see people driving them sometimes and wonder if they understand the needs of a rotary engine; I was meticulous with mine and it gave me no problems whatsoever.
Just be aware they do have problems when not maintained properly - so get a compression check, check service history and look for all the signs that the owner knows what they have (e.g. religious checking of oil, not used in a start/stop way, and so on)
Merlin28 said:
let me know how your wife gets on with it. mine has never had a decent car before so it would be interesting to know what your wife thinks of it.
Will do. The wife had a prelude 2.2 vtec import before she got saddled with the family car for so long so this is a similar thing from her perspective. The good thing from her point of view is that she can get the kids in the back without them being uncomfortable and yet it still feels sporty. She does 8 miles a day and knows she'll have to give it a good run every now and again to get the best from it. I'll thrash it at the weekends to keep it healthy. So we're not concerned about the fuel bills and the oil it uses.
She likes the idea of doing a track day in it for which it'll be pretty good I think and it'll be good if we both can go I can run my rotary engined kit car.
Worst case scenario is an engine rebuild at some point but with such low miles that *may* be a way off. We have a local rotary engine specialist who I chatted to this afternoon who gave me some tips and will do me a complete engine rebuild for £2.5k on the basis that I take out the old engine and fit the new one which I'm happy doing. Another type of car will be cheaper for this as you could happily buy a second hand engine. The impreza I had needed a new engine which cost me £1500 but I wouldn't buy a 2nd hand rotary I don't think.
Anything like this can be expensive and you need to be able to afford the worst case in my opinion.
To check the tax on the car you're interested in use this website... https://www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/app...
Regards,
Mark
Edited by dern on Tuesday 10th April 22:44
dern said:
Merlin28 said:
let me know how your wife gets on with it. mine has never had a decent car before so it would be interesting to know what your wife thinks of it.
Will do. The wife had a prelude 2.2 vtec import before she got saddled with the family car for so long so this is a similar thing from her perspective. The good thing from her point of view is that she can get the kids in the back without them being uncomfortable and yet it still feels sporty. She does 8 miles a day and knows she'll have to give it a good run every now and again to get the best from it. I'll thrash it at the weekends to keep it healthy. So we're not concerned about the fuel bills and the oil it uses.
She likes the idea of doing a track day in it for which it'll be pretty good I think and it'll be good if we both can go I can run my rotary engined kit car.
Worst case scenario is an engine rebuild at some point but with such low miles that *may* be a way off. We have a local rotary engine specialist who I chatted to this afternoon who gave me some tips and will do me a complete engine rebuild for £2.5k on the basis that I take out the old engine and fit the new one which I'm happy doing. Another type of car will be cheaper for this as you could happily buy a second hand engine. The impreza I had needed a new engine which cost me £1500 but I wouldn't buy a 2nd hand rotary I don't think.
Anything like this can be expensive and you need to be able to afford the worst case in my opinion.
To check the tax on the car you're interested in use this website... https://www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/app...
Regards,
Mark
Edited by dern on Tuesday 10th April 22:44
I've gota 2004 manual model with 111'000 klm on the clock which I bought less than a year ago. No problems at all until 4 weeks ago when it cost $1000 (Australian) ti fit anew thermostat. It's back at the dealer with the engine light on....he thinks it's the cataltyic converter....$3000....but I've heard nothing for 4 days. Is this shades of things to come ? Should I ditch the car and get back to a normal piston engine ? I paid $23000 for it but now it's only worth $13000 as a trade in. I'm considering a 2004 BMW Z4. although I haven't driven one.Any thoughts ?
Colinbentley said:
I've decided to "bite the bullet" and get rid of mine. Having bought it for $2300 less than a year ago I could only get $14200 as a trade on a 2003 Mercedes SLK 320. Hope Mercedes mechanics are beter trained than Mazda.
Has it actually been confirmed that it's the cat that has failed, and not the seals? Because if it's $3000 for a cat where you are, I'd hate to see the price of a rebuild.I asked all the same horrible questions and read alot of internet crap posted by people who have never owned one. I thought all the good press was from people justifying their pride aand joy, as we all do.
Then I bought one anyway. After 3 years I still love it.
mpg is poor, but the cost to buy one puts alot of fuel in it. It uses oil, its designed to, top up every 4 weeks and costs me about £30 per year. Handling, rear legroom and boot was better then any other coupe I saw and the Bose stereo is a gem.
Parts from Mazda are expensive, got aftermarket discs and pads all round for £350 vs £1K from the dealer.
Just had my first 'problem' at 55K - coil pack has never been replaced and now causing lack of power, just ordered a set and will fit the weekend.
Thinking of replacing mine but just don't know what else I would enjoy as much for the £'s.
Read the wife bit - my wife doesn't like driving mine, she is used to her 170BHP Audi TDI so finds the RX8 gutless at 3000rpm and can't get used to the thought of 8000rpm! She also finds the visability poor at the back.
Then I bought one anyway. After 3 years I still love it.
mpg is poor, but the cost to buy one puts alot of fuel in it. It uses oil, its designed to, top up every 4 weeks and costs me about £30 per year. Handling, rear legroom and boot was better then any other coupe I saw and the Bose stereo is a gem.
Parts from Mazda are expensive, got aftermarket discs and pads all round for £350 vs £1K from the dealer.
Just had my first 'problem' at 55K - coil pack has never been replaced and now causing lack of power, just ordered a set and will fit the weekend.
Thinking of replacing mine but just don't know what else I would enjoy as much for the £'s.
Read the wife bit - my wife doesn't like driving mine, she is used to her 170BHP Audi TDI so finds the RX8 gutless at 3000rpm and can't get used to the thought of 8000rpm! She also finds the visability poor at the back.
Edited by vrod on Tuesday 8th May 20:55
Gassing Station | Japanese Chat | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff