# Mazda RX8 Experiances



## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

Hi Guys,

Not looking to replace the TT but just got rid of my MG TF and lloking for something else as new job means travelling Bristol to Birmingham once a week and, fun as it was around town, the MG was a shockingly bad car to drive anythign faster than 60mph due to noise and twitchyness at high speed.

Was thinking of getting a Golf GTI or a 3 seires as a motorway cruiser and my budget is around £1k, however while trawling the ads i have come across a couple of RX8's that fall into my budget which interests me greatly as i am looking for something that is still interesting and the RX8 certainly fits that.

I am probably only going to keep it around 6 months so need something i am not going to loose money on and current prices seem to be somewhere between £1500-2500 for an 04-05 plate so if i can pick up a decent one for around £1000-£1200 i should be fairly safe on the money front.

My question really is they have a lot of bad press around unreliability and running costs. Runnnig costs dont bother me too much as going to be paid millage but unreliability does... Anyone owned one at any point? Anything to look out for? How did you find it?

Going to look at one later which seems to be up together on the advert so tempted to buy if it is as described.

Any experiance would be greately appreiciated...

Cheers


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## dextter (Oct 29, 2007)

Well I had an RX8 PZ, quite a few years back, and I really didn`t like mine.....

Yes, I test-drove for a lot of miles before I bought it, but, as with so many of us petrol heads, we concentrate far too much on how quick the thing is on the t/drive, and how well it handles, and give too little thought on how it will be to live with day-to-day........or I certainly did this, anyway !

Like most performance cars, it`s pretty good when you`re going for it, quick(ish), handles very well etc......but when you weren`t going for it, the lack of any useable torque left you floundering, with almost any Focus/Golf Tdi showing you a clean pair of heels off every roundabout.

There were some things I liked about it; the interior, exterior, and the "suicide" rear doors were all good points, but in the end, I just couldn`t live with the performance, and chopped mine in for an E46 M3 (going back a few years now, don`t forget...)

One last thing; I hope your mileage is properly covered as well, as the RX8`s thirst for fuel is incredible, and I`m talking only 16/17 mpg here. The odd thing about it though was that it achieved that whether you were thrashing it, or driving like Miss Daisy - very strange !

Anyway, in summary, keep away - or that would be my opinion on it anyway, as it goes down in my long list of car ownerships as a complete dud. As I said, only my opinion, as some people love them, but my opinion is the only one that I can give.

Hope this helps. 8)


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## richmcveigh (Jul 19, 2013)

Had some random guy in the pub (and I totally mean random - stood at the bar ordering a pint) asked me what I drove, which went like this.

Him - do you drive?
Me - do I drive? Yeah, why?
Him - just making conversation. 
Me - oh ok. TTRS. 
Him - TT?
Me - yep. You?
Him - Mazda RX8
Me - oh right [trying to show some enthusiasm]. Quick?
Him - Hell yeah? Mine would eat yours for breakfast!
Me - [laughs] Really? How many BHP has it got??
Him - I don't know, don't do numbers. 
Me - fair enough. Mine's got around 340. 
Him - it's a TT. 
Me - yeah....? Has yours been tuned or something?
Him - No, but it's flipping quick.
Me - sounds good. What will it do to 60?
Him - no idea.
Me - haha! Mine'll do it in under 4 seconds. 
Him - In a TT?
Me - yep.

Walked off after that - he was basically saying (by his tone of voice) that the RX8 is the quickest car in the road and a TT is s***. Clearly not a petrol head. An odd experience really, but I laughed about it. He had two pints in front of him at the bar.

That's my RX8 experience.


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

Lol fair. I bought the RX8. It is the 192ps version so marginally quicker on paper than our 180 TT but a very different drive. Just hope it is more reliable than the TT seems to be at the moment... Lol

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## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

I read a decent article on them in a project cars magazine last month.

Essentially they drink about a litre of oil every 1000 miles, and they can develop a few common issues, I believe cold starts can become an issue when some seals on the rotary start to wear away. From what I've read in a few places its reputation has driven prices down somewhat harshly (it's a different type of engine so people show more interest hence more publicity regarding failures etc.) but they're aren't all that bad!

Done a bit of research myself as I'd quite like to buy a really cheap one and have a crack at rebuilding the engine as they are supposed to be really easy compared to a conventional one!

Interested in your review though now that you have one!!


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

Well so far I am loving it. Only done about 50 miles in it. Given it a good wash, clay bar and polish which has bought the paintwork out nicely. It is a different drive to the TT. It is more balanced and more confidence in the front end than the TT but not had a chance to really push it yet. Engine is very different with very little torque below 4k RPM which sounds a lot in a normal car but even 8K RPM in the Rex is not that high...

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## fut1a (Dec 28, 2006)

They are so cheap because they won't start when hot because of rotor tips being worn, and it's a very expensive fix. Also their thirst for fuel and oil doesn't help.


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## dextter (Oct 29, 2007)

firediamonduk said:


> Lol fair. I bought the RX8. It is the 192ps version so marginally quicker on paper than our 180 TT but a very different drive. Just hope it is more reliable than the TT seems to be at the moment... Lol
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Okay mate, seeing as you bought one anyway then, good luck with it, and I hope you enjoy it (seriously 8) )

Just to mention something which has now come back to me regarding starting (although I`m sure you`re already combing the RX8 forums for info).........but, just a cautionary word if you start it from cold, then switch off almost immediately, ie, backing it out of the garage to wash it, say..

Apparently, it doesn`t like this at all, IIRC, and there is a bit of a procedure which can assist, which I believe (again, IIRC), involves pushing the accelerator almost to the floor when you start it. Obviously, you lift off again _immediately_ once it fires up, but I believe it helps greatly, as people have had problems with them flooding in the past, which is only (apparently) cured by it finishing up on the back of a breakdown truck on it`s way to Mazda !

Again, not trying to scare-monger here bud (not my style at all), and I`m just hoping this might help you avoid some trouble.

Anyway, enjoy the Rex; they certainly do handle like a good-un !
Have fun ! 8)


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

Yep. Did my research so am aware of the starting problems. Mine has had an updated starter fitted and seems to be fine although I have at least driven it round the block before turning it off again when it's cold...

I was aware of its thirst for petrol and it seems to be doing around 20mpg so far but I was prepared for that. Oil isn't as bad as people make out it seems from research, however even more important to keep an eye on the level than a normal car...

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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

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## k9l3 (Jan 5, 2014)

Not to be nasty but the rx8 is a very good car but s***e at the same time.

The worse part of the rx8 is engine being why they are cheap because they unreliable.
thirsty. Drink oil. Get flooding issues. Engines can pop at low mileage and is common to have rebuilds.

I love the rx8 and always wanted one but the engine wrecked that for me.
Rotary engines are no good
2 litre turbo would of made this a perfect little car.


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## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

k9l3 said:


> Not to be nasty but the rx8 is a very good car but shite at the same time.
> 
> The worse part of the rx8 is engine being why they are cheap because they unreliable.
> thirsty. Drink oil. Get flooding issues. Engines can pop at low mileage and is common to have rebuilds.
> ...


On the other hand, if you like getting your hands dirty and don't rely on it as a daily, its an awesome car! So much car for such little money can be had!


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

I think they are like any car, as long as the oil level is kept in the right place and you don't skimp on things like plugs then they can be a reliable car... I think they have their quirks and these need to be taken into account, like that fact you can't start it from cold and turn it straight off because it will flood and you have to drive it in a different power band to a conventional engine, however anyone who takes an interest in their cars would get their head around this before buying it. Yes it is a bit heavy on fuel but you don't have y a sports car if you want fuel economy... 
May the end of the day I think it is one of those cars that it is what is it and you like it and are prepared to forgive it for its quirks or you don't... 
But the TT is like that as well... Don't get me wrong I am not hating on my TT as I still have it and love it, however it has cost me £1000 in the last year in repairs (at trade rates with no labour) it has more rattles and squeaks than the RX and isn't that much better on oil or fuel so far... Yet the RX8 cost me £1000 where as the TT is worth £4000...

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## 5681 (Mar 29, 2015)

I have had one 192ps model all I had to do is upgrade the starter motor and HT leads etc never had a issue also check the oil dip stick every week due to being a rotary engine nice to drive a lot of car for the money


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

Yep, mine had he updated starter and new leads and plugs before I bought it. Was a great car, shame it was written off so soon after buying it...

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## Fatbloater (Jun 10, 2015)

I loved my RX8 - 192.
Test drove 230 and 192 but 192 had better low down torque - better for real world driving.

Only issues were warm start problems and the fact it can use a gallon of petrol sitting in the macdonalds drive thru - don't know why but on tickover it is ridiculously uneconomical. Oh and putting in oil every week was a pain up the backside.

For 2 grand though I'd buy another one if I had space on the drive purely because being inside it was just a very nice place to be !!


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## Fisher4772 (Jun 21, 2015)

A friend owns a nice looking Rx8 but it feels very slow compared to my TT .
I once owned a Rx7 type R .... That was ridiculously quick


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## Gio (Sep 22, 2015)

Its engine is not very reliable if not treated right, i wouldn't buy preowned one as you can not tell how it was handled... but otherwise it is very fun car, very different experience then TT... at least for me that is


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## BlueMagic (Feb 14, 2015)

They're shit - the end!


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## Davidjf94 (Oct 25, 2015)

Cheap, fast and very nice to drive.

But they require a hell of a lot of looking after, like any car.
The rotary engine is commonly mistaken as something that is not reliable. They'll last for a very, very long time if you know how to look after them. Regular oil changes, correct oil, not driving until the car is 2 ticks away from the middle on the temp reader, redlining as often as possible (reduces carbon build up)

There's so much stuff you need to learn, I've forgotten most of it but know the basics.
You'll spend majority of your money on petrol + oi as they average 16-26MPG.

Lower MPG indicates poor health on engine.
The problem is you buy one that had already been mistreated. If you were going to buy one you would need a compression tester.

I think RX8 is the biggest example that mileage does not mean anything.


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