Educate me please

graemer

graemer

graemer

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21 Apr 2004
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Its will be new car time in a few months and I have already began looking.
One think that has caught my attention is the 2.6 RX8 (my other thought is a 146 3lv6 only because I lived my alfa gtv) as they are around £7k for a 04 reg. £7k is probably my limit.

Any experts out there. What could I expect? Anything different re servicing for a rotary engine etc.
 
The RX8 will drink oil. You'd have to keep topping it up. It will become very annoying and expensive.

For £7k I'd be looking at an ST220.

What do you need the car for? Mileage? Saloon? Coupe?
 
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Rx8 is 1.3l not 2.6? :confused:

But yeh... eats oil. It'll be fine if properly looked after but I'd want to see a FSH and make sure everything was perfect with the running gear as the costs really mount up when they go wrong
 
The 1.3 rotary has been likened to a 2.6 because of the way it works, hence why i think it won an engine of the year award in a 3.0 and above category

So basically it is the same engine, just different places quote different displacement figures. There are two different power figures that the engine comes as though. A 189bhp and 227bhp
 
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Vigoro said:
The 1.3 rotary has been likened to a 2.6 because of the way it works, hence why i think it won an engine of the year award in a 3.0 and above category

So basically it is the same engine, just different places quote different displacement figures. There are two different power figures that the engine comes as though. A 189bhp and 227bhp
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I see. The one I was looking at was quoted as 231 bhp so its kind of there.
 
Ricochet J said:
The RX8 will drink oil. You'd have to keep topping it up. It will become very annoying and expensive.

For £7k I'd be looking at an ST220.

What do you need the car for? Mileage? Saloon? Coupe?
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A guy is interested in an RX-8 and OcUK recommends a Mondeo?! :eek:
 
I need the car just beacuse I like it if I am honest. My car history is mixed between very sensible cars and slightly silly cars (I still regret selling my Peugeot 406 3l coupe).

I am actually quite random when buying cars. But I still like to consider other alternatives.
 
Amoeba said:
A guy is interested in an RX-8 and OcUK recommends a Mondeo?! :eek:
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He was interested in a 146 or an RX8, so the only requirement he seemed to have was a 7k performance car - the ST220 is one of the best practical performance cars 7k will buy, what's the problem?

The 330ci would be worth a look for 7k
 
The lack of knowledge about the engine size and your questions about the servicing indicate you are the wrong sort of person for an RX-8.

I used to own one and, whilst nothing went wrong, it drinks like there's no tomorrow (both oil and petrol) and in terms of pure performance, just isn't up there where it needs to be to justify such a hunger. They were ~24k new. They're only 6/7k now because nobody wants them.

Your shopping list should include 330s, ST220s, CTRs and such like.
 
you say you need a car just because you like it, then you say it has to have back seats... fair enough.

Why dont you tell everyone what you actually require that way it will eliminate a lot of the options.
 
[TW]Fox;15508783 said:
Citation needed.
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13B-MSP Renesis:

Wikipedia said:
All the Mazda rotary engines have been praised for their "light weight" but they are quite heavy for their size. The unmodified 2005 13B-MSP Renesis has a curb weight of 122kg without engine fluids (such as coolant, oil, etc), transmission (automatic transmission weighs more than manual gearbox), carbon-fiber-composite drive-shaft, differential weight, or any aftermarket components[citation needed].

These and other innovative technologies allow the Renesis to achieve 49% higher output and dramatically reduced fuel consumption and emissions (the RX-8 meets LEV-II). It won International Engine of the Year and Best New Engine awards 2003 and also holds the "2.5 to 3 liter" size award for 2003 and 2004, where it is considered a 2.60 L engine. Finally, it was on the Ward's 10 Best Engines list for 2004 and 2005.
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International Engine of the Year 2003

Yes I know Wiki isn't the most reliable of source's but I'm sure for the purpose of this thread it will suffice. As for educating the OP on the joys of the Rotary engine, as has been said it will drink oil and fuel. I'd be looking to buy one with a full service history and I'd make sure I knew of a reliable, trustworthy garage / mechanic just incase the worst happens.
 
I woundn't recommend RX-8, my brother got the 190 version and that thing drink so much. I think he's paying something like £450 for road tax. I had ITR DC5 for a year, it was a faster car and much cheaper to run comparing to a RX-8.

Might as well get a Mistsubishi EVO 8 if you're going get a RX-8, 4 doors family car = )
 
graemer said:
Its will be new car time in a few months and I have already began looking.
One think that has caught my attention is the 2.6 RX8 (my other thought is a 146 3lv6 only because I lived my alfa gtv) as they are around £7k for a 04 reg. £7k is probably my limit.

Any experts out there. What could I expect? Anything different re servicing for a rotary engine etc.
Click to expand...

192 version discontinued before the R3 was released - pointless car anyway. Less power and limited to 7500rpm. 231 is the one to get - 9000rpm, 6 speed box and xenons. Get the leather interior - sat nav isn't bad but the update discs are pretty expensive. RX-8 is now officially discontinued by Mazda - New RX-7 and RX-9 in development apparently.

Buy after feb 2006 registered and it's the £400 a year road tax. Before that and it's £215 iirc.

Oil - around 500ml to 1litre per 1000 miles - check level every other petrol fill up.

Petrol - it is possible to get 300miles from a tank...if you drive like a gran on sunday. 260miles seems to be the average for me when being sensible. Can be as low as 10mpg on a back road hoon though. :D

Servicing - Pretty reasonable from the main dealers. Varies on what service you need though. Average is around £200 - Some less, some more.

Engine - 1.3litre ****el rotary - rev the nuts off it - it loves it. Check a smooth operation all the way to 9000rpm and the beep works. ;) Check oil level and service history - oil is essentialy to the ****el - it burns a small amount in the engine with the fuel to lubricate the rotor tips.

Alloys tend to corrode - it's fairly normal to see a small amount of corrosion around the centre caps of older cars - if the wheels are refurbished by an pro place then the corrosion should go away.

Practicality is fine though - easy access to rear seats - which do hold humans rather than just torso's. Boot is reasonable, not immense but holds enough crap for a week away for me and the other half quite easily.

RX8ownersclub.co.uk is a good resource for information.

RX8 isn't a car you buy with your sensible shoes on. Can't do short journeys in it really, ****els flood if turned off when cold. Fuel and oil consumption. But, I can't think if anything that I would change to that offers me the same fun *and practicality for the other half*

7k will probably get you a tidy higher mileage 04 231 now. Probably with the leather interior. But once again - prices for them seem to be on the rise.

*edit*

Yay for crude censorship. :D

****el... :D
 
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