Maxda RX-8

Ha seems they are not a popular choice of car then!

I have quite a big sum of money free every month, and a few pounds saved for a rainy day. I have owned a lot of cars that have cost me a fortune to maintain so am not too bothered about running costs, its just at the back of my mind some suffer from oil problems and the like and don't really want the hassle of the engine blowing up etc...

I just need to know if the short trips to work and back will cause any problems?

:)
 
Always seems to be a lot of hate for the rx8 here..


I own a 2004 rx8.

The frequent small 4.8 mile Journeys aren't good for this car. It needs time to be warmed up properly, it needs to be redlined at least once a trip to clear the crap out its system.

It uses oil to lube rotors, and if driven hard, it uses more oil. It will use on average 1000miles per litre of oil.

The tyres aren't cheap, £150+

If you do buy one try and get the owner to do a compression test to see how good the engine is.

Also see if it's just been serviced,
Spark plugs cost £100
Coil packs last around 30k and cost £200.

On the plus side, no cam belts to worry about.
The seats and interior I have found to be of good quality, no rattles and comfortable. The stereo is very very good!

You will get 15-20mpg. I managed a run of 330 mikes on a full tank, running on pretty much nothing when I got there. Average full tank of £80 will get you 200-260 miles.

It is a good handling car and is fine in the rain with good tyres.
The boot is reasonable but obviously rear seats do not collapse.
Rear seating space is good if your under 6ft and is very comfortable.


Don't buy this car if you want a cheap run about, it will cost you and you will need to look after it.

Oh and don't buy one newer then 2006, road tax goes upto 450 a year, otherwise it's 260.
 
gurusan said:
This is what the rotard crowd has be been spouting for decades and it's a bunch of BS.
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The just short of 10k rev limit, perfectly linear power delivery and the balance/CoG offered by the engine being mounted so low and far back, afforded by the size of the rotary engine, pretty much makes the car.

You lose all of it with an LS1, or even a ***** 4 pot.

That's before you consider the noise and the flames (decat) :D
 
JonnyGeee said:
Always seems to be a lot of hate for the rx8 here..


I own a 2004 rx8.

The frequent small 4.8 mile Journeys aren't good for this car. It needs time to be warmed up properly, it needs to be redlined at least once a trip to clear the crap out its system.

It uses oil to lube rotors, and if driven hard, it uses more oil. It will use on average 1000miles per litre of oil.

The tyres aren't cheap, £150+

If you do buy one try and get the owner to do a compression test to see how good the engine is.

Also see if it's just been serviced,
Spark plugs cost £100
Coil packs last around 30k and cost £200.

On the plus side, no cam belts to worry about.
The seats and interior I have found to be of good quality, no rattles and comfortable. The stereo is very very good!

You will get 15-20mpg. I managed a run of 330 mikes on a full tank, running on pretty much nothing when I got there. Average full tank of £80 will get you 200-260 miles.

It is a good handling car and is fine in the rain with good tyres.
The boot is reasonable but obviously rear seats do not collapse.
Rear seating space is good if your under 6ft and is very comfortable.


Don't buy this car if you want a cheap run about, it will cost you and you will need to look after it.

Oh and don't buy one newer then 2006, road tax goes upto 450 a year, otherwise it's 260.
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Thank you :) Excellent post! So you reckon the short trips I do to work wont do the car any favours? I say most weekends I tend to do a few good miles visiting parents and the like so it will be the time it gets used most.
 
pokerking said:
Ha seems they are not a popular choice of car then!

I have quite a big sum of money free every month, and a few pounds saved for a rainy day. I have owned a lot of cars that have cost me a fortune to maintain so am not too bothered about running costs, its just at the back of my mind some suffer from oil problems and the like and don't really want the hassle of the engine blowing up etc...

I just need to know if the short trips to work and back will cause any problems?

:)
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See above... I liked my RX8 and will recommend them... but those short journeys will kill one!
crinkleshoes said:
RX8 is not the right car for you.

Those frequent short journeys will kill the engine.
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pokerking said:
Thank you :) Excellent post! So you reckon the short trips I do to work wont do the car any favours? I say most weekends I tend to do a few good miles visiting parents and the like so it will be the time it gets used most.
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Personally I work 4 on 4 off, I work 7 miles away. I go for longer trips on my days off to give it a good run, I have had zero engine problems touch wood !! So far!

Depends really what kind of traffic and route you have to work I guess, and if you prefer to go a slightly longer route to get there. This engine requires a lot more maintenance then a normal piston engine!

The flooding issue you will hear about only happens if the car is cold, and you move it a very short distance. When cold the engine idles around 2k rpm. Once warmed it will then idle at the usual rpm. If turned off when still cold you'll flood engine. Something to look out for that I forgot to put in above post! My mrs moved mine off the drive and left it at the bottom :-(
 
JonnyGeee said:
Personally I work 4 on 4 off, I work 7 miles away. I go for longer trips on my days off to give it a good run, I have had zero engine problems touch wood !! So far!

Depends really what kind of traffic and route you have to work I guess, and if you prefer to go a slightly longer route to get there. This engine requires a lot more maintenance then a normal piston engine!

The flooding issue you will hear about only happens if the car is cold, and you move it a very short distance. When cold the engine idles around 2k rpm. Once warmed it will then idle at the usual rpm. If turned off when still cold you'll flood engine. Something to look out for that I forgot to put in above post! My mrs moved mine off the drive and left it at the bottom :-(
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No stop start traffic as I miss both rush hour traffic times, tends to be fast driving on dual carriage ways and 40MPH roads. I really want to try one, I don't keep cars often as I get quite fed up! But the RX-8 has me intrigued :) Just need test drive a few now I guess. How is the slower I think 190?? Compared to the 231?
 
I looked at all the cars that "ticked the boxes" as it were and i picked the 350Z ahead of the RX-8 .

I have no outlay in terms of commute and the car is basically "for fun". EVERYTHING screamed 350Z ahead of the RX-8. Many people seemed to be lulled in to a false sense of security by the buying price - i.e its a car that should be outwith the buyers price range but oddly isnt - there is a reason for that!

I love the Zed but i have no illusions about how it falls into my price range. Many people can afford to buy it second hand but cant afford to run it and the people who can afford to run it can usually buy a more prestigious car. Im one of the few who falls between two stools so got a bargain.

There really isnt too many short cuts here IMO.
 
I drove the 231 before buying my 192. I drove them within a day of each other, tbh I didn't notice much difference other then the 231 had a 6th gear and a slightly higher rev limit.
Just try them both yourself tbh, I found a good deal on what I bought, only had one owner and 37k on clock with the guy providing every receipt for the things purchased so couldn't resist!

To the guy above mentioning 350Z, that's tw car I wanted but couldn't afford the insurance and the extra for the car otherwise I'd be sat in one myself now :-)
 
placeholder said:
I looked at all the cars that "ticked the boxes" as it were and i picked the 350Z ahead of the RX-8 .

I have no outlay in terms of commute and the car is basically "for fun". EVERYTHING screamed 350Z ahead of the RX-8. Many people seemed to be lulled in to a false sense of security by the buying price - i.e its a car that should be outwith the buyers price range but oddly isnt - there is a reason for that!

I love the Zed but i have no illusions about how it falls into my price range. Many people can afford to buy it second hand but cant afford to run it and the people who can afford to run it can usually buy a more prestigious car. Im one of the few who falls between two stools so got a bargain.

There really isnt too many short cuts here IMO.
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I nearly bought a 350Z, but the lack of back seats and the horrendous structural member taking up a sizeable portion of the boot put me off it.

Oh, and the engine sounded dull, but any of the various exhaust changes would have sorted that out.

The 8 was just slightly more practical *which made it girlfriend approved ;)* and felt a little more fun at normal speeds along back roads.
 
Flibster said:
I nearly bought a 350Z, but the lack of back seats and the horrendous structural member taking up a sizeable portion of the boot put me off it.

Oh, and the engine sounded dull, but any of the various exhaust changes would have sorted that out.

The 8 was just slightly more practical *which made it girlfriend approved ;)* and felt a little more fun at normal speeds along back roads.
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Did you think it had back seats before you "nearly bought" it??

If back seats are an issue then clearly its not the car for you. Equally boot space.

I *totally* understand why people dont buy it for reasons of practicallity but if i had the need for such practicallity i wouldnt even have it on a short-list.
 
placeholder said:
Did you think it had back seats before you "nearly bought" it??

If back seats are an issue then clearly its not the car for you. Equally boot space.

I *totally* understand why people dont buy it for reasons of practicallity but if i had the need for such practicallity i wouldnt even have it on a short-list.
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Oh here we go... The "quotes of dooooom" Don't worry. I'll go back to the motorsport forum after this. Thanks.

I knew it was a 2 seater. She liked the 350Z, liked the styling and the orange *wasn't so keen on that myself, but blue was an option* We tried the 8 after the 350Z and found it was a more rounded car while still being fun. We were happy with the 350Z until we tried the RX-8. That just won out.

It's not like we decided against the 350Z and went for a Volvo 240 estate diesel instead.
 
Flibster said:
Oh here we go... The "quotes of dooooom" Don't worry. I'll go back to the motorsport forum after this. Thanks.

I knew it was a 2 seater. She liked the 350Z, liked the styling and the orange *wasn't so keen on that myself, but blue was an option* We tried the 8 after the 350Z and found it was a more rounded car while still being fun. We were happy with the 350Z until we tried the RX-8. That just won out.

It's not like we decided against the 350Z and went for a Volvo 240 estate diesel instead.
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Im sorry i wasnt being arsey, sorry if i came across like that. Dont desert the forum based on my cack-handed post!

All i meant was that back seats are a deal breaker surely? When you look for a car you either need them or you dont?

If you choose a car over another based on seats then your short-list is wrong, if 4 seats was even an issue for me i wouldnt have considered the 350z.
 
high running costs and in some cases terribly unreliable (one of, and probably the main reason why my brother got rid of his). However disregarding the reliability aspect they're well rounded cars that are great fun and generally a nice place to be sat in as well. I think most of the points I'd have made have already been made so I wont re-iterate them. Sorry OP but I really don't think these are for you mate.
 
Great car to drive, but you really don't want one! The engines are shot by the time they hit 60k (worn rotor tips) and they suck fuel like nobodies business. You get around 17mpg no matter how you drive it! Add to that nobody will buy it off you when you realise what a mistake you've made. I learnt all this the hard way :(
 
Thank you very much for the reply's and genuine experiences, decided to go look at a 231 within the next few days, so I can get a real feel and look at the car. I have not driven one in the flesh so I am interested in how the 1.3l Rotary engine feels. I have been told they handle good so time will tell :)!

I have noticed they come with satnav, well some. Is it any
good and can you put TomTom maps on it?

Thank you!
 
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