Looking for opinions on RX8

[bw_audio 10+ year member]

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[BobbyDD 10+ year member]

Oh NO! I must have missed it in your first post that you were looking at an automatic RX8. The automatic is really the deal killer for any rotary person because you miss most of the fun that was designed into the rotary engine which is at the top end. Thats why the most pristine, low milage, 2nd gen RX7s are found with automatics, because they dont get driven. And when they are sold the automatics are almost always switched out for a manual so the new owner can actually enjoy the car.
Having said that...

the automatic is the best choice for your daughter.

I'll bet you can put a pretty nice stereo in there!

I apparently forgot to mention it in the first post, my bad. The car handles great so I bet it would be fun with a manual, but I'm glad it's slow for her benefit. The stereo will probably remain factory unless we take the car over from her someday.

 

[DarkFire 10+ year member]

If anyone is going to get a V8 SHO, be sure to get the cams welded. Yamaha and Ford ****ed up the cams and they will walk right off the shaft if it isn't welded or pinned. When they go its like snapping a timing belt on your honda, DSM or any other interference engine, Everything gets ****ed up....

xWhatever on the Taurus. Mine has 100k on the clock with the duratec. Cheap to buy, cheap to insure, new parts are cheap to get, excellent crash ratings.. Good first car.

 

[johnmasters 10+ year member]

Well, now that your an owner you'll need to go over to rx7club.com and rx8club.com and start learning.

Congrats!

 

[dvrmstrng 5,000+ posts]

kinda surprised you bought it after the comments on here

 

[BobbyDD 10+ year member]

Well, now that your an owner you'll need to go over to rx7club.com and rx8club.com and start learning.
Congrats!

Thanks. I've already been reading on a few RX8 forums but haven't found a favorite yet. I need to soon though.

kinda surprised you bought it after the comments on here

I didn't, my wife did.

 

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

Thanks. I've already been reading on a few RX8 forums but haven't found a favorite yet. I need to soon though.



I didn't, my wife did.

rx8club.com is the largest and most informative from my experiences. Make sure you teach her how to check the oil, and to do it everytime she puts gas in it!! The engine burns oil, and she WILL have to top it off at least once every 3k miles.

 

[mackin 10+ year member]

good call on buying the RX8. i don't agree with all of the "too much car" comments. it really isnt very hard to get used to a car that has what, like 220 horsepower or something? My car sits low as well and has a supercharged V-6 ('99 Mazda Millenia S). I think i've become a better driver because of the capabilities of my car vs a 4 cyl civic or something.

 

[GearGuy2001 10+ year member]

I didn't, my wife did.

Now we know who wears the pants //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

What kind of mpg does it get, I need a car shortly that gets decent mpg cause I'm going to do some long commuting next fall.

 

[BobbyDD 10+ year member]

rx8club.com is the largest and most informative from my experiences. Make sure you teach her how to check the oil, and to do it everytime she puts gas in it!! The engine burns oil, and she WILL have to top it off at least once every 3k miles.

I'll join rx8club.com soon. Thanks for the advice on the oil too, that's the kinda thing it's better to learn now than later the hard way.

Now we know who wears the pants //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif
What kind of mpg does it get, I need a car shortly that gets decent mpg cause I'm going to do some long commuting next fall.

Meh, she spends her money and I spend mine. I don't know about the gas mileage yet but I don't think it's very good. It takes premium too.

 

[mackin 10+ year member]

Meh, she spends her money and I spend mine. I don't know about the gas mileage yet but I don't think it's very good. It takes premium too.

truth. i was reading something online about the 1.3 rotary and they said it gets pretty bad mileage for what it is.

 

[GearGuy2001 10+ year member]

truth. i was reading something online about the 1.3 rotary and they said it gets pretty bad mileage for what it is.

yeah according to msn auto it isnt anything special

Im looking at a tdi jetta now, can you say 45+ mpg highway

 

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

Not only is the gas mileage not that good, its pretty bad...

I average about 17 mpg. On all highway I can get up to about 24 or 25 mpg.

Also, this is the part the OP isnt going to want to hear lol... She needs to take the car to redline at least once each day. The motor is not really efficient at burning all the fuel, and it will build up excessive hydrocarbons. Taking it to redline will help to burn these off. She needs to wait until the motor is warm before she revs it hard, and it has to be redlined under a load (in gear). If you dont do this, the undurned hydrocarbons can build up in the motor and can really affect yoru gas mileage.

Also, dont turn the motor off before it is warmed up... The unused gas in the engine can create too much pressure and keep the motor from starting. This is called flooding, and is an inherit flaw of the motor. Just tell her to make sure the motor heats up before she shuts it off and she shouldnt have an issue. But in case she does, Mazda has extended the warranty for some issues, including this one, to 5 years/100k miles, and they offer free roadside assistance (read: free towing). I have had to use this once...

 

[BobbyDD 10+ year member]

Not only is the gas mileage not that good, its pretty bad...
I average about 17 mpg. On all highway I can get up to about 24 or 25 mpg.

Also, this is the part the OP isnt going to want to hear lol... She needs to take the car to redline at least once each day. The motor is not really efficient at burning all the fuel, and it will build up excessive hydrocarbons. Taking it to redline will help to burn these off. She needs to wait until the motor is warm before she revs it hard, and it has to be redlined under a load (in gear). If you dont do this, the undurned hydrocarbons can build up in the motor and can really affect yoru gas mileage.

Also, dont turn the motor off before it is warmed up... The unused gas in the engine can create too much pressure and keep the motor from starting. This is called flooding, and is an inherit flaw of the motor. Just tell her to make sure the motor heats up before she shuts it off and she shouldnt have an issue. But in case she does, Mazda has extended the warranty for some issues, including this one, to 5 years/100k miles, and they offer free roadside assistance (read: free towing). I have had to use this once...

That sucks, thanks though.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif We checked the oil before she got it and I said "what the fuck is that white shit on the dipstick"? I found out in about 1 minute of searching online that it's normal for these cars.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wow.gif.23d729408e9177caa2a0ed6a2ba6588e.gif Thanks again for the advice, I'm taking notes.

 

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

I freaked out at that the first time too lol