I've always had a thing for these, and considered one before the last 3 cars i've bought, but never actually taken the plunge.

I've been on the RX8 owners club forum for a while on and off and like the sound of things (any car that has a recommendation from the manufacturer to hit the limiter within every journey can't be bad ).

I know about all the stories regarding oil consumption and alike, so i'm just looking for some opinions from those with experiences of the RX8 (driving experience, any issues etc).

Cheers,

Matt

 

22 mpg £430 road tax,second hand value , my small local Mazda dealer has 6 in stock , Money to burn ?

 

Like you said, checking th oil is a regular occurance. If you care about the car then im sure that wont be a problem.

I had a test drive in the 192ps version, well impressed. Due to lack of torque you find yourself pulling off with alot of revs, and as you mention its a high revving engine. But in my opinion, the engine is a peach.

Its revs to 9k or so but is so smooth, not tinny like you may expect.

I was going to get one myself but ended up getting a scoob instead. The handling on that RX8 was exquisite, its an excellent ride and the handling is superb. Took it around an island and built the speed gradually till it lost grip, it never did and i was already at my comfortable speed, one that I wouldnt take a bend at put it that way!

A friend of mine owned one, he loved it, but as he was doing 60 or so miles to work everyday, and only averaging 17mpg, he had to sell it.

Well, thats about all I can say, the final conclusion being that they are a nice car, good looking, smart interior and quite quick. As long as you can adapt to the running of the rotary engine you will be sound. And can afford it of course!

Hope that helps, Mike.

 

I've looked at these, seriously for two years now and was very close to getting a second hand PZ version.

However, the car just seems fragile. I too am a member of the owners club and the number of tales of woe has put me right off! I know that forums accentuate the negative but when it's accepted almost that you'll need to get Mazda assist out to start the thing every now and again....

It's such a shame as the choice of 4 seater RWD cars is limited to rather heavy and unsporting German marques unless you have £20k+ to spend.

Steve

 

Although my pal said he never had any issues in over a year of ownership, im told they have a habit of flooding the engine on startup. I also hear if you rev it before turning the engine of it can solve the problem. This is mainly speculation however, and have no experience of this myself.

Just may be somethin to investigate..

 

This is very true, which is/has been one of the things putting me off buying one, but the same can be said for the Impreza.
My only thinking is that, for the low mpg and high tax costs, the Impreza offers better performance.

My problem is, i'm getting bored of looking for the right Impreza (one that I don't have to mod as I've already been through that already), so i'm finding myself looking for alternatives that I don't really want.

Having said that, if I found a car that really impressed me and I felt I'd be happy with, i'd have no hesitation in buying it over the Impreza.

I think I need to go for a few test drives.

 

I know exactly what you mean. It amazed me how the guys on there just accept that it's part of the ownership experience. I'm afraid that i'd get bored of it very quickly. Like you say, it's a shame because the reputation they have as a great driver's car is fantastic.

 

A mate of mine had one and 22mpg is very optimistic. They drink more than an Impreza and that is saying something.

Personally, on looks, performance and handling I would pick either an S2000 or a 350z over the RX8.

 

They are not 4 seaters though. I loved the idea of an rx8 (4 seater coupe) but after a test drive I was really unimpressed with the lack of torque especially in 6th gear.

 

Do a search on here - there are quite a few posts on the RX8. I owned a 230 from new for 2 1/2 years. Did 50K+ miles with very little problems. MPG is not great, but as long as you are aware of that then fine. They most definitely are 4 seaters - I had the car fully loaded on many occasions. 4 adults can get in and be relatively comfortable.

Handling is excellent - a real joy as is the lovely RWD chassis - the engine is very small and so far back in the engine bay that it is effectively front mid-engined. Traction control is effective although it doesn't step in too early. You can hang the back out on a wet roundabout without it cutting in. There is no reason on the road to have it switched off to be honest. Great fun.

A couple of myths to dispel:

They use loads of oil - no not really. They use a very small amount of oil to lubricate the rotor tips - this is very necessary otherwise the engine would seize up. I used to check the oil about once a month and top up if necessary - no more than I do with my current Alfa 147 runabout - and for that matter no more than anyone should do if they simply looking after any car. So please don't fall for that one. I should say that individual cars will vary as will the driving style of owners and this can effect fuel consumption. It really was a bit of a non-issue for me though.

Flooding - in the time I owned the car, I managed to do this only once. When the engine is cold the engine management system pumps in more fuel and because the engine chamber is a sealed unit, there is no where for the unburnt fuel and it can flood. Just be careful when turning the engine off when it is cold. Very simple rule: As long as the idle revs are at or below 1750 rpm you will be fine.

Chris

 

Chris, can you remember the kind of mpg figure you used to achieve?
I've heard such a wide range of figures, from 15 to 28 mpg as an average, i don't reallyknow what to believe.

 

They dont seem that fast, I overtook one who had been dawdling and he hoofed it whilst I was alongside and I murdered it, dont know what BHP it was but he looked a little upset, are they a little low on torque and need winding up to give their best ?

 

Yeah, low torque and made for razzing the ***** off them to get them going. In the RX8's defence, it's not really designed for out and out speed.

 

YouTube - Top Gear: Mazda RX8

Thought about them many times before myself especially after watching the above !!!

 

i remember when the rx8 first came out, there was so much hype.... it didnt disappoint, lovely motors
wiley

 

Just had a quick look on autotrader, I can't believe that '04/'05 examples with around 30k miles on the clock are going for £6k-£7k! This is a car thats was £20k+ a few years ago! A real bargain if you can afford to run it!

 

Remember there were two different power version off this car, did have a shot in one a while back ( passanger ) and to be honest the impression I got was that it did not seem that quick either- not sure what version it actually was power wise thou ??

what did impress me thou was the rear leg room / comfort- no problem there.

the chap who had bought the car new just a few months earlier did sell it just a short time after thou, never did get the chance to find out why, but would imagine low mpg figures etc could be a big factor !!!

also is the rotary engine a proven high mileage design ?? certainly some real bargains around just now but suppose thats the same for any car off this nature.

 

My sister had one (230 model) when they first came out managed 55K in two years in it, loved every minute of it - still no idea to this day how she managed to get her company to pay for all the fuel on it - worse than my Scoob when booted hard ! Very comfortable and quick (ish) car, easy to cover large distance at a decent rate, and as ChrisL says deffo a 4 seater - suprising amount of room in the back.
Didnt know they where the top rate road tax bracket though !

Richard

 

Matt - I usually reckoned on about mid 20s for fuel consumption. That was on a commute involving motorways and A roads. I think a lot of the variation comes from driving style and how people adapt to the rotary engine. I never saw 30 mpg, although plenty of owners did. I found that even when I was driving it hard, the consumption would rarely drop below 20 - so I just accepted it and drove accordingly!

They do lack torque - the engine simply isn't designed to produce it, but if you adjust your driving style, use the (lovely) smooth 6 speed gear box (in the 230 - 5 speed in the 190) and the full rev range of the engine and you'll be fine. I never really found it a problem to be honest. The 190s produce slightly more torque than the 230s - I much preferred the extra power though.

Just one other thought on the oil consumption issue. The one big advantage of the slightly higher than average oil use means that there is always fresh oil being added to the engine - no bad thing.

You may have guessed - I'm a real fan of these cars. I loved the slightly unusual and quirky side to them - something that first drew me towards Subaru many years ago.

Mine also had a really nice Racing Beat exhaust system that sounded great and filled out the rear of the car nicely. Pics below:

 

I always thought these cars were front wheel drive??

 

View My Scoob

 

It's different alright, but i've never been sure about the Forester STI's, can't really see myself in one.
Bet if shifts and and handles well though

 

Nope RWD on a custom-built chassis with a LSD and a near mid-engined layout. Just about the best you could wish for really

It is one of the reasons that these cars are so highly rated as 'drivers cars' - it is getting on now a bit (in car design terms at least), but the latest revised version is till picking up excellent reviews.