I have been very seriously considering buying a 2004 RX-8, since my 95 miata was stolen two weeks ago. So much thatI have a deal on the table at a local dealer for one at about 22K. I thought i had done all my needed research and had a great feel for the type of car i would be buying. However, I must admita lot of the posts now have me spooked, with stories remencent of my old1987RX-7. Is the RX-8 as bad as people making it out to be or are the horror stories a bit over blown? I dont want to go through the same problems I had with my RX -7, and the car not starting, bad fuel milage, tranny problems, engine seals, engine flooding, and other issuses people are ranting about. Being a teacher I have a short comute every day (only about two miles each way) and I do a lot of short trip driving . This would be myprimary means of transportation and Iplan on being in what ever carI buy for a while. Is the RX 8 the right way to go or should i look else where? Any input will help.

 

Here is the bottom line. The RX-8 is a sports car and should be treated as one. As with any sports car it must be well maintained and driven accordingly. The onlydisappointment I have with my 2004 RX-8 is the gas mileage, with high octane(91) costing $3.00> per gallon and having a small gas tank fill-ups are constant.However, I didn't buy the RX-8 for fuel economy, I bought it for looks and performance. So you have to ask yourself, what do I want? Fuel economy or performance.

 

I just bought an 04 RX8. I love it, however gas mileage is not that great, and the engine does need maintenance. I also have a 94 RX7. I've had no problems with either vehicles, they run strong and are very powerful. However, I do reccomend that you understand how a rotory works before you buy one. A rotory motor is not to be treated like a normal piston engine, u need to change oil every 2-2500 miles, i'd reccomend synthetic, check oil constantly, these engines go through oil more than normal vehicles. Also, it is a SPORTS CAR. It is a harsh ride over bumps, it is not meant to go over rough roads, so just be careful. You will love it, but at times you will wish u had something different to do runs for home depot or things like that. Just think about it fully. If u live in an area that recieved snow fall, then get the rx8 as a 2nd car. If you dont get any snow fall, enjoy!

 

Short commute? You'll have that flooding problem more than other people do. The Mazda dealership recommended that before I stop the car, that I run the engine to 7k and pop the key off -- that's to burn off excess fuel that causes the flooding. So, if you don't mind looking like a dork revving your car to 7 grand in the parking lot daily, then you're golden. But with a 2 mile commute, you'll wish you had a longer drive every day. I hate getting out of my RX-8, I just want to drive and drive and drive...