hey guys im planing to buy a second hand mazda rx-8. what should i know before buying? and after.? is it really worth it? why is it cheap?

rotary engine.... thats why its cool, thats also why its cheap u better have some fairly deep pockets if you want to maintain this car

word of advice, being able to buy the car does not mean you should buy it. You should first find out if you can maintain it.
1)parts can be obtained, its actually not an issue BUT prepare to fork out quite abit for parts (not so many parts available locally, shop will order them)
2)overhauling the engine costs quite alot (its an old car, be careful bout what owners tell you, if you are really serious, get a comp test just to be safe)

high fuel consumption

Very well balance car. Get a manual. And be prepared to learn alot about rotaries. It's gonna be fun

really nice car i agree, but his wallet will at times suddenly get lighter or disappear altogether.....

This post has been edited by lsm1991: Jul 4 2016, 05:34 PM

Fc wise is terrible for sure.
However engine reliabililty isnt that bad as many tot.
On stock the engine is quite lasting.. However when owner start to overboost (13B from rx7) .. The apex seal is not lubracate enough hence the rotary failed.
Not too sure about the NA renesis engine thou.

I did own the first generation RX8 Auto when it was first launched, nice sharp drive, perhaps it is the auto gear system, throttle response is kinda of laggy, this is very obvious on track when you are clearing out of the apex and ready to gun for the straight. Driving on normal day to day road is not going to do justice to the car as it is the same for Civic Type R. In addition, your heart beat will be in sync with the speed the fuel gauge needle heading to the 'E' sign. Not exaggerating, it is that fast.

Do a google search on the year of make for that lady you are looking at, learn about her more. As with what the others said, this car you need to know your stuff to own her. Rotary is sweet but can be a bitch when she decided to throw tantrum at you. Broken piston rings, out of sync, miss firing error, consume engine oil is just part and parcel of daily life. However I did hear that 2nd gen onwards, things are better as Mazda engineers went ahead to improve the model.

As yourself what is your reason for looking at it?

Is it because its one of those sportscar that happen to fall within your price range? if that is the case, then please don't...

Is it because you are interested in trying your hands at a rotary as most petrolhead would be interested in owning different types of car configuration at one point in time. if that is the case then read up more about it. Overall it is not as bad as the RX7 in terms of maintenance.

but let me ask you, which do you think is faster on a highspeed run from KL to JB? A Civic FD (not even the 2R) or a RX8. the former, coz the RX8 you will have to refill once. lol... its a joke, but the fuel consumption ain't encouraging.

all that being said, the RX8 is actually pretty practical.

RX8 fuel and maintenance is quite heavy. Not really recommended for daily drive. My friend own a manual version and full tank can get only 2xx km only. Engine also need more tender loving car. Take a look at this video explaining about rotary engine and why it require so much care (RX7)

https://youtu.be/sd6pJtR4PaY

friend owns one.... his is the later batch model (circa 05 i think) thats why i say its not exactly the cheapest car to maintain..... as a weekend car its alright guess, but as a daily driver? find a more hardy sports car

edit: oops dont know why i tagged you, sry!

This post has been edited by lsm1991: Jul 5 2016, 12:17 PM

well i dont mind spending for petrol and parts. im just afraid coz i dont know how to check the engine and the dealer can say many things for me to buy. wer do i get the comp test done?

im planning to use this car as a weekend car. i already have a kia spectra which is fully paid so i will have only rx8 if i get 1 to maintain. how much does the normal service cost and before i buy the car how do i test the engine.. im aware of the fuel consumption and what im gonna get into but this has been one of my favs.

you always need to carry 1 bottle of engine oil in your car. that why this car is cheap for a reason.

any garage that has the right tools can do it for you i think.... i dont think a comp test on a rotary is any different from performing the test on a typical piston engine...

*would be better if you can get a rotary expert to check the car....*

you have a kia spectra... mind me asking, how much you are willing to fork out yearly on this car?.... someone who owned one mentioned that it is almost the same as maintaining an evo/sti...... (dif type of car, i know )

thats one of the reasons i myself slowly veered away from one (my budget admittedly was very low, me poorfag maxing out at around 50k, could find cars going for that price but not much excess $ incase crap happened)

im sry i dont get your question? you mean for rx-8 ?
well im not really sure about that. but i know no point buying that car if i only can afford to pay monthly. im just afraid ill chose the wrong second hand car. i was duin research, it seems have to rebuild the engine after a certain km

Think properly before you buy this money pit. Yes it has the style and performance, but in the end it will guzzle more fuel because its a rather inefficient engine. Engine wear and tear is also higher since its a rotary engine.

There is a reason why there no other manufacturer in the world is using this engine, except for Mazda who is still considering this engine for their latest RX sports car.
Most owners would have modified the car to squeeze extra performance. This will surely take its toll on the engine.

i was just wondering how much you are planning to allocate for maintanance fees alone (not tax and insurance, just oil, wear and tear, mods that kind of stuff). just fyi there are other pretty decent alternatives around

actually like another forumer said.... the later batches are pretty reliable, its not actually as horrifying as you read in some forums.... my friend's rx8 (I cannot remember many details about the car tbh) had about 70k's when he first got it and he drive it all the way to 110k without overhauling stuff... it was an alright car he owned it for quite a while. He did sell it off once in the end, when it needed a rebuild, never told me how much he was quoted to fix it up, but i quote him saying: "not good, not worth my effort. Better off selling it", so sell it off he did (this was a few years back, red bone stock rx8).

keep in mind, once a sports car is always a sports car.... you must never forget, performance cars are never going to be cheap to maintain in the first place. (have some 1st hand exp here )
IMO the question one should ask when maintaining a sports car is how bad can it be? always ask yourself if you can maintain the car before finding out if you can buy the car

if it is your favorite car, just get it. You will learn about the car as you pay for the bills

Haha true also so any second hand rx8 user here. Pls share ur views. How much is it to rebuild the engine

I was wondering. Get the car, change to normal engine? Will it work? You still get the looks of a nice sports car without the engine

right you are, actually... ppl have done this.... 1/2j, sr, rb.... this 2 have all been done if im not wrong... (i know of at least 1 1jz and 1 2jz rx8's running around in malaysia)

problem is... the rx8 is known to be an extremely well balanced car, transplanting a much larger engine would ruin that balance maiking the car alittle.... pointless

I wonder if anyone here ever heard about premix fuel for rotary engines? I learned about this in this video last year. So basically Mazda did have a rotor housing lubricating system that was not that good. The guy in the video deleted that system and premixed the fuel with 2T oil to lube the housing. A quick check around sites confirmed that this was a method used to extend the life of the seals.



Go to 6:29.

One guy in some forum said that while premixing is great, it does have its drawback that the ratio cannot change to accommodate different loads. Some said a more complex solution of separate reservoir with metered feed is the best way.

I wonder is anyone in Malaysia used either these methods before?

Put a 1.2 turbocharge engine, not a 2.0 NA

That should settle the weight issue.

1.2 erm......... i cannot think of any that will fit in easily and have the power to pull the heavy body (it is quite heavy)

RX-8 is a good car to own, but you will need to understand & how to care the Rotary engine first and find a reliable mechanic which can fix this type of car..

Rotary RX-8 (N/A)

Pro
- Good for high rev & light (Get the 6-speed manual if possible to get the most of it)
- More durable compare to RX-7 Turbo

Con
- Fuel consumption still high compare to normal 4-cylinder engine
- Need to always check engine oil, as this engine is design to use engine oil to cool down the apex seal in it!
- Expensive to rebuilt ( Durability of the apex seal is worst 80,000Mile or around 100,000km need to rebuilt!) and need proper special tool to check the car compression.
- May need 2T oil to premix the fuel to care for apex seal.. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUBhJM2An34)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3uGJGzUYCI

The Achilles heal of this engine wont last long, expensive to rebuilt & fuel consumption is high and most mechanic wont recommend to rebuilt the engine as the cost of it is almost the same as getting a half-cut or engine kosong. So you will need to prepare at least RM5k for it if any emergency.

If you got time, tons of forum in the net for Rotary newbies to read before you decide to own it or not..

http://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-19...rt-here-202454/

This post has been edited by littlefire: Jul 8 2016, 09:20 AM

exactly. And sell it if you no longer interested to use it. Or no longer want to maintain it.

Price already bottom, won't rugi much.

Yeah.. I agree. Best thing about these kind of all sports cars with low value is that u can play at lower cost compared to those first gen owners... Aftermarket parts can find cheap from those that dekit... Repairs u learn from those that have done through all the trials and errors.... Maybe can find cheaper solution also... and like Yamma said, when u sell it won't rugi much also can u imagine those that bought at 80k and sell now? Sakit sia.