Should I buy an RX-8?

C

CHICO2003

:
MSP & MS3
I have an MSP... live in the northeast. This winter has really pissed me off. I think my fugly snow tires have seen snow once... what a waste! I'm starting to rethink this whole "gotta have awd" thing. In fact, I'm starting to rethink it to the point where I'm almost willing to go to the opposite extreme. Naturally, I like the RX-8 a lot. Putting aside the RWD, it seems to be the perfect balance between sport and practicality. (with it's 2+2 setup) Though I've had more than 2 people in my car maybe twice... the rear seat does make a handy 'shelf' so its' sort've a must have I guess.

Anyway... here's the deal. I found one that I like locally... I'm just curious exacatly how bad this thing truly is in 'bad weather'. From the RWD to the stock tires... should I be overly concerned? Since I'm rarely ever in a situation where I'm forced to drive during bad weather, I think I can get by with a car like this... but before I pull the trigger, I want to know what some actual owners think.

I'm also curious about the maintenance on this vehicle. Since it's rotary.. is it basically the same as any other or are there some things I need to know? Also, gas mileage. Exactly how bad is it anyway?

Thanks
 
what, this snow we're having tonight ain't good enough for ya??? :p

DO NOT drive the 8 in snow w/ the stock tires, they are completely useless, get *at least* all-seasons if you plan to do some light driving in icy slush, snow tires if you plan to drive a lot in ice/snow.

have you owned a rotary car before? if not the only 'extra' thing I have to do in maintenance compared to my old Protege is to check the oil level regularly and change oil more frequently (3000 mile interval for me), other than that the RX-8 has been quite maintenance-free for me.

gas mileage, if you do A LOT of short distance driving with lots of startup/shutdowns, you'd probably get around 17mpg or so, lower if you drive more agressive under those conditions. That said, I do mainly 50/50 mixed driving during my daily commute, it is 35 miles one way, and I have consistently averaged high 19's to low 20's in mpg under those conditions. Most piston engine owners would consider that to be poor gas mileage, but hey, it is a rotary engine after all, it is the nature of the beast. you can't confuse it with a 2.0L inline 4 engine (evil)
 
I'm just glad this snow came on a weekend. Even with my winter tires on the msp, driving to work in this wouldn't be fun. Speaking of winter tires... yeah, I'd basically do the same thing I did with my msp so, rwd aside, it sounds like that might be enough to get me by in light wintry weather. You live in CT? If so, have you had any scary moments while driving in some of the crap we had back in early december? (since then this winter's been a breeze... well, except for new years that is.) the gas mileage sort've blows... (I average 34 with acetone now) but hey, for that sweet a ride who cares?
 
i live in northern VA, so thus far this winter i haven't have to subject my 8 to *any* icy surfaces yet. i also have a beater Camry at my disposal when the weather gets crappy, like today, so i guess i'm the wrong person to ask about winter driving in the 8 :p

why don't you check w/ rx8club.com and see what 8 owners that actually live in the NE says :p
 
beater cars rule. good idea... checking out rx8club.com that is. I didn't realize this forum didn't have that much of an rx-8 following. thanks again.
 
I love how you guys complain about the drive to work in snow. Try working on the ramp at an airport in winter, it's brutal.
 
I agree with ZoomZoomH's major points.

Definately do not use the stock tires in winter. I didn't know this my first winter and had a few very scary incidents, thankfully none of them actually ended in damage. Also, I'd add that I discoverd that "winter" means when the outside temperature drops to freezing, REGARDLESS of actual snow or ice on the ground. The stock Bridgestones loose a LOT of grip in the cold, even on dry pavement. I thought I'd be fine leaving summer tires on as long as I didn't actualy drive in the snow (I don't need the car to commute), but I found out from personal experience that I was mistaken. Now I use a set of all-seasons as my winder tires and haven't had any problems driving around in cold weather or light snow.

As for gas milage I've long-term averaged around 16-17mpg with about a 70/30 highway/city split. Although, my average highway speed is ~80-85 mph. Keep in mind that fuel consumption increases linearly with cruising speed, so I'd expect someone who mostly drives 70 to have as much as 20% better mpg on the highway.

Watching the oil level hasn't turned out to be so bad. My 8 went through oil at a much faster rate when I first got it (~1qt per 1K miles), but Mazda has been fine tuning the oil injection so I find it's much less (~1qt 2K-3K miles) durring "normal" driving. On a race track the 8 ravanously consumes both gas and oil (~9mpg >1qt per day) so I've learned to keep her well fed when I do and event like that.

Otherwise, I've found the 8 to be a phenominal car. I do not have a beater, so the 2+2 practicality has been a major win for me. Even though the trunk is modest, that back seat allows for much larger items. Also those back doors make it INFINITELY easier to put stuff/people in and out of the back seats than in a normal 2+2 (although there is a funny dance you have to teach everyone on how to get 2 people in/out when there is another car close in a parking lot).
 
cool...thanks guys. honestly, I think I may have changed my mind. not sure I can deal with such pitiful gas mileage. (no offense) I mean 16/17mpg?? wtf is that? I can get better with a hemi!!

but yeah.. I agree. after test drivingthe car, it's a sweet ride for sure! if mazda could just figure out how to give it decent gas mileage it would be a home run
 
CHICO2003 said:
but yeah.. I agree. after test drivingthe car, it's a sweet ride for sure! if mazda could just figure out how to give it decent gas mileage it would be a home run
Click to expand...
I solved my mileage "problem" by purchasing a MSP ;)
 
the car is good in snow WITH SNOW TIRES, and its good in rain WITH RAIN TIRES...the stock dunlops are pretty good in dry/wet.....the stock bridgestones (i hear) are ok in dry and a little less ok in wet.

if your gonna drive it in the snow you NEED snow tires, other than that its nice, and the DCS works well in snow.

other than adding oil and making sure its 'warm' when you shut it off, its just like any other car.

I get 18-20 mpg in the city, and about 22-24 on the highway.....i only use 93, but the car can run on 87 with no problems, just a little less performance.
 
Think the whole snow bad weather has been pretty well covered. aka no stock tires in any heavily bad weather :)

The MPG really isn't that bad, I mean the stick lists it around 18-25 and it pretty much follows that. So least there is no lieing about what it gets unlike some cars which struggle to get the EPA rated mileage. I'm on the same boat as Zoom Zoom in I do mix driving (70 miles 1 way, 50% highway, 50% city) and will average around 21-22mpg.

The adding extra oil is not something you always need to do, however it is best every couple of fill ups to check your oil. Hint do not do it at night in a gas stations that has no lights on. Aka keep a flash light handy....when you see where the dipstick is you'll understand. :) But as our Rx8club shirts say "Your friend needs oil, he thinks "Pepboys", you think "lemme pop the trunk". Best to keep a quart in the trunk just in case you need to add any.

I also love the back seats even though I've rarely put anyone back there.
But name 1 car in the Rx8's class which you can move a coffee table inside the car! Plus I've put all 4 tires in the car before when switching them out for winter. For the most part I use the back seats to stow small bags for trips that I like to have access to or my laptop which I don't want swinging around in the trunk.

Dunno what else 1 can really say the car is extremely enjoyable to drive every single day whether fast, slow, normal etc.
 
i have driven several 2-4 hr trips with 3 and 4 people, they are confortable and everyone can get out of the car at the end of the trip and doesnt have a hurt back or anything.....Ive also taken a nap int he back seat (ran out of gas and had to wait for a friend to bring me a gallon....im 5'10 and its not to bad...its no 760Li but its confortable.

I check the oil everytime i put gas in it, but I only end up putting oil in about every other fill up, and even then its maby a 1/4 of a qt. Ive done it so many times now that is 2nd nature, and I can pull up to the pump, start putting gas in, pop the hood, check the oil and other fluids (brake and coolant) and close the hood and STILL have time to spare waiting for the gas to finish pumping. (thats putting in 10 or more gals.)

I drive about 250 miles a week, its all city roads, stop lights, ect. I get 18-20 mpg (usaly right around 19) and I fill up ever sunday night, it costs about 35-40 to fill it up every week. On long trips (down to miami, tampa, ect.....(im in orlando)) I get about 22-24mpg.
 
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