Faults:

Clutch, engine rebuild, and an O2 sensor was faulty.

General Comments:

Red 2006 RX8, amazing looking car, speedy and great to drive.

Bought as a weekend car and I have loved every minute of it. Stunning to look at and drive. Interior spacious for what it is. Rear "suicide" doors are interesting.

Insurance surprisingly reasonable, but tax cost is a joke and it is terrible on fuel (19 mpg so far at best).

But you probably know all this if you are into these cars. Be aware engine rebuilds at low-ish miles are not uncommon also. I hope you know a Mazda mechanic if buying one yourself!

But it is a fun car, what I do not get is why it has such low value - I have tried to sell mine recently (still love it, just time to move on) for as little as £3000, no one wanted it, I do not know why - it is the right color, with full service history and good condition. I guess as my summary says, the RX8 just leaves even Mazda fans cold, the RX7 is where it's at. But for budget price fun the RX8 is well worth a look, do not get me wrong, it is a great car. Maybe one day the value will rise - so actually I will hang on to my car.

Faults:

Nothing.. yet.

General Comments:

I really liked the look of this car, both from the outside and inside.

The interior is really nice, very flashy and not the usual cheap Japanese plastic.

Although little has gone wrong with the car, my biggest disappointment is simply this car has no torque. It feels gutless, but when you look at the speedo it's really moving.. then it beeps at you as you've redlined it (again).

Also the dash seems to crack and rattle at high revs, and with the K&N I installed to replace the standard air filter, it made SO MUCH noise from the front was basically stupid. I put the original back. Not pleased overall.

Faults:

Needed a new cat converter, probably down to the very low mileage and the car previously not being driven properly.

Front brake disc warped and creaky drivers seat when cornering.

General Comments:

Not as reliable as other Mazdas, but still better than most.

Truly fantastic handling, pinpoint razor sharp steering with great weight, no body roll, good grip even in the wet, nice engine note. Unique in its class and like nothing else.

Sure it's thirsty, but it doesn't get through much oil, probably 1 litre every 3,500 miles, so why does every one complain? It may seem like more to some, but the oil sump is very small.

Mine has sat nav and the joystick is a little fiddly, and the unit isn't very quick.

Heating could be more effective, but nothing will touch it round corners.

Strato blue paintwork looks fantastic and the comfort is great, you can really use it as an everyday car. Lovely detailing, great dash, ooozes style all over.

Forget the dated S2000 which is £8k more and depreciates just as much, more reliable than the TT and less MX-5 like than the Z3!

Faults:

Catalytic Converter crumbled (replaced under warranty)

Engine replaced due to dodgy seal (replaced under warranty)

Alloy wheels corroded (replaced under warranty)

Brushed Aluminium strakes corroded (replaced under warranty)

General Comments:

The RX8 is a beautiful car which drives like a dream. It has superb acceleration and handling that means you're confident of where the car is going and where it should be at all times.

Interior trim is great, everything fits and has maintained a good sheen after 4 years of use. I hadn't realised how great till I took a serious look at a new (non-RX8) car and realised how shabby some of them can get after only a year or two of use.

The sound system is great. Quality, clear sound. Again, you don't appreciate it until you listen to some basic sound system in some other car.

Storage space is limited, but with some creative packing I've transferred bicycles, massive suitcases, and even 4 people and a whole team's cricket gear.

Fuel economy is poor, but then everyone knows that. You just get on with it and enjoy the car instead. Lows of 18MPG and (rare) highs of 24 but averages between 20 and 21MPG.

The heavy oil consumption is just a myth. Some cars will use lots, some will barely touch it. I've had the car over 4 years and have used less than my old Fiesta of 2 years.

Ditto with the flooding. If you don't drive it 5 feet then turn it off, you won't have a problem. I've never flooded it once in 4 years.

Despite the problems listed in the faults section, I still feel that the build quality is great, and I regret my decision to trade it in soon, but with the increasing fuel prices I must downtrade to another car. I know whatever car I get won't be as good as the RX8.