21st Nov 2009, 02:22
Well, perhaps Mazda should have equipped RX8's with a fuel pump kill switch as standard equipment.
Sorry, but no modern car that is purported to be a daily driver should have problems flooding.
11th Jun 2010, 15:25
I'm looking into picking one of these up, but I hear good and bad about it.
I love the room, 4 doors, seating comfort, ride and such. What I don't get is the people that complain about poor gas mileage... are you kidding me, it's a sports car, and no matter how I'd drive it, it'll get better than the SUV that is the family vehicle.
A lot of the bad comments I see are from uninformed people just reading and responding with no experience.
I read in forums that this car is just the bomb, but you can't neglect it. Warm it up and cool it off when driving... what's so bad about this; it's hard on a piston motor to start and take off when it's cold.
Change the oil regularly and make sure to check it regularly, because it's made to use a little oil.
Premium gas; oh well, it's a sports car. Heck, my moms A4 requires midgrade, and unless gas goes back up well into the $4 range, it's not a major deal.
I have come to the conclusion that this car is a car enthusiast's car; fun to drive, different, not many on the road, which I love (how many Mustangs and G6's and such do ya see on the road; looking all alike). Lots of mods available if you'd like to tweak it.
I think people gave it a bum rap, because they've had or heard about problems with the motor and stuff. This is a totally different animal than other cars, therefore you can't treat it the same; it needs attention, and if you weren't properly informed by a previous owner or dealer, then you'd have lots of problems.
Now all I have to do is convince the wife on getting a manual tranny, as she said the other night "I'm too old to learn how to drive again", and she's all of 31.
16th Jun 2010, 15:36
I have personal experience owning this car. Reliability/quality were horrendous. Mileage is in line with other sporty cars, but surprisingly low if you consider the car's weight and engine displacement. The special care you need to exhibit (cool down, warm up), is a pain in the butt if you use it as a daily driver.
For me, it had too many drawbacks, and I sold it. But, if you're a rotary fan and need four seats, it's the only game in town.
24th Apr 2011, 09:26
A cool down is normal for heavily turbo charged vehicles, and even diesels with little turbos need to idle for a few seconds to cool the turbo unless you want mechanical failure fairly soon. All vehicles are better treated gently from a cold start until they warm up; it reduces wear on the engine. If you are used to vehicles like this, then the idea of warming a car up and cooling it down should not be all that alien. I'm considering an RX8, and it would appear that they are pretty good if you can afford the fuel, and you're OK with staying on top of the maintenance. I used to run a TVR Cerbera, which combined awesome power with spectacular unreliability, so the RX8 seems like a pretty safe option really.
28th Nov 2011, 13:08
This car is not a Ford Taurus. It is a sports car. If you don't want to deal with the issues it has, do no buy it. This type of car is a life style, not a day care car. You sure aren't going to buy it and take your family of five to McDonald's in it. You should do your research on any car you buy.
9th Oct 2012, 11:39
OK, so my 8 was working just fine until I took it drifting. It just suddenly cut off on me, and wouldn't start back up by the ignition. We had to push start it, and even then, it was acting up bad. All you smelled was gas and I was topping out 10mph in 3rd gear... WTF!!! So I took it to a mechanic, and he said there was a kill switch on the engine, to where if there were too many G's put on it, it would tell the injectors to stop throwing fuel into the engine. I'm wanting to know if this is true, and if so, where it is located so I can reset it?
18th Nov 2009, 15:51
This is a rotary engine works different than a piston engine. You have to let it warm up before you drive, and let it cool down before you turn it off. The flooding problem is an easy fix with a fuel cut switch. Instead of turning the ignition off, you turn off the switch and it kills the fuel pump and the engine dies. Turn the ignition off, turn the switch back to on, then when you go to start it, tada!!