I’ve got a 2004 RX8 6-speed with about 69k miles that I bought new on 12/31/03 and I’m pretty sure it’ll outhandle any car on the road that cost less than 6 figures. I’ve got the suspension a bit upgraded and haven’t done much to the engine (better flowing airbox, but that only adds a couple horses), but I bought the thing initially becuase of how much fun it was to drive even on just the standard 4-turn “test drive” that the dealers in Cerritos CA all seem to use. When looking I also tested a 350Z and an IS300 (both excellent cars, and I absolutely loved that the 6 on the Z sounded like a V8) and felt that the RX8 was just a little more responsive and “fun”.

The ride (at least in mine) can be a bit hard and I have to be careful in parking lots, but that’s largely the result of my own mods (1/2 inch lowered, 20% higher spring rate all around and 2-3X increase in sway bar stiffness) which have the car cornering on rails, but I’ve taken it on multiple road trips (300-600 miles one-way) without any real degree of discomfort (that I know the car and expect the ride I have does factor in there), although my friend’s wife who gets carsick refuses to ever get in the car again (and she’d only ever ridden in it on the stock setup). I have had four adults in the car with a weekends worth of luggage for short hops but wouldn’t want to spend much time in the back seat myself.

I typically get 15.5-17.5 mpg in mostly city driving around L.A. (with mpg as high as 23&change on runs to Vegas), and the oil burning is something to be aware of, but isn’t really a source of trouble or concern beyond just keeping a spare quart in the trunk just in case. So far I haven’t had any big mechanical issues that couldn’t happen to an otto-cycle; I had the alternator go bad a few years ago and had an issue with the float in the coolant reservior causing the water level light to come on when the level was fine (possibly attributable to just a slight design kink which is a risk with any first-model year), for a 6 year old daily driver that’s not an unbearable maintainence level (especially for a non-carolla); I did have the motor-mounts collapse earlier this year and need replacemnt which is probably the only past-reasonable issue I’ve had but that’s also not a power-plant or internal engineering issue. It’s not a big fan of heat and altitude; I’ve had some temporary issues crossing AZ at 90-100mph in the early afternoon with the AC on around Memorial Day and going up 395 in the sierras in July (temp 100-105 and above 7000 ft up) but I’m not entirely certain that wasn’t partly due to the wrong gas (may have hit the wrong grade while on autopilot in AZ, and got a half-tank at a questionable station (who might have been selling 87 as 91) on the way to tahoe.

There is a different style to how to drive a wankel, and the thing will never be a great quarter-mile runner but if you want handling and a fun car to run through the twisties in, I’d highly reccomend this model so long as you can accomodate the different (but not unreasonable) paradigm of the wankel and the particulars of how to really enjoy it. Also, as much as I love my car, I’d never want to have to drive it in snow/ice (which I’d also say about the Z) but all that are things to know up front.

On a more serious note, the “Series II” Renesis engine does have a couple of significant improvements over the 2004-2008 models having to do with the oil injection system. The Series I engine has 4 injection ports located along the circumference of each rotor. The new engine has 6. Also, the oil injection pump as been upgraded. Given the choice of an 07/08 model vs 09, I’d go with the 09, especially since they are selling at discounted prices. I’d also stay away from the automatic tranny models that have lived in hot climates; the AT comes with a single oil cooler vs two for the manual transmission version.

The Wankel is no overweight torque monster but has a reliably smooth sweet spot at around 3200 rpm.

The problem with flooding was resolved by my mechanic who installed a fuel pump switch on the arm rest, shifter console. To turn off the car I hit the switch which shuts down the fuel pump and the engine runs until all fuel in the fuel line is burned. No more problems with flooding. (this also serves as a theft deterent)

I installed a Racing Beat exhaust, a K&N cold air intake and installed a set of Kosei wheels. I think the look is timeless and the sound is intoxicating.

I am now considering an RX-8

Just saw you post. I’ve been watching the prices at http://www.fitzmall.com He has “no haggle” pricing which can be quite attractive. He had a 2008 RX-8 with less than 2000 miles for around $23k and now has a 2009 Grand Touring for around $27k. Your best bet is a lightly used one, as first year depreciation on this car is in the $7-8 range. I’m probably going to wait until Mazda is ready to finally change models. The outgoing RX-8 should be available with monster deals at that time.

A rotary powered car can be finicky. However, it is hands down the most enjoyable vehicle I have ever driven. The Miata does not even come close (I drove a 2001 with the sport package and 6 speed). I have owned a 1982 with a bunch of mods to it (holley 465, holley blue pump, full exhaust, msd, etc.), and it was a riot. The rotary is made for spinning up to it’s redline. It’s been said “a redline a day keeps the rebuilds away.” My old RX-7 rusted out in the driver’s floor pan, because the guy that I purchased it from didn’t replace the old weather seals. I blew up that engine by over revving it (rotaries do, contrary to popular belief, have a finite redline). My motor went at 182k, because of e-shaft flex and crushed side seals, which led to burnt up oil control rings, and an over-pressurization of the crank case caused by massive blow by. I over revved it because the secondaries (vacuum operated) didn’t open correctly when I purchased the car. They would open unexpectedly at 6k-6.4k rpm in low gears, and before I could shift because of the shock of the secondaries, i was well above 7k.

My current RX-7 has 92,838 miles as of last Halloween when it went into hibernation. It’s a 1985. I auto cross it, and run the hell out of it. Everyone that has driven it hard on auto-cross courses or ridden with me down back roads were shocked at the handling.

Maintenance is a little more than a typical vehicle. An acceptable (from engineering standpoint) amount of oil to burn is 1 quart every 3000 miles. The Rotary burns a bit more than that, but not by much. You NEED to run the car to redline to clear out carbon. Because of the oblong combustion chamber and the burning of oil, carbon buildup CAN be a problem, but it is not something that will crop up unless you drive it like a grandma.

STORY TIME: One of my room mates in the dorms dropped out of school to be a tech at a Cadillac dealership. One of the biggest problems that they saw for a while was a valve tick in the Northstar V8’s in Deville’s and STS’s. They were replacing engines until Cadillac could figure out what the problem was. It turned out the old farts wern’t using the gas pedal enough to burn out all the carbon, and the valves were contacting massive soft carbon buildups on the top of the pistons. They were instructed to put a Cadillac specific (i.e. distributed by the company) fuel system cleaner into the car and take it out for an extremely hard drive. Carbon clean, no more valve tick, problem solved.

Back to the rotary… It is a good habit (IMO, and based on my experience with 7’s) to change spark plugs once a year. They start easier and run better with new plugs. I, along with the entire rotary community, exclusively use NGK plugs. They are more expensive, but they work the best. This may sound like a pain in the butt, but you gotta pay to play. Same with other quirks of the rotary.

To all that sited the 93-95 RX-7’s as ticking time bombs. Yes, they are in STOCK FORM. However, there was a post on rx7club.com by forum member Howard Coleman about the shortcomings of the 3rd gen RX-7, and what you can do to fix them.

Sorry for my Very bad English :(

One thing: The car does not “burn oil between oil changes.” By design, the rotary engine has a small amount of oil continuously injected into the engine to provide extra lubrication for the apex seals. It would be accurate to say that it requires “more” oil than a piston engine, but it does not burn it in the way people usually mean (i.e. when it is not supposed to). The sad thing about it, the rotary engine has, what, three primary moving parts? (!) If it had not been been held under patent all its life, if the design had been “given away” the way Gates did with the Windows OS and related hardware (somebody help me here), then maybe the automotive industry would have put their weight behind development. Who knows, we might all be driving cool running, high mpg, torquey rotary engined cars now. When you look at how a conventional piston engine operates, and all the parts inside, it’s a small miracle that it works at all.

Oh yes: I have indeed had my “8″ broadside as a function of too much exuberance negotiating a turn. Why else do you buy a car like this? Enjoy.

Reliability
I guess Toyota’s recall and replacement of over 1.5 million engines is OK?
Porsche Boxter owners with motors that break at 50K… Nissan 350Z that need new short blocks and consume large amounts of oil.

Oil Consumption

ALL rotaries use a little oil as part of their lubrication, it is NOT a fault or defect.

WILL ENGINE LAST

Many 2004 (first owners) have done well over 100,000, I know of a South African owner who has just gone over 200K.

Fuel Economy

I get 300 miles from a tank and I don’t nanny her, REMEMBER This is a sports car, since when have sports cars been known for economy?

Sure they are not everyones cup of tea, BUT, there is nothing like the sound and “quiet” thrill they give you each and every time, they are not hard to look after.
One of the best handling and top ten braking cars on the planet, superbly finished and equipped, and at a bargain price.

THIS CAR IS AN ENGINEERING MASTERPIECE…WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT

Drive it like you stole it :-)

While the Vettes will turn in better lap times on any track with a decent straightaway, and the F55 car rides better than the RX8, please don’t confuse me with one of those Chevy fanboys that thinks there is no better handling car. There’s just no better combination of handling/power/fuel efficiency/cargo space/reliability/at anything near the price point.

I’ve driven many RX7s, and the base RX8…just not an R3. Of course it handles well. Would love to try an R3 and a base car back to back.

It’s no suprise that the RX8 handles better than the 2 ton Audi, and the still heavier AWD Subaru. But better than a Miata or S2000? Better than an Elise?

I’m surprised you didn’t include a Z51 or F55 ‘vette on that list. Why not grab an RX8 at a dealership and take it for a quick spin?

What cost? Most all of the early issues were covered 100% under warranty and if it’s the engine or its core components then it’s covered up to 8 years or 100k miles in every RX-8 sold. There are just now many RX-8’s out there that are coming out of their 5 year 60k mile full warranty which would require responsibility on the owner’s part to pay for repairs outside of the engine.

I have an ‘05 RX-8, 6 Speed Manual, and it’s the best car I’ve ever owned.

Mr. Lieberman’s comments on the handling are spot on, rest assured, and I am not even speaking of the new R3.

The stories of oil consumption are soooo exaggerated. I check the oil every other or third fill up, and burn maybe 1/2 to 2/3rd’s a quart every 1,000 to 1,500 miles or so.

At 37k miles, I’ve only changed oil, oil filters and had a 30k service (manual gear oil swap, air filter, rear differential fluid change). That’s it.

If you haven’t driven one, it’s hard to satisfactorily describe how amazing the handling is, and – bonus time, how comfortable this car is as daily driver.

The steering is more neutral, offers more feedback without any harshness whatsoever, and is more sublime than my last car, a ‘04 BMW 330i.

Until you throw it into a hard bend at 5k to 8k rpm, where the Wankel shines, you won’t understand the dynamics. The 9,500 rpm limit makes it the closest thing to a motorcycle with four wheels, as Jalopnik opined.

How Mazda was able to combine such incredible handling given the comfortable ride is a mystery.

In the winter time in Michigan, the thing is a champ in even deep snow with dedicated winter tires.

Is it any wonder that the engineer for the RX-8 was a chief engineer for Porsche before his stint at Mazda? Maybe that explains the absolutely perfect 50/50 weight distribution and excellent LSD.

Best sports car value of all time, bar none.

It’s no suprise that the RX8 handles better than the 2 ton Audi, and the still heavier AWD Subaru. But better than a Miata or S2000? Better than an Elise?

JL’s flair for hyperbole is well known on these pages. Makes for interesting reading, no doubt!