Buzzer

Been to see it but not drove one yet.

They seem a really decent spec. but wondered what anyone thought and whether they've driven one yet...............or has anyone bought one?

They are on a 5 month waiting list so driving one is a problem. I could book a drive but wanted to know if it was really worth it before i go any further if at all

Pete

matlow

mother has one of these, handles well, pretty quick but the engine note is quite dull, this is only a prob depending upon your preference. very nice car, only real downside is she's getting about 17 Mpg. which to be fair is really crap, she's not one to really horse it about (i.e. its a fashion accessory)

p.s. its the low power version

Olly

Got a Hi-power on order, for 1st September.

A chum let me have a go of his lo-power a few weeks ago. I was absolutely bowled over, and ordered one more or less the next day.

Its a winning combination for me. Its a car of the moment, the looks are bang up to date. Great handling, steering and gearchange. Very practical (10 times more than a 350Z). Beautifully finished. Quick as well.

Tons of standard kit and gadgets coupled to a cheap asking price mean its a bargain.

High demand, limited supply, no discounts, waiting list, and no cheap imports should keep residuals nice and firm ( I sink my own hard earned into cars: this matters).

Downsides are fuel and oil consumption, but I don't do high miles so not a problem.

IWatkins

Other benefits:

1. It is a Mazda, they are super reliable (always have a handful of cars in the top 10 JD Power, but hopefully, the RX8 will be in there too).

2. If you do have a problem, their warranty is also great. Covers the whole exhaust system as well (a consumable to most other manufactuers). I claimed on our warranty on our W reg 323 Sport and it was no trouble at all. In fact, I didn't claim, I just said there was the occasiaonl puff of blue smoke on startup. They had the car in, whipped the head off, replaced all the valve stem seals etc.

3. Don't know about other Mazda dealers, but ours are the nicest bunch of people you are ever likely to meet. Nothing is too much trouble, servicing is easy (pickup/return it for you, or a courtesy car), they return calls when you ask them to, have a really tasty bit of skirt on reception (your mileage may vary here).

4. Doesn't matter if you are buying a new car or an old smoker off the forecourt, you get the same level of attention.

We (well the missus), liked our W reg 323 Sport (which we bought from this dealer at 12 months old) so much, we have just bought a Mazda 3 Sport Saloon and couldn't be happier. No running in, first service is at 12k miles etc. etc.

Anyway, I test drove the RX8 HiPower and loved it. Only thing that let it down for me was the lack of noise. But nothing an exhaust couldn't fix, may even be an option (was on our Mazda 3). Handling was lovely, cockpit is great in all black, spec. is very good and the power was usable. Liked it a lot but the cost was little too high for our taste and the glovebox wasn't big enough, so the missus discounted it on the spot

</mazda sales pitch>

Cheers

Ian

Buzzer

Thanks for that chaps

I take it thats a resounding yes.............which is nice

I am more interested in the high power (230bhp i think) which is around 22k. Not sure if i could justify the leather option though.

Yes they do do a high performance exhaust system as the show car at our local dealer has one put on. He said it costs £1,500.00 Tis stainless steel and has high flow sports cat instead of normal converter and is gaurenteed for life

I'm just waiting to see what he can do on the part ex, which i think will be the stumbling block as they have no need to drop prices to sell them. Hey ho lets just see what i get offered

IWatkins

Buzzer,

In my experience, Mazda dealers will give you book price for your old car and no discussion will be entered into.

Cheers

Ian

Wild Mark

I read in one of the car mags that they go thru oil like strawberries to a donkey!!!! worth asking the question.

Mark

Rokerlad

Nice motors but they are common as horse muck now. I see about 5 a day on my short drive to and from work.

matlow

this always makes me laugh "common as muck" if a cars good its sells well, buy a crap car because no-ones got one? think NOT.

Olly

Funny that, in our neck of the woods, ie the "surface wealth" capital of the UK (Wilmslow/Alderley Edge area) the RX8 is still a very rare sight. If you don't see 5 Cayennes in a morning then there is something wrong. Maybe its TOO cheap?

Go for the optional leather: I didn't want it until I saw the cloth, which reminds me of my grandad's old Cortina Ghia. You will suffer at resale time, and they throw heated chairs and 'lekky adjustment, which is nice.

Johnny sti

Ive looked into it but fear an engine rebuild at about 40k! Its a rotory like the RX7 which, so im told, needs a rebuild at 40-50k. So where do you stand in about three years time when the warranty has ended?! I know it won engine of the year, but i feel thats because of what it is. Probably won it when the RX7 came out to!
Nice car and great price (in blue please!!)
Johnny

IWatkins

Most Mazdas, you have the option to extend the warranty out to five years. It is a cost option, but only a couple of hundred quid. Peace of mind.

But I think the design of the RX8 engine is supposed to be make it much more reliable than the RX7 engine. I guess time will tell.

Cheers

Ian

CrisPDuk

That's slightly unfair IMO. Unless you were winding the boost up to silly levels, you only needed a rebuild to replace the rotor tips, this was due to the wear induced by having the exhaust ports on the circumference of the rotor housing. The new renesis motor has both inlet & exhaust ports on the housing side, so the rotor tips never come into contact with an edge.

You also have to bear in mind that with a swept volume of only 1.3L, AND with a pair of turbochargers for good measure, it is unfair to expect to be able to extract the sort of hp figures most owners were/are getting, without some sort of payoff in terms of durability.

scooby_si

as crisp says & 40-50 is a worst case most people quote 60k as the guidline figure & many go longer & as said that's with 2 blowers & more dubious ports so cant see the 8 being anything other than a good runner. I believe slightly poor mpg has been overcome by sum ecu sumin or other in the US although the UK still seems to be playing dumb....
Only time will tell but they are nice cars & cannot be knocked...
Si (luving his RX7 even thou it's a bit bent lol)

scooby_si

oh & anyway i recall there being sumin about engines being under warrenty permenantly if kept up to service schedule etc although that could be my sketchy memory playing tricks......
Si

Buzzer

Si

I was told that the RX8 has had an overhaul of the ecu and it addressed fueling issues which dogged the RX7. I didnt really understand what the sales bloke was getting at but that seems to address the issue you raised above

mikelmr

Normally aspirated Rotary engines in Mazda's are long lived and reliable ... and have been for 20+ years, the 3rd gen was a real ***** out eat into the safety margin type car (even the brochures talk of the weight saving philosphy used !) and it showed in that the car is a real beast and is still a superb car 12 years after it arrived on the scene But it did the rotary engine a great injustice as it was a relatively short lived and unreliable engine (as are most all out performance engines)

you need to look back to the last N/A engine mazda made to forcast what the future for the rx8 is .. and if the second gen N/A rx7 is anything to go by they should last well

Oh and Rotary engines inject oil into the engine to lubricate the rotor housing and tips ... so it will use oil, its designed to. It will at least teach people to look after cars and check their oil more often !

Mike