How is this not an RX8?

[yayforaddison]

I just sold my RX8 about 2 weeks ago for just about every negative reason people have listed here.

That car was high maintenance, pricy upgrades, powerless upgrades (with the exception of FI), and a very bad DD. I honestly hated the fact, that if i wanted to go someplace to eat on my lunch brakes at work, I had to run in and leave my car running just because of the scary thought of flooding the engine...

On the other hand, it was a very fun to drive sports car. Love myself some light weight RWD fun!

With all the negativeness, and this affordable, easy tunable, subaru/toyota reliability, the RX8 had to go, and the BRZ/FRS sounded like a good replacement.



For those of you who knew my story understand, and if your wandering, I bought myself another 300zx while I wait

[yayforaddison]

Originally Posted by 70NYD

the only thing that the ft86 has on the rx8 at the moment is mileage, because i know it will be better.. anything has better mileage haha..
but handling, acceleration, and overall car will need to be compared when it actually comes out.
and rotaries dont have bad reliability, they have stupid owners who dont know how to maintain it properly.. thats how rumors start and spread like wild fire (remember the GT-R having a "weak" gearbox story when they first came out???)
i love my 8, and i cant wait to get the ft86

Im not dishing on the RX8 by the way. But I bought mine second hand from a dealership, not knowing how the previous owner treated it. After 24 times in the shop and me only putting 4,000 miles on the car, I had enough.

I did my research and did everything I was supposed to on this car. After the new engine, I even went ahead an got myself some BHR coils, and a few other reliable goodies, (witch once again not dissing, but $500 for some reliable coils, is a bit extreme...) But honestly, the RX8 isn't for everyone.

[Matador]

The RX 8 was a +$30k car with a rotary engine... with a curb weight of 3000lbs.

WTF @ this thread?

[KaliKev]

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

The RX 8 was a +$30k car with a rotary engine... with a curb weight of 3000lbs.

WTF @ this thread?

Agreed.

[Dragonitti]

I almost bought a used RX8 for about $17k. A price I thought it was actually worth...lol. Thank god they sold it before I got there, cause I walked away with a 350z instead.

[Sully]

Depending on price, I'll be shopping an RX-8, MR-S, Miata, and S2000 against the FR-S when it comes out. Maybe a WRX, too. I plan on calling ahead, letting the salesperson know 'Hey, I'm shopping these cars based on driving experience, I'll want it for about an hour, not a drive around the block'. Drive it outside of town, go up and down a 3.2 mile road up a hill and back.

I'll probably drive a Mini Cooper S, too. FWD or no, they're got a fantastic reputation.

As for the rx8 mileage...let's say the FR-S/BRZ is ~25k out the door. RX8 available for 16? 9k is a lot of gas!

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

The RX 8 was a +$30k car with a rotary engine... with a curb weight of 3000lbs.

WTF @ this thread?

You can get them for much cheaper, and it's a rwd 2+2.

Edit: Hell, if everybody is trading in their sporty cars for a FR-S/BRZ? And they start going at a discount? I might just get somebody else's trade in.

That's sort of optimistic of me though, I know. There's a dealership here with a 2004 mazdaspeed miata for 14k. It's been there for 10 months. Dealership refuses to come down.

[subatoy]

The rotary engine is JUNK for real life use.
-It burns oil like crazy
-It burns gas like crazy (you are lucky if you get 18 MPG hwy)
-the engine blows every 50k miles
-It doesn't start in cold weather
-it has NO torque

Simply put it's the most high maintenance, unreliable and expensive
engine to fix.

I appreciate the innovation but it's junk.

[Slick]

I just returned my RX-8 4 days ago after a 4-year lease.
The car really shines on the track, the chassis, suspension and brakes are just fantastic.

The problem as others mentioned is that as a daily driver it sucks. 18L/100kms (12.5 mpg!) is not reasonable in a lightweight 2900 lb car, let alone a typical 3400lb sportscar, it was a good week when I was able to get over 300kms to a tankfull. Also, even though my car had less problems than most RX-8's out there, it was still problematic. As a track car, it slowly evolved from a great "just get in and drive" car to one that was slowly loosing power over its term, is easily flooded and suffered badly from fuel starvation at the track. At 25,000kms, it had already fried the coils and plugged the cat.

I will be lined up for the FRS or BRZ, which one only depends on pricing, as I already know this car will suit my wants and needs: a fun daily driver perfect for trackdays, and I can pick up my 2 kids in it too. And it will be way cheaper to purchase and operate than my RX-8 was.

So to answer the OP's question, the FR-S is so NOT an RX-8.

[Marrk]

I had a 1986 Rx-7. A blown engine seal and poor service on it from the dealer kind of soured me on Mazda.

I'd rather not have a "unique" engine in the FT-86. I think the flat-4 is going to be the weak link in all this. But I could be wrong. I really know nothing of Subaru and their engines. I am just prejudiced in favor of a well-sorted inline-4 placed in a light car.

[4agze]

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

The RX 8 was a +$30k car with a rotary engine... with a curb weight of 3000lbs.

WTF @ this thread?

yeah apple and orange

[Allch Chcar]

Amazing how the urban myths have just piled up in here.

From the reading I have done concerning the RX-8 and the Renesis:

A Renesis in good condition(meaning it hasn't already blown it's Apex seals) will burn as much oil as a Piston engine in good condition. Excessive oil consumption means the engine is blown, just like a Piston engine.

They are high maintenance; premium fuel REQUIRED and never let the Oil get too low.

It's a sports car that is fun to drive on the street, plus it's a Mazda. Mazda are not known for their fuel economy compared to similar cars. The 3 gets worse MPG than the Focus and they are very similar.

The Renesis has more torque than most any 2.0L Piston engine and it's geared shorter than the average Honda.

The early Rx-8s did have problems with lack of proper and adequate oiling but 2006+ engines solved this and the 2009+ have the redesigned 6spd. Many people gloss over the fact that the Aisin gearbox used by Mazda were also prone to fail early in their life and had plenty of weak points. The early RX-8s were not a model of reliability to be sure.

Aside:
Myself, I considered buying up an '04 RX-8 knowing that the engine could fail and then swapping the engine/transmission for something else later(warranty or not). It's plenty fast for me and they are more practical than a subcompact coupe. But even 24mpg highway(which is possible) is too thirsty to me. :/ I will probably test drive one and compare to the new Brzo when I go to buy.

@Matador, mid-top range is $30k, the base Sport starts at $26k and weight varies from 2900lbs-3100lbs. The RX-8 is a better comparison than the 370z.

[Neutral_Eyes]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

The 3 gets worse MPG than the Focus and they are very similar.

The new Skyactiv engines actually do a little better than the Focus, mileage wise. Sorry for

[iff2mastamatt]

I want a reliable engine, and the FR-S/BRZ will have one unlike the rotaries in the RX-8s'.

[Fortunate Few]

Ive had my rx8 for over 4 years and it's not once given me any issues.