2004 Mazda RX-8 consumer reviews

this car is pretty good sport style car for less money, it's perfect for people who can't afford super expensive cars. it also can be upgraded with lots of stuff to get all the power from it.

Want to turn heads in a hot and sporty coupe styled ride and still have a sedan-ish back seat for your friends or spawn? Buy this car. Incredible handling, perfect 50-50 weight balance, and she hugs the curves of the road with the same passion and motivation that you had when you hugged your first love. This car is for the car enthusiast that wishes they had a coupe, but needs the sensibility and options that a handy back seat can give. Most people can't even tell there is a back seat until you swing open the hidden suicide door to magically reveal an extra spot for your extra passengers. Thrilling to drive, an honor to own, and an eye magnet to all that cross your path. Choose the RX8. Zoom Zoom.

Great design, great performance, very unique in every way. If only Mazda could devise a more reliable version of the amazing rotary engine

Very nice car. There is a little more upkeep to own a RX-8, but definitely worth it. Great styling inside and out.

The Rx-8 is a 6.5/10 in my book. The pros of this car is that it handles really well, it's quite a looker if customized tastefully, and the interior is somewhat nice! It CAN be reliable if treated properly which includes regular changing of coils (30k miles), pre mix, oil top offs, and oil changes every 4k miles. The only things which went out on mine was a starter at 89k (OEM starter), and the AC/water pump belt. This cost me about 65$ plus an hour or two of my time to fix. You can get them for pretty cheap now. Your BEST bet is to buy a rolling chassis with the engine pulled out for 3 - 4k and buy a rebuilt engine from a REPUTABLE dealer for another 3k! You have a like new car for 6 - 7k, so that's a pretty good deal! However, the car has a tendency to consume an appalling amount of gasoline (think 500 Horse power, V 10, Aston Martin MPG) while producing a puny 200HP at the crank. It also burns oil, and requires a little premix. Without including the price of oil changes, I probably shell out 100$+ a year for this extra care. It also produces a ridiculous amount of heat because the exhaust is so hot. This tends to raise the temperature in the cabin by approx 10F in the cabin if you don't have the windows rolled down. This can be very uncomfortable in the summer if your AC isn't working. It also SUCKS in the rain. Every time I drive it on the free way, I'm always anxious and on edge because I don't trust the car. I find that 55mph is a safe speed to go in moderate rainy conditions. Lastly, parts are super expensive, even from salvage yards which is a bummer. Engine rebuilds run around $3k if you should ever need one which is far too much since you can have a professional drop a juicy LS or Ford engine for about 5 - 7k. Main take aways. Reliable if taken care for. Running costs high. Pain in the assa in rain. And exhaust kind of hot (might be my cat a little clogged too). ALWAYS get a compression test before buying one! Good look fellows.

Ive owned my rx8 for a year now and bought it with over 100,000 miles and havent had a problem with it at all. Still has the original rotary engine and has never been replaced. This car has the greatest cornering and handling ability for its class. Not so much torque but thats what your 9,500rpm redline is for, the car just loves to rev and its required you redline it daily, its not your average machine. It consumes gas and oil but creates a smile on your face. One of the funnest cars to drive out there on the market. The engine revs so smooth and it attacks corners without breaking a sweat. Seating is good enough to have a six footer such as i, in the back and front seat. I always get questions and compliment about my mazda and love the faces of the people who ask me how many miles im on with the original engine. This car is reliable to an owner who knows the cars functions. Its reccomended that anyone intrested in the car, should do research on it before they decide to purchase one. It differs from your average automobile and should be looked over alot. This car has never let me down and with the way it runs, i can imagine the same engine running strong even 150,000 miles later down the road.

A lot of people complain about having to replace engines in these cars, most people don't know that it's because they baby it and don't drive it hard. that's actually bad for the car, you have to drive it hard for it to last longer. It's a rotary engine so the higher rpms are good for the engine, keeps it from having carbon build up around the rotary. if you baby it then it builds up inside the engine and eventually goes out. Drive it like you stole it and these last forever plus it sounds great.

Rotary Engine is fan to drive the most power you get when you reaching about 4 to 5K rpm,( the red line begining at 9K) car run like a bullet from 60 to 90 mph. Very nice interior design.Grat car for sports cars fans.

I love my 8. It's fast, very comfortable, and handles amazingly. I've maintained it very well, including redlining it once a day (supposed to do this for rotaries), and it's never let me down. The Mazda RX-8 isn't a normal car, in any sense. It has high maintenance costs, and requires quite a bit of maintenance and care. It's also quite expensive to modify because this car's market for performance parts is so small. It's an EXTREMELY fun car, and being so, you have to pay to play. It's not a car for people who do not have automotive knowlege...just buy a Camry. This car is for people who love rotaries and don't mind spending a little money keeping her going. If you don't maintain this car, it will bite you. Hard. But if you do maintain it, you'll love it like I do. If you don't have any extra money to put into it, don't buy it. But don't be an idiot like some people and give it a bad review just because you bought it and can't afford to keep it up. It's is designed to use some oil, and just because you don't like buying oil to top it off doesn't mean it's a bad car. It just means you didn't do your research.

the car is beautiful, fast, etc. mine has about 100,000 miles. the engine has been replaced twice, one within a year of purchase due to a recall. over the last four years it has cost me about $5000 in things that shouldn't have gone bad. mazda factory parts are rediculously over priced. one part which the service manager told me was some dinky little thing cost like $700. both door lock motors are gone, transmission reverse switch went so every time i put it in reverse it blew a fuse. i can go on and on. but i have a 100,000 mile care with an engine with about 12,000 miles on it that they paid for. would i ever buy a rotary engine or mazda again. NEVER