Mazda RX-8 6 Speed 231ps

I own one too...2004 1.3 etc etc....it's a spectacular car...at the price you can buy it it's relly the most cheapest sports car in the europe.it has quite some power..in consumes as well...but for a rotary engine that is unique it's adorable.I have a saying : "if you can buy it, afford it won't be any problem" :)

The bad thing is that the cooling sistem inside as by stock car is a failure because the air doesn't arrive where it should be because all that capsulation,and so as I as many did like me modifyed a litle more the engine part so it can cool faster and better...lot of work...but worth it.

Last part : TUNING ! It's the way you can go and transform your rx8 into an rx 100 and that's the gr8 part.!

Enjoy owners buy nonowners !!!

I have a family car and a fun car. The RX-8 R3 is my current fun car, but my children love it so much that it spends more time on the road than I planned for!

Bad points - fuel consumption is an issue, but consider the low second hand purchase price and no need for cambelt changes. Road tax is the highest and insurance needs shopping around for. Low torque at low revs means that it is no dragster, although she don't half go when you use the 4,000 to 9,000 RPM band.

Good points - everything else! All the bells and whistles, cruise control that works in any gear at any speed, aircon, switchable traction control, Recaro seats, great Bose sound system, auto lights and wipers, mica paint, excellent built quality, bluetooth, fast rack electric power steering, speech directed phone system, amazing 19 inch wheels, variable red zone rev counter to ensure correct warm up of engine, beeps to insist on a new gear, wonderful exhaust note, brilliant 6 speed gearbox, very purposeful road presence and race track handling. I could go on. I used to have a Caterham Seven, and this is just as much fun to drive..... Cold start - stop solved in this version too. Astoundingly smooth acceleration, but do keep an eye on the speedometer!!!!!! Nothing else quite like it and other RX-8 owners wave hello. Good, supportive online owners club too.

If you can afford the fuel costs and have petrol in your blood then the RX-8 R3 should be on your bucket list. Every journey is a special occasion.

THESE VEHICLES ARE AWESOME, RAN THE CAR AS A COMPANY CAR BUT THE FUEL BILL GOT THE BETTER OF ME, PERFORMANCE WISE ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, BEST ACHIEVED WAS 26 MPG ON A RUN AND 17 MPG ROUND TOWN. I HAD THE PZ VERSION WHICH HAD A FEW LITTLE EXTRA'S LOVED THE CAR, CANNOT THINK OF ANY FAULTS DDURING THE SHORT TIME I OWNED IT.

Had my much loved RX8 for 4 years. Ran ok for the first year but started to have problems starting the engine after stopping. Mazda recalled all RX8's to change the program on fuel intake. This seemed to make the problem worse and now if we pop into THE Asda, You have to wait for approx one hour before it will restart. I have a few rust marks on the boot lid and inside the door frame. This car has all extras and will be going on sale soon for a mere £3000 Please let me know if you want it. Mark

There isnt much more one could ask for in a car! BEAUTY! - Handles like a dream! This is my first car and I dont think I could have inducted my way into the motor world in a better way!

I have had this car for just 4 days and I am completely and utterly in love with it!i traded it in for my Mini Cooper S and thanks to the current fuel price picked an 06 plate with 15000 miles for just £9800! THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION THE MOST CAR FOR THE LEAST DOSH currently available!

Looks

It looks amazing!

where as the more expensive nissan 350Z/audi TT's look like beefed up VW beetle with the high roofs, symmetrical ends and semi circle curves - this is a japanese mustang!

It has so much presence hunkered to the ground an looks amazing from any angle. But i would buy the dark grey - its the most in keeping with the muscle car rear end.

Performance

I was initially disappointed with the performance as my beloved coopers s felt a LOT more torque-ier in low gears an had a nice growl which this car doesnt....................

however spend a bit of time getting use to the fabulous gearbox and getting used to not changing gear til 9000rpm! and things suddenly come very much alive. over 4000rpm the 'washing machine' sound of the engine turns into a high pitched almost motorbike wail, that gets heads turning and induces a huge smile of satisfaction.

Handling is simply FANTASTIC. I keep throwing this car into bends at speed I know my cooper s would have toppled/crashed at and it just keeps finding more and more grip! This reason alone is enough to have you scouring the country for twisty roads and reawakening that magic feeling Mazda call zoom-zoom!

Inside is a special place to be - with even the cloth seats looking fabulous and the 7 speaker 6 cd changing BOSE stereo sounding amazing it feels pure QUALITY.

I cant believe new this car is only 4-5 grand more than the shoddy mini.

Who cares if you have to rely on your wing mirrors a lot for visibilty!

The fuel consumption is a bit of joke - its cost me £50 to do 150 miles at the moment. and it seems to be true that it likes a bit of oil now and then - ive had it 4 days and have had to put a litre in but thats not an accurate gauge yet)

but as a fellow rx-8 owner told me just before i bought the car - 'its smiles per gallon' that this car is all about and boy does it deliver.

Having initially dismissed this car as a silly little Wankel engine with quirky doors, i was RESIGNED to getting the fast but ultimately ugly/uninspiring 350Z due to a lack of competition.Boy was i wrong - if youre tired of sporty hatchbacks, are in the market for a fun little coupe ......BUY THIS CAR!

I owned a Skoda Octavia VRS for 6 years and 95,000 miles and loved every moment of it. Before that I had a Ford Puma, which I thought was the perfectly handling FWD sports coupe.When the time came to bid farewell to the Skoda I wanted something faster, stylish but still fairly practical (I have a 15 year old daughter and 11 year old son). I toyed with the idea of a BMW M3 (the later 6 cylinder model), but was put off by high insurance and servicing costs. The only other cars that had taken my eye since owning the Skoda were the Alfa Brera (dismissed as too slow) and the Mazda RX8.I ended up buying a 3 year old, 17,500 miler 230PS model in black with leather (all black), sunroof and sat nav and picked it up earlier this week.After 400 miles or so my initial thoughts are that I made a good choice.Performance is very different to the turbo VAG engine in the Skoda, with little torque below 5,000 revs, but let it run around to the 8,500 warning and the 230 flies (0-60 is supposed to be around 6.2 seconds)On the motorway, it pulls reasonably from around 3,000 revs, although you'll need to drop a cog on the slick six speed box to get it to really pull away. The engine is extremely smooth, though, meaning the car's often traveling faster than you think.Handling is excellent. I've not driven a better balanced coupe, personally, and it's closer to a true sports car in its ability to change direction without fuss. The FWD Octavia always seemed good, but this is in a different league, making the Skoda seem sluggish and nose heavy.The BOSE Stereo (6 CD in dash changer) sounds excellent, with plenty of bass, but without sacrificing clarity. The build quality (in the sense of how well screwed together it is) is pretty good, but the car feels a little tinny sometimes (the fuel filler cap, for instance) and some of the internal trim is a bit cheap (This is more Ford than Audi, for sure).I find the sat nav a bit awkward and clunky so far, but I'll probably get used to it, certainly some of the settings in my car were rather bizarre.The kids fit happily in the back and I can sit in the back with the seat where I have it to drive, too. The boot's opening is tight, but there's a decent amount of space in there if you use soft bags.Fuel consumption is pretty high, but it's too early to draw solid conclusions on exactly how high it is. Everyone talks of needing to check the oil, too, so I'll be watching that.Not everyone likes the looks or the suicide doors, but I admire the car's ingenuity and it certainly is practical and has drawn complimentary remarks from the neighbours (the black paintwork helps, too, I think - It's a good colour for the RX8).Initial thoughts are that it works exceptionally well as a relatively affordable (especially secondhand, even if the fuel bills might be higher than the alternatives) practical sports coupe.If you need more than two seats and space for a toothbrush, you won't find much at all that drives as well and certainly not for under £30K.Just understand that the materials won't match the very best and that the downside to the great handling and decent performance is highish fuel costs.As with my Skoda, I'll follow up on this review over the time I own the RX8.

Where to begin folks...

I have several cars and bikes in my collection and i'll list them all for you here as it is all relevant. I currently own a mark 1 Golf GTi, a BMW E30 320i, Mazda RX8 (of course), Ferrari 355 Spider, Maserati 4200 which I keep in Spain, Honda CBR 600 Fi, Honda Goldwing and I've just purchased a Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe. Which one do I use on a daily basis because of its practicallity and excellent build quality, fantastic stereo system from BOSE, satnav, climate control, electric this that and the other...THE MAZDA RX8 of course. It goes like stink and it is very comfy and everything else too. What else can I say about it? The fuel consumption is not great if you are comparing it with a family hatch but it isn't a family hatch rival is it? If you compare it to other SIMILAR types of vehicle with similar performance then you will realise what a worthwhile vehicle it is to own and how cheap it is by comparison. My 355 does about 12 mpg around town and it is no faster or quicker than the Mazda; not by much anyway. The RX8 seats 4 adults in comfort too. Can you say the same about the Audi TT, Nissan 300, etc? Of course you can't. It is a very well engineered car. I've said enough. If you don't have one and are thinking about buying one then what are you waiting for and what is stopping you?

RX owners all moan about fuel consumption, and rightly so, BUT there is a flip side to the overall ownership costs before you get too worried!

Firstly, look at the initial purchase price. When you consider the RX has exclusive looks (Unlike say, a BMW 3 series, which is a fine fine car, but a bit ubiquitous) awesome on road ability combined with turbine like smoothness and everyday practicality, it's downright cheap and you would have to spend over £30-35K to find any serious competition...

The 12 month service (12,500 miles too!) is around £135 all inclusive, which is small change compared to any of the rivals, and depreciation is good.

So 18mpg, hard as it is to stomach, is actually not going to be a huge problem, because any other 150mph sports car will be returning a realistic 25mpg or less on an everyday basis, and unless you are doing much more than 15,000 miles a year, still makes the RX an entertaining proposition.

Nice touches; The free Prodrive driving day (You really can't comprehend what this car is capable of until you have done this!) The rear doors (Which access the truly lovely rear seats) The brakes (Mwahahahaaaa....wait till the Prodrive...) The Rotary engine (Yes it's thirsty, BUT offers the smoothness of a V12, and pulls hard to 9500rpm without any signs of stress whatsoever)

Bummers; 18mpg, or perhaps 22mpg on a run...and 1 litre of oil every 1500 miles (You get used to it) Common ailments, easily sorted by a Mazda dealer are creaky seats, rusty brake disc hubs (Not a problem, but you can see 'em through the alloys)

I still have a BMW 323 and it was snappy but the Mazda RX8 is extremely fast especially from about 60 on up although I was a bit surprised when an S2000 went past me on the A1m whilst we were both accelerating. The sound system is excellent and I have not used too much oil yet however I tend to use the oil gauge as a check which may or may not be the best way.