I Drove a Rx8 For a Year, Here's What I Learned 

Thanks for watching everyone! I mentioned it in the video but I just wanna pin this since I'm seeing a lot of comments about it You CAN and I do, drive the car after starting up the car, I just wait till the rpm normalize and I short shift at 3000 rpm until the engine reaches temp, then I can rev it out. However, there are times when I have to let the car idle till temp, that's because of alternate side parking situations. As you might imagine, parking in nyc is extremely annoying, on days where I have to move my car, ill start it and drive around, if I find a avaliable parking spot before warm is fully warm, I'm taking that spot and sitting there till car is ok to turn off 😂 if you live in a area where that's not a issue, I recommend short shifting till car is warm, saves time and better for the engine 🙂. Thanks everyone's comment!

I had an rx8 for nearly 2 years, I didn't do any of the special things people advise you to do except not turn off the engine when it's still cold. Didn't premix, didn't wait for it to heat up before I drove, didn't redline it every time I drove etc... bought it at 67k km and sold it at 178k km and still ran perfectly fine and always started immediately. I think you just have to be lucky with the engine you get.

I had a red rx8 for like 2 months. In that short amount of time i absolutely fell in love with it. Not enough people talk about how smooth the engine is compared to a normal car.

It’s important to note you’ve got a series 1. There are many things you have to do on a series 1 that you won’t have to do on a series 2. This being said, your use will vary. Been a proud rotary owner for 25yrs now. Both my FD and my RX8 R3 are used as the manufacturer intended. A lot of things are covered in the manual. A lot of people deviate and listen to the internet. If you follow the manual, you won’t have an issue. 😉 I daily my RX8 for the past 5yrs now. In -40c all the way up to 45c in the summer. I’ve put on 50k km’s on her so she’s seen some action. A hell oh a lot more than the previous owner did. She’s 13yrs old now and she just crested 100k on the clock. My FD has 168k after the first owner put on 48k. Not too bad considering she’s 29yrs old. 😉 I would agree you’ll need to premix for your series 1 since it doesn’t have the 3rd oil injector the series 2 has. As for the warm up, yeah, as soon as the stock needle shows just above C, it’ll be alright to turn the engine off. Regardless of model, get into the habit of blipping the throttle before turning it off. Makes it easier to start for the next time. 👍🏻 Otherwise, keep on rotaxing! 😎

having a rotary engine sounds just like 2-stroke bike. Warm up before driving, premix gas, redline often, funny exhaust sounds, breaks easier than "normal"

So in short: You really have to love this car to be ready to deal with its downsides. Not many people have the passion to jump through all those hoops just to get from point A to point B everyday. My neighbor had an RX-8 and this video kinda showed me why he sold it so quickly.

hey, Series 2 RX8 R3 owner here! Love the video, you made some great points. Online forums such as RX8club, RX8help, and Essex Rotary are godsend and so much help. I’m closing in 90k miles, bought it from a good friend a while ago. Compression is getting below average but havent had a single problem at all with it. All the struggles are worth it

17 1/2 years later , and I am still in love with my 2005! Thanks for the video and storytelling . RX8 is certainly not the perfect car , but yet, there’s just nothing else like it .

Subscribed, good to see someone not bashing the last rotary.

Loved how dynamic the video feels. Great job

I like this video, it’s very informative. People don’t understand that not all cars are maintained the same way and how important it is to keep up with the schedule in order to make sure the car lasts long. People assume cars are unreliable because they don’t maintain them properly. I think people should change that mentality and start maintaining there cars better.

Spot on! Rotaries aren’t like any other car, but that’s why we love ‘em! Used to own a 10AE FC and loved it to death before I had to sell it due to it being such a huge money pit. Would always look through the RX7Club forums for maintenance tips. Would love to own an R3 RX-8 in the future! Happy motoring and thanks for sharing!

I own a 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 (only 1000 made like this in the world) . I bought it new in 2008 and now it is insured as a Classic Car for 150% of what I bought it for new in 2008, full value, no depreciation. I have owned seven rotary Mazdas since the 70's; one RX3, two RX4, all three generations of the RX7 with two of those RX7 modified by Racing Beat for the track. I easily have over a million rotary miles on street and track . Yes I have upgraded and improved my RX8, cooling modifications with Koyo-Rad radiator, Pettit Racing closed system, Racing Beat hoses, low temp thermostat, oil cooler low temp thermostats , low temp fan control, upgraded water pump, ; Mazdaspeed CAI, high performance BHR ignition coils and wires, upgraded starter, performance Cat and mid-pipe from Rotary Performance, BHR clutch pedal assembly, Series Two fuel pump upgrade, new clutch and engine (from Mazda warranty, no cost to me), new engine mounts, and a few other things. I also upgraded to Conti Contact DWS06+ tires. I will be keeping my 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 forever. Wish I could have kept them all. Nothing drives like a rotary. FYI, I use 5W-30W non-synthetic oil and yes I pre-mix. Cheers and best to you.

In terms of premixing. If you 100% know your omp is working then there isn't a need to pre mix at all, problem is that you will have no idea when or if it stopped working. It's more preventative maintenance than anything else. Sure you don't have too but if you want assurance you should

own an RX8 and for the first 40k miles didnt premix and my apex seals failed. Ive learned my lesson and premixed ever since. definitely takes a certain type of owner to maintain this car

These cars are legendary no matter what! Nice video!!!

Great video mate. I used to own Rx-7 and then Rx-8 and was always happy with them, great performance and handling. It takes extra effort to take care of them, but you actually learn much more about the engines and parts when you own rotary cars 😄 So there are positive factors!

I had an 06' revelation spec for ~1yr/20k KMs with no issues. The warm up/down and redline or two once hot is good practice for any engine imo.

After you learn how to maintain them they become very fun to have. Upgraded coils and spark plugs. And do everything else. Great cars

The sound of starting rotary engine is just perfect.

0:44 I love how you swith from RHD to LHD in the first minute 😅 Great video man thanks for sharing your experience!!

Loved the video man, when I got my license 2 years ago I really struggled with the choice to buy an rx-8 or an Lexus is200. Eventually got the IS since its unbelievably reliable and generally an easy car to work and learn stuff from. The rx-8 gets a lot of hate what scares most of us. But I would still love to own one one day. They are just so cool and make all the right noises!

I’ve had my lovey RX8 for about a year as well! It just reached 111,000mi fresh oil changes as well! (I’m saying that so it forces me to remember when I did it 😅) What I found is that despite everything the online people say, this car is actually really reliable. Of course, as long as you take care of it. I made mistake before so I’m sure my engine isn’t *that* good. But it’s got good compression still. (I hope) I find a 1:1 ratio for premixing easy for me. Plus I don’t care much about my cat anyways. It’s gonna be expensive but I’d much rather replace a cat than have an engine rebuild. I’ve got the p0410 code thrown in my face but that’s emissions and doesn’t effect my drivability much, minus even *worse* MPGs. In fact, after I fix it I’m just thinking of building a new exhaust system for cat-less and hopefully my current cat will still be okay enough to pass smog when ya time again.

To be honest, as a Subaru owner (spec c 03 sti), I can truly say what you do is not much and definitely not a problem for such cool car. Good luck mate, love rx

I had an FD RX-7 for a while, and so did someone that lived in vaguely the same neighborhood. We'd see each other every 3 or 4 weeks at the local shop picking up our quarts of oil. The burn is real. Loved that car, but it was a pain in the rear sometimes.

I have a 2008 series 2 GT. I’ve had it about 4 years. I love this car. Every time I lean in to turn it on, I get a smile. I don’t premix but I do warm up every time. I also, only use 98 fuel. Starts every time on first rotation

Rotaries are so cool, respect for doing your research and taking good care of it. Shame they got so little support.

my girl had an rx8 we had nothing but problems never could figure out what the issue was took it to multiple mechanics even got desperate enough to use dealership. they would always say coils or spark plugs but it would always break down again we finally just had to sell it as is. loved the look and the drive of the car when it was running

You must have spent a fortune on that car, being red on red, and under 30k! I'm another college student RX-8 owner for one year, and I absolutely love it as well. You just can't beat the driving experience and the cool factor for the money. Just changed my spark plugs and installed upgraded ignition coils, and it sure makes a big difference! My car is on the second motor, but in one year my clutch pedal bracket and clutch master cylinder have failed on me (at different times) but apart from that, no major issues yet!

I'm always running late somewhere. Needing to wait before driving is a dealbreaker. Thanks for the tip, I was considering one of these.

cool to see someone who lives with an RX-8 and cuts through all the negativity we see online with it. always wanted one but the internet scared me into the next closest thing i could get which is an nc miata lol. subbed to see more rotary content 👍

Good title for the video. I've been curious on these cars for a while now. A clean one popped up in my local town not too long ago.

yoooo, i daily an 2009 rx8 at 99xxx miles as a fellow college student also for the past 2 years now. i put atleast 40k miles into it since i bought it. the things that broke for me was a clogged cat, blown up trans, blown up driveshaft, the clutch lolol. cant wait to see more content from you :P

I had mine for 9 years. Velocity red with the read and black interior. Never left me stranded anywhere. Most reliable car I've owned. Only mechanical issue was a front droplink failed. Replaced with uprated and all was good. Everything else was normal consumables. Brakes were replaced with better grooved discs and EBC Yellow stuff pads all around. Great combination. It hit 9k rpm every time I drove it. Did the coil packs HT leads and spark plugs myself on the drive after using it for 30k miles. Replaced with uprated and was good for another 6 years until I sold it. I did let it warm up, but then it was all RPM all the time. 😁 Didn't run premix. And found the oil consumption to be extremely reasonable to be honest. It was less that my neighbours BMW of the same year. 🤣 Before I sold it, I requested the local dealership to do a compression test. Results were between 105 to 115psi. Apparently very healthy for a rotary. If I could find another good one, I would absolutely have another in a heartbeat. So much fun at legal speeds. Comfortable and surprisingly practical. Just the fuel consumption/price now. Just looked at the MOT history of my old one, and it's still on the road 4 years after selling it. With another 30k miles on it. Makes me extremely happy to see that.

I've had an 09 for two years now also in college, and have had no issues at all. I don't even premix or anything, all I've done is decatted and upgraded to BHR coil packs and let it warm up is all.

Just subbed g I’ve been wanting one of these cars for a minute dawg but anyways this was a great vid and can’t wait to see more!

The thing with rotary engine cars like the RX8 is that to buy them you usually find that the ones up for sale are ready for new seals and an engind rebuild. Also the fuel costs are very high in comparison to standard petrol cars, especially in the UK where currently we pay £1.40 per litre.

Back in 2014, for my first car I daily 86' S4 Turbo II for 1.5 years no problem. Occasion flooding was most of my problem.

Been driving an rx8 daily for the past 3 years have had 0 issues so far I absolutely love the rx8, I do always premix and let it warm up. But I enjoy the process and love the daily 9k redlines

this is exactly what we needed.

I have RX8 .. 2004 .. about 7 and half years and now the engine loose compression .. 132k km ... but i rebuild it and I think it will drive for more happy kilometers .. yes .. you have to warm it up .. dont drive it cold .. premix and shit ... but that driveability and those rpms are just pure joy .. I dont want to sell it because I love that car SO much ...

When driving any old car, always have triple A, or some other roadside plan so that you don't dump money into towing your ride. That stuff adds up quickly especially for builds or older daily drivers. Love the content brother 👍🏾

rx8's are underrated i have both an na miata and a 05 rx8 and i love them so much

Subscribed! Nice to see some sensible, down to earth, common sense rotary content. Not sure why the RX7 has such JDM legendary status, in most respects the RX8 is a better car, even power wise it's not that far off a stock RX7, and that's NA! My RX8's have always been reliable, I've had plenty more "conventional" cars that have cost a lot more in repairs than my RX8's 😅

Having owned one for 8 years and then realizing that I didn't have to go through all the hassle to have just as much (if not more) fun in something else was eye-opening.

Great Article Jerkin. I'm New to the RX8 Community. Literally....Just got home from the Mazda Dealership in South Florida with a 2nd Gen 2009 RX8 GT Manual. Very impressive Service History from Carfax and this was my 3rd 'Test Drive' in 3 months and there was simply NO COMPARISON to the 1st Gen RX8s I drove. OMG....Why anyone would want to stare at a CEL 24/7 is beyond me. I have nicknamed my RX8 Unmolested for a reason....OEM Stock everything. Garage Kept. 3-4K Mile Oil Changes. The Dealer Service Dept. replaced the Radiator and Reservoir Tank for me. Partial Service. Your suggestions on Premixing are appreciated but I'm going down that rabbit hole today. Stock OMP with 6 Injectors vs. 4 on the 1st Gen (2004-2008)? I do agree with most of the advice to run a Semi Synthetic Blend in 10W-40 here in Florida. Good advice on warming her up with sub 4K RPMs before lighting the fuse. The RX8 Community is VERY helpful and I can honestly 'hear' where most Owners will ditch the OEM Exhaust or at least the HUGE Muffler. Keeping the Cat and I refuse to gum it up with anything.... 93UL and Ethanol Free is what she drinks and 20.2mpg on the Hwy and 14mpg so far in the City with spirited driving. Good Looking Night Time Cockpit and you did very well with your 1 year of 'Sage Advice'. Thanks... JP

Helpful video mate, I think the only thing you may have missed here is checking your engine oil every couple thousand miles and doing DIY oil changes? Plus having some new spark plugs (I use NGK racing plugs), ignition coils and leads helps with the carbon build up from what I know. Also of course using premium fuel if it fits your budget. If you're going for premix on a budget, there will definitely be other cheaper brands out there, although I do use Idemitsu. They're very good cars and will treat you well if you do the same, enjoy it!

Honestly, you got a car that you really wanted and it's worth it for you, that's what's important. I personally wouldn't realistically want a rotary because of their milage (or lack thereof). New and improved rotataries have the potential of superior mileage compared to piston engines, which is pretty cool.

props for the multiple camera changes

They're so fun. So tailored to the driver.

With my SOHN adapter, I dont build any carbon inside the engine. It just injects premix through the OMP instead of motor oil. Burns cleaner, then i premix the tank 3/4oz per gallon. Car runs like a dream!

Great content,and well presented!

Best video I seen on an RX8

I know from dirt biking that the premix is heavier than gas and goes to the bottom of the tank. Since you can't shake a car like a jug I would put in half of the gas first,then premix,then the last half of the gas. The a few wiggles like warming up the tires should mix it up. Dreaming of a rotary that's a hybrid. Windings in the housing would create a field. This would suspend the rotor and redirect it so it never contacts the wall. Gas and electric power can work together seamlessly on demand.

hey thanks for this video came across it when looking at older content from Mazda this being one of them. I can safely say as nice as these cars are, & I've worked on a car before myself with the minor maintenance stuff, I can say I'm glad I'm not an owner of an RX. seems alot to manage even after 1st glance. plus I don't know I looked at a technical breakdown of the rotary engine that shows the design flaws of the past from another channel and talk about cutthroat of Mazda. they sold these pieces of machinery to enthusiast customers which is fine to do since we're talking about a group of ppl who will want to know their car inside & out. thr part that's cutthroat is that this also made its way into the hands of regular customers.......meaning ppl that just expect things to be alright with the car & if something happens it should be treated like a regular car. as of typing this I'm having 2nd thoughts about saying I'm glad I don't own one. like for me I would do the extra steps to make sure things stay intact. it's a pretty eye catching car. I myself get my car maintenanced every 5k miles & say to techs take as long as you need to & just make sure everything checks out full diagnostic almost every time. but a regular customer, this car would be lucky to even last a year to me! I've seen some other comments on here that have talked about they didn't do all of what you're doing & it was alright still. but I don't know give it time & I think the underlying problems will start to show for them or whomever's hands it's in now if they sold it. glad you were able to get one and replace your former daily driver, I know the issues when it comes to money & a car payment, recently paid off my car, fellow Mazda owner myself -GEN2 2013 MazdaSpeed3. Definitely a time when Mazda was actually relevant.

Bought my 09 Rx8 R3 series 2 almost new, drove it for many years, up to 168,000km on original engine, still hot starts and never had any problems all the way up to when i had to trade it for a new truck (life style change), that was 3 years ago now, i still miss it and am now on the hunt for another of the same to buy for a project.

Honestly this was the first car I ever bought and I fell in love with it, living in nj and going to the bronx and South Jersey was a blast unfortunately did my research and learns the rotary the hard way unfortunately got into an accident 3 years ago and getting a rebuild done street port, the car is alot of fun, don't put regular in it only super, if you need premix go to t Rex performance in South Jersey, all the rotary shops are there

Great video! I miss my RX8, was a lot of fun and much more reliable that I was expecting it to be - the only downside being fuel economy, which was terrible!! 😮‍💨

As someone who uses a piston engine: no engine should be pushed before it's up to operating temperature. This includes piston engines as well, especially high pressure ones. This is because the metals have to expand to their correct shapes for them to function properly. It's also not the RPM that matters, it's the amount of pressure you create in the engine, you can drive 6000 rpm no problem with a cold engine, but if you supply it with a lot of gas and create a lot of torque the pressures created will dislodge parts in your engine creating problems.

Awesome video! Thank you

I like my RU-vid recommends nowadays; I've owned my RX8 for 8 years now. If you want some pointers, feel free to message me. I have replaced almost every bolt on that car and had to do a complete chassis swap. Dumped thousands of dollars, but I didn't want to keep it stock. I've done quite some heavy modding to it, just short of turbo. The biggest issue is buying used, not knowing what the previous owners did. Second to that, is the age of the car and the environment it's been in, whether it requires replacing a lot of parts because of wear and tear. There's a lot of improvements done to the Series 2 RX8's over the Series 1, so if ppl want to try it out, I'd recommend hunting one of those instead, as there have been far less rebuilds needed on Series 2 RX8's than Series 1's. Oil thickness is also something that needs to be taken into account. 5W20 doesn't cut it for these cars, especially if driven hard. Given all the knowledge acquired over the years, several reputable shops have come up with solutions to fix many of the problems that the 13B-MSP came with. I think my most annoying issue with mine was not the engine (even though it did blow up on me eventually and I needed a rebuild), but rather the clutch slave cylinder going bad ever year... Had to do a complete swapout of every single part of the car's hydraulic system to clean out all the gunk that was making its way into the slave, clogging it up.

Maybe you could fit an electric heater for the coolant? If you have access to a receptacle, you could warm up the car before starting!

I have had my rx8 for about 2 years and never let me down also I’m in the pa area and go to New York a lot I think I have seen your clean rx8 around !

Its like daily driving a exotic I appreciate it think i will get one I'm doing research and the algorithm sent video the good part about it is there are alot of enthusiasts that specialize in rotary engines besides the engine do you have any other problems electronics etc?great video

I could get used to waiting for it to warm up and pre mixing. The costs on the mix would get a bit annoying after a while but there is a certain give and take on cars. The thing that is keeping me away from the RX8 is the roll of the dice on the previous owners taking care of it. If the seals break or something happens, I'm not exactly mechanically inclined or have the resources to do the work myself so it would have to go to a mechanic. I currently drive a VW Golf and it's a pain to find anyone in my area (i live in a small podunk town in the middle of nowhere in TX. Bunch of shade tree mechanic shops) that is willing to work on it if something happens let alone a Mazda rotary. I'd love to have one. It's on my list of fave cars just for the how awesome I think the car looks but the lack of ppl that know how/want to work on rotary engines is what's keeping me away from it.

Immediately put a clean oil adapter on the car if you have one. The biggest issue is injecting dirty sump oil directly onto your seals. Side seals fail more than apex seals. When the adapter is installed you can safely use synthetic oils in the sump. The only reason you can’t normally is because synthetic oils resist burning. You’ll get seal failure from carbon buildup because the oil won’t burn.

You’re right. I bought a brand new RX8 when it first came out. After owning it for about a year, I started praying before I start my car to just so there might be a chance that it won’t break.

yes the Italian tuneup definitely a must.

Recently joined the club too! Here up in montreal Quebec! Store mine for the 3 winter months though.

6:44 nothing you’ve said so far leads me to believe this is true. 🤣 It’s fun watching the love you have for the car. 👍 I can’t imagine going through this stuff myself. Not without a significant benefit. It’s a fun car. But, so are plenty of others so I’m not clear on what the reward is when you could love something else just as much that was just as much fun and wasn’t so demanding.

My wife bought a 2004 231 Rx8 with 47,000 miles on it. The car was 5 years old at this point and had already had coil packs replaced under warranty. It wasn’t premixed, but in our ownership I did my best to change the oil every 6000 miles, and I did encourage her to keep it under 3000 rpm until it was warm, but I don’t think she strictly followed that! I also replaced a further set of coil packs. The Rx8 never gave any trouble and never broke down. At 130,000 miles the engine was getting tired so we replaced it. It now has 150,000 miles. I think if we had had the car from new then it would still be running on the original engine. My opinion, heavy on fuel yes, but brilliant cars to drive and reliable provided you care from them properly.

I ended up buying a 89 MX6 GT, just wanted the reliability. Fun 8 years with zero issues.

I properly heat cycle my S2000 with its F22C1, even though it's not really that necessary. Though your rotary is a bit sensitive to treatment, high revving engines are special and won't be around to experience forever.

I'll be honest Nissan is my go to. I've had 4 240SXs, a 240Z, 3 Altimas, a 300ZX and 2 Maximas. One day I'll get a GT-R and a Silvia to complete the set lol. The 240Z I never got to drive. I was a kid when I got it and didn't have the money to fix it. I wish I kept it fr... all the 240SXs were automatic so I eventually sold them. The Maximas were nice but one got totaled and the other one had something going on in the hub. I fixed it replaced the hub 4 times and no matter what I replaced it eventually did it again... but it was an older car that somebody ragged out before I even bought it. I never liked Altimas until my current one so I only kept it... but I've had to do very little with it to keep it in great condition. Just tripped 60K and it still runs like it did off the lot

RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule. 30,000 miles: - Replace Ignition coils - Replace Plug wires - Replace Spark plugs - Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor) - Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor) - Reset ESS profile - Clean power steering connections - Clean battery terminals and clamps - Replace transmission fluid - Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended) - Replace air filter - Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line) ~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly. every 60,000: ...all 30,000, plus... - Clean all chassis electrical grounding points - Replace accessory belts - Clean OMP lines - Replace rear differential fluid - Replace thermostat - Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins - Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins - Inspect catalytic converter - Clean / Inspect intake valving - Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early ~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly. 90,000: ...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus... - Replace coolant bottle - Replace radiator hoses - Replace radiator - Replace front O2 sensor - Replace motor mounts - Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks ~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly. At 100k, anything original in the cooling system and any original cat are really suspect and failure prone. They represents the biggest threat to your engine. Replace.

I had one for a few years. They're super fun lightweight, well balanced cars with a really nice smooth feeling engine. Driving it at speed around windy roads or on a track day, they're excellent cars. I'd say that's what they're for, for sure. The problem is that they're ridiculously thirsty and need far more care and attention than any regular 4-cylinder with similar power. For the same fuel consumption and maintenance effort, you could drive a Viper, or a TVR if you're over the other side of the Atlantic. And the RX8 is a 4-door coupe with back seats as if you supposed to daily drive them. I had my RX8 flood the engine due to accidentally shutting it off before it warmed up a couple of times in the 3 years I owned it. The fix for that is to remove the fuel pump fuse and jump-start with another car for several minutes to burn out the extra fuel. That's not always convenient! My Catalytic converter disintegrated (at 60k miles) and my local garages refused to touch it because it's attached to a rotary engine. When I sold it at 80k miles for basically nothing at all because who wants to buy a rotary with 80k miles, one of the rotors had half the compression of the other - tested by a rotary specialist, so it was rapidly on its way to an engine-out rebuild - or the scrap yard. My point is that besides the rather unique feel of the rotary engine, you could get something much better for the same money spent altogether. The RX7 made sense because it was a pure sports car and had more power, and felt special. The RX8 makes no sense. It's a daily driver that can't be daily driven without hassle. Buy a GT86 for nearly the same experience, and save all that money.

Adding to the premix note, you can get a $100 12-bottle bundle off of EBay for Idemitsu premix.. that’s what I get every time! It comes from Mazdatrix and it comes with a big measuring bottle and funnel that are nice to have handy

I am your 625 subscriber!!!!!!!! This channel will grow!

You learnt that it uses a truck load of fuel. You learnt that you had to keep a bottle of oil in the trunk. You learnt that it can overheat in hot weather. You learnt that your friends don't like the submarine feel in the back. You learnt that it's a car that requires a fair bit of tweaking and up keep. But it was fun. I had one for about 4 years and it did a lot of nice roads in the south of France, but at the end of the day it isn't practical.

Had mine since 2012, 100k miles no premix just normal oil changes. Only thing that has broken is the clutch pedal bracket.

I wish I knew all this back when I had My rx-8 I feel this car is better for the weekend and not a daily driver is a car you can take to the track and have fun and drive it once in a while

RX8 without cracked dash is WILD.

Keep it up mannnn 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

I have a 04 (05/03 build date) that I've had for a year now. Got it at 103k and it's been my daily til recently (got a 06 v70r). She's sitting 136k and no major issues. I don't have a cat and put a aftermarket cat back on. Everything is pretty much stock except the upgraded ign coils. I use the AmsOil Dominator oil for my premix and I only use about 4.5oz to get from a 1/4 tank to full. I recommend not letting your 8 going below a 1/4 tank.

the RX-8 seems like its happiest as a track car or as an enthusiast's car as you really have to push them

I've owned my for ten years. The only 'weird' thing I do is premix it, and just don't beat the shit out of it cold, but drive it normally. I've had problems, but none were specifically 'rotary' problems. Lost an engine - but that was a broken sparkplug falling into it shortly after I serviced it, rather than anything rotary. The only reason I rebuilt it was because I had it for a long time, had some spare cash, and it was better to do it on a running engine, rather than wait for it to break. When it was cracked apart - it was in great condition inside. Clean and unfucked, with everything in spec (Albeit right at the edge of being in spec). It solved a lot of minor issues like blowing exhaust gaskets and sticky valves. The worst thing I did for it, was not drive it for 8-10 weeks over the virus - and it hasn't been right since.

All these extra rituals makes my Exige look like a good daily driver xD

I had an rx8, it made a really good garden feature

It's interesting that the engine would be great for all of the highway driving i do but at the same time would cost a fortune just in fuel mixing. Looks like a fun autocross car!

You dont need to add the 2 stroke oil at the filler, you can get a mechanical mixer in the engine bay.

I bought an RX8 new in 2004 and put 100k on it over the next 14 years. I did need an engine replacement due to the apex seals which was thankfully covered by warranty, and I had an electrical gremlin that caused the cruise control to only work half the time, but other than those 2 issues it was a great car. Sadly it was totaled when someone crashed into it while it was parked. Replaced it with a 987.2 Cayman S, which was a suitable upgrade.

I wish I still had mine. I had fun driving it every time I got behind the wheel. Hoping I can revisit it one day. Maybe I'll get it as a project car but for now, If I want to get a sports car, I would get a new one, and that Supra is calling my name lol.

Hey! Been a rx8 owner for 5 years absolutely fuckin LOVE this car! Alot and I mean ALOT what people say are far overblown, and they have no idea what they are talking about, but like you said it doesn't come from nowhere. The OEM ignition coils are shit, they burn out after 15-30K miles, there was a recall nightmare in the beginning and They hired the company CAT to do the rebuilds and they had no idea what they where doing, like you mentioned the temp gauge is a dummy gauge all it does it twls you when the cars warmed up, or it has ALREADY overheated and likely now has warped rotor housings. The coolant reservoir is shit and leakes, and lastly the average person has no idea how t take care of a rotary. Most Renesis engines died from overheating, a leaky reservoir + dummy gauge = dead engine, ignition coils going bad quick going to OEM mighta had a proper good engine swapped out with a horribly built CAT made engine failing again, Then there's the non enthusiast owning a rotary and killing it by not premixing, not letting it warm up, letting the cat clog ect. Check the community nowadays where none of us have any issues with the car yet the bad rep exists with people who do not understand rotaries.

Driving rx8 in NYC is kinda hard. For premixing, any JASO FC or FD rated oil will work, you don't have to buy Idemitsu. For the don't shut off a cold engine part, not necessary if your ignition and starting system is strong, your car will only flood if you have weak ignition or starting system.

I had three subarus, I'm used let the engine warming up every goddamn time... I turn the car on and keep doing my stuff lol, then I remember the car is on for the last 10 minutes, and now I need to go to the gas station, subaru and rotary life... RX8 and GF8 now, never been happier

i've owned lots of rotaries, probably around 12 in the last 10 years my main two driver cars being my pink rx7 and my black rx8. i definitely never wait that long to drive off. that would be insufferable to wait until it reaches temp every time, my rx8's been on its engine for 6 years now, around 150k miles on the clock. my rx7's engine is brand new though, so not comparable. mostly i just ensure to premix, plus i have a sohn adapter that uses 2 stroke instead of recycling the engine oil. for my rx7 i deleted the oil metering pump entirely and just premix. other than that, just drive it like you love it and you dont have to worry too much about carbon buildup. do fuel treamtent once in a while and use good gasoline and you should have a happy car ^^

"A redline a day keeps the rebuild away"

6.0lt manual Holden VE SS and i ALWAYS warm any car i drive, that was drilled into your brain in the 80s

i own a RX8 FL... soon to hit 100k km on the dial.... this that i have encounter owning it for 5 years... 1- will need to top up engine oil (use mineral oil if do you do not have sohn/rohn conversion, as it wills till eat oil even wen you premix) 2- radiator will eventually go (changed to aftermarket alu rad) 3- radiator spare tank will eventually give way as well (due to high heat of the engine) 4- premixing will cause your fuel tank to be gooey (ended up failing both my fuel pump) 5- aftermarket sports catalytic converter will cause engine light to occasionally pop up (unless you disable it via ecu remap) 6- did not warm down the car after a heavy traffic, causing heat issue to the spare thank and radiator 8- unsolved rattling sound on uneven road (wish anyone could give me input) 9- unsolved squeaky sound when move through bump fast (wish anyone could give me input, have changed to coilovers) 10- unsolved loud body knock sound when cruising through highways/freeway (currently sending the coilovers for servicing, unsure if it's knocking my exhaust) the FC is 12.5km/100liter, not the best not the worst either.. last check compression was about 7-8 as when i first bought it used though with all the issues i have went through, im still loving the rx8, the response and feel of driving it is lovely.

Great video I own a RX8 but I have a Mazda SP23 as a backup incase the RX8 dies or I just can’t afford to drive it, I also premix so it does get expensive, I’m only 17 I wanted a Rotory so I brought one as my first car not a mistake I think it’s great just more on the expensive side.