thinking of buying mazda rx-8 ?

oldfella

just looking for info on the 1.3 model --are the reliable,..what mpg are they capable of doing...40mpg would be great....seen a few on ebay for sale with engine light on ....is there a common fault with these ...
any helpful info is very grateful
thanks

Cungi

40mpg? Not a snowballs chance in hell. 25mpg is average i believe?

tupac_healy

oldfella wrote: »

just looking for info on the 1.3 model --are the reliable,..what mpg are they capable of doing...40mpg would be great....seen a few on ebay for sale with engine light on ....is there a common fault with these ...
any helpful info is very grateful
thanks

Am I correct in saying these are still rotary engined? And the rotar tips need replacing at 70 or 80,000 miles???

Supergurrier

Even 25mpg on these is optimistic from reading posts on here

For Forks Sake

Supergurrier wrote: »

Even 25mpg on these is optimistic from reading posts on here

#
Keep going lower again.

They're a 1.3 litre rotary engine with either 190 or 231 hp depending on the model. They're not designed for economy.

Secondly, OP, do you own your own oil well?

BostonB

Yes but that 25mpg is referring to the oil consumption.....:D

pred racer

Calling MM to aisle 3 the rotary thread.

He'll be along shortly to tell you how brilliant they are:p

bazz26

I bet the OP was drawn to the RX-8 by the low capacity engine and cheap asking prices so assumed they would return fuel usage figures similar to conventinal engines of similar capacity.

BostonB

Tax and insurance might also be an issue?

Stheno

BostonB wrote: »

Tax and insurance might also be an issue?

Yeah they are taxed completely differently from what little I know.

For Forks Sake

Stheno wrote: »

Yeah they are taxed completely differently from what little I know.

Taxed as 1.8 on the cc system. Don't ask why, I don't know.

challengemaster

BostonB wrote: »

Tax and insurance might also be an issue?

It's taxed as a 1.8 and insured equivalent to a 2.5 or something retarded like that...

Tea 1000

tupac_healy wrote: »

Am I correct in saying these are still rotary engined? And the rotar tips need replacing at 70 or 80,000 miles???

Rotor tips on the early RX7's used need changing around that, but not on the RX8. Advancements in materials technology sees to that. Important to get a compression test done before buying though.
Oil usage is by design, uses oil to lubricate tips, it's not that bad, unlike some VAG diesels and others which use oil by design flaw!!
20mpg is expected average, with 23 or 24 on a good day!!
If you think 40mpg then an RX8 is the wrong car for you!

Tea 1000

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Taxed as 1.8 on the cc system. Don't ask why, I don't know.

Taxed as 1,737cc I believe, as some tool in Government couldn't decide what to do with a 1.3 litre rotary engine, so he decided that seeing as it's a rotary with a different combustion chamber than normal, why not multiply the cc by itself as it's kind of a circular thingy.. that's where the magical figure came from.

Stheno

Out of curiosity do they drink more oil than alfas?

I used have a happy ten minutes every day driving behind one on the way home

Tea 1000

Stheno wrote: »

Out of curiosity do they drink more oil than alfas?

I used have a happy ten minutes every day driving behind one on the way home

They're not that bad on oil, they say to check every second fill of petrol, but most owners find that they only use a litre every 2000 miles, some might use a bit more. Relation of mine had an A6 from brand new which always used a bit of oil, but ended up liking a litre every 1000 miles. That wasn't by design.

Stheno

Tea 1000 wrote: »

They're not that bad on oil, they say to check every second fill of petrol, but most owners find that they only use a litre every 2000 miles, some might use a bit more. Relation of mine had an A6 from brand new which always used a bit of oil, but ended up liking a litre every 1000 miles. That wasn't by design.

About the same as my alfa then

tupac_healy

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Rotor tips on the early RX7's used need changing around that, but not on the RX8. Advancements in materials technology sees to that. Important to get a compression test done before buying though.
Oil usage is by design, uses oil to lubricate tips, it's not that bad, unlike some VAG diesels and others which use oil by design flaw!!
20mpg is expected average, with 23 or 24 on a good day!!
If you think 40mpg then an RX8 is the wrong car for you!

So do the tips need any replacing? If not it may change my opinion of them!

oldfella

thanks for replying...doesn't have a great name so then...will have to look for something else....... the rx8 is a beautiful looking car..

Supergurrier

RX8 is a great car if serviced properly

Stheno

oldfella wrote: »

thanks for replying...doesn't have a great name so then...will have to look for something else....... the rx8 is a beautiful looking car..

I'd certainly not think it doesn't have a great name, but they are not a car to buy if you want good fuel economy and are not prepared to put plenty of effort into maintaining.