Learn me: Is it time for an RX-8?

OHSCrifle wrote: Is there a good primer on buying and running one of these?

Decent primer here. It's a bit alarmist, but comprehensive.

OHSCrifle wrote: Is the Renesis going to suffer any more than any other fairly modern engine by driving it so little?

By driving it little, no. By short-tripping it, yes. All the problems piston engines have with short trips are equal or worse for rotary engines.

OHSCrifle wrote: What's the deal with Premix?

Lubricity additive (usually 2-stroke oil) mixed into the fuel, ostensibly to help reduce wear (particularly on the side seals IIRC). Good premix burns nice and clean, though in some cases premix prevents a car from passing emissions (the fix being to stop running it for a while before inspection).

OHSCrifle wrote: Are they tall friendly? I'm 5'-17"...

I'm 6' 2" and like to sit pretty upright. I fit fine in every RX-8 I've driven, though even in my R3 I wouldn't fit with a helmet on.

OHSCrifle wrote: Besides a compression test and being ready to spend for ignition upgrades, what else do I need to know? Target budget = $6-9k

Off the top of my head:

If you can manage to get a Series 2 car (2009+), that might be a good call. They're rare, but they got a LOT of upgrades to address common failures: better cooling, oiling, fueling, etc. Also a slightly stiffer chassis, slightly tweaked and strengthened suspension, slightly better breathing, new transmission (same as the NC MX-5), shorter final drive, MUCH better dipstick and oil filter locations, etc.

If you'll be getting a Series 1 car, try to get the latest possible model year. And whatever you do, make sure it has had every single recall and TSB done.

Decatting these cars (is of course illegal for a street-driven car and) yields decent power and MPG gains. It also removes a common and expensive failure point. It also makes the car really loud, and... boy oh boy is un-catalyzed rotary exhaust dirty. FWIW.

All the normal operating tips for a normal car -- on-time oil changes, Top Tier fuel, gentle warmups, no short trips, strong battery, etc. -- are even more important for a rotary engine. The main difference is that once the engine is warm, you have to flip your normal thinking about which half of the tach you want to stay in. Keep the revs up, and don't try to hypermile it.

Buy an OBD Bluetooth dongle and get an app like Torque to monitor things like real coolant temp. Speaking of coolant temp, don't let that get much above 100º C; if it does, treat the car like it has hot turbos and let it cool down before you shut it off.

Check the oil constantly. First, you need to keep it topped off. Second, if it's consuming LESS than 1 qt in like 2k miles, you might have a serious problem with the oil injection, and that will kill your engine in a hurry.

OE brakes are really, really good. Most people don't need as many upgrades as they think they do at first. You have to be really, really good to need more than a set of pads.

Lastly, prepare for basically nobody you meet to understand what the hell you were smoking when you bought this car. Normal people don't get it because it's the exact opposite of what most people want in a car. Most enthusiasts don't get it because it's gutless in a straight line and has a bad rep for reliability. I'd argue even a lot of RX-8 owners don't really get it because so many bought it for the looks and the weirdness, when what it's really about is the chassis. The nice thing is, you tend not to care when you're behind the wheel. So there's that. :]

I have nothing of significance to add, but my brother bought an RX8 a couple of years ago to flip. I forget the year, but it was a Shinka edition with purple-ish paint and a tan leather interior. He lost his ass on it by thousands.

But WHAT a car it was to drive. I remember being hugely impressed every time I was behind the wheel. The power was nothing to write home about, but sufficient. The chassis and balance was out of this world. The sound, the revs... it only took one drive in that car to understand what the fuss is about.

That's all I got.

To IamFODI: great info. Thank you!

Pretty unnerving when MOST of the used ones advertise "engine replaced at 28k miles" or some such E36 M3.

If somebody disregarded the necessary care from new, how much of a chance is there .. that they suddenly began taking proper care if it after the engine was replaced?

OHSCrifle wrote: Pretty unnerving when MOST of the used ones advertise "engine replaced at 28k miles" or some such E36 M3.

Let me guess: MY2005 and older, right?

Those model years account for most RX-8s ever sold, and they're also the most problematic model years by far.

OHSCrifle wrote: If somebody disregarded the necessary care from new, how much of a chance is there .. that they suddenly began taking proper care if it after the engine was replaced?

Impossible to say. That's why records are important.

BTW, something I forgot to mention: if you see a car that has good compression with its original engine, that's probably better than a car that has had an engine replacement, even if the latter's engine has fewer miles on it. Apparently there's evidence that the remanufactured engines were not built to the same standards as the originals.

thestig99 wrote: I have nothing of significance to add, but my brother bought an RX8 a couple of years ago to flip. I forget the year, but it was a Shinka edition with purple-ish paint and a tan leather interior. He lost his ass on it by thousands. But WHAT a car it was to drive. I remember being hugely impressed every time I was behind the wheel. The power was nothing to write home about, but sufficient. The chassis and balance was out of this world. The sound, the revs... it only took one drive in that car to understand what the fuss is about. That's all I got.

That's more or less how I feel.

This sounds weird, but I'm pretty sure it's still true: I don't think there's a single car with equal-or-bigger back seats that decisively and comprehensively handles better in stock form, at any price. There are cars that will crush it in one or two respects at a time (lateral grip, feel, engagement, etc.) -- but nothing that does a better job with everything at the same time unless you're willing to accept smaller (or no) back seats.