2004 Mazda RX-8 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I wouldn't recommend this to just any friend as it is a car that demands a bit more attention than most. For instance there is no "bottom end" like in most engines so the engine must consume some oil for lubrication of the rotors and rotor housings. I go through about one quart between oil changes. Also because there is no where for the fuel to go, the engine should not be shut off when it is cold(running a rich mixture). This can lead to flooding which can lead to a real hassle to get it started again. The only time this creates an inconvenience is when the car needs to be moved in the driveway. The handling, the transmission, shifter feel, pedal positioning, along with the way the engine revs makes for probably the most exciting driving experience short of driving a 6 figure super-car. This is a car that puts a smile on my face every time I downshift or take a corner aggressively. Performance: Acceleration 7 Braking 9 Handling 10 Appearance: Exterior 8 Interior 9 Cost of ownership: Moderate to High Fun Factor: Off the scale! Its a finicky car best suited for the real drivers. It may not start due to flooding if it is shut down before the engine warms up but that is easily avoided. Bad on gas. 18mpg is my best tank yet. It need premium. 10,000rpm and 50/50 weight distribution makes it all worth the trouble. The half doors allow me to take my grand parent out for dinner without trouble. Yes they get into and out of the back seat without issue. (not much foot space) Overall I give it an A-Dec 03, 2010

PROS: This is a fast and extremely well handling car, it grips the road almost like a 240sx. 250 BHP and Revs to 9k RPM!!!Sexy and sporty at the same time. All the power of a coupe sports car but has the luxury of a sedan. 4 doors make it easy to fit more than 2 people in the car without having to move the seat. Heated seats are definitely a plus. Bose sound system has just enough bass not to blow your ear drums and the stereo goes to 34 (pretty damn loud) without sacrificing music quality. CONS: If you don't know anything about the rotary engine I'd suggest learning. you have to add non-synthetic oil every once and a while because oil is injected into the engine along with fuel to keep the apex seals lubricated. Gas mileage is not what you would expect it to be for such a small car with a 1.3L engine. Rotary's run rich and you have to use 91+ octane or your Check Engine Light will come up with multiple codes.Jun 29, 2010

I think Car And Driver described it best in their latest article on the Rx-8. They describe it as "The Affordable Exotic." Featuring tight handling, a luxury interior and an exotic motor, the car definitely lives up to that title. This is the most fun car I've ever driven, period. I would suggest it to anybody who cares a great deal about their vehicle and wants a unique car that really stands out.Jun 24, 2010

this car is amazing! cheap to buy reasonably cheap to insure but is a little thirsty i get 21 MPG maximum lol. the only problem i've had with it was the catalytic converter(£1200 done under warranty) the way it looks, drives and sounds is AWESOME. it has DSC(dynamic stability control) which stops (well tries as hard as it can) you spinning out it's saved my life a few times, but it still lets you have fun turn it off and you have a full on drift car. ps i have the 231bhp model. so is it fun YESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Jan 01, 2010

Overall a great car. Fun to drive, handles like a dream, acceleration a bit slow, however, when you get to about 4,000RPM, it takes off like a rocket. Love the suicide doors, and the back seat is actually comfortable for a sports car. Owned it for about 6 months now or so and haven't needed to do any repairs to it. This isn't much of a drawback for me because I bought a sports car, not a fuel efficient family sedan, however, I get about 18city and about 22hwy - that is if I am driving it nicely, not how it wants to be driven. Additionally, the rotorary engine requires a few maintenance and guidelines for running that many people do not want to do - again, the juice is worth the squeeze for me and I own a sports car, not a Corolla, so for me, it is expected. The car CANNOT have synthetic oil. I am used to synthetic, however, it needs to burn about a quart of oil between oil changes and this is a NORMAL. You also have to make sure the car is warmed up all the way before shutting it down, rotories evidently don't like to be started then shut down in the dead of winter. If you cannot, rev it up to about 5-6k RPM and shut the engine down in mid rev. This will evacuate all the fuel in the engine to avoid flooding. Visually, I get massive amounts of complements on the car. Cannot go anywhere without catching people catching a glance. Overall a great car and when it is time for me to get a new car, I will be going with another one or maybe the new RX9 when it comes out :DNov 01, 2009

This car has a soul and I feel very connected to it and absolutely enjoy driving it. I love motorcycles first and foremost and this car more than any other that I have previously driven reminds me of a motorcycle with it's high revving 9,000 rpm redline and the fact that it builds power all the way to the top just gets my blood flowing. I love the sound the motor makes when it revs,very addicting. Oct 08, 2009

performance on RX8 is not bad for a 13b genesis rotary 1.3L, handling is great, 50%- 50% weight distribution RWD 240HP..... the car requieres a lot of attentions is NOT a "" HONDA CIVIC "" gotta check oil very often other than that same as other cars...aligments,tune ups etc. Car is real fun to drive i enjoyed every time i drove it.....missin it :( but gettin another one soon!!! :)Aug 25, 2009

Ahh the sound of a rotary engine. With the displacement on par with that of a motorcycle one could really question the performance of this car. That is until it is driven. The true merits of the RX-8 shines not in the straights of highways but in the curves of tortuous roads. The handling on this 2+2 door pseudo sedan (there is in fact 2 rear suicide "doors") is ridiculously tight and the response is amazing. The price paid for this however makes it a less than ideal automobile for pitted rough city streets. While the road feel is great, it also means you feel every single pebble, pothole and bump on the road. Turning the steering wheel also becomes an _exercise_ at low speeds due the difficulty of turning the steering wheel. Another possible trouble one can run into is that since it *is* a rotary engine you must only use dino oil (non synthetic for those not in the know) only and very often at that since the rotary engine actually burns off the oil. Also if you must turn on the engine make sure it is not turned off until it has sufficiently warmed up (5-10 minutes) or else the engine will flood and subsequent cranks will lead to a quick trip to dealership garage. But looking past it's shortcomings it still retains much of it's rotary heritage and has a large almost cult like fan base. If you love rotaries and can handle it's quirks then this car is for you.Apr 08, 2009

Great, fun car. Only gets about 20 MPG on the freeway and 17-18 on the roads but it revs to 9000 rpm, so i forgive it. Haven't had any problems with it. The only complaint I have is power. With another 50 hp this would be a really great car. It handles beautifully; brakes like a champ and is still comfortable and quiet enough for me to drive it to work 70 miles a day, even in the snow.Dec 22, 2008

I actually love the styling although many people do say it is ugly because of its short nose. The handling speaks for itself, car handles like it's on rails. Acceleration isn't the best but not bad, just have to get your launch right. Overall it's the best car for me because I was looking for the performance of a two-seater but got that and four seats. Very handy, not to mention the build quality is impeccable, mazdas are great.Sep 14, 2008

Performance is decent and handling is excellent. The brakes are responsive, which is a good thing. 50mph feels like 35 in this car. The loaded model I drive occasionally that my mom owns has anything you could ever want, and is quality built. The car is fun to drive, if you can afford it. The Rotary engine in this car is a bit of a gas hog. The car looks great, but it should be 2 doors, not 4.Aug 13, 2008

How many cylinders does it have? That's probably the most favorite question of all time asked to RX8 owners. The answer is none. It is using rotary engine with two rotors, each holding displacement of 654cc, totalling to around 1300cc and produces 238HP (claimed). It has no cylinder nor piston. This is the 2nd car I've owned. That explains the naming of car plate number. The only problem with this car is that there is no rotary engine technician where I live. Any problem with the car's engine would be complete disaster. As for performance, build quality and look, there is nothing to complain about.Jul 10, 2008

great handling, good-looking car. it comes with a 1.3 kiter rotary with a 9,000 RPM redline- you can't lose with that! it is electrically assisted power-steering as opposed to a fluid-driven system. This makes the handling feel more natural and gives good feedback to the driver. some bads, however- be prepared to be making some trips to the dealership if you buy a 2004, since it is the first model year for this car. also, the rotary engine gets horrible gas mileage and requires premium. also, you cannot beat a nissan 350z off the line. overall, this is the best car I have ever owned/driven to date. I have driven many cars as well, including BMWs, acuras, camaros, corvettes, among others. you will have a blast throwing this tiny car into some sweet turns. Jun 24, 2008

I've had my Mazda RX-8 since I acquired it new, in October 2004. None of the horror stories you might hear about this car have ever reared their ugly heads. The car has always started on the first try, has never given me a spot of trouble, and still handles as smoothly and yet tenaciously as when it was brand new. The seating is ample for my family of three, including my daughter's baby seat. The boot is roomy if you forego the spare tyre kit (get ride-on sealant instead), though the opening is narrow. The navigation system has prevented a number of horrific dust-ups between my wife and I (she loathes being or even feeling that she's lost). I've never been happier with any motor I've ever had, including the three RX-7s that I've had previously. Acceleration remains brisk at 50,000 miles while braking and handling is actually beyond my capabilities to use fully. That is, the car is more capable than I am. The brakes are stunningly strong, despite being on the original pads at 50,000 miles. Build Quality is high with only the parking brake handle's boot needing a more flexible elastomer as the front part of the foot of the boot covering the bottom of the parking brake handle snaps off in winter and more rugged ignition coils being needed. I have the softer elastomer installed but it still cracked off, leaving a 3/4 inch gap which is only visible when the parking brake handle is up. It's remained very resistant to squeaks and rattles at 50,000 miles. The original ignition coils failed about 10,000 miles ago, which I consider early for an ignition coil failure, so I replaced them with more robust units from a GMC Yukon. The original coil failure led to one of the two O2 sensors failing as well. To be fair, the O2 sensor held on much longer than I expected after the coil failure. The appearance, inside and out, still puts a smile on my face and I look forward to seeing the car. Not once in the 6 years I've owned the car have I felt that the interior or exterior looked old or tired. Generally, the car is inexpensive to own and operate. I understand that it's closed throttle fuel consumption is high, so I make a point of avoiding traffic jams. I've had no trouble meeting the EPA highway fuel economy rating on the highway and I've done considerably better on hot Summer days, despite the AC cranking away. Since fuel dilution of the oil isn't something that occurs to any significant degree in rotary engines, oil can stay in the engine for however long it takes to get to 3000 miles (none of this 3 months or .... nonsense). This car remains incredibly fun to drive. Indeed, it's so entertaining that I look forward to the commute to work, even when I'm not looking forward to being at work. Likewise, no matter how dreadful a day I've had, the drive home is always soothing but fun.May 08, 2008

Amazing engine; smooth revs and spins free. Weak torque made up for by high power in higher revs and amazing handling ability. The car stays planted but the back end is easy to control when you want it to spin around on you. Amazing interior... everything is ergonomic and all audio and climate controls are naturally placed and don't get in the way of driving. Lot of luxury feel for a sports car inside. But the feel of the car is still unbelievable sporty, driving position, seats, steering feel, etc. all lead you to sport. Innovate suicide doors allow you to carry up to three friends for a nice ride... back seats are full buckets and also comfortable with a decent amount of room! This is a driver's car through and through. Apr 13, 2008

If you want a sports car with the practicallity of 4 full sized adult seats that has a unique styling and head turning appearence, this is the car to get. 228bhp model gts 0-60 in 6.4 seconds, top speed 148, handles great, brakes are fantastic, very smooth engine only draw back is low torque below 3000 revs. You can get a good deal on them seconds hand but running costs can be high. Around 20mpg max (thats even with no speeding and driving in a higher gear) so about 250 miles per tank. Oil isn't as bad as i'd heard, mine has eaten 1.5 litres in 8 months. Insurance is fairly high as you have to insure it as a 2.6 litre engine and servicing (esp 3rd year service) is high along with road tax. Overall, if you dont love this car and care for her like its ur own mother, dont buy it as you'll always be thinking about the running costs. Its a car you have to own because its a passion, not because its a mode of transport.Nov 17, 2007