I am growing bored of our current second car (Mazda 3) and fancy a swap for a ‘silly’ car. Now I know about all the pitfalls of the RX8, but it will be used for very low miles so I am not worried about fuel/oil costs. I guess I would have to work around the ‘run for x minutes’ issue but I am sure I would live with that foible.

But the important question is – do they fit child seats in the back? We have two kids (under 5) and although the family car is used 95% of the time for ferrying them around, there WILL be occasions where they would need to go in this car (hence I am not looking at an MX5)

Using for short runs will wear out the rotor tips in the engine even quicker than normal , there is a reason they are cheap second hand , it’s because they are very expensive to repair and it’s know ( by x2 friend to require engine rebuilds after 20 and 30k , they look great but don’t buy one !!! And they won’t re start when warm !!! My pal had a huge diesel battery fitted and would crank away for ages to start it .

They are child seats in the back.

You can get Iso-fix seats in the back. I love my celica it’s been faultless, I often get 37mpg, my rx8 owning mate struggles to get 300 miles from a full tank. I think you can get a bracket for iso-fix for them too, reaching into the back might be a chore with no rear doors.

Great car if it wasn’t for the engine problems as they age! You can fit four typical adults in and child seats shouldn’t be a problem though they’re quite low and rearward to access despite the suicide doors. I’d rather get a hot hatch.

There are far better ‘fun’ cars you can fit a childs seat in the back of.

Apparently you can in a TT…. strong 1.8T VAG engine won’t give you any problems 😀 (Not that I’m biased…)

Don’t need Isofix as the current car seats are belt only anyway.

I too would probably rather get a hot hatch but they cost loads by comparison (for good reason I know).

Sounds like you know the pitfalls I your prepared for it have a test drive. They are fun and the interiors look fresh. IIRC my mate can’t get the rear seat down in his, might be an issue if you wanted to carry bikes about.

I had a PZ with 2 kids and never had any bother getting them in it, or it not going. Hot hatches are usually 3 door and much harder to get kids in.

The TT is really really dull by comparison (wife had one).

There can be some engine issues, but if you find a good one, with warranty, you can get a serious bargain. I had mine from new and did 90,000 miles in it with no issues. I’d have another, but the extra kid did for me. No room for 5!

might be an issue if you wanted to carry bikes about.

Family car (A6) can do that so that isn’t a worry really. And the kids have outgrown pushchairs now so no need for a big boot – just the ability to transport the kids on the odd occasion.

Hell if you are prepared for the worst of it then just sedate the kids and enjoy the car 🙂

A mate of mine has 2 kids and liked his until the engine blew up.

Now he likes getting half the fuel consumption from a regular engine.

require engine rebuilds after 20 and 30k

rotary engines haven’t improved then. You know how aircooled VW drivers give each other that sort of surfer-dood salute when the pass each other – well drivers of the the old rotary RO-80’s in the 60’s and 70’s had a similar wave they’d give each other to show how many replacement engines they’d had.

The mazda rotary engines seem to be exactly as thirsty (same mpg as a 1967 RO80) and exactly as shortlived (30k miles) as the engines in the 60’s and 70’s – what was the rationale for reviving the technolgy?

Using for short runs will wear out the rotor tips in the engine even quicker than normal , there is a reason they are cheap second hand , it’s because they are very expensive to repair and it’s know ( by x2 friend to require engine rebuilds after 20 and 30k , they look great but don’t buy one !!! And they won’t re start when warm !!! My pal had a huge diesel battery fitted and would crank away for ages to start it .

🙄
There is a lot of second/third-hand experience gleaned from a bloke down the pub and misinformation on the net. Yes, quite I’m sure your two friends had dead engines after a few thousand miles, but how much of that was down to the fact that dealers never ever tell the buyer how to treat them? I’m not trying to change your mind, but a little honest info from the other side of the fence might be nice once in a while.

My sis has an RX8, bought from Mazda rather than an Arthur Daley-type, and they were USELESS at describing the car to her. Never mentioned the fact that, by design, they burn oil. Never mentioned that the oil they use is to be *mineral oil only*. Never mentioned the harm done by using synthetic, or by pootling around at 4000rpm.
She fits her 2 kids in fine by the way, but she thought it was a dog of a car until she was put straight.

The rotary engine *has* to be warmed up fully before you switch it off again, or you’ll potentially flood it and have starting issues. Helpfully, the RX8 lets you know when it’s warmed up. The red line on the rev counter changes depending on the engine temperature, getting higher as the temperature increases.
You *don’t* have to call Mazda out to un-flood the engine at £££ cost – press the accelerator to the floor then crank the starter for 10 seconds.
You *do* have to take the engine to the redline every time you drive it, to clear out any carbon deposits from the combustion chamber (from the oil it’s designed to burn). If you don’t, the carbon deposits build up and will eventually interfere with/kill the apex seals.
Same goes for the type of oil. Modern synthetic oils have ingredients that aren’t designed to burn. Those ingredients stick to the rotor housings and will eventually interfere with/kill the apex seals.
You *have* to keep an eye on the oil level, because they burn it. It’s *not* a horrific amount of oil that’s used either, maybe 1 litre every 1000-2000 miles, and at £3.99/litre for mineral oil online it’s *not* the huge expense people will have you believe.
Because of the thermal inefficiency of the engine, cooling is a big weakness and is the most common cause of engine death.
Poor ignition components will also kill an engine quickly.
However, keeping on top of all this is not the ballache that seems to be shouted from the rooftops every time someone mentions an RX8.

If you’re buying, check it starts first time from cold *and* from hot, and google “champagne test”. If it fails, walk away. Ideally there’ll be a compression test with the car, but it may well be worth the £50-or-so to have one done. Anything above 7 bar for all readings is good to go, although 6s can and will last a good 20,000-30,000 miles if treated right.

They’re magic cars, if a little gut-less in the 192PS form, and half an hour every weekend looking things over along with driving the thing correctly will see you good for 70-80,000 miles no bother. Yes, they need rebuilds eventually, but I’d hazard a guess that the intervals are a lot longer than they would be for a 1.3L piston-engined car putting out 230+ horsepower. Buy a cheap RX8 and stick the £1500 extra it would have cost to get a clapped out Golf GTi into the bank for when rebuild time comes, and in the mean time just enjoy it.

Credentials: I run a highly-tuned RX7 and look after my sister’s RX8. I did A LOT of research before spending my hard-earned.

I routinely get around 25mpg from my RX7 and use about a litre of oil every 3 months. Insurance is very cheap compared to that of cars with similar performance (not that there are many) and I’ve banked ~£2000 to cover the cost of the inevitable rebuild. I know it’s coming one day, and I’ve budgeted for it accordingly so it doesn’t worry me.

Thanks for that superb advice.

Spot on.

Now to speak to my wife…. Although I am sure she will prefer this hare-brained idea to the recent one about passing my bike test…. 🙂

The flying Ox, nice to see some informed and factual information about rotary engines online for a change.

I think the moderators of the Whole Internet should make that post a “sticky” 😉

The flying Ox, nice to see some informed and factual information about rotary engines online for a change.

Thats just a long winded way of saying “they break” and explaining why 🙂 . All these things you must do – red line it on every outing, not stop the engine before its hot – these aren’t characteristics, they are failings. Rotary engines might well be perfect for something, a hobby perhaps, but they’re not fit for purpose in a road going car.

will see you good for 70-80,000 miles no bother

thats a pathetic amount of milage from a car built in the 21st century

Thats just a long winded way of saying “they break” and explaining why

Nope, it’s trying to bring an understanding that what you know about maintaining a piston engine in no way relates to how you should maintain a rotary engine. Think about it from the other viewpoint: try driving a 1.3L piston engined car to the redline every time you use it whilst only using cheapo mineral oil and see how long it lasts.
Aside from the whole intake/compression/combustion/expulsion thing, they are entirely different concepts. Expecting to treat one the same as the other getting the same longevity from both is never going to work.

I’d rather have another kid than own an rx 8 as another kid will work out cheaper to keep…

That’s only cos your neighbour is cock-on with his pellet gun and would force you bankrupt paying for replacement windscreens 😛

Interesting info from flying ox. I had been contemplating one of these as our fun second car but knowing all that I know it couldn’t work for us because of the warming up and redlining need.

Where is the fun in “fun second car” if your not redlining it at least once each drive anyway ?