Mazda RX-8 review/F1 Outsider interview

This blog is all about customer service.  As you may know, commenter Alan is selling his Lexus.  Well, he's thinking about picking up an RX-8.  I remembered that commenter F1Outsider had an RX-8, so I asked him to share his thoughts about owning one.

1. Why did you buy an RX-8?

I’ve always liked cars that are out of the ordinary. The RX-8 is very different from any modern car. As an F1 fan I also appreciate great handling over outright speed. The RX-8 fit the bill for being quirky, fun to drive and affordable (to buy).

2. Tell us more about your car.  Year, transmission type, etc.

My RX-8 was a 2004 Touring model with the 6 speed manual transmission. The color was what Mazda calls “Velocity Red Mica” and it was just beautiful on a sunny day.

3. Between you and me, how much oil did the thing burn?  Can you explain in layman's terms why the engine burns so much oil?

I had to put in about a quart of oil every 3-4 weeks. 

The easiest way I can explain is that the oil is mixed with the gasoline in order to lubricate the rotor tips as they rotate against the rotor housing. Since this is in the chamber where combustion happens, the oil is burned along with the gas.

4. What was it like to drive around town and on freeways?  Did you spend more than half the time above 4,000 to 5,000 rpm?

On surface streets, it was hard to keep up with Civics and Corollas going from light to light unless I was willing to really rev it up. Even so, they would almost always get the jump on me. On the freeway it was reasonably responsive and I was confident enough to pass cars on 2 lane highways. It also revved so easily, it was never a big deal to drop a gear or two and get some more power. For longer road trips, the bad mileage and small gas tank was always a reason to be on the look out for the nearest gas station.

5. Did the suicide doors affect the car's structural rigidity?

The suicide doors were a great talking point and I always got a kick of seeing people’s reactions when they first saw it. If they caused rigidity problems I certainly never noticed it. But I also never tracked it, so perhaps I never pushed it hard enough to notice.

6. What should a person looking to buy a used one look for?  What are the problem areas?

Avoid the 2004 and 2005 models like the plague. They are cheaper for a reason. Don’t buy unless there’s a full service history. There were a lot of TSBs and recalls for the RX-8, so verify that the previous owner had the work done.

Check everything twice and take it to a trusted mechanic with lots of rotary experience. All things I didn’t do when buying my RX-8.

7. Why did you ultimately get rid of it?

Florida roads are straight, flat and boring. This is not the ideal place for such a great handling car. Additionally, in less than 2 years of owning the car I had to fix or replace an ignition chip that kept the car from starting, 2 clutch pedals (which Mazda later refunded me for), and the gas tank vent solenoid. I also never got around to fixing other problems such as a strong vibration on the steering rack while turning at slow speeds and a burned HID headlight assembly that was a $1,600 replacement. When a dealer offered me $8500 for it, I took it and ran! I think they never noticed the headlight wasn’t working. 

Even so, I still loved the car.

8. Tell us a little bit about the cars you have owned, current driver, and your next car.

In 12 years of driving I’ve had almost as many cars. Some notables would be a 1995 Eagle Summit (Mitsubishi Expo) for being so utterly boring, a 1995 Jeep Wrangler that was indestructible. There were other cars like a 2000 Mazda 626, a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse and a 2005 Chevy Colorado Z71. The RX-8 was my first true sports car.

My current car is a 2006 Mazdaspeed6 that I absolutely love and plan on keeping indefinitely. My next car will probably be a second weekend/project car. An early to mid 90’s MX-5 Miata is a strong candidate, but a first gen Rx7 is also a possibility.

9. Who is your favorite (current) F1 driver?  What do you think his prospects are this season?

I don’t really have an outright favorite F1 driver. I like Button for being calm, cool and collected and Webber for being the Aussie who tells it like it is.

I’m very happy to see Kimi return and I hope he gets lots of podiums. His post race interviews are epic. 

10. Why do you love cars?

There is no car culture in my family, so I can’t really explain why it is that I like cars so much. My grandmother tells me that she would take me out when I was 3 or 4 and I would keep asking her to tell the names of all the different cars on the street and I would memorize them. One of my earliest childhood memories is of a car stunt show that was promoted by the local Ford dealer in the city where I was born in Brazil. They would jump through fire, drive on two wheels, etc. I also remember always peeking through the driver side window of cars to see what the max speed was on the speedometer, so I guess it has something to do with going fast.  

I guess the easiest way to answer it is to say that I was just born with it.