Used RX-8 or v6 mustang

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Slayer04

Member
I'm looking into getting a used car for around 12 grand and I've limited it down to either a 04/05 rx-8 or a 05/06 v6 mustang.

the 8's I've been looking at have at least 26,000 miles some even with 57,000 and there happens to be alot of controversy over which type of oil to use in the car so that makes me sceptical to buy an 8 with more than 30,000 miles. should I worry about that or not? how realiable is the engine? would it be a good car to keep for 5 year?

I really like the style and idea's behind the car but if it won't be reliable then I'm not going to spend money on it.

what do you guys think? since you already owen them
 
The RX-8 is one of the most fun cars you could ever own. Its point-&-shoot handling brings a smile to your face each & every time. Its everyday practicality doesn't annoy you down at the shops. Your friends fit in it, your "cool-factor" is increased as you drive legend status in what has to be the most user-freindly RX from Mazda ever.

As for oil. Rather than listen to this & that. Use Mazda's own "ROTARY OIL" This way, you follow Mazda's own lead & are not taking a chance with all those confusing brands.

You can get Rotary oil from any Mazda dealership & here in the land of Oz, we pay around AU$50 for a 5lt container.

For reference, my 03-model RX-8 runs on genuine Rotary oil.

As for reliability, depends on who you buy it from.

If you buy from a rotorhead, then you know the engine has been warmed before driving, the tacho has seen 8000rpm every now & then & the oil has been changed every 10,000km. Those are the engines that will be good for 250,000km or more.

If the owner was a 1st time rotor guy who thrashed it from cold & let it go a few thou past the oil-change point, those are the engines that will struggle for 100,000km.

You learn to love your RX-8 & in return it pays out plenty of satisfaction. Its no drag strip warrior but its the "Complete" package that makes this a winning car, a car thats won plenty of awards since its 2003 release.

REgards
 
^He said it all. Simply do more research as well. Every car is not going to be perfect. For me, I love my 8. It's a 2004 and I purchased almost 2 years ago. I also have full warranty coverage and I only needed to bring the car in once for a common TSB. Other than that I give it regular maintenance myself and she runs perfect.
 
The rx-8 is a very reliable car if you are responsible owner.As for the oil you can use dino or synthetic,the only reason why mazda wont recomend synthetic is beacause they have not done the proper research unlike racing beat it will recomend it,all you have to worry about is to check your oil with every full tank of gas,warm it up in the morning and let it go to 9,000 rpms every now and then
and you should have a very reliable and truly sports car.
 
Just curious, where did you find that Racing Beat supports the use of synthetic?

I only found this on their website, "The Mazda RX-8 Owners Manual indicates that the engine oil and oil filter be changed every six (6) months or every 7500 miles, whichever comes first. Racing Beat supports this recommendation. Mazda recommends the use of SAE 5W/20 with a quality designation of ILSAC or SL."
 
manual of course, what fun is an automatic? and about the oil, I was refering to the 5w-20 or 5w-30 debates with many owners saying that the heavier oil is need to keep the engine running past 30,000 miles without a break down but mazada recomends the 5w-20 to meet EPA requirements and higher fuel economy, but what good is getting 3 or 4 more miles to the gallon if the engine won't last more than 30,000 miles
 
I currently have a V6 Mustang, I used to have a 2nd gen. RX-7, I've driven and lusted over RX-8s for a while now.

That said, if you're not looking for a convertible, get the RX-8. It's a brilliant handling car with reasonably practical packaging. I'd have bought one, but I wanted a stick shift, 4-seat convertible, so it was all Mustang for me.

Also, with the RX-8, sit in the passenger seat for a bit. I noticed that the transmission hump intrudes terribly into the leg room, forcing me to sit sideways. I knew my wife would not be willing to put up with that, so it was one more strike against the 8.

Those things aside, I'd still love to have one. The rotary is such a cool engine. Have you ever driven one wide open? There's just nothing like it, really.

You may also want to check insurance prices for both, though. I suspect the V6 Mustang will cost you less.

I do really like my Mustang, BTW. It's a great highway car, quick and fun enough around town, and the aftermarket is ENORMOUS, even for the V-6.
 
racing beat does endorse royal purple for use in rotary engines, has been doing so for years now
 
altspace said:
Just curious, where did you find that Racing Beat supports the use of synthetic?

I only found this on their website, "The Mazda RX-8 Owners Manual indicates that the engine oil and oil filter be changed every six (6) months or every 7500 miles, whichever comes first. Racing Beat supports this recommendation. Mazda recommends the use of SAE 5W/20 with a quality designation of ILSAC or SL."
Click to expand...

I call them(drive)
 
Well for what it's worth, at Lime Rock Park I spoke to the engineers from Speedsource and asked the very question about using synthetic motor oil, and basically their recommendation was not to use synthetic in a daily driven RX-8. Has to due with chemical breakdown, etc. I don't recall the entire 4 days.
 
What do you drive now? Where/how long do you regularly drive? Are you married, do you have a regular passenger?

All of these would better allow us to help you choose.
 
I have used Royal Purple for over a year in my FC, with good results. I highly recommend RP for rotary engines.
 
^ Engine oil or trans diff?

Slayer04, it's quite normal to talk about all points here. There's no one up or whatever, just general discussion because I have read multiple threads over the years and spoke to many people on the exact subject matter, and the viscosity type as well.
 
I use rp 5w-30 on mine

altspace,
my buddy has a mazda oem/performance store and is a racing beat dist. and when he placing an order i took advantage and talked to them and they told me about why mazda does not recomend synthetic but they use royal purple on there cars and I've been using for a long time with no problems but at the end it all comes down to user preference,I'm not saying your wrong or right because there has been no real testing or official recomendations like if talk to mazda usa they not recomended but they wont tell not to used it,is a endless debate.
 
That's cool. This is the guy I've spoken with. www.rotaryresurrection.com

You could say he has some experience in the field. ;) He recommends 10W-40.

Do a Google search for, "117k mile renesis teardown". It's very informative reading.
 
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I put RP MAX Gear in my trans and diff about a year ago. At first it was fantastic, but lately shifts have not felt as precise and engagement was a bit rough. Just the other day I switched to Red Line MT-90 and it feels so much better. Maybe it's just because of the new fluid, I can't really say but I do not drive as often as most people since I work from home.
 
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