The Mazda RX-8 Is a Fun Car You Probably Shouldn't Buy
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ค. 2020
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The Mazda RX-8 is weird, cool, and special -- and you probably shouldn't buy one. Today I'm reviewing the Mazda RX-8, and I'm showing you all the quirks and features of the unusual RX-8. I'm also driving the RX-8, and I'm going to show you why you shouldn't consider one, even though it's cool.
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this guy talks about rx8’s like his girl left him for a guy with an rx8
bruh
Trueeee
Noope
Well, I know nobody cares but I could say that I hate the Ford raptor just for that reason...
@@JoseSanchez-ln8mr Damn, I like ford raptors
The owner going driving his car after Doug reviews it:
“Hey where are my 37 cents”
Lmao
damn what a thief
Owner be like where is my 37 cents cause they need to replace the engine rotary seals.
Plot twist: he gives him 35 cents back and says: only my two cents...
Looks like Doug is 37 cents richer
Fun facts about my rx8 story
- Had it for 10 years as a daily driver, including in harsh Canadian winters
- Went snowboarding in it and managed to fit 3 guys and 3 snowboards
- Bought a 55" tv from best buy and managed to bring it home in the backseat
- Had no mechanical issues besides basic maintenance, even though I bought it second hand with 100,000 kms
Thanks I needed this!
It just needs a little bit of maintenance and hands on diy stuff, it can be reliable. Most people that complain about them or ruin them are the type that just buy a car to fuck around and not bother with any maintenance or preventative measures, as if theyd even know where to begin.
Awesome
What happened next? 😂 You skipped the part that explains why you stopped using it
How much did you get it for? What year?
"It's not that fast." In the hands of Top Gear's Stig it was exactly as fast on the racing track as a BMW M3 back then. But with a 1.3 liter engine... I think you just gotta love this one.
yes, with the gas mileage of a full size truck.
It has a rotary engine it can rev higher and rev faster so that is why it doesn't need as much displacement.
@@brosef4154 yeah you probably the guy that brings he’s hot date to McDonald’s
@@mike9535 😂
@@brosef4154 you don’t know what you’re talking about. I owned an 05, then an 07. Both had better fuel efficiency than most modern sedans. Get outta here.
Doug leaning on the hood "I'm gonna start the features with one of it's most bizzare quirks..."
Everyone : The engine
Doug : Key
Soupisgood2 HAHAHAHA!!
Alan Harper rotary
@@Jr-if4ge but you know it's going to be a rotary
chris davidson the guy above me clearly didn’t know if he asked lol
RX-8: has a engine with a triangle, and several triangular design pieces
Doug: starts off by telling us the car is all about circles
IKR this car is all about triangles. There is a huge one ON THE BONNET!
Gabriel Godina I would say for the time when it was designed (I.e. the very early 2000’s) it’s pretty good.
@Gabriel Godina some people have their cars some people don't I honestly love the 2nd gen manuals I have a first gen one but have had to have the engine replace twice since I bought it 9 years ago
Anyone who watches this vid is going to know more about rotary engines than he does, so he shouldn't even bother talking about it. Just stick with the quirks and features.
@Gabriel Godina that was pretty much Mazda's whole design language for the 2000's, which was sort of the end of their relationship with Ford. All their cars from that time period looked blehh to me. The NC Miata, the 6, 3, CX-7 and so on. The newest KODO design language, though, looks really cool in my opinion. Would be interesting to see how a car like this would look with the current Mazda styling.
That coolant light made me laugh. In 1998 I bought a one owner Toyota Supra Turbo with 30,000 miles - and I started driving it 100 miles a day every day. During my first week of ownership that light pops on. No cell phones, no internet research, I just had to stop at a payphone and call the dealership. They asked what was going on and all I could explain was "My Lincoln Memorial light came on..."
Great story haha
do you still own it?
Lmaoo, that’s amazing
I owned the RX-8 as a daily driver for 8 years. was active in the user groups on line and worked on the car. So I think I can add a lot here. I will start out by saying this was a love hate relationship with this car. I hated the fact that the engine could go out on me and knew many who had engines fail and rebuilt sometime multiple times. The RX-8 engine was different from the earlier RX-7 engines and was not as reliable. Engine compression seal failure was the problem and due to a variety of reasons that Mazda only really knows for sure. Heat and oil had a lot to play in this issue. The second major issue for me, as a daily driver, was the fuel economy. I averaged 12 mpg combined. Now I did drive the car hard but this was hard to swallow.
The above being said this was one of my favorite cars. It was quick if not fast (0-60 in 5.9sec) and was so smooth and sounded so great. The car handled like it was on rails but kept a subtle ride and did not knock your fillings out on bumps. Don't know how MAzda did it. The car had a 50/50 balance and the engine sat behind the front wheels so was considered mid engine. Really one of the best handling cars I ever drove. The breaks were also outstanding some of the best of its time. One of the big car shows would time the cars they tested on the track and the RX tied with the BMW M3 of the time despite having significantly less power, the car was that good. The car weighed less than 3000 lbs yet could seat 4 comfortably and had great truck space for a sports car. It was such an easy car to live with. Driver ergonomics was one of the best I have used. Everything right where you needed it. Just great. Build quality was also excellent for its time, no rattles just that great rotary noise.
In 8 years of ownership I have very few problems. here they are below:
- I used the sunroof a lot and it would develop a rattle, when opened, after round 30K miles. New one started to rattle at 60K, this was a design defect but not a big one.
- I drove this in Chicago winters where road salt is used in large quantities. In the 8 years the car developed a Oil line leak to the oil coolers. The cars used some metal piping that was not treated for corion and rotten out. Had to replace it with a braided steel line throughout the car.
- Failed ignition coils. This is a common problem that all RX owners had. A rotary engine's coil sparks 3 times as much as a piston engine and the coils used were not up to the job. They would fail at around 30K and if not addressed immediately would dump unburnt gas into the exhaust system which would then melt the CAT. If you get one of these the first thing you do is upgrade the coil packs to either a corvettes or GM Yukon's coil pack. There are kits out there for this.
What you smoking its more like 0-60 in 6.4 seconds
"There is too many circles in this car. Let's start with the steering wheel" - Doug
And the tyres !
And the volume knob...
I lost it when he said that XD
But doesnt mention the gear shifter, which has 4 circles on it..
@@beatsbybaya3995 The last car review I saw before this *didn't* have a circular steering wheel ('60 Plymouth Fury). An almost oblong with curved corners. So it seemed to me like something that needed pointing out! (I Like weird cars).
“car isn’t beautiful” said guy who owns convertible G Wagon
Why would anyone want that when you can just get a regular one
14 year old r u dumb guy
And he paid $100k for it
True, but I think he is pretty open about how hideous that mistake is. Also, DEAR GOD MERCEDES WHY?!!
@@tvanb no, he seems actually really smart
Test drive one in 2005, was super easy, probably the easiest manual to drive I've ever driven, also a neat thing, some models had a pop up GPS screen that cam up from the center of the dash. Burns oil up like nobody's business, but I always thought these were cool cars. It's starting to look aged but hey, it still looks cool in my opinion and it's nearly 20 years old.
My 04 had the screen with navigation it was 6speed n went to 124K miles which was amazing for these sold it before bad things happened
It's actually designed to burn oil. If you want it reliable you need to run 2 stroke pre mix in the gas
@@bigseff23 isn't that the truth. Thanks for the reply 😊
Did you ever drive a diesel
@@bigseff23 wish I could have told my know-it-all BMW mechanical engineer friend about this, he'd dismiss cars because of one thing he found wrong with it LOL. I remember watching an onboard of the beastly Alfa 155V6 TI in a hillclimb, he goes "ahh, v6s are prone to vibration, never as smooth as an inline 6..." Yeah, we know your dad gave you his inline 6 5 series but c'mon dude.
Doug: "Probably shouldn't buy"
Me: been looking at used Rx8 listings for a month now.
Do it anyways
update: 2 years later I got an RX8 and it's still going fine, keep up with services and do a little research and you can't really go wrong. Just buy one that starts up strong hot or cold and definitely go manual.
@@ashimotosuperdeluxe1291 how based
Lots of "Circles" he says, have you ever seen the interior of a mini cooper??
Have you ever seen the interior of a Volkswagen Atlas? It has 17 cupholders!!!
Literally 2x as many triangles on this car than circles.
Not to mention the 90s Taurus!
Doug the type of guy to be like: “Even the wheels and tired are circles in this car”
Joseph Pantelidis *tyres..
Doug the type of guy who thinks round things are circles.
He ain't no square type of guy, oh no nooooo no.
@@reggiewarrington4586 Tires
@@rome4060 Tyres is the british spelling
Tired
I had a 2006 Shinka and I really enjoyed owning and driving it. On a closed course, I turned a faster lap time than a Lotus Elise. It’s handling and high 9500 redline in the twisties made up for its lack of torque, though it’s worth mentioning that I upgraded the wheels to lighter Mazdaspeeds along with the Mazdaspeed suspension. Doug is pretty spot on with the review, though the beeping button sound can be turned off in settings, and the sun visors with the holes are actually functional at blocking the sun while allowing a bit of visibility. Manual transmission was the only way to go in this car. It didn’t need very much oil in between changes and usually only required one small top off. In all, it was fun, reliable, and a unique experience to drive.
Reliable? Lol, if you need to do significantly more work to make sure it doesn't break compared to a normal piston engine then it's not particularly reliable.
@@Alex-ve1og adding a few oz of oil once in a while was hardly “significantly more work”.
@@evolv.e How often did you have to change the oil? any more often than a piston engine?
@@literallyleo it ate a little oil with regular driving, but checking the dip stick and adding a little to top it off once or twice in between oil changes wasn’t too much of a hassle. What was kind of a hassle though was how much gas I had to put in it. I averaged around 13-14 miles/gallon driving it, and while it’s fun to wind up, it had very little torque for something that got worse fuel economy than a corvette 😅. But still, it was an enjoyable experience while I had it. Anyways, the oil top offs were no big deal, and oil changes were done at roughly the same intervals as a piston engine.
I honestly love the way the rx8 looks, inside and out, and just how unique it is as a car. I think one thing that would have saved it, aside from the dorito engine, was if they jade the rear a hatch, rather than a normal trunk, keep everything else that would probably have worked.
If you pick it apart like Doug it has some large awkward features, it has certain weird angles but the car as a whole is very unique and sporty looking and I like it.
The more I see these the more I like them. Like, really like them.
@@btownballer27 when it released it was seen as ugly, but I kinda like it
@justadummy8076 they age well especially with the right mods. Mine is black on black lowered on BCs with black FC04 18x9. Looks like a batmobile. Gets a lot of thumbs up.
“The owner says the car hasn’t had one single problem” as there is remnants of coolant splattered all over the engine.
@Alex Frideres not if the car overheated and blew a hose or radiator cap. Happened to me once
@@punishmint a car overheating is kind of a big deal. It shortens the life of the head gasket and other major components
@@Alextheskater91 It sure isn't good to overheat it but there isn't a head gasket in these to destroy lmao
@@MrLosefireball that’s why I said “and other major components” you can still warp components in a rotary engine.
Actually its just the coolant sensor :))))))))))
When Doug was pressing the buttons, my microwave started beeping back
Machines together strong
They have become sentient; it is judgement day 😀😀
Yeah we're screwed
Than the Decepticon kettle laughed
@@justagiraffe2868 you genuinely made me laugh out loud, thanks for that ! :D
I don't know dude. I personally love how this car looks, it is totally beautiful to me. especially black rx8 looks gorgeous !!! I used to drive it and tune in Need for Speed Underground 2 back in 2006 or something and it was one of my favorite cars in that game !!! (yeah, not like I ever drive one in real life.. but you get idea. I still love this car)
You can't talk about a rotary car without saying the phrase: "apex seals".
Doug: “the owner says he hasn’t had any real issues with the rotary engine”
Me: Eyes the stains on the engine cover that looks suspiciously like the coolant cap went full Fukushima on him....
I thought the exact same thing! I guess the key qualifier here was the word "powertrain." Haha
Well that aint a issue when u open the Cap while the coolant is warm it will spray up a bit on any vehicle
Naw he probably opened it when the engine was still hot
@Dee Jay sorry I tried using common sense and didn't know a small detail that mechanics do...
@Dee Jay Let's all be honest with one another. That splatter pattern is clearly originating from the radiator cap. Anyone who says otherwise either is disingenuous, or has absolutely no understanding of fluid dynamics. Also, silicon would be an awful lubricant. Silicone lubricant is excellent however. And, I've worked on many cars, I've never had to spray lubricant onto the hood (bonnet across the pond) latch to open it.
Doug's "I 🥔 Idaho" shirt is by far the best shirt he has ever worn for a video I mean it
Your right
It's a New Doug's Quirks and Features
Woah I hadn’t noticed 😂
@@Richie6098 me too😂😂
As a native resident of the state I shall send him a gift basket of Russets as a token of gratitude.
Drove one of these back in 2007 when a friend I knew got too drunk to drive home and she let me take her. It was one of the funnest car I've driven. It wasn't the fastest, but very very fun. Nice little six speed
Plot twist: Doug doesn’t want people to buy the car to keep the fun to himself
I’m watching rn at the door rant. It’s very funny cause I don’t see the problem. 😆
I wish Mazdas engineers had a larger budget to take risks again damn it.
In some of their official reports, they have mentioned the development of a new rotary engine.
I know man...imagine a present day Speed3 or Speed6. I wish their US sales weren't so poor.
It's more an emission thing.
they just don't sell much car nowday... they had to sub contract other brand just to made end met.... like a bitch...
@@campkira name a single japanese carmanufacturer that still makes sports cars.
Barely anyone wants a sport car anymore.
Q:Where is your Datsun/Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, etc japanese sport car?
A:They do not exist.
Viewer: "hey here's my RX8 you can review!"
Doug: "Here's why this car sucks!"
Viewer: "yeah well, that's like, your opinion man!"
*vapes angrily*
Chris Harris did it to Ferrari and Lamborghini so they told him f..k you, you will not get cars from us ever again.
Doug DeMuro is the only one they say that a car is a piece of junk if it is
@@Doenerlover69 *aggressively ghost inhales*
Just bought one for 3500 last month now I get to see doug rip it to shreds lmao *rotary tears*
quinlan vos
I test drove one, and sadly they had changed the drivetrain from early rotaries so you almost could not tell it was rotary engine powered anymore. My dad's RX3 was so fun to drive - the RX8 did not strike me the same way. It did handle nicely though. Rotaries do have reliability problems - my dad's had a seal failure. I did the rebuild and it was fun - I could carry the block myself. Plenty of power in a small package.
Doug doing what Doug does best, one of my favorites ever reviews from him
When you pull out that handbreak you will find out it is actually a sword.
Very Japanese!
Sigh
Break and brake. It's just not that hard to get it right.
the legend of the Sword in the ... Center Console.
*Katana
Percussierups Wtf ?? th-cam.com/video/BnuHKimwH1I/w-d-xo.html
I cant believe he didn't mention ALL OF THE OTHER triangles!! there are at least 30 on/in this car.
I read the part in CAPS in Doug's voice.
Especially the hidden ones in the headlights!!
*T R I A N G L E S*
Like the MASSIVE TRIANGLE on the bonnet
No, it's all about the circles, get with the program!
I had a 2004, one of my first cars. Coolant sensor broke on mine too at one point. I really liked how it drove, definitely fun, but often had issues. Was an earlier model tho I don’t think much changed over time. The triangular shaped stick is nice to hold when shifting. Mazda replace my motor under warranty at 85,000 miles but the next motor starting having issues at about 45,000. First motor would stall often when coming to a stop, and the second wouldn’t start after stopping unless u let it cool down for 10-15 mins. Both were signs of compression loss. Maybe the latter doesn’t seem like a big deal, but don’t stall out in traffic. I couldn’t get it through inspection since they shut off the car during inspection. A higher powered starter helped for a while, but eventually didn’t matter. I eventually sold mine to a friend for $500 even with a body still in good shape. Very cool car, better at windy roads and not really made for straight speed (tho it’s pretty quick) but not one I’d recommend due to potential motor issues. Even if ur someone to take good care of it, a lot of enthusiasts had issues. He mentioned how inexpensive they typically are used, and motor reliability is why, with rarity being attributed to many now being dead.
One of the best cars I’ve ever owned and driven. Seriously. The way it drives is just unbelievable
I don't know much about cars but I really like this one is it fast?
@@GPO_Aptoboss it’s quick. Not fast. My pt cruiser is faster in a straight line 😂
Should I get it as my first car?
@@toeeater6342 i would not suggest it. once the apex seals go out, you will either have to decide to rebuild it or sell it. If you see above 50k miles on an rx-8 stay away.
The best part is when you get off drugs and buy a real car.
I always thought the reason why the rx8 technically has 4 doors and rear seats was to make it cheaper to insure. Because all the insurance company would see was that it’s a 4 door, 4-seater car with a 1.3L engine. Might as well be a Toyota Corolla lol.
It’s classified as a sports car
it was Ford's contribution to the demise of the rotary engine. Like they did to the T-bird in 1958, a car has a bigger market if it can fit 4 people and/or have 4 doors. It worked for Thunderbird because they sold a lot more cars with the box t-bird. but sadly, it was the end of a great sporty car.
Insurance is very cheap with this car!!
That's exactly how my insurance was
@@RLX28G my 2015 civic si coupe is considered a “sports car” but my insurance puts it as a regular civic I don’t get the extra charge.
Doug: Owner said this car has had no issues
Also Doug: Kneeling in front of engine bay with coolant sprayed all over it.
Todd Epley That sounds dirty af lmao
"no real/major problems"
The coolant is spray is from in front of the engine. The radiator is not a part of the engine, and the most likely cause would be damage, not wear.
@@dutchvanderlinde9991 you dirty af lol don't kinkshame that's Todd Epley being classic Todd Epley
A coworker had one of these bought since new and they never had any problems with it (they did learn how to care for a dorito engine with an rx7 though). It no longer drives because someone else crashed into them and that was that.
A fucking shame. Manage to get one of these last this long and then someone crashes into you.
Sounds pretty normal for RX8. Coolant all over the place in RX8 can happen due to faulty reservoir or cracked plastic top mount on the radiator. Had both, had to change reservoir twice, radiator once. Pretty meh as overheating kills the engine really quick.
Interesting that the design features that Doug hates are the same ones that i love. (Love the long wheelbase and the huge wheel arches, reminds me of the Viper or maybe a retro design). I suppose it's just personal taste.
I love how the car looks! Especially the front wheel arches and the back end.
I really dont get why people don’t clean their cars when they know thats it is beeing reviewed...
I don’t get why people don’t clean their cars, period.
Maybe he would have given it a better review
Yeah, overall quite surprised how it wasn't cleaned. The engine bay would have looked 10 times better with just dusting the plastic which would have taken 2 minutes
The scary thought is maybe the owner did clean the car o.O
Yeah , the HHR SS he did a few days a go was filthy too
I love how Doug just completely ignores the massive coolant explosion that clearly happened under the hood. I think it's safe to say the coolant sensor isn't on because it's faulty. This owner obviously doesn't take care of the car. Look how messy the trunk was! Who leaves their car like that for a Doug DeMuro review?
a MONSTER. That's who...
Makes me annoyed because my RX-8 is well maintained and regularly cleaned. The exterior has a couple blemishes, but the interior is very good. I just detailed it a few days ago. I even emailed Doug a few months ago offering him to review mine, but I'm in NorCal and not the San Diego area so I guess this one beat me out.
Just goes to show that Doug only looks for the "best and nicest example" of the cars he likes the most. You can tell that while he ended up enjoying the driving experience, he probably wasn't too enthusiastic about reviewing this car initially, probably because he thinks they're so ugly. It wouldn't have been hard to find a nicer example nearby.
For the number of views/subscribers he has, it should have been Doug to offer washingthe car
@@JaegerZ3 How does he have so many subscribers? I spent the whole video wanting to punch him in the face.
The coolant light looks like a radiator to me.
Doors are just like the extended cabs on the pic-up trucks. They can be very handy when putting shopping bags in the car in a parking space.
Thanks a lot for these videos Doug, We really appreciate it
He missed the whole point of this car: 9k rpm 😏
Exactly. That's really the best thing about a rotary engine. Quite high redline.
@@SubaruWRXspdManualRedline?
There Is No Redline😠😁
@@imamakeit5163 rev limit... many names
Which makes that 160 lbft, which exists across the entire team, very impressive.
@@ifarewelli do you know what a joke is?
Doug really needs to review more Japanese cars from this era and earlier.
ikr
Yes, he needs to review the Nissan 350Z. It'll be interesting to see how he can point out the Zs on the car.
Mr. ADR I think he’s done a Z before...maybe lol
I need to see what he thinks of the AZ-1 and other Autozams
Word.
Good review Doug,
Good honest review,
Like always!
Thank you
this car:
i am fast, i have four doors, i look that bad, i have space for 2 adults and two kids, my seats are SICK, i have good quality, i have a rotary, i have a cool spedometre...
this guy:
s i r k e l s e v e r y w h e r e
agreed! lol
Doug: I'm 37 cents richer
RX-8 Owner: I'm never gonna financially recover from this
this be kinda true seeing the fucking trunk and engine bay
I hope people caught this reference 🤣
This comment😂😂😂😂😂
It’s our savings for the rebuild. Definitely set him back considering the cost of our mileage.
Doug the type of guy who wears an Idaho shirt in San Diego
And cowboy hat in New York
RICKY tf does that even mean
I’m pretty sure it’s a thing he does, I always get excited when I seem him wear a shirt featuring my state!
@@KloneOne1111 same, im from idaho
My Shinka RX-8 was my daily driver for 16 years. It is my weekend car now. You cannot beat the handling characteristics or the free-revving feel of the rotary engine. It requires a little more maintenance, but really nothing as bad as people are saying.
I really want to purchase one, but I am scared of the oncoming wave of costs that will hit me down the line. Do u still recommend one now?
same here, never selling my 8, its also my weekend car and i love driving it!
It's beyond me why more cars don't use the 1 and 1/2 door set up
Doug is a type of guy to pull over when he needs to sneeze
I’m dead 💀😂
Obama prism
Doug is the type of guy to rev an electric car
It looks like dog sneezed all over the stereo before he did the video.
🤣🤣🤣
"Doug is 37¢ richer" rubs hands*
I bet he steal those coins
is Doug Jewish ?
Oh cool, you watched the video, too?
The Birdman hand rub. Somebody get doug the lotion
lol Doug channeled his inner Ferengi.
the "super unique fuel" thing might refer to how most gas stations in the US have special names for their top-grade fuel, meaning you should go for the "premium uniquely named fuel".
It's for the French-Canadian market. "Super" (premium) "Unique" (only)
I had a co-worker who had one of these. He liked it. He also came to work in it - about 4 miles from his house to the office. When he did this, he got something like 11 mpg. So he did not keep the car very long. He did say that this mileage was the only real drawback of the car.
Rcr: "TRIANGLES EVERYWHERE"
Doug: "CIRCLES!"
I’MMA TELL YOU ANYWAY!
@O 99 I bet you think BMW's new kidn- I mean lung grills look good, huh?
Wtf ?? th-cam.com/video/BnuHKimwH1I/w-d-xo.html
@O 99 lol all of your comments on Doug's videos are hate on Alfa Romeo. Do you have a problem with Alfa, or hating on it makes you happier?
@@Edeptacija haha I've noticed him as well. Clearly has problem with Alfa Romeo for some reason...
“The owner has had this car for over 10 years with no problems”
Coolant stains on the engine cover: “am I a joke to you?”
"Oh that? That's normal, all rotaries do that."
And how about the engine bay?? You'd think of you're going to get it filmed you'd at least have it detailed lol wtf. That engine bay made my car OCD go insane i had to turn away haha
savage flamez every other problem except the engine not spontaneously exploding so in rotary car terms thats 'no major problems' 😂
I had mine for 8 years before the compression on one rotor was low.
This car is killing it on weight distribution. Look at the minute overhangs, both ends! Once you feel it out it must be possible to corner real quick!
19:35 the license plate looks like a bucktooth
thanks doug i cant unsee it now
Owner: Wow Doug will review my car! Should I clean it.....na leave it dirty. Gives it the used look. Lol
38 cents
Fumig8 it
“The coolant light is on, which really isn’t a problem” *coolant is sprayed all over the front of the engine* “the owner said he’s had no real major problems with this car”
Yeah, there is that...
That's factory
The coolant sensor is located in the coolant overflow tank and it's integrated into the tank. The sensor goes bad on just about every RX-8, it's a common problem. I had mine go bad around 50k miles and you can't just replace the sensor, you have to replace the entire overflow tank, and it's not cheap. Most owners don't replace it.
Bahaha
Most Rx-8 including the two i've owned both had a coolant light on, It's a bastard to change as it's tucked away and they always fail, but they don't relay any information to the ECU so it's often not changed lmao
As a former rx-8 owner, this was an incredibly amazing car with only a couple of minor flaws: terrible gas mileage, burns oil, slightly underpowered. It was so fun to drive, comfortable, functional, unusual, and generally a cool car. The highlight was the impeccable handling, for sure. But ~150-180 miles on a ~15 gallon tank was atrocious. Also, my key was just your typical flip out key of the era. Could turn off the beeps, too.
What are the pros and cons of getting rx8 ?
@@ffmmain8673 I owned the RX-8 when it was new, but I'd say pros: excellent interior comfort and nice interior design, fantastic handling, 9000 rpm redline and solid manual gearbox, the suicide doors really do improve the usability of the car as better than a standard coupe, and it's kind of a funky vehicle (with a cool power train). Cons: the fuel economy is abysmal, it's a bit underpowered, the engine really burns oil, the looks haven't necessarily aged too gracefully, and there will be reliability issues with the motor.
Oooh, I always agree with you Doug - But today I have to disagree with you. I think this car is good looking!
Good looking yes... But they're very notorious for breaking down.
@@christopherjongte865 he was talking about looks not reliability
Jonas, yes 100%. Those "too big" wheel wells are awesome!
Looks are good, but what matters the most is what is inside.
@@christopherjongte865 I had one for four years and never had one issue.
Doug: Hates the long wheelbase look
Also Doug: Loves the great handling associated with longer wheelbases
Answer for yourselft+stop creating these stupid dialogues yourself
longer wheelbase=/=good handling
Kotaro Jujo it does help thou, why do you think Formula cars have their wheelbase so far apart?
It’s not the long wheelbase itself, it’s the visual relationship between the wheelbase, the door, and rooflines, where the driver sits. If it had only two seats, the driver was pushed back six inches, and the rear glass was brought forward a bit over the rear wheel well it would look a lot better.
thanks to you doug i know which cars i fit in when i'm looking to buy my first car
👍👍👍
2023 Update a low mileage 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 went for $42,000 USD at Classic Cars Auction in 2021. My own 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 with some performance upgrades is now insured as a Classic Car by State Farm/Hagerty for full value of $50,000 USD with no depreciation. Only 1000 of these special editions were made in the world. . And yes you can turn the beep off. I use the rear cupholders and not the front ones BTW, easy to reach from front seats. Keeping mine forever. Incredible handling and smooth power as smooth as a V-12 car. Unique and super fun to drive. An dont make the same mistake as some youtubers and NOT explain that oil is injected to lubricate the rotor seals, is is NOT burning oil like a piston engine. Cheers
Mr.Regular: Triangles!
Doug: Circles!
Also Doug: hexagons
I felt that
Me: ah! retardation isn't gone from this planet.
The beeping can be disabled in the audio settings...
Yeah I always see that stupid people complaining about the beep. I've found it on the very first day I owned the car.
@@axemanracing6222 lol it's like the first thing that shows up in the audio settings 😂
Yeah, I have an '06 Mazda 3 and it has the same beep, and it is very easy and quick to disable as well. It takes about 5 minutes tops of poking around the head unit's buttons/menus to figure that out. Sometimes Doug really does seem like an alien invader disguised as a human that really enjoys reviewing cars despite not having human intuition/common sense.
@@jasondeland5487 me who put up with it for 8 years
my rx-8 has never beeped (except for the 9k RMP beep) since I owned it (40 miles on the clock.)
Had one for 8 years. I liked the look and the handling was indeed superb -- made possible by designing the car around the tiny rotary engine. On the other hand it had its tedious aspects. The combination of lightweight flywheel and total lack of low-end torque made shifting in stop-and-go traffic too much work for even a manual-trans enthusiast. There were also "special rules" about not shutting the car down until it had warmed up, otherwise the engine could easily flood, which for many owners meant a trip to the shop. Oh you just wanted to get something out of the garage? Budget 15 minutes for playing nursemaid to the RX-8. Engine durability is unsatisfactory for a 21st-century car. If you can put up with the quirks, it certainly can be a fun car out on the road as long as there's not a lot of congestion. If you do get one, take the time to do some serious research on the model so you know how to keep it happy.
Yeh I had a friend with one and he said alot of the same things. I want to like the rotary but they just seem to impractical for any car that is meant to be usable. I think they should develop more in like racing.
Warm her up first number 1 rule.
Its mosty basic maintenance in smaller intervals and some preventative measures to prevent bigger problems. Hardly a big deal, but yea if you have to move your car everyday to let someone out, then park it somewhere else, or get another car.
FYI for the damn beeping 1. Key in ignition, radio Off.
2. Press and hold the Seek > Down button.
3. While still holding it down, hold down the #5 button until it beeps.
4. Bye-bye beep.
*When Mazda makes the Tesla Model 3 key like 15 years before Tesla*
ForgedCarbon actually Renault were doing it many years before 👍
No
@@NickyLong89 yup
Huh? RX-8 has a keyfob. Model 3 has a keycard like a credit card or your phone. And I sold my RX-8 for my Model 3. Don't miss the RX-8 in any way. But will always like the design
@@NickyLong89 My Renault has the exact same philosophy. It does have a keyring hole though. And only 2 buttons
"Super unique" means "Super uniquement" in French, that translate into premium only. Probably for Canada
Pretty sure its still super unique. Reference, im from quebec
Was just going to say that
Still super unique. I’m french FYI the fuel in France is “sans plomb” and not super unique
T'as raison, il existe 3 types d'essence normal sans plomb et super
@@pepitoramucho1402 I don't speak French, but isn't "sans plomb" just "unleaded"?
8:29 ik this man ain’t having his bare knee in some rocks 😷😷
As I have ridden in a Mazda Rx-8, I can say that there really are rotors carved into the headlight housing.
The Rx-8 is like Miku Izayoi; It might seem like a bad idea at first, but if you understand it, you will love it and appreciate it for what it is, and it will love you back by heating up the center console and making an amazing noise when you rev it up to 9000 RPMS.
The Rx-8 isn't a bad car, it's just not an Rx-7.
Pretty sure everyone will start leaving 37 cents in their cars before letting you review them from now on.
LMAO
It’s gonna start adding up 🤣
Doug: "The cupholder placement is absolutely terrible."
Proceeds to put a 5 gallon jug into the cupholder...
The gear stick is probably designed more to be held from the top rather than from the side I think
The RX-7 didn't have a cup holder at all. My guess is, if this hadn't been a sport coupe disguised as a 4 seater, it wouldn't have had them either. Put down the drink and keep your hands on the wheel and shifter where they belong.
You took my thoughts i mean it is a CUPholder of course it seems terrible if you put a bottle or jug in it.
nah trust me i own one, the cup holders are straight up useless no matter what you put in there
Dude this car is amazingly designed! Doug doesn’t know what he’s talking about!
Doug is a great guy with a wealth of awesome (and accurate) reviews. This is not one of them.
Mazda RX-8 owner: hey Doug! I'm gunna need that 37 cents back asap
Doug's Bank Statement: - $0.37
Lmao
🤣🤣🤣
$0.37... down payment on the RX... Calculated for inflation...
He needs the .37 cents for apex seals
Doug the type of guy that says “ahhhhhhh” after he takes a sip of his drink
Are you trying to show off in front of the other children?
😂😂😂😂😂
Ngl I do that but only when it’s hot af
Tanmay Jamwal we all do it at some point, but sssshhhh don’t expose us
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
5-6 years ago almost bought one... It was hard to find a decent 05 to 07 then, (first two years best avoided) so many were already beat up then. Hard to find the post refresh 08 to 11 cars because so few were sold, see volumes at bottom.
I had Gen 1 and Gen 2 RX7s when I was in college and they were fine cars. But back then people were expected to keep them fed with oil which is metered into the gas to lubricate the rotor seals. When Mazda came out with the RX8, they knew that expectation was long gone so they setup the car to burn only one quart between 5k mile oil changes. That would still leave enough oil for proper engine operation.
However, that was insufficient to lubricate the seals, one quart every 2 or 3k miles at most is where it should have been set. Plus all the people that forget to ever change oil would just run them dry until failure. I think Mazda finally changed the metering in later years and even then it was on the high side. The die hard owners would add their own oil directly to the tank with every fill up.
I would love to own another rotary, esp a gen 3 RX7 but I live in Phoenix where it is very hot which probably isn't the best place for rotaries. Plus I think its getting near impossible to find anyone that knows how to work on a rotary. If there is anyone left, its probably on the west coast. Too bad, it was a neat concept, the real positives are size and weight. But given the hulking size of cars nowadays, nobody really cares about that. And fuel economy and emission requirements have really doomed the rotary. Maybe Mazda can make an electric sports car, I recomment starting with EX-1.
USA RX-8 sales (up to & including Dec 2011)
2003 - 12,346
2004 - 23,690
2005 - 14,673
2006 - 9,343
2007 - 5,767
2008 - 3,368
2009 - 2,217
2010 - 1,134
2011 - 759
Total USA sales 73,297
The front wheel arches are so big so that you can see both from the drivers seat, really helps place the car
Stupid Yank doesn't see that
Gotta respect Mazda , punishing people who bought the automatic.
Edit: thanks for 1.3k!
mazdaguy _ mazda makes ugly cars
They punish all who purchase their cars ...
It was because the transmission they chose was only rated for so much HP not because of Mazda’s preferences but rather a cost saving measure
nice miata
@@Pwng Mazda makes great cars
As a former RX-8 owner and someone who loved this car here's some input to this review:
>You can disable the beep in the settings.
>The see-though sun visor is genius actually because you can easily see Traffic Lights in direct eye shot sun. It functions 99.9% the same as a normal sun visor otherwise unless you're putting your eyes literally up against the holes.
> The true Brilliance of the 2 Rotor engine and rear seat suicide doors in my state was that got registered as a 2-Cylnder 4 Door car. Making the insurance incredibly reasonable for a sports car, even with full coverage.
>The pro of the Rotary (and my favorite thing about it) is the sound. It just sounds so cool. Its a crazy high rev'ing engine and its power and optimal punch is DEEP into the red line of traditional cylinder combustion engines. Also a major reason the car has amazing handling is thanks to the size and location placement in the car 's design. Its practically behind the dash making the car remarkably balanced in weight distribution and likely more of the reason why the car is so long in the middle. Also, not a pro or con but its placement takes up some foot room realistate in the passenger floorboard space. Its odd and makes the car asymmetrical there and I'm a little surprised he didn't mention it.
>The cons of the rotary is the car hates cold starts. You really need to warm the car up before you start driving it. I didn't have any issues with mine but took good care of it-- but one fateful day someone moved my car out of the driveway at request, without letting me know. After a cold start quick move, it somehow had a downhill effect on the performance of the car. I did buy the car used, it could have had existing issues that we finally exposed fully at this point and I agree its absurd something like that would do damage to the car but it did.
I loved my RX-8 and I miss having it. Its a true practical joyride machine that made rural highway twists and turns an absolute joy. Most amazing sports cars are valued for their horsepower performance. This car is made even more unique by being a practical sports car that is valued for its absurdly good handling.
But mine had oil flood all the time lmao i sold that piece of crab but i loved driving it so much tho but it was a money pit
Did it’s maintenance cost much? I’m like a student so I want a fun car already have a family car. Any idea how much it’s maintenance costs yearly
@@hamzasheraz3292 it's not the cheapest to maintain if you intend to look after it properly, fuel costs, regular oil changes, and I'd suggest replacing coils/leads & plugs straight after buying one (small problems with the ignition system can quite quickly cause big problems with the engine). As a student I probably wouldn't buy one, having said that I've had 2 RX8's now, so I must like them! So far no issues with them at all, just keep on top of maintenance and redline it every weekend 👍🏻
It's one of those cars that you look back on very fondly, but when you have it you spend most of the time thinking about getting rid of it.
Yeah, I don't think idling a car down a driveway ruined it, at least not unless it was like -20F outside and the oil wasn't moving and mixing into the combustion chamber like it should. If you had said someone did an autocross run without warming it up, OK, maybe, but not moving it out of the driveway.
*edited "cylinder" to "combustion chamber" because some stupid zoomer can't read between the lines and thinks I don't know what a f-ing rotary is.
I had one brand new in 04. $30k, Driving you can get 35 mph in 1st, @9000 RPM, 60 in 2nd, 90 in 3rd. The spare tire kit was good in theory. It took 90% of the trunk, and the flat did not fit in the trunk. He missed a few hidden storage "quirks". The car too 16 oz of gas to start, and would get about 15 mpg hwy. That was a fun car for me. It needed a quart of oil every other gas fill up, and that big cover under the had had to come off each time you needed to add oil, bad design.
Doug, if you switch the headlight brightness control on the left all the way, it changes the cluster from being white to red. I remember I found that out after owning the car a few months and it was my favorite feature lol
"Don't buy this unreliable car!" - guy who drives a defender
The NA defenders are actually alright without reliability, most suffered from poor maintenance
Every defender ever made is tens of times more reliable them an RX 8
he never said that
He never asked anyone to buy a Defender as well, he said he loves weird cars and hence his defender and barbie merc.
Doug was interviewed by James May recently. He freely admitted that the Defender was unreliable.
I would clean the heck of my car before passing it to Doug!
I was just thinking that really .... Doug should have the cars detailed for the owner. How much does 443,706 views bring in?
He normally gets a really good example of the car and they are normally cleaned and looked after really good. This is a shitty example and very untidy. Come on Doug!! Dat engine bay 🤦♂️🤦♂️
Yeah, I thought this was RCR for a minute
@@wibble5676 It just too much dirt here and there and until he opened the trunk it just hit me hard lol
My wife’s ‘82 RX-7 (awesome car btw) had an interesting “quirk”: a couple of times per year it would crank fine but wouldn’t fire. As if compression was low.
Solution? Pour some oil directly into the carburetor throat while cranking! Worked like a charm. Neighbours thought there was an oil tanker fire in the harbour 😹
Rust loved the body on that car, unfortunately 🙈
I didn’t listen to Doug and bought one site unseen from an auction 😂. 2008, series 2 so slightly less likely to go wrong as well as it being a manual. Best decision I ever made! This thing drives absolutely awesome.
Circle volume control? Well there’s goes my mind being blown into a million pieces
Thought it was just me 😂🤣
AND A CIRCLE WHEEL????
"it's so incredibly tiny, it's only 12 inches from the bottom to the top"
Doug's wife walks like a cowboy btw 😉
Gagnon
😂😂😂
I like to think I would have cleaned my engine bay if Doug was going to review it, I'd be a little embarrassed to leave it in this condition.
These are nice. Might end up buying one as a weekend car. I've always preferred the RX7 but they're significantly more expensive (and cooler). Wish Mazda would make something like these nowadays.
Regular Car Reviews “TRIANGLES” Doug Demuro “CIRCLES”
JackTheDruglord Came here to say this
Me: Thinking abut buying an RX-8
Doug: “...you probably shouldn’t buy”
Me: 🤫
Lol he is right tho. The previous owner prob had no idea how to take care of it. That's why most are so cheap cause they're broken
Because everyone is so careless and think all cars are just for “point a-b” only buying it for the looks
LOL
@@bsosmoove they are broken because they are junk from the factory ......
@Warm Soft Kitty I hope you're joking 🤮
I got a VW bora SE 1.6l 1999 and it's in mint condition, I put a new catalytic converter on it myself so it meets new pollution standards and changed the brake disks and pads, changed the oil from traditional oil to synthetic, and now the engine purs.. also used fuel injector cleaner and the acceleration is now insane. Changed all filters and fluids. 166,000 miles. should keep going to like 400,000. You haven't done a review on the bora yet but I'm sure you will like it. It's a great car to start learning how to tune as a lot of the parts can be swapped with Audi and few other makers. considering its like 20 years old i love the car. Looking to put a turbo on it and a new exhaust kit once my insurance clears 1 year :)
We owned a Mazda 3 with a 5 speed manual and this shared A LOT with the 3. Firstly, they use the same climate vents and steering wheel as well. Whenever you press a button in a Mazda 3, it beeps just like the RX-8
Same as my 04 Mazda 6
The interior is all about circles apart from where it's all about triangles
And lines and curves and straight edges.....
Yeah, literally there is one unusual circle (in the centre of the dash) and the rest are all just normal. There are a million triangles (ya know rotor shapes) but that's not what Doug focuses on!
6:40 you are welcome
Three weeks ago: I rather wait and get a rare spec, last year model of the car im going to review.
Thiiiiiiis is a Black Mazda RX8 with worn and dirty seats, foggy headlights, never polished paint with the engine all sprayed with coolant.
I imagine it being difficult to find RX8 R3 owners in san diego where gas is $10 a gallon and your 200hp car gets the gas mileage of a ram 1500. Still would’ve wanted to see a review of the R3 though.
@@SniperBlitz2234 Have you been to California recently? Even in the Bay Area, gas is below $2.50 a gallon. $3 a gallon was more normal, especially in medium cost of living places like San Diego, which is higher but still pretty sane.
Probably due to corona I'd think
Also it must be hard to find a stock, unabused one. Where I live people buy it exclusively either for the meme, or to build crazy 1000HP.
I think the first two model years killed this car. High oil consumption, lousy gas mileage, and failed engine stories. I agree, The styling is hit or miss.
Notice how the front and rear wheels are perfectly aligned
Most rx-8 owners : the best car I've ever driven
Doug : I don't like this and this, and that and 99% of the car... Someone is lacking brain cells
lol
It looks terrible to me. **still gives it a 6/10**
every super car out there:
It's the coolest car ever! **still gives it a 6/10**
And somehow manages to give 4 points for acceleration in 6 sec, when anything with less than 7 or less gets only 1.
Yeah that weirded me out too. I guess maybe he already had a final score in mind or something. But then it still doesn’t seem to make sense entirely.
@@rolandsv8 that 1 second is a big difference
@@Rgasm really - 6 and 7 seconds - big difference? 4 and 1 point? i changed Mercedes CLS 350 to BWM 530E- 7 and 6 seconds to 100 respectively. Feel very similar
@@rolandsv8 that's literally how he awards points for acceleration a point gets deducted for every 0.5 s starting with 3 s or lower being a 10. It's the only Doug score part that strictly objective. So yeah if I'm not wrong 6 sec is just barely a 4.