Used 2004 Mazda RX-8 Consumer Reviews
Used RX-8 for sale
1...
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Some people will never be happy. I am!
hornhighaces, 09/08/2005
2004 Mazda RX-8 Manual 4dr Coupe (1.3L 2rtr 6M)
41 of 42 people found this review helpful
I have no complaints from this vehicle. As a former RX-7 owner I knew what to expect from the rotary. The 8 is not the replacement for the 7. It is a sports car, but remains "civilized". I have had a single problem with the exhaust, which was covered under warranty. I expected a few issues being the first year of production and bringing the rotary back after 8-9 years. If you are whinny and do not like to pay attention to your vehicle, buy a Honda. This is a car for people who love cars, not for people who are easily inconvenienced. Check the oil, let it warm up, don't drive a rear wheel drive sports car in snow, 9k RPMs will use gas. Common sense stuff that seems to annoy people.
Best College Car/Roadtrip Car/ Daily Commute Car
Hariz Radzi, 10/09/2017
2004 Mazda RX-8 Automatic 4dr Coupe (1.3L 2rtr 4A)
38 of 39 people found this review helpful
Before you buy a used car, its your responsibility to check every single possible indicators that will say your car is a lemon. I'm the 6th owner of my rx8 with 132000 miles on it. And since day 1 I got it till today, it only went to the mechanic ONCE during my last roadtrip to Maine from Ohio because I forgot to change the ignition coils. After changing it for 30 minutes at the mechanic, I was back on my road to Maine. My car never got towed during my ownership ever before, even when the 2 coils were cracked that time it could still run (like not more than 30 mph of course) and I could still drive it to the workshop. Owning it was hard work (especially maintenance) but once you get to know what your rx8 needs, it will be easy. My routine every single time before I shut the engine off was redlining for couple of seconds and maintain it to 4k rpm, then shut it off just to preserve the engine from flooding. And because of this, my car is still running very well. The only problem I had with this car is the cost of maintenance. It burns a hole in my pocket so I had to learn DIYs to survive college. I saved almost $2000 on repairs and maintenance costs at the mechanic just from learning things online (changing ignition coils, plug wires, spark plugs, heater console problem, and even deflooding procedure) and I got it from rx8 forums and google. So if you're saying it is a bad car well you are wrong. Rotary could actually be reliable and last till 250k miles in my opinion. To those who had a lot of issues with it in my opinion are just either unlucky who got lemons OR are just a bunch of ignorants who treat rotary cars the same as other cars. Before you buy any used rx8, read up the rx8 forums they have a guide on buying used rx8s out there. It does have its pros and cons but I love my rx8. I traveled the whole east coast and southern parts with it and had no major issue other than the Maine trip. I just wish I could have manual version though. Pro tip of choosing an RX8: Choose a used rx8 with great maintenance record. And STOCK too. Never buy a car with check engine light on unless you know what are the codes are (I had CEL lights on when I first bought my rx8 but it was just telling me the secondary pump injector was faulty) so I knew it won't affect my engine so I bought it anyways.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Fair review for the last Rotary
zero11534, 05/02/2012
2004 Mazda RX-8 Manual 4dr Coupe (1.3L 2rtr 6M)
39 of 41 people found this review helpful
The RX8 is a true 4 door 4 seat sports cars, what it lacks in low end torque it makes up for in handling. Rotary motor propels the 3100lb RX8 to 60 in 6.0 sec. and a ¼ mile in 14.9. Fuel consumption for the RX8 was Avg for when it first came out, 17city/24 Hwy. The cars light weight stiff chassis and electronic steering makes this a point and drive sports car allowing even the novice of sports car owners the ability to get behind the wheel and take the turns like a pro. This car does come at a price requiring you to add oil about ever 4 fill ups. This is a good daily driver for hwy only commuters
True Drivers Car
zero11534, 04/06/2011
2004 Mazda RX-8 Manual 4dr Coupe (1.3L 2rtr 6M)
22 of 23 people found this review helpful
The Mazda RX8 is not a car for everyone as it has a 1.3L rotary motor in it. But if you are looking for a well balanced, excellent handling decent accelerating sports car then this is the one for you (although it's not a true SC since it's got 4dr). The best 0-60 I've done is 5.9sec launching at 5k and no roll out on Perli Zero's. The Renie motor more reliable then the 20B was, however do to no forced induction the motor losses a bit of tq and a few hp. But no need to worry as she makes up for it in the corners. This is a true lux sports car for a very well equipped price of 25k with heated seats 6spd man 6disc cd changer and many more options. Drive one just know the limits of the motor.
BAD REVIEWS GIVEN BY CLUELESS PEOPLE
rottenrotary, 12/29/2011
2004 Mazda RX-8 Manual 4dr Coupe (1.3L 2rtr 6M)
112 of 127 people found this review helpful
The rotary is an amazing engine but different from regular piston engines & should be treated w/ that in mind. Many of these bad reviews stem from individuals who havent researched or properly cared for it. There are a few minor issues & if you RESEARCH it you will easily find ways to avoid those- not to mention 10 yr/100k mi warranty on the engine core components is a nice bonus should it be necessary. A rotary engine needs time to warm up. Turning the engine off while its still cold will flood it. There are reviews of people complaining about this but you can easily avoid it by letting it run for a minute or 2 Thanks to researching the RX8 first, I've never had an issue.
1...