Used 2006 Mazda RX-8 Consumer Reviews
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Cool Car
Tons of fun to drive + has turned a lot of heads. I have had many compliments on the design from friends and strangers alike. A police officer told me to roll down my window + I figured my sticker was past due or I had committed an infraction + instead he inquired about the car and told me how much he liked it. The handling is great! Tons of fun around corners and curves. It should be a little faster off the line + this is a significant drawback considering the horsepower + the poor gas mileage. At first I was unsure about the lines but now I love the look. I love the suicide doors + at least 3 adults can fit in the car as long as everyone isn't tall. You need snow tires bad in the snow!
Quirky and Loads of Fun
I may be a bit biased as I inherited my mom's 1984 RX-7 as my first car. It was light on its feet, smooth, high revving and nimble as a go cart - so is the RX-8. The car isn't super fast, especially from a dead stop, but it has lots of pep and is plenty fast as long as winning drag races isn't high on your must-have list. The handling is wonderful and the car looks great inside and out. The nav system can fold away if you don't want the screen to show, and the Bose stereo can get painfully loud. This is the first car where I can't stand to turn the stereo to max. Negatives - fuel economy is SUVish and the car gets hot inside from the engine. The A/C can barely keep up on a hot, sunny day.
Mazdalicious!
I've happily owned this RX8 for just over six months now and enjoyed every moment. This is my first rotary engined car and I'm just amaze at how smooth and quick it is. This is a really fun machine to own and not only does it look good (I constantly get comments that say "wow, sharp car - what is it?") but its performance backs it up. How they squeeze over 200 hp from 1.3 liters I can't begin to guess but with so few moving parts (like 3 in the engine) it's not surprising. I fully recommend this car as an undermarketed bargain!
Don't judge this car by looks alone
I own this car and it has not even come close to the expectations I had for it. It looks great. But that is it. Performance is poor, it is slow, and finally it has not been very reliable at all. The starter has been a constant problem in the cold weather. The electrical system has given me problems. The tire pressure monitoring system has given me problems. If I could do it over again, I would absolutely never buy this car again. After my experience with the manufacturer, I will never buy another Mazda for that matter.
Quirky Fun
After a few years - Still tons of fun to drive, but not good for heavy traffic commuting. Don't drive it on snow or ice - you will die. On the other hand, its a great road trip car and the handling is amazing. Turns and stops better than anything I've ever driven. It will do a decent 0- 60 if you are willing to abuse the gearbox and clutch, but why? The thing really turns on above 5,000 rpm and is a hoot. It took some time and practice to learn how to maximize the performance, but once you figure out the engine it is the easiest car to drive fast that I've ever experienced.