Mazda RX-8 (2003 - 2010) (231ps) 4d Owner Review

RX-8s are probably one of the most divisive cars out there. While they have a lot of fans, detractors will say that they are unreliable, drink fuel and oil and need a rebuild every 60k miles. I can only speak from the experience I've had with my RX-8 but I would recommend one, with caveats. Firstly, only buy a car with a recent rotary compression test. There are a ton of RX-8s out there with broken engines, but a lot of the problems were caused by owners not knowing how to look after a rotary. As a driver's car, the RX-8 is amazing for the money. Because the engine block is mounted low, far back in the bay and is very light the handling is eye-opening. When the rear end lets go it's very progressive and it doesn't snap violently. The sound is something completely unique, nothing sounds remotely similar to a rotary engine and revving it out to 9,000rpm never gets old. As a daily it's comfortable, fairly practical (decent size boot but awkward access) and the freestyle doors make accessing the rear seats easy. I will say however that in car parks, getting out of the rear can be awkward as you have to open the front door quite wide to make enough space for a rear passenger to get out between the doors. The oil usage is kind of a myth. The RX-8 does use more oil than a conventional piston engine, but it's not an egregious amount. However, the big stumbling block for the RX-8 as a daily is the MPG. While I said I average 15-20 MPG, driving it around towns in start-stop traffic can sometimes drop it as low as 8-10MPG. If I use my RX-8 purely around urban areas, I can empty an entire tank in less than 150 miles. On longer journeys at constant RPM it will break into the mid-20s, but it's still pretty awful for a car with 228bhp. This is the price you pay for having a rotary unfortunately. So, as a weekend car I'd thoroughly recommend at least trying one. As a daily though...you might want to get shares in Shell.