2004 Mazda RX-8 User Reviews

Pros

Looks Good!

Cons

You don't like gas prices!

Good looking car! wery nice interior, decent ride for the tipe of sports car, good performance, it could have more power but imagine how gas milage would be bad if it had more horse power??? that is worse it is just bad 15mpg average is not good! and also check engine oil often!

Pros

Looks like the Lexus from the front, Mustang from the back-hot car

Cons

Engine floods-usually on a Sunday when the service dept. is closed

I wish I bought a BMW, this car is hot looking and gets attention, but it is unreliable- Mazda sold people a lemon-used us a guinea pigs to see if it would work-but the rotary engine just isn't practical. You can't just pull the car out of your drive way and into the garage-the engine will flood. You have to drive it around the block for ten minutes. Considering you have to put premium gas in this car, riding around the block for no reason is not cost efficient. The treatment I received at the Mazda dealerships in south Florida is less than horrible. I am treated with more respect at the drive through at McDonalds. You spend $30,000 and after the sale is complete, they don't want to deal with the problems. This was my second Mazda and my last Mazda. Don't buy from Mazda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Save yourself the hassle and the money....read morehide

Pros

True sport, every thing a big boy would want out of a car

Cons

Fuel economy, the rear doors can't be opened without opening th front doors

It's a true performance car great handling and just everything a young man could ask for; rear axle perfect weight balance make it a car to recon with and it's only 1.3 litres!!!!!!

Pros

fast, powerfull, handsome, SIMPLY THE BEST

Cons

NONE

I HAVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS CAR TO COME, BUT FINALLY I OWN ONE. NO REGRETS. I'M 6' AND THE BACK SEAT IS GOOD FOR ME, THAT'S GOOD. IT'S A DREAM TO DRIVE ONE. I HAD PONTIACS, CHEVROLETS, NISSAN AND NONE OF THOSE EVEN GET CLOSE TO THE RX8 FUN FACTOR......COMPETITION DON'T CRY !!!!...read morehide

Pros

Quick off the mark, nice colours make it very attractive,GPS comes standard!nice body kit altogether

Cons

the brakes were A BIT OF A LET DOWN but nuffin much else woz rong with the car! the car is class!!!!

THIS CAR ROCKS
THIS CAR IS WELL COOL
THIS CAR IS CLASS
AND AM SURE SCUD WOOD AGREE WIF ME!!!!

its rotary engine, not typical v6 or DOHC. it doesn't need large fuel intake to have a fast acceleration.

Well, I own a 1990 RX-7, so I already know the feel of the rotary and what it can do. This car just makes it all the better with a 9k rpm redline, which you can take to 10k with a little effort and earplugs to get the sound of the redline warning buzzer out of your head, unless you can block it out easily. I love the way that rotary's get their power above 4k rpm with little bottom end torque to break the tires loose with. This defies this theory a little, being that you can smoke the rears with little effort. There's just something nice about taking a car up to 45mph before shifting into 2nd gear at 9000 rpm. The car is a bit of a pig compared to mine weight wise, and the power to weght ratio is worse in comparison, so it's like mine with a smaller engine. Comfort is great, though, as well as the anemities that it has, such as stereo controls on the wheel, cupholders (if you ever drove an RX-7, you would understand why this is an anemity), etc. I am a little biased, so that's why this gets a 5 for the class of car (family-type sports car) that it is in. They (Mazda) could be very successful if they dropped the weight about 500-1000 pounds and made it a 2-seater (i.e. RX-7). If you want a good a to b car with sporty handling and looks, this is it. You want a street-legal, affordable sports car, look on ebay for a 1986-'91 RX-7, they can be had for anywhere between $1000 and $4000, depending on condition, turbocharged (yes, they came stock with that wonderful feature, not the sequential that in 93-95 killed the RX-7 in the U.S. market), and other things, such as mileage, age of rebuild, etc. The automatic/paddle shift RX-8 is just junk, not very controlable in my opinion, and very innaccurite. The stick gives you better gas mileage, better control, and more fun in day to day driving. If you don't belive me, go to your local Mazda dealership and test drive one today. The people at the dealer are friendly, courteous, and not pushy. Mazda is definatley a quality vehicle, and they got their start with the rotary, so this is just them getting back to their roots I think, because they went without a rotary car in the US for almost 10 years, so this is a major thing. They put their research into this car to make it as good as possible....read morehide

The Rx8 is a little different- something SUV freaks could never fully comprehend or appriciate. A 1.3 litre rotary engine, which is by volume smaller than a conventional reciprocating while still producing as much power means several things- I'm reivisiting on what generations of Rx owners already know, this is to benefit the gramatically challanged, albiet mildly amusing SUV fanatic that somehow ended up reading reviews of state of the art automobiles, listen and learn. The engine produces as much horsepower and torque as an engine that wieghs nearly twice as much, this in effect creates a power to wieght ratio that is extremely effective. This is not the only advantage to a small engine- this engine sits much farther back than a reciprocating engine and balances the weight entirely over the chasis. I know, I know, I'm discussing balance and weight distribution for the benefit of someone who has been duped by the auto industry into believing an SUV is anything more than an oversized station wagon, go figure. Anyway, the handling is most impressive. It's low end power is slighty wanting, but keeping the rpms over 4 grand keeps lulls to a minimum, and with the high redline, you have plenty of time in every gear. It's listed as a sports car, but reminds me more of a race car, the sounds and smoothness of the powerplant and transfer system are amazing. It's not as fast as my 00 Monte SS, but it weighs only slightly more than my Miata. Aluminum hood and trunk reduce wieght even farther, and it does, somewhat, comfortably hold four people- people under 6 feet tall that is. If you are over 6 ft, you will have trouble even driving this car unless you sit way back, and in which case, no one can sit behind you. The interior has a space age design rivaled only by cars that cost twice as much. She loves the gas though, you won't get anywhere near the rated 18/24- but when you're trying to get around that god awful huge SUV with the 36" spinner rims spitting up rocks, or maybe something worse, like rap music, it's nice to drop two gears, hit the hammer, spool up to 8500, swing two wide and show em your backside. Not that I dislike SUV's, I just come from a place where you shouldn't have to pay for a hummer! *wink*...read morehide

The 2004 Mazda RX-8 is one of the most distinctive and exciting vehicles on the road. At first glance, it appears to be super sleek sports coupe. Look closer and you'll discover that this "coupe" actually has four functional doors and room for four adults....sort of. While it is possible to get four full sized adults in this car, it won't happen without a little bit of squeezing for all of the occupants. That's okay because no one is buying this car for passenger capactity.

Performance is this baby's claim to fame.

The RX-8 is more than capable of holding its own against today's seemingly endless parade of horsepower pushers. It may not be the fastest car on the strip, but let's not forget that this modern marvel produces 238 horses from a naturally aspirated powerplant that's displacing only 1.3 liters! Not to mention the fact that the RENESIS Rotary engine will happily rev to 9k rpm. It quite literally SCREAMS! What else on four wheels can make that claim?

The real joy of the RX-8 is in the twists and turns of your favorite back road. This Mazda can pull itself in and out of almost any corner with exteme ease. It's sure-footed, fast and can stop on a dime.

Adding to the fun is the fact that the RX-8 is a relatively scarce car. You just don't see too many of them on the road. It's pretty cool when complete strangers approach you in a parking lot to ask, "What is that?", as they check out every inch of the car's unique design.

Simply put, the Mazda RX-8 is a fast car that's fun to look at and even more fun to drive....read morehide

Not sure what the general reviewer is talking about. Sound like he's just a HP/torque snob. 0-60 in 5.9sec. ( 0.3 sec slower than the "really fast" Z350 costing more) doesn't seem to be shortchanging anyone at this price. (90% of owners will never even try to get close to these numbers anyway)It seems he's also overlooked the 9000 rpm red line which allows you to hold lower gears longer improving acceleration. Can't fit four 6-footers in at once? Who drives a sports car with a crowd in the car? The real advantage is being able to look your wife in the eye as you try to convince her and say honestly that two carseats will fit safely in the back, so we can use it even after we have kids....read morehide