2006 Mazda RX-8 User Reviews

its the greatest car in the world i like it very much its tpo speed and acceleration is hert bre king my dream is to buy this car in my life time
from sidhu

Pros

COMFORT,SPEED, LUZURY ALL IN ONE

Cons

FAST CARS USE GAS LOL

NO PROBLEMS, LOVEX IT, IF YOU THINK IT BURNS OIL YOUR RIGHT AND THAT IS ROTARY ENGINE DO YOU RESEARCH AND YOU WOULD OF KNOWN THAT BEFORE YOU BOUGHT IT.

Pros

The handling, brakes, comfort, super sexy looks, the 4 doors with back seats.

Cons

I wish for more horsepower and torque and more legroom.

If you are considering this car to buy, you must remember what it is. That way I won't have to hear you complain about the car. I have had mine for 43,000 miles without one real problem. I had the tail lights replaced for water in them and that fixed it. I have not been one to let the car warm up before shutting it off. And I have done that alot as my job for 2 years required me to move my car every day.

As for the ones that say the handling and braking is average, I doubt they own an 8 as it considered one of the best in both. In fact car mags list it among cars costing twice as much in the braking catigory. The car stops on a dime, and handles like very few cars do. Yes, it is a bit underpowered but it will still turn lap times as fast or faster than a 350Z. They car is very easy to drive fast. The balance and DCS make you look like a hero.

As for fuel milage, I was averaging 18 mpg and after a while it crept up to almost 21 mpg. And I am an agressive driver that loves to hear that shift "beep". However, after my last oil change, it dropped back to 18 mpg. Not sure what that was about.

The car does require a lot of attention. So if you want a car that you can drive and forget about, this is not the one for you. I use about a quart of oil between changes, it loves to go through tires (or maybe that is just me), and you must keep an eye on the oil level.

The car is VERY comfortable. I do wish for about 2 more inches of seat travel and a telescope streering wheel. I am 6'3". But I like to take it on long trips over my wife's pimped out SUV. The seat is so comfortable and I feel at home in it. The nav works pretty good also, but requires the use of a joy stick instead of a touch screen (unless Mazda has changed it).

I love my car. I get to drive a lot of cars and a lot of them cost much more than my 8. I climb back into my 8 and realize I would not trade it for any of them....read morehide

Pros

Overall performance, Looks, Very unique

Cons

Needs TLC, No cold starts, check oil, gas mileage

I bought a 2006 Manual Shinka addition..It is a joy to drive, slow off the line if you don't rev it..it needs and wants high RPM . Rotary engine loves it between 7K and 9K RPM. Much like the Honda SC2000 but more room and more refined. Turn off the stability control and you will find yourself starring in the movie Toyoko drift. It's not for everybody, if you are over 6 foot you will be cramped. Shinka seats are much better than standard leather seats. If you live where it snows get different tires or get a hooptie 4x4 or fr wheel drive. On standard tires from dealer in the snow it is a death machine despite its' perfect balance. It's all in the tires. My baby does not leave the garage if there is bad weather. It is fine on wet roads just not snow or ice. It has to be started for about 15 minutes once a week or the battery will drain. Lots of after market options available but not from Mazda as far as perfomance so you will violate the warranty. I am very tempted to upgrade with one of many Turbos available to get it over 300HP. Brakes give you right now stopping power. Test drive it..it's worth a look. I will keep mine for 20 years....read morehide

Pros

Exterior look, interior finishes, rear opening doors, power in high rpms

Cons

GAS MILEAGE, gas milage, relatively slow acceleration in low rpm, the seating positions you sideway

I've had my RX-8 GT for about 7 months now. Its a fun car to drive but the gas mileage is horrible. I know you don't buy sports cars for their gas mileage, but when you're barely getting 200 miles per tank, its sad. I also would recommend getting this care if you live north of Maryland and it will be your primary car. Rear wheel drive, lightweight car and snow don't mix well.
Other than that, I love the look, the excitement it generates just by sitting in it and the rear doors. The seating in the back is also large enough to actually fit people....read morehide

Pros

A BLAST TO DRIVE FAST on curvy country roads!

Cons

BLIND SPOTS, REMEMBERING COLD ENGINE TURN OFFS

Just a note about RX8's. If you need to do a quick back out of the driveway (and don't have time to leave the car running to warm it up before turning it off); Rev up the engine to around 5000rpms + then turn the car off at the peak of the rev.

I've had my 2004 RX8 since the end of 2003 and have 46,000 miles on it. I'm still head over heals in love!

I was rear-ended one year ago - from a fairly high rate of speed, and both myself and my 6 year old came out unharmed (he was in the back seat). The trunk crumpled, but the passenger compartment stayed perfectly in tact, which was surprising considering the damage to the outside. Car rebuilt great, and I'm back out cruising in an awesome car!...read morehide

Pros

sexy look of car

Cons

everything else

i'm going to help u out, DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!!! u will be making the worse investment of your life. trust me. I've had 2 new engines in my car and it has 27k on it. not even 30 yet. the car will shut off on u at least monthly. i've been to mazda 7 times in the last 3 months. DO NOT BUY....read morehide

Pros

Appearance

Cons

Burns oil, on-going maintenance issues

By far, the best thing about this car is the appearance. I have had nothing but problems-- taillight assembly filling with water, car refusing to start in cold weather, electrical problems (radio, spark plugs, battery). I equate owning this car to dating a model-- looks great but you never know if you can rely on it being there for you when you need it.

Recently my gas mileage dropped off a cliff. For the first few months, it averaged around 19 mpg. Recently, I have been lucky to get 13. This drop could be explained if I had dramatically altered my driving patterns, but that has not happened.

The rotary engine introduces issues as well. It requires constant monitoring of the oil level. I am currently adding roughly a quart every other time that I fill the gas tank. Additionally, you must allow it to reach "normal operating temperature" any time that you start the car, even if you back it out of the garage to wash it. For me, this generally requires approximately 7 minutes at idle.

The horsepower and acceleration are acceptable, but there are certainly better cars on the market. Braking is average as is the overall handling. The back seats are functionable for short trips. If you get the optional spare tire, the trunk space becomes extremely limited. I struggle to get a set of golf clubs in the trunk. I will say that the Bose sound system is outstanding. Overall, I would advise anyone interested in purchasing this car to seriously consider other makes and models, especially given the relatively high price....read morehide

Pros

Great looks. Great colors. Trully sporty look

Cons

thoat "4 door' configuration. Horrible Gas mileage fir a" 1.3 liter" engine

Mazda Should put its new 2.3 liter MZR DISI 4 cylinder engine on the next Mazda RX-8 generation. Think about this, MAZDA rotary engine is the 'sportiest motor' for Mazda, but now Mazda is killing the performance of its own rotary engine world with the more powerfull, more torquefull MAZDASPEED MAZDA 3 with 263 horsepower and 280 of torque. This is a shame for the renesis engine.

Soon I will trade my rx-8 for one of these hot MAZDASPEED MAZDA 3

A friend of mine boosted his renesis engine and at 15 PSI of boost it blowed away. He allready got 3 renesis engines blewed up....read morehide

Pros

Gillete quatro handling, looks like sex, engine give power like a time released drug.

Cons

MinorRattles, Sirius readout to small.

If one complains about gas and after buying a sports car they need to do some research next time and get a Corolla. With a tachometer that goes to 9.3, the car begs to be driven, and driven hard. Going to the rev limit daily is a must as well as taking turns that would send most cars on two wheels. Power is good but don't exspect to hang with cars that get off the line quick. The best way to enjoy it is punching it on the on ramp and absorbing the smooth ride on the interstate and pinpoint handling when passing. I've driven just about everything on the market and for the money, can't seem to put anything close to it. Oh, and the ladies will want to jump your bones....read morehide