[hagar852]

I am currently an owner of an RX-8 but to my disappointment I have had severe trouble with my engine.

To make a long story short I have had the engine replaced under recall and have been with out the car for over 40 days(cumulative).

My faith in the reliablility of my new engine has been suspect especially after my warranty is up. So I asked mazda for assistance in getting into another car.

So I was looking at the speed6 for the AWD mostly.

Here is my concern. When I got my 8 I did hours and hours of research before I baught the car and new of all major and minor issues with the car and accepted them.. Purchased the car and now I am on a new engine which was unpredictable to know ofcourse.

My concerns with the 6 are the turbo and the AWD drivetrain. After going through countless trips to the dealerships and countless hours on the phone with Mazda, I don't want to be in the same boat I am in now after owning the 6 after a couple of years.

If anyone has any knowledge on how reliable the turbo system and drivetrain are it would be most appreciated on your suggestion/advice on whether I should take the chance on the 6.

Ofcourse if I am this worried about it why even consider the 6 right? Well I drove one and I know I will be happy with driving it everyday like I drive my 8 everyday here in New England.

I really would hate to get rid of the 8 but my faith in the problem being fixed and not coming back is absent to say the least.

Any comments/advice/suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

Hagar852

 

[J Dragon]

It's time to make that change my friend......get out of the RX-8 step into a Mazda evolution ^_^

 

[awdterror]

this is a first year run car. don't be suprise if there are issues that pop up. i'm going through a rear main oil leak issue right now.

a few have broke rear axels, which i see as being more on the side of them being driven hard and launched.
and you can surf through threads and find some of the other minor issues others have been having.
the ms6 is one of the better purchases out there, and even though i am having problems i am happy with my choice and i have had excellent service at the dealership.

 

[hagar852]

Yeah my RX-8 was the 2004 and an early build date. My car had minor things here and there but the engine failing wasn't an issue until recently with some other 8's also.

It being a first year makes me a little nervous to run into the kind of problem I am having now. Since my 8 was also a first year.

Maybe I will just get a bicycle lol

 

[madcar]

Yeah my RX-8 was the 2004 and an early build date. My car had minor things here and there but the engine failing wasn't an issue until recently with some other 8's also.

It being a first year makes me a little nervous to run into the kind of problem I am having now. Since my 8 was also a first year.

Maybe I will just get a bicycle lol
[/b]

What happened to your rotary?

 

[PROGMS6]

I've been very lucky to step into a brand new MS6 and still have my 2004 RX8 for the remaining 3 months of the lease. This has given me an opportunity to really apreciate both cars and their traits. The RX8 is a rev happy engine with linear power and the car steering response is incredible but the reliability issue is big on this car plus the gas consumption is outrageous, coming from a Subaru WRX I really missed the AWD handling and capabiity, knowing the reliability of turbo engines if they are driven correctly and taking the proper care of the vehicle.
Those poeple having rearend problems are mostly caused because of launching and abuse to the car.
If I were you I would walk away from the RX8 and get the MS6, you will be very happy, more room, more power, more capabilities, and far more engine improvements and aftermarket availability.
Rotary engines are funny in a sense of maintenance.

 

[hagar852]

I've been very lucky to step into a brand new MS6 and still have my 2004 RX8 for the remaining 3 months of the lease. This has given me an opportunity to really apreciate both cars and their traits. The RX8 is a rev happy engine with linear power and the car steering response is incredible but the reliability issue is big on this car plus the gas consumption is outrageous, coming from a Subaru WRX I really missed the AWD handling and capabiity, knowing the reliability of turbo engines if they are driven correctly and taking the proper care of the vehicle.
Those poeple having rearend problems are mostly caused because of launching and abuse to the car.
If I were you I would walk away from the RX8 and get the MS6, you will be very happy, more room, more power, more capabilities, and far more engine improvements and aftermarket availability.
Rotary engines are funny in a sense of maintenance.
[/b]

My rotary had the symptoms of lost power terrible idle which I am still having issues with even after a new engine and throttle body.

I would have never even had thought of trading it in if my engine had been fine. But since the problem isn;t totally cured I am a little worrisome about how long this engine will last me.

This was my first rotary and I followed the maintenance by the book and broke it in correctly and never abused the car at all... 45,000 miles on the same tires with normal wear.

And still I had an engine fail .

Is there a link or website where I can read up on how to properly take care of a turbo engine? If I end up moving to the MS6, it will be my first turbo.

Thanks again

Hagar852

 

[PROGMS6]

My rotary had the symptoms of lost power terrible idle which I am still having issues with even after a new engine and throttle body.

I would have never even had thought of trading it in if my engine had been fine. But since the problem isn;t totally cured I am a little worrisome about how long this engine will last me.

This was my first rotary and I followed the maintenance by the book and broke it in correctly and never abused the car at all... 45,000 miles on the same tires with normal wear.

And still I had an engine fail .

Is there a link or website where I can read up on how to properly take care of a turbo engine? If I end up moving to the MS6, it will be my first turbo.

Thanks again

Hagar852

Just browse thru this forum and you wil; see what to do and what not to do. First thing is getting a Turbo timer to coold down the turbo after some heavy driving. The normal maintenance schd.
Trust me I am very happy with my MS6. When I got my RX8 I was very happy but also worried on how that Rotary engine would behave, so far just minor things went wrong, they replaced the starter, battery and plugs once under warranty, couple of re-flashes, etc...
Good luck with you're desicion.
send me a pm if you have any questions about turbo engine's
[/b]

 

[Speed6Turbo]

I know your frustration with rotary engines very well. I have had a total of 3 rx7's in the past and yes they require a bit more TLC. Join us in the speed6 fam. It has minor problems yes, but the are a lot more pros than cons for this car, IMO

 

[Dspec]

I hae to tell you that the Speed 6 has been very reliable. Obviously the powerloss reflash was an annoyance. But Mazda fixed it.

Of course, you will more often see people voicing concerns on these forums than paying tribute to the car they just purchased or leased.

With the Speed 6, Mazda has set a benchmark in design, engineering and overall performance while retaining civility.

All cars have some issues. There is a tendency to blow individual problems, which can often be caused by driving habits or abuse, into criticism of the entire run of Speed 6's and Mazda itself.

Personally, after owning several new Nissans, new GM products, used MItsubishi, test driving a dozen and renting many, many vehicles (through work), the Speed 6 is the best car in its price range.
Cheers and good luck on your decision.

 

[klash2000]

I know your frustration with rotary engines very well. I have had a total of 3 rx7's in the past and yes they require a bit more TLC. Join us in the speed6 fam. It has minor problems yes, but the are a lot more pros than cons for this car, IMO
[/b]

+1

I had a '79 first gen and a '90 GXL. When the main oil seal blew on the '79 I looked like one of the blue angles tearing down the street with an unbelieveable plume of smoke erupting from my exhaust!

This car has had no problems for me since the 4106E reflash, nothing but praise here :drive:

Good luck with the decision

 

[sea6speed]

So far, the MS6 has been as good as my RSX trouble wise. Aside from a few initial gripes about the power loss, coolant leak and some loose interior panels it has been fine. By this mileage the rsx had a persistent transmission grind, lots of rattles and visibly worn leather.

I push the car a bit in city driving averaging ~15 mpg and haven't seen any of the other issues. Granted, mine is stock and not tracked.

 

[amp]

im on my seventh seven.. still owns three..
own a six for daily drive... id have gone eight for the daily drive but needed the fifth seat..
im looking at the ms6 not for the lack of reliability of the rotary.. but for practicality of a five seater and awd..
im probably biased in sayin but the rotary in over a decade of ownership has yet to let me down... my two cents

 

[J Dragon]

Isn't the speed6 a Drivers car as well seeing as how the RX-8 offers ATX and MTX

The Speed6 only offers MTX

 

[hagar852]

im on my seventh seven.. still owns three..
own a six for daily drive... id have gone eight for the daily drive but needed the fifth seat..
im looking at the ms6 not for the lack of reliability of the rotary.. but for practicality of a five seater and awd..
im probably biased in sayin but the rotary in over a decade of ownership has yet to let me down... my two cents
[/b]

I have had my rx-8 for 2 years now and took care of it as a rotary should be taken care of as I did tons of research on that subject.

And I still needed the engine replaced due to poor calibration of the ecu.

Moral of the story... You can do everything you are supposed to and crap will still happen.(Murphy's Law)

 

[late8]

I traded in my '06 RX-8 for the MS6 in October and I'm crossing my fingers that the engine and tranny seals in the MS6 will hold up better than the seals in the RX-8.

My dealer had to re-seal the transmission tail shaft seal twice in the RX-8 and I'm guessing the seal was going out a third time due to the smell of gear oil that was developing in the cabin (the shaft housing is located below the shift boot area).

I miss the RX-8 but I'm enjoying the advantages of the MS6. Good luck!

 

[hagar852]

After doing more research on this car and the Mazdaspeed 3.

I might be leaning more toward the Mazdaspeed 3 for the better gas mileage mostly. I haven't decided totally yet but my mind might be made up today after my trip to the dealer this afternoon.

I will post back here on what happened to the dealer.

 

[Elicious]

More than likely you'll pay more for the MS3 with the MS6 rebates, and assuming 20% better mileage, will save you only about $200 a year. So factor that in. Insurance on the 6 is also cheaper.

You also get a smaller car that doesn't have all the features, isn't built as well, is FWD, and has less power
[/b]

The biggest drawback being FWD! I love my AWD.

 

[J Dragon]

The Mazdaspeed3 would have been my choice had it not been a hatch....
Good luck in your purchase and keep us posted...

 

[Elicious]

The Mazdaspeed3 would have been my choice had it not been a hatch....
Good luck in your purchase and keep us posted...
[/b]

sedan + AWD and it would have been sweet.