Hello... I'm new here and I think I may be nuts...

[Janomin]

Hey all,

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year all round, hoping you can help with either my covid delusions (day 9 of isolation, yay) or what could be a very rare good idea from myself

I currently find myself carless after selling my Fiesta ST at the end of the year, it was on pcp and I'd done less than 2000 miles since lockdown started in 2020, with no sign of that changing as my work is now essentially, from home full time. 90% of my mileage this year was actually our holiday to North Wales which in some ways was a cracking send off for a brilliant little car, it just financially didn't make sense to have it sat on the drive any longer. Selling the car essentially got the money i'd put into it over the 2 1/2 years of ownership back and allowed me to pay off a few bits and pieces before christmas with a bit left over for when I need a car again, which while not immediate, may happen in the not too distant future as there is talk of going back to the office once a week at most to help out with new starters.

Initially, I'd thought of a cheap and nasty run about to just have something if needed on the driveway, the likes of a Toyota somethingoranother or an old Focus/Fiesta but the more I look into it, I just can't bring myself to do it and I'm looking for something a bit more fun, the thought of an hour or so stuck in an old fiesta or something fills me with utter dread. Which then leads me to my current great idea. Mx5's are a no go, other half has said I'd look a right plonker and I'm inclined to agree, I'm by no means young and definitely not as lithe as I once was, plus as nice as a convertible would be for the intial drive, I'm pretty sure it would get on my nerves very quickly as I like my comforts a bit too much, which has then lead me on to the RX8, a car I've always had a soft spot for.

My commute if it starts happening, is about a 50 mile round trip, mainly A and B roads so definite opportunities to give it a blast. Couldn't give a monkeys about the MPG as if I'm going in once a week, I'm guessing I'll be using a tank a month or there and there abouts, which isn't the end of the world. Any longer trips we can use the other halfs car, a Puma ST.

At this point I have to say I signed up for the forum to look into it a bit more as I knew there were issues with the car that I wanted to find out a bit more about and preventative maintenance is no issue at all, I've also not seen anything to suggest my current low mileage would be an issue. Longer trips on rare occasions seems to fit pretty well with the common issues I've seen, I think? I've seen a couple of cars and keep coming back to bigpete's for sale here, which from the advert reads like a solid car that will be in need of a rebuild at some point in the future, while there is a relatively local dealer who are somewhat of a specialist as they only really sell mx5's and rx8's, who have a slightly more expensive 192 car with a recent engine rebuild but it needs a bit of work, little bit of surface rust and the steering is heavy, I think I'd regret getting a 192 though in the long run.

I guess I just want to make sure I'm not completely bonkers by considering this, and if not, what am I best off doing. Saving up a bit more to get a solid, older 231 and getting a few years out of it without too many issues or going for something like Bigpete's knowing it'll need a rebuild in the future and how long am I likely to be ok leaving it without a rebuild. Could I get say 6 months motoring out of it before I need to get it done?

[SeriousSam]

Welcome aboard Janomin! Looks like you've been thinking this through quite a bit, which is probably for the best. If you're used to keeping a car well maintained then an RX-8 should be a good car for you - most of the issues that people have heard about down the pub are down to lack of regular maintenance. It's good you're not concerned about the MPG, because it will be terrible no matter which variant you go for. The kind of usage your commute would give it is pretty good, long enough to get everything up to temperature and hopefully wind it up a bit. Short journeys don't do any car any favours, and you need to use the full rev range relatively regularly to keep things moving on the RX-8, but it sounds like that won't be a problem.

If you plan to leave it standard then I'd go for the 231 (although I'm biased because that's what I drive) - the extra revs at the top end are very nice. As to whether you go with a 'known good' car or one that may need a rebuild, that's up to you, but I went with the latter option when I picked mine up and it worked for me. A decent rebuild will cost in the region of £3-4k, depending on what else you want done while the engine is out. There are plenty of reputable builders out there, and most of the dodgy ones seem to get found out pretty quickly, but if you follow a recommendation from this site then you'll get a good one.

As for BigPete's car, it's hard to say how long it will last if it does need that future rebuild - the engine will basically work until it doesn't anymore, and it's better to rebuild it before it fails to minimise excessive damage and the costs associated with replacing the bigger bits. Having said that, it may be able to hang on for many months or even years yet - or it may let go sooner. I had mine fail a compression test about two years before it finally exploded, which gave me the time to save up for the build. If you do choose to go with the local one with the recent rebuild, make sure you find out who built it and whether it's warrantied. If it's not one of the known builders, may want to give it a miss. But tip from the top: heavy steering is probably going to be a half-hour fix (clean and grease the steering UJ).

[GreySilver Beast]

Hi & to the RX-8OC


Please check out the EVENTS SECTION's for anything coming up soon in your area

Events Team

[warpc0il]

Location: Basingstoke = Location: Blazingstoke

Just saying....

[SeriousSam]

We know, that's already been covered in a PM. Turns out he knows my wife...

[DrewR3]

Save up or get a small loan if your used to PCP for an R3, if younsign up as a member you can view the quite substantial list of improvements made to the R3 which are not at all just cosmetic...... Oh and hi, welcome etc.

[Shagrington]

Hi and Janomin. Its so long since I bought mine (15 years and counting) that I can't remember what I weighed up, but the more recent advice seems to be look for a car with no rust as being more of an issue than getting the engine rebuilt (if it needs doing).
As for regretting getting a 192 - I've never had any regrets at all, there isn't a lot of difference between them on the road, the 231s are a bit quicker on track but get a few different versions together on a good 'spirited' road trip and you won't be able to tell them apart (I speak from experience ).

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Cscameron]

love my 192 and they’re isn’t much of a real world difference - can easily keep up with the 231s

Was the 5 speed gearbox that swung it for me personally, even though the 6 speed is possible better. Just preferred the way it felt. Best thing to do is drive one of each then decide which one makes you smile more

[warpc0il]

The 5-speed box is definitely stronger, and at the high mileage, probably smoother.

Helped by being much less fussy about what oil is used.

[Janomin]

Yep, turns out it's a small world indeed!

An R3 is probably way out of my range for the moment, I think I'm going to have to get some more info on the 192 I found, there wasn't a huge amount of detail but it's cheap enough for me to consider it as a stop gap!

[Nickp47]

love my 192 and they’re isn’t much of a real world difference - can easily keep up with the 231s

I agree with this fully , 192s are often overlooked due to the slightly lower power but imo they are actually a bit more fun to drive at normal speeds , really not much in it though.

[pfletcher83]

Ive had a 231 for 13 years (last 4 with a street port) so became well acustomed to how they drive and perform, ive recently been driving a 192 and can confirm there is pretty much nothing in it. As has been said, i actually much prefer the 192 gearbox and it does appear to feel ever so slightly more 'perky' low down.

When i bought mine in 2008 i ruled out the 192 for exactly the same reason you mention, however now after many years and with driving both i can honestly say i wouldnt let 192 or 231 be a factor.

Compression (if not looking to rebuild) and a good shell with no rust are the most important aspects that you should be looking at. IMO

Paul

[PaulAV]

A point with noting, although rust can be a killer, repair panels are available on eBay, I think I saw a pair of sills and both rear quarter repair panels for less than £300, if you know someone who can weld then you could save a car some would only use for parts

[Nickp47]

Is the 192 you mentioned grey Janomin?

[Janomin]

Yep, titanium grey, which weirdly now I think about it is the same colour as the Mazda 3 I used to own years ago!

[Nickp47]

Ok, that’s me selling it, its a nice car just wants those two bits doing.

I took a few close-ups the other day if it helps

It’s the original engine btw, not rebuilt

[Janomin]

Thanks Nick I sent you a mail last night too asking about the interior but knowing Mazda I'm guessing its not in bad shape.

Also realised you are closer than I thought, for some reason I'm sure it was flagging you as Slough way on Google maps. You aren't too far from where I grew up in Twyford! Guess I have some decisions to make, and also need to work out how I'd get there

[GlowingBulb]

Welcome to the forum Janomin.

I can add my opinions here as a relatively new RX-8 owner. I was in a similar position as you in August last year, I have my daily driver & my wife's car to use but wanted something fun also, I think a midlife crisis is just around the corner :/

I've been tempted by the RX-8 lots of times over the years & came close to buying an R3 new in 2010 but was scared off by the bad press about it using oil & having a fragile engine. After reading everything I could on this forum I spent a long time looking at real dogs from eBay, Gumtree, Facebook & Autotrader, I'd almost given up on finding something that was even worth 1/2 a chance of taking a risk on, but eventually I did & paid just over £2k for a reasonably tidy '06 231.

I love it, I was lucky to buy a car with a strong engine showing good compression results - the original cat was blocked & I've replaced the coils, plugs & leads but besides that everything is good :touchwood:

For a part-time car it is practical, has 4 comfy seats which are actually useable for adults in the back. It is thirsty & when feeding it exclusively premium fuel I get about 200 - 230 miles out of a full tank (£80) but that lasts me a month or so. More importantly its a great fun car, great handling & causes me to grin every time I rev it to the beep.

Its not practical for just popping to the shops due to the potential dreaded flooding issue (even the Mazda owners manual calls out a special way to shut down the engine if you need to before its warm). You need to be sure you're giving it the correct oil & checking the level every 2nd time you fill up with fuel & I always use 150ml of good 2T premix with every tank for peace of mind.

The RX-8 isn't exactly fast, its pokey, not too sure how it'd cope in a traffic light grand prix with a Fiesta ST. Tuning an RX-8 for more power is difficult & expensive also. To offset the negative; the engine, power delivery, 9k rpm redline & sublime chassis make me smile every time I sit in the driver seat

If you wanted a Rex as a daily driver I'd probably advise against it, if you want a car for fun & you're prepared to take a little more care of it than a regular piston engine then go for it, just be careful as there are a lot of bad examples out there!

Good luck!

[350matt]

It all depends on what format your daily drive consists of
if its a 30 minuter trundle through traffic then no its not the right car for that
however show it a B road and it all makes sense as there is little else this side of a Lotus that rewards like this car on the twisty stuff

a point to consider is most of your driving is your daily commute so personally I'd always try and drive something that I enjoy driving as life's too short to have sit in the back and turn on the auto drive as the robot does the work