[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

Close friend bought one of those new and reported needing a quart of oil every gas fillup, and gas fillups were quite frequent too... Still not a disqualifying reason for someone who understands and takes care of cars.. I remember driving it and it was well balanced...

Originally Posted by aschen

Its amazing how cheap Rx8s can be had for even nice ones.

I know several car curious not hardcore car guys that bought them new and they all had major problems. I think an issue was they were pitched as practical 4 door sports cars rather than somewhat fidely niche cars.

Enthusiast forums all say the engine can last many miles, but almost everyone you see is on the 2nd or 3rd engine. I like them and I wonder if one would hold up as a dedicated track car. I don't mind a bit fidley, but I wouldent want to pull the engine every 10 hpdes

Jim captured it nicely on the previous page, the biggest problem with the rotary is owners who don't know how to take care of them. Yes they burn oil, it's by design to lubricate the apex seals. The car actually has an oil metering pump that provides a metered amount of oil based on load through injectors into the housing. The actual quantity is based on how the car is operated, but I think the book says one quart per 1,500 miles for the RX-8. I've driven mine probably 600 miles and haven't needed to add anything. There are lots of examples of cars, properly maintained, that go well over 100k on the original engine. Engines, btw, that are damn cheap even for a plug and play full reman. If you DIY they are really cheap and simple to rebuild, it's something I'd like to try at some point.

My old FD (originally owned by Seahawk's dad) got a reman at about 110k, but that was a well maintained car that was kept stock. My current RX-8 got a new engine at 27k, but it was rarely driven and babied when driven which leads to carbon buildup. The previous owner didn't really think it needed an engine because it still ran great, but it was under warranty so he figured why not?