Insufficient oil metering. Premix and you'll be gold.

 

Ok so the rundown so far is kompressorlogic was right about the 04 05 years.

I have done lots of research myself since i want to get one asap. The 04 05 had the ecu reflash issue since mazda wasnt done figuring out how to pass smog and other requirements like cold start which modern piston engine have no problem doing. Basically car was released to soon.

The weight on oil should be fine with 5w-20 non-synthetic since here in WA we dont see temps past 100degF. The table in the manual should show the temperature rating for oil weights.

Of course 04 and 05 could be fine if the owner has kept up with recalls and maintenance. The oil issue summary comes down to the huge argument of CARBON BUILDUP which everyone will kill each other making their point. My thought is the rotary engine burns oil by natural means from the factory and we all know why. If you run the car through the rpm range regularly then carbon buildup wont be an issue no matter synthetic or non synthetic. When oil is burned the guys were talking about ash content which means you want a oil with a low ash content. Ask Clay for more info on that matter

Hope this helps!!!!

 

and yes low miles like Army of One said.............I second that

 

That is why 8 owners say take your car to 9k once a day for carbon build up. Plenty of 8 owners also sea foam their engine to help with carbon build up.

 

^^ A redline a day keeps the carbon away. This is true of ANY rotary, not just the renesis.

 

I decided against the one with high miles, I just worry the longer I wait to get one the more miles will be driven on that future car. But I'm picky and I want to find that perfect one. I'm almost starting to reconsider that one at the dealer, new engine with 10k miles on it and 62k miles on the chassis....

Another question, is it a common occurrence to hear/feel a "clunk" sometimes when going into first gear from neutral? All except one 8 I've test driven has done that... It makes me nervous because my 7 did that when the clutch master cylinder pooped out.

 

It would be hard to tell without hearing the exact "clunk". The rx8 trans makes a fair bit of mechanical noise when rowing through gears. Its really obvious if you go say, from 1st to 2nd and back with the car door open so the noise travels well.

Ive heard similar noises from my old rx7 transmissions, just not as pronounced.

 

Well on the bright side a clutch master is easy to replace. But its great your examining the car so thoroughly to notice these differences. I know you'll pick the right one

Lets be corny for a sec and just say you wont choose the car but it will choose you.

Nice to know there will be an 8 owner in town that will wave/acknowledge Rx7 owners as they pass by

 

So I think I found "the one", but I'm going to be all mysterious about it currently, mostly because I'm not sure if it will fall through or not. To go along with the corny theme here it almost did choose me. It was the one that jumped out and said "I'm yours!" If all goes well with further testing I will post pictures and specs and what not, we shall all know in a few days.

You know I'm totally bringing the 8 to the meets, finally I can park at least at the end of the line!

 

Good luck!

 

Sooooo I GOT MY CAR!! I'm picking it up in a couple hours after I get off work, so happy! I had the dealer check it out first and they said the engine is incredibly well taken care of, no problems at all. I will have a car to bring to the meet on Monday again!

 

Congratulations on your new car!!

 

cool lets see some pics! and specs!

 

Another one has been converted....

Excellent.

 

Well you can see it at the meet haha I only have this one, I need to find time to take really nice ones. So it's a black Grand Touring 2004, 247hp, 6 spd manual of course, power EVERYTHING, LSD but has stability control too, 4-disc brakes, and an awesome bose sound system that I love to blast. Interior is Black/Red leather. It's all stock except for some blue lights the previous owner installed in the cabin floor, which are a nice touch.

lol the heated mirrors freaked me out at first, thought they caught fire

I'm already emotionally attached to this beauty and I am LOVING the handling! I'm so in love with this car!!!!!

 

Congrats on the new car! Take care of it and enjoy autocross with it!

 

looks good!

 

Looks good and congrats! See you tomorrow at the autocross, right? you'll get to see how it handles when you push it in the rain

 

gah I really want to autocross but I'm not familiar enough with it yet, I don't want to second guess myself out there and run it off track. Give me a month or so
(this smiley has nothing to do with my post, just thought it was awesome)