Overview & Reviews

The RX-8 is an all-new car for 2004. Its arrival marks the return of Mazda's rotary engine to the U.S. market. Priced less than Nissan's 350Z, the RX-8 also offers four doors and a usable backseat.

• Low base price, agile handling yet still comfortable enough for daily use, room for four in a pinch.

• Option packages can get expensive, iffy interior ergonomics.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 583.00

• 

  Complete garbage - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By efwilson4 - December 2 - 5:13 pm

  I bought this car and saw where Mazda of North America warrantied the engine until 100,000. Well they lied. Mazda admitted to utilizing a loop hole to deny engine replacement. This car is garbage and Mazda will do anything but stand behind it. They charged me $1,100 dollars to replace coils, wires, plugs, decarbon the engine before saying I needed a new engine. The car runs worse than when I took it in. This my 4th rotary car and my last. I recommend something else. DO NOT BUY! Just search warm start or low compression.

• 

  BoomBoom not ZoomZoom - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By Shabam - July 16 - 1:13 am

  I loved my RX8 when I bought it. 2 weeks after purchase I had to replace the purge valve. 1 month later replaced the ignition coils and wires. 1 week later check engine light came on. Had to replace the engine. Recall for oil dipstick allowing water in oil. Guess what, Ive got water and metal shavings in my oil. I see engine #2 coming up. All this in only 6 months! Extended warranty highly recommended for this vehicle. Love driving it when it runs! This is not the Mazda for me.

• 

  Another RX-8 Lemon - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By Anne - March 19 - 12:30 am

  Here is another RX-8 that had to have the engine replaced. This car is an outrage that they ever put this car into production! My husband owned a 1984 RX-7 and loved it. We were so disappointed. It been in the shop since we got it. The engine light has never been off. The deal told us it was sand in the engine, then this and that and final we demanded a new engine. Has been OK for three years and now the engine shuts down once it get hot..about 90 miles. SO now we just drive it 15 minutes to the van pool. Mazda you should have recalled this car..never by another Mazda and tell my horror story. My other car is a 2002 Toyota 4Runner..the best truck on earth..no kidding!

• 

  Uses Oil - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By Tanya - March 15 - 12:36 am

  Our vehicle uses 1 quart of oil every 600 miles - ridiculous! The oil is only supposed to be changed every 5000 miles, but it is frequently changing itself. Mazda Corps selling practice are very deceptive. If anyone knew how much oil this car burned no one would ever buy it. And, to boot it gets 15 mpg! This is worse than my truck!

• 

  Bad Transmission Issues (Do not buy!) - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By David Conger-Eldeen - December 11 - 3:40 pm

  I have had problems with the transmission one month after I purchased the RX-8. It was replaced in January 2005. I have had a love/hate relationship with the car since the first problem. The real problem is the service or lack thereof. It is a known problem. If it werent for the poor customer service from Mazda as a whole, I would love this car and be very patient. However, they quickly jump to conclusions, insult your intelligence, etc. I am taking them to arbitration after 20 months of run-around and degradation.

• 

  Lemon - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By Ricky G - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I have 1500 miles on the car, and already it is a nightmare. The problem is, there is foam in the oil. I took it back at 1K. Dealership/manufacturer didnt have a clue. They changed the oil. At1.4K, the foam was back. Also, the engine shut down on me prior to this. The oil light stays on constantly. The dealership/manufacturer dont know how to repair it, so theyve asked me to drive it till they figure it out. And, of course, keep making payments till it breaks down completely.

• 

  Fire Hazard - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By desjes - April 10 - 8:56 am

  Given the beauty/uniqueness of this car I was willing to overlook the constant need to add oil, the engine flooding, the poor gas mileage, the manufacturer recalls ... that was until my car burst into flames in the parking lot at work due to faulty wiring. The entire front end is incinerated and unrepairable. According to Mazda mine is the first ... hopefully its the last.

• 

  Jen - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By Jen in Georgia - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I do not recommend this car for larger people. There is also some difficulty in putting this car in reverse. I have enjoyed driving a mustang better.

• 

  Looks great and works bad - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By bob forman - June 7 - 9:00 am

  This call has been towed to the dealer at least 10 times. There is a definite flaw in the design of the engine.Its failure to start especially in cold weather is frustrating. Although the handling is superior to any car I have owned, for a sports car this car is way to sluggish. I do have an automatic transmission. I am sorry I did not get the Nissan Z instead of this rattle machine

• 

  RX8 - 2004 Mazda RX-8
  By Sarah Cobbs - May 8 - 5:20 am

  This is a fun car to drive, and looks great, but is very unreliable. I constantly have service lights on. Whether its an engine light, a oil light, or a tire light, without fail there is always a problem. Also, this car does not like to remain idle. After about 30 seconds in dead stop traffic my entire car begins to shake. I actually had the car stall at a busy light due to this problem. Therefore, if you travel into a city on a daily basis and have to deal with traffic, I highly urge you NOT to purchase this vehicle.