Overview & Reviews

Mazda's four-door sports car was all new in 2004, and is back for 2005 with no changes except for the addition of a satellite radio-compatible head unit.

• Low base price, agile handling yet still comfortable enough for daily use, smooth rotary engine fun to wind out on the open road, room for four in a pinch.

• Option packages add considerable expense, iffy interior ergonomics, poor gas mileage.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 179.00

• 

  Rattle Trap - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By PilotGM - October 9 - 11:26 am

  Have driven car approx. 2000 miles, vehicle has more squeaks and rattles than my sons 03 Hyundai, very poor quality. I have purchased 3 Mazdas since 12/04 and this one is terrible. Considered trading it back in after a month but would lose $10k after putting $15k down. Will not deal with Mazda or dealer who I have purchased my last 3 cars again. Have always had great luck with Mazda but not this time.

• 

  Trouble - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By anne - July 27 - 9:16 am

  This is a beautiful car and has a very clever design (I think I was won over by the suicide doors). Not exactly comfortable in the back, but it works. However, this car has been in the shop more than my 65 bug was. The first 6 mo of owning this car was so frustrating with frequent recalls and the car would stall easily. Then we had about 12 months of bliss. Now, at the ripe old age of 2.5 yrs, the car has been in the shop 6 times in 5 months. It has left me stranded (and not because the car was not warmed up). The dealers cant find anything "wrong" with it. I plan to get rid of it in the next month or so b/c I just cant have such an unreliable car.

• 

  Lot of engine for a little car - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By victor - June 27 - 1:33 pm

  Ive had my RX8 for three years, and I still get comments about it every now and then. Its a unique car, considering the rotary engine. Let me start there: The rotary has a great range, getting up to 8,000 rpm. It really starts to sing once you get above 4k. You can tell Mazdas engineers spent most of their time and money on the engine. Inside, you get most of the typical features for this kind of car. The gauges look really cool, but thats really the only thing inside that was engineered. The backseat is comfortable enough, and surprisingly roomy with the four doors. This car is a blast to drive, but it can be a rough ride, especially with the Bridgestone OEM tires. Somewhat rattly.

• 

  Regrets -- I have a few. - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By Glenda - October 16 - 8:16 pm

  I have a 2004 RX-8 & its the worst car Ive ever had. I had an RX-7 for years & loved it; sadly the RX-8 does not come close for several reasons. The car has broken down (and been towed) 5 times in the last few months - the car floods itself! This past week the car began to shake violently - the end result being it needed new left and right motor mounts installed. The heat did not work this winter and 3 months later Im still waiting for a back-ordered part! The only saving grace not having heat was that I couldnt use the car in the first place because the slightest dusting of snow on the ground renders the car inoperable. Long story short, its fun to drive but TOTALLY unreliable.

• 

  Worst mistake of my life - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By carma8 - July 1 - 9:44 am

  Do not buy this car. If you are thinking of buying this car go to the Rx8 forums, everything that can go wrong with this car will go wrong. This car has been the financial ruin of me. When I bought it the KBB price was $17k and thats what I paid. 3 years later I tried to trade it in, and was offered $3k. Bear in mind that it is in better condition now than when I bought it. Every year I spend at least $2-3k on repairs. The only luck I have had is the engine seems to be the only one that works, for now. Thats right $2-3k/year with a healthy engine. The car is crap. Other cars are just as fun to drive with much lower cost. Save yourself and run away.

• 

  Never Again - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By scullymo - June 16 - 6:48 am

  This has bee one of my worst car buying experiences. Its hot, and fun to drive and all that, but the air conditioner never works. I have taken it to dealers in 3 states and they all say the same thing, "thats just the way it is, get used to it." I will never drive another Mazda because their customer service everywhere is awful!

• 

  i would not buy one again - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By rx8joe - February 4 - 6:53 am

  when i got my rx8 home, i was looking for the spare tire. lo and behold there is no spare tire.. it is an option. which cost me 477 more. the saleslady forgot to mention that the rx8 uses oil. actually she forgot to mention many things about the rx8. and most importantly she left out the part about these cars are prone to flooding. if you do not let your engine warm up. will i buy one of these again? no... in fact as soon as i can i am getting rid of it.. nothing but problems since ive gotten it..

• 

  Buyer beware... - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By MR. ED - January 15 - 4:06 pm

  A couple of things interested buyers should know. The bridgestone tires wrapped around the 18 in alloy rims are horrible in snow! Get winter tires or a 2nd car. MPG is another problem. The 05 RX-8 had a couple recalls already. The 2 back seats in the car are for children! Not for adults, unless your under 52 you will not be comfortable. At low cruzin speeds the cabin noise is over whelming. But the fact is the RX-8 is still a pretty fun car to drive. If you dont mind the shortcomings.

• 

  Read before you buy a 2005 Maxda RX8 - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By firebabe - July 18 - 9:12 pm

  The rotary engine is horrible, you have to treat it like a diesel in cold weather which we didnt know and got it flooded. It ended up costing us $1500 to finally get it started and to help prevent it from happening again but now I want rid of it. Check engine light is on all the time and no one knows why. It now sounds bad and every one is now telling me after owning it for 6 months with 69,000 that the rotary engine dont live past 60,000. I know Im going to lose with trading it in put I cant afford to keep it running. Wish I had never seen this beautiful car but the rotary engine is horrible.

• 

  my RX-8 - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  By Chad Foster - March 16 - 9:20 pm

  Being a proud owner of my RX-8, I made the decision over the winter to store my car for 4 months until the weather improved. Since beginning to drive it again as of March 20th, 2005 (I remember the date because of my brothers birthday), I have had my RX-8 picked up by roadside assistance on 3 different occasions. It is fast becoming the most unreliable vehicle I have ever purchased in my life.