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A Grand Monday: Mazda RX-8

Published 20 November 2017

Under normal circumstances, we'd suggest that a cheap Mazda RX-8 is something you should steer well clear of. After all, tales of rotor tip wear, oil starvation and complete engine failure in badly maintained examples are rife, and at this price point you're hardly likely to find one that's been properly loved.

Or are you? We reviewed the RX-8 in a Future Classic Friday feature earlier this year, and our suggestion was that if you wanted an RX-8 to love and cherish, then you should be prepared to spend decent money on finding a really good example.

But there's always an exception that proves the rule, and this example, offered for sale at an extremely affordable £950, could well be just that.

It's clear from the description that the vendor knows his way around an RX-8, while the car was fitted with a new engine courtesy of a renowned rotary engine specialist only three years ago at a cost of £1850. It was compression tested recently, and the seller is happy to share the (extremely positive) results of the compression test - keep it topped up with oil (RX-8s use it naturally, and the vast majority of failures are down to poor maintenance rather than poor build quality) and it should have plenty of life left in it.

Mazda RX-8 (5)

A recent service, new brakes discs and pads and an expensive exhaust system also imply that the car has been enthusiast owned, as, indeed, do the photographs - good pictures are an essential part of any used car advert, and it's amazing how many sellers don't realise this.

It does need some work - chiefly a few minor cosmetic bits and pieces and an air con re-gas, but it also comes with over six months' MoT and a chunky service history.

Being the 192PS model, it's not the 'quick' one, but these were plenty lively enough, and even at the full asking price, this car sounds like a veritable bargain. In most circumstances, we wouldn't go near a cheap RX-8 with even the longest of barge poles. But in the case of this one, we'd happily go and have a closer look.

Mazda RX-8 (4)

Comments

Karl Morgan on 21 November 2017

I recently purchased a 57 plate 231 bhp RX8 with only 51,000 miles for £1000 - full mot, uprated brakes- just needed a good clean inside.
My advice? DO NOT put Mazda Europe's recommended 5W30 oil in, it's not up to it and will kill your engine. Speak to any top rotary shop and they will only go with 15W40, and mineral.......Idemitsu racing oil is the best if you can get it.

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on 24 January 2018

My red oil light came on and she was dry as a nuns joke book so I put a litre of engine oil in it at the service station as she was starting to get a smelly burning smell.I had only had the car a few days.Anyway not knowing anything about car engines I half whitingly picked up a litre of high performance engine oil for both petrol and diesel.Thats all I read on the bottle to feel half satisfied.Cant remember the make.It certainly wasn’t Castrol or one of them popular brands.thinking that was enough I drove on home waiting in vain for the oil light to go out.The next day it was still on but before I got a chance to top it up the clutch went.She had done 82450 miles.i gt the clutch fixed for £300 (is that cheap?) and went and put another litre of oil in her forgetting the make of the first litre I put in her.Have I potentially caused myself an even bigger hole in my pocket.Also she has a hot/cold problem so I need to start it all the time with a booster pack.what is the cause and solution and cost to this please

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