Used Mazda RX8 2003 review and buying guide (2003 to 2012): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Mazda RX8 (2003 to 2012) should you buy?

How the car's been used matters more than its year, because every RX8 from 2003 to 2012 runs the same Renesis rotary and its apex seals can wear until the engine loses compression, typically somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 miles. Pick one that's done long, warm runs with regular oil checks, and pass on anything that's spent its life on quick trips from cold.

The R3 facelift from July 2008 is the nicer car to live with, thanks to fresher styling and better interior materials. Don't treat it as a cure, though: the apex seal fault covers every year up to 2012, so a late car needs the same hot restart test as an early one.

The earliest 2003 cars carry the most recall work, including a lower suspension arm that could crack, and a fuel leak recall with a fire risk reaches cars built up to 2008, with a second one for 2008 to 2010 cars. That fix included a heat shield between the exhaust and the plastic fuel tank, and it matters most on independent imports and automatics, so whichever you look at, don't buy without paperwork showing the recalls were done.

Which Mazda RX8 (2003 to 2012) engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Neither version of the 1.3 Renesis rotary is safe on its own merits: both share the apex seal fault, which leaves the engine hard to start when hot, short of power and drinking oil. There's no engine choice that dodges it, so what you're really judging is how the car's been treated, and that's what separates a sound one from a worn one.

The rotary runs rich until it's warm, so a car that's been started and switched off cold, or kept to brief trips, floods with fuel and can then refuse to start. That unburnt petrol also washes past the rotor seals and harms them. The same habits, plus over-revving, finish off the catalytic converter, and leaving it parked with the revs held high can melt the exhaust ports and wreck the cat.

Some early cars had clutch failures at as little as 11,500 miles, and one owner reported that the dual-mass flywheel can need renewing as early as 36,000 miles. On any car you look at, make sure the clutch bites cleanly and doesn't slip under hard acceleration, and ask whether either part has already been replaced.

What should you check when viewing a used Mazda RX8 (2003 to 2012)?

A hot restart is the test that decides it: drive the car until it's fully warm, switch off, then start it again. A rotary with tired apex seals struggles badly to fire when it's hot. On the drive, feel for flat performance, misfiring, a rough idle or hesitation under load, and make sure the engine warning light isn't lit.

Pull the dipstick and ask how often it's been topped up. This engine needs its oil checked every other tankful, though a healthy one doesn't use more than plenty of ordinary engines, so a low reading on arrival says the owner hasn't kept up. Look underneath at the oil cooler pipe too, since it corrodes and can leak badly enough to seize the engine.

Listen for knocks from the front over bumps: the front anti-roll bar links can fracture after about three years, and the plastic sleeve bushes wear. Check that both xenon headlights work and level themselves, because water gets into their wiring. On a 2003 car, look closely at the lower suspension arms and their ball joints.

Ask for proof the recall work was done: cracked lower suspension arms on 2003 and 2004 cars, fuel pump rings that heat could perish on 2003 to 2008 cars, leaking fuel with a fire risk (the fix added a heat shield over the tank), a second fuel ring recall on 2008 to 2010 cars, and passenger airbags on cars built 2003 to 2010. Receipts for a clutch, flywheel or catalytic converter show what's been renewed, and regular oil top-ups back up the seller's story.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What do owners like about the Mazda RX8 (2003 to 2012)?

The rear doors are hinged at the back and open the opposite way to the fronts, which makes getting in and out of the back seats far easier than you'd expect from a sports coupe. It's an unusual arrangement, and it means the back isn't just somewhere to throw a bag.

It's a car that loves to rev, and the 2008 update dropped the gearing slightly so the engine reaches 9,000rpm more readily and pulls harder through the gears. That makes the later cars feel keener when you put your foot down, and the rotary's at its best spinning hard rather than pottering about.