Does anyone own an Rotary on here?
What and how are your experiences?
In terms of reliability, performance, etc and do you regret it? Everyone I ask who owns one says its a nightmare but none of them regret it which is odd. Just trying to figure out why.
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fun to drive shit to maintain, why would it be hard to understand?
Oil changes every 3k are ezpz
I daily drove for three years, only hassle was the cabin heat in summer traffic and shit tier mpg but whatever it's a fun car not a civic
No reliability issues in that time until I decided to limiter bash first gear and bang
I own one, '94 R1 package.
Don't regret it, just make certain to go in knowing what you're getting yourself into. Oil changes every 3k miles really aren't that bad, pre-mixing not 100% necessary but recommended as it'll keep everything in better shape.
Apex seals aren't as much of an issue, just put in one of the newer ones (not OEM) that are designed to just bend a little when they go bad instead of shattering all over the fuckin' place. These have been around for the last decade or so, not precisely hard to find, just gotta' put the order in online.
It's a nightmare compared to most other cars, sure, but nothing that isn't manageable and really not that bad once you've established those good habits. Once you get used to it you don't feel like you're doing that much unless you're DDing the fucker. For most rotary owners, those 3k miles come up as often as oil changes in conventional ICEs (or less), because most people don't daily drive them.
The other user is right. The FD, especially, is bad about cabin heat. Drive with windows down during the summer. Turns out the engine designed by a nazi does a good job of roasting the vehicle's occupants. Who knew?
I regret buying my RX-8. Not because it's a bad car (although you can do better with a Euro model in the same size with a larger engine), but it's snowflake characteristics get to me.
First off: reliability. I have never had the engine fail on me. That said, all the electronics have. Currently, my car is stalling at idle for what I can guess is a MAF sensor gone bad? Theres a list of things electrically that could be causing it, and by this point I'm just throwing money at it hoping to get lucky.
Performance wise, you will *not* win a race against anyone stock. My car makes 230 hp with aftermarket tuning on stock parts N/A, and it still will loose to a stock C4 Corvette. Hell, it will loose to a modified Civic. If you want to modify it, you will be met with enormous aftermarket part prices that will scare you away unless your wallet is deeper than mine.
In terms of liveability, my #1 complaint is the gas milage. I get about 10-15 MPG city. I put $30 a week in gas, and I live on a college campus and have little need to drive anywhere. If you live in an area with a lot of stoplights, you will pay a lot for gas. The rear seats are nice for storing stuff, but the trunk is useless if you opt for the spare tire option.
For the amount of hassle and money I put in the car, and the gas I pay for, I can do wayyyy better in terms of performance. That alone is why I tell people off of rotary engines. It's fun to drive, don't get me wrong, but it's not worth the money I put in.
Damn dude.
I can manage all that, but its the rebuilds or a blown seal I am worried about.
I had an RX8. It was fine. Had an alternator go out thats it. Just premixed, changed the oil often, kept fresh plugs in it, and upgraded the ignition coils bc the stock ones die from heat. Never shut it off cold, and redline it maybe once a day to blow the carbon out. It's kind of like a 2 stroke. I never minded any of that. If you're the type of person who drag races people on the street and wants a fast car then it's not the car for you. If you drive alot of twisty roads you will love it. Learn to drive it well and you can stick with most cars, and the punch in second coming off a corner accompanied by the 9000rpm wail is fun. Typical vape subaru mouth breathers love to hate, but they are actually good cars.
Lucky for you, just doing compression testing is a really easy way to gauge how long you have until a rebuild is necessary.
There's no excuse for "spontaneous" apex seal detonation anymore. You can totally predict when it's going to happen. Just get a compression test done when you buy it to see how long you have, after your rebuild you should have a good 100k with proper maintenance until the next rebuild.
Also; should mention:
The rebuild I had done immediately after I bought mine six years ago only wound up costing me like $1500. Your mileage may vary, but generally less than 2 grand.
I found a semi-local gigantic bulldyke that used to work in the Mazda dealership shop through the 90s. She's good people.
If you're feeling confident and have all the tools and ample work space it's possibly simple enough to rebuild on your own. Whole fucking engine's only like 3 moving parts when undressed.
I should mention to people I want an RX7 not an RX8.
More or so a 2001-2002 Type R Bathurst. I live in Aus so there is alot of them around.