Mazda RX-8 R3 owners' review - why it's worth the risk!

Yeah , Mhm , Right , guys , we're in the r x , a r three .

So in this video , I'm going to tell you four things you need to know about the r three and why you should buy one .

Because this is my car .

I've had it for a while now and it's been ace .

So let's get into it , OK ?

My first point is what drew me to the R X eight in the first place .

And that's the fact that this car drives beautifully , especially for an old car as well .

I mean , the R S A came out in 2003 .

This is an oh nine car .

It's an R three , which had a few upgrades , but yeah , the car is just wonderful to drive .

So what makes it so good ?

Well , firstly , you've got the rotary engine revs out to 9000 creamy smooth , and it's really light as well , and it's really compact , so they've been able to set it right far back in the chassis .

And that helps in all sorts of areas , one of which is the steering , because with the lack of weight over the front axle , there's actually not too much assistance in the wheel , and that means you get lovely little messages of feedback .

OK , it's an EPA system .

So in the wet Yeah , it's a little bit flighty , and you don't really know where you are with the front tyres .

But other than that , yeah , you've just got a nice sense of the road surface , and in the dry , at least you've got a really good connection with the front end .

And then there's the ride quality , which is great .

I mean , for the type of car it is .

This R three car has Bill Stein dampers .

They're 20% stiffer than standard , and it's on 19 inch wheels .

But you think it would fall apart compared to the standard car on a bumpy road .

But actually , the opposite is true , because the standard car , the structure , wasn't all that stiff , and it wasn't very well damped .

There was plenty of vertical movement .

It tended to crash into small imperfections on the road , and the R three goes a long way to rectifying those issues .

So for a start , the body control is much , much better .

It's much more tied down , and there's much less pitch in the car when you're pushing , which just makes it feel more precise .

And also the shell is stiffer .

There's been some more welding , and the front cross member is filled with foam , which gives a bit of extra stiffness , which is really appreciated because when you fire this thing at a bumpy road , you really feel a sense of strength in the car that you don't usually feel in an R X A , which is really welcome .

It really , really good .

They tuned it really nicely for UK roads .

Still , the best riding R X I've ever driven is the Pz car , which is tuned by pro Drive has a similar set up to this in terms of suspension , but it's on 18 inch super light aus wheels , and that really helps with the ride .

It means that the wheel control is just much better , and there's less coarseness from the profile of the tyre .

Really ?

Yeah , and then we get on to the chassis balance and this car is just a yob .

You just grab it by the scruff and it's friendly .

It's predictable , relatively long wheel base and because it's not got so much to £150 foot .

You can just plant the power , and as soon as you get into that sweet spot above 7000 r PM , the reel will break loose and you've got to be on your game .

Really , because in the wet , at least there's not that much feedback from the chassis , but it will slide once you've got it set onto an angle .

You're not waiting for turbos to spool up .

You're not waiting for a mushy throttle response .

You feel like whatever you do with your right foot has a direct effect on the attitude of the car , which is lovely .

I mean , that's what you want to see , isn't it ?

That's what you want a Japanese rear wheel drive car to do and an R X eight .

Well , you can just chuck it sideways whenever you want .

It's brilliant .

If you're enjoying watching a total stranger talk about his cheap Japanese car , please hit the like button and subscribe for more reviews , track test and hooligan right .

And the second reason why you should buy an R X A is because the amount of car that you get for the money is just absurd .

So we've already described how good It is to drive how engaging it is , how much fun it is to sling around on a mountain road .

But other than that , for about four or five grand for a good r three , you get these lovely styling tweaks that bring it bang up today .

I mean , this car still looks fresh today , and it's 10 years old .

You got the side skirts , you got the new front bumper , the new lights , the new wheels as well , which look fabulous .

And , yeah , when you look at this car and you think , Well , I personally paid 2.5 grand for this thing .

It's an absolute steal , isn't it ?

And then you sit inside and you find some more foods for your money .

First of all , you sit in a Recaro seat , which is just wonderful .

This is one of the best seats I've tried in a road car .

The support is brilliant .

The lumber support is great .

I'm sat nice and low and on track .

You really appreciate that .

But other than that , yeah , we've got red stitching everywhere .

It feels well built .

It does feel very Japanese , actually , in the way that some plastics are really scratchy and and glossy , and it's just been cobbled together by some mad Japanese guy .

But but at least he's installed a Bose sound system , which is more than welcome , as is a six CD changer , auxiliary connectivity , Bluetooth connectivity as well .

And in a car that , well , you can pick up a normal R X eight with all those things for a grand .

If it's a good one , that is which you gotta be careful with .

But , yeah , the amount of car is brilliant .

I've got seats back there suicide doors , which is just mad .

And , uh , yeah , the amount of equipment just makes this an amazing proposition at the money .

And this is a car that rests to 9000 r PM with a brilliant chassis that's engaging , that's refined as you can hear as well .

We've got xenon lights , which are automatic automatic wipers .

The has got it all the r three , at least , so that's brilliant , OK , and the third reason is that when you're not being a hooligan and a yob and chucking this sideways everywhere and right up in the revs and driving it like it's designed for and you just want to cruise around .

You want to relax , you want to slow down , put it in sixth and just cruise .

It's wonderful for that as well , because it's refined .

There's not much N V H coming into the cabin .

It's well isolated .

OK , it's not a Rolls Royce Phantom , but it is very refined for the type of car it is and for the age of the car as well .

And because this engine is so smooth , you just drop it in six .

And we're doing about 55 miles an hour right now .

2.5 1000 r PM and it's barely noticeable .

You can't even hear the thing , so that's nice as well .

It's really not tiring on a long journey , whereas other sports cars can be boom uncomfortable , and the ride can be unsettling .

A lot of noise and vibration into the cabin .

This really doesn't have any of that .

It feels really , really usable .

And all these factors the practicality , the refinement , the ease of use they help make this such a great proposition for an everyday track car .

That's exactly why I use this car for it's a car that when my Alpha Julia is not on the road or it's raining outside and it'll turn to dust if it sees any moisture , I'll take this or I'll take this to the circuit because it's practical .

I can fit my friends in the back .

I can fit my helmet and all my gear in the boot as well , and you'll just jump out of the car , crashes the daisy and ready to go on track and really exploit the chassis and the motor .

So , yeah , as a track , a proposition .

If you can find a good one , it is brilliant .

I'd thoroughly recommend an R X A OK , and the fourth thing you need to know .

And it's quite obvious if you know anything about the R X eight and the rotary engine is that running costs really aren't this car's for OK , You can pick the car up for about 1200 quid , and it might have good compression , which you really must check , by the way , because that's a deal breaker with one of these .

If it's got a good engine , then it's brilliant .

If it hasn't , then you'll be in a world of trouble .

Yeah , although they're cheap to buy the running costs are extortionate because of the emissions of this rotary engine .

It costs 500 quid a year to tax .

It's a bit painful to say that , but that's the truth .

And then there's a fuel efficiency , which really isn't that great with one of these .

I mean , on a really good run .

If you drive like a saint , you'll get about 19 p g , which is appalling , really when you think that a McLaren 7 20 s with a four litre twin turbo V eight and 720 horsepower will get five mpg more than this weedy little r X eight .

I mean , that is ridiculous , isn't it ?

But the car is cheap to buy anyway , so you do sort of get a bit of payback in that respect .

And another thing , this rotary engine by design , it uses oil , and this car has an extra oil injector being the R three car , which does help with reliability .

But you really need to keep on top of the oil level of this because yeah , if it runs low , you can really risk wearing out the rotor tips .

And then there'll be a rebuild coming your way for about 2.5 grand .

And when you think of the value of the car itself , yeah , you really want to avoid that .

So check the oil .

Make sure it's always topped up .

Go through the usual procedures of owning a rotary like never just shutting it off from cold .

And uh , yeah , you'll be fine .

OK , so that's it .

That's why you should buy an R X A .

And I hope I've given you reason enough to go out and buy one yourself .

But please don't blame me if it goes wrong , which it may well do , Yeah .

Overall , the R X eight is just a lovely driver's car .

It's usable .

It's practical .

It's got its pitfalls , obviously .

But what car doesn't and please like the video , If you enjoyed it , subscribe as well .

We got some great videos coming up and I'll see you in the next one , Chow