Mazda rotary engines are generally considered to be bullet-proof. Remember that Mazda campaigned a hi-pressure-turbo rotary in Le Mans prototype racing in the 80's and they kicked serious ass.

The RX-8, which does not have a turbo, should be very solid. Remember, too, that the engine is much smaller and lighter compared to a more conventional layout.

Having seen the RX-8 in the sheet metal, I can confirm that it has a high lust-factor. I can't wait to drive one.

Edit: Mazda won Le Mans overall in 1991 with a rotary engined-car:

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/large/304-1.jpg

Hmm. Are you telling me that the O-Ring thing was just a fluke or that the O-Ring thing might have been more related to having Turbo than to the engine design itself? Cause I'm telling you that in one instance that I know of, a Mazda rotary engine was not bullet-proof (though we were living in Ohio when we owned it, so maybe the engine WAS shot at on the freeway and we just missed that explanation of the reason for the problem).

That is the only car in my entire history with cars that has had engine problems (knocking on wood now). And it wasn't an old car. Though I guess there is a possibility it was driven hard by its previous owner, we did not drive it hard and did all routine maintenance. Engine was dead before 100k miles.

The turbo engines, by their nature (higher pressure aspiration, higher compression rations, etc) are more fragile, but Mazda had a pretty good reliability record with them, in both racing and street contexts. Maybe you had a bad one? Not sure.

The last gen RX-7 was a monster. Hopefully, when they finally turbo the RX-8, it will be even more powerful.

Any engine can go. My mom had a standard GM V-6 shoot a rod at 60k miles because, well, it was a crappy american engine. BMW M3 owners are looking at engine blowups at less than 5k miles (engineering defects).

The general view is that the rotary engine is mechanically more simple and therefore less prone to premature failure. It's also well-suited to a turbo, but that's beside the point, other than to say that the turbo on a rotary is both cheaper and more reliable than on a regular car.

All of that said, shit happens. And given that only mazda makes a rotary engine, it may well not have been as perfected as the usual cylinder engines that are more standard.

But I wouldn't worry either way--if you like the car, don't worry about the engine; and don't reject the car because of it's engine.

Yeah, but i wouldn't want to miss out on the Dvorak keyboard or Betamax of the engine world! . . . Oh.

Between the return of the Wankel rotary engine* and the rise of the CVT and the gas-electric hybrid, maybe the V-configured internal combustion piston engine is due for some competition.

*How do you rate your embarrassment response? (a) High (b) Hello (c) Good evening.

That all makes sense of course. I was just replying to the question that was asked. I have no opinion about Mazdas today. I LOVED the RX-7 when it first came out as I recall (with the bubble back window), but that was before my driving days (and well out of my used Rabbit price range when I did start driving). I never really liked the RX-7 that my ex had. I think because it was soo low to the ground that you felt like you were actually sitting on the road. Maybe too much of a sportscar for my sensibilities. I did, however, almost purchase a Millenia S many years back. I opted for a Maxima instead at the time because (I'd say ironically if I wasn't afraid of the Flower) the Maxima felt more sporty than the Mellenia, which had some body roll when cornering.

I have found the A4 to be the perfect combination of sporty yet comfortable for me. But car-buying is so much non-quantifiable personal preference that I would never assume that others have the same or similar preferences.

Starting to think about new cars
 

I would just like to say that (a) my earlier post on the FB was made in complete ignorance of this here conversation, and (b) I have been obsessing about essentially leagl's question for months, and am happy to share my thoughts (which have been all over the place) by PM.

I always figured Hank's line as an homage to Bill Murray in Stripes.

Starting to think about new cars
 

After mulling over the problem some more, I realized that Bernoulli's Equation isn't applicable because the airflow around a car door when it's closed isn't comparable to the airflow around an airplane wing -- the frame of reference for the continuity equation would be different for those two cases.

p(I guess this proves that EE majors shouldn't be fiddling around with aerodynamics)c

My first car was a 1980 RX-7, I loved that car and I drove it for ten years. I had three engines. There is a known design flaw with the O-ring or some seal in the engine, and when it goes, it's fatal. Fortunately, there were lots of surplus engines from Japan that you could pick up for $500 and reinstall it.

The RX-8 looks fun, but they recently got caught advertising a certain horsepower number that turned out to be higher than the actual specifications, and have offered to buy back cars from those who were disappointed. There are better choices in this market segment, if you're looking for a speedy sub $40k car. That said, if they came out with a twin turbo for the RX-8, it might be worth a shot, the last gen RX-7 turbo was indeed a beast. Not as fast as a Supra turbo, but fast and stylish.

Starting to think about new cars
 

BMW 3 Series.
Nothing compares. Probably costs a little more than you are looking to spend (I doubt you can get anything other than a stripper for under 34k), but leases are more cost effective due to high residuals.

Infiniti G35.
Japanese rear wheel drive sedan, supposed to be the BOMB.

Lexus IS300.
Small, sporty, bulletproof but considered very boy racer. Also RWD.

Saab 9-3.
Can buy for a little less than your price range. Some reliability problems but drives real nice.

Audi A4.
Phenomenal interior, Audi Quattro is great AWD system but I found the 1.8T heavy and sluggish. 3.0 engine might be OK, but the Audi doesn't do as well at resale as some of the others.

Acura TSX/TL.
Nice cars. Honda reliability but will not handle nearly as well as the RWD, particularly the German cars.

Starting to think about new cars
 

Yes. Also, on a date in high school I noticed something similar till I explained to Spooky's little sister that BLOW was actually inversly descriptive of the aerodynamics involved.

Rotary engines make sense theoretically as the most efficient. They also raise the extreme challenge of how to seal. You are not the only one to have a problem. If it weren't for challenges in sealing, there would be no reciprocating engines.

Starting to think about new cars
 

Subaru WRX/WRX STi/2005 Legacy turbo.
If you want a fun and inexpensive car, that is fast, and has all wheel drive, check out the WRX. You can pick one up for about $23,000 or so, and will come with lots of basic amenities, including an in-dash 6 CD changer. It will hang with and outrun lots of cars that are far more expensive.

The STi is the racing version of the WRX. It is crazy fast -- significantly quicker from 0-60 than any other car people have mentioned. (We're talking in the 4 second range. That's fast as hell.) It's a racing car for the street, so if you're looking for fast and luxurious, it might not be the way to go.

The 2005 Legacy, supposedly due out in the spring of 2004, should be pretty kick ass, as well. The turbo promises 250 horsepower with an available 5 speed manual. It will have a nicely redesigned interior and the exterior looks good, too. Check it out at http://www.need-desire.com.

Nissan Maxima/Altima.
I have not driven the new Maxima, but have driven several older ones, and have driven the new Altima. As family-friendly sedans go, the Altima is pretty sweet. Sure, there is some torque steer, but that's because you're getting 240 horsepower through the front wheels, with an available manual transmission. It's a big, good looking car, with an interior that is different and kind of funky. Some people don't like it because it's different, but I think that it's kind of cool.

2005 Volvo V40.
Not out yet, and not sure when it will be out, but the restyle makes it look like a scaled-down S60, and that's a good thing. The interior looks really nice, like ultra-modern Danish furniture. The V40R should also be available with all wheel drive and a 6 speed manual.

Infiniti G35.
I can't speak to the sedan, but the coupe kicks ass.

After reading through the older posts about Mazda reliability, I'm, glad that someone brought this up. I've heard that this was a major problem with those cars, and that they engines simply NEVER lasted long than 50,000 miles or so. It seems like kind of a black mark until it's clear that the new rotaries from Mazda don't have that problem.