The Mazda RX8 was a car that I was scared to own. Too many internet stories about blown motors, broken apex seals, general high maintenance and many other horror stories. So, when one showed up just a few hours from my house at a great deal, of course I jumped on it.

My family and I were on Spring Break and during one of our breaks, I did the usual perusal of the classifieds where this RX8 had just been listed. I contacted the owner and asked a few questions. He was a man of few words as he had bought the car for a racecar project but never even driven it. I asked if he could drive it up and down the road for me and he refused saying it wasn't registered and he lived by the Sheriff's station. All signs pointed to RUN but instead, I made him an offer and when he accepted, I sent a deposit and promised I would be by with a truck and trailer as I returned home.

I went to pick up and see the Mazda for the first time and it was just like the pictures showed. Dusty from sitting in a shop but otherwise, it looked like it was supposed to. I backed up my trailer and went to start the car for the first time, expecting to have to winch it. Surprisingly, it started right up and I drove it up and tightened my straps. I paid the man and made the drive back home with a customary Texas Bucees stop and picture on the way.

When I got home, I unloaded and checked all of the fluids. The oil was milky on the dipstick so that night, I assumed my worst fears and figured I had a blown motor. The next day, I did some research and saw that rotaries got that way if they sat for a long time or didn't get driven hard enough. Whew.

I changed the oil and bought an aluminum coolant tank before I took it on it's maiden voyage. On my first drive, I slowly brought the revs up higher and higher until I was comfortable then took it to the rotary motors magical 9000 RPM redline. If felt sublime and I was happy with the drive. I quickly booked an appointment with my favorite and trusted rotary guru Darion Farina at HF Performance in Kemah for an all-important compression test.

He called me a few days later with the results - actually he sent me video so I can hear his excitement at the results - 120 and 130PSI which was amazing and better than his personal car even. I was so happy and gave him the go-ahead to install all the reliability upgrades that a rotary and RX8 needs. New radiator, cooling fans, coils, new spark plugs were the most important to keep the engine cool and then some necessary maintenance items like motor mounts, transmission seal and boot and some work to the air conditioning and the car was ready to come back home.

I used this car for a year as a daily driver, school pick up vehicle, back roads blaster with friends and even taught my daughter and nephew how to drive a manual with it. The RX8 performed flawlessly the entire time. Temperatures were cool, even in brutal Texas summer heat. It was a comfortable highway cruiser, it started right up each and every time and never left me nervous. I added exactly 1/2 quart of oil in between oil changes (normal) and filled the gas tank with Idemitsu Rotary pre-mix with every premium fillup.

The Mazda RX8 ranks up with one of the most fun cars I have ever driven. It is recommended to rev the motor to its 9000 RPM redline every day to keep the motor happy and the car loves it. It handles amazing, sounds glorious and shifts easily. It is honestly an easy car to live with and with the rear doors and 4 seats, it is surprisingly practical as well for daily use.

My garage feels a bit empty with the recent sale of my RX8, but I may be back one day. I want to try out as many fun cars as I can so this one left to leave room for the next one to try. It will be tough to top the ownership experience I had and I recommend a rotary to anyone looking for a fun do-it-all car at a great price