At Full Chat

I'm talking about the extraordinary Mazda RX-8. I named it my car of the year in 2003, and although my initial enthusiasm has eased, I still maintain it's a worthwhile investment for private motorists with exotic high-performance tastes.

If you're keen to know what you pay to own a car and keep it on the road, you must consider cost of ownership over three years and 36,000 miles. And I reckon that when the bigger picture is considered - that's the vehicle's pence per mile (ppm) figure - the RX-8's overall financial package isn't too painful.
Depending on whose statistics you believe, entry-level and flagship versions of the RX-8 will cost from 60-70ppm to run.

Lesser two-door rivals such as the Hyundai Coup΃© 2.7 V6 and modest versions of the Audi TT and BMW 3-Series coup΃© are also in the same range, but similarly priced Alfa Romeo GTs/GTVs and Nissan 350Zs come in at more than 70ppm. As I said, the RX-8 is flawed in some areas, but it's relatively cost-effective to buy, keep and run. So while the inconvenience and fuel/oil wastage might put you off, the finances shouldn't.

But the fuel problem is limiting the car's appeal. I've been asking Mazda for months if it can deliver an LPG model, or at least offer approved aftermarket conversions. The response has been almost suspiciously low key. Bosses either don't know (which I can't believe) or are too frightened to inflict LPG on the wacky rotary engine.

I'm assuming that there are no technical barriers. So the best hope for existing owners and future second-hand buyers might be to conduct some serious research, then dabble in a professionally installed LPG system. Something has to be done. As Driver Power 2005 rightly points out, owners of the car in standard super-unleaded guise are putting their hands in their pockets far too often at the pumps.

A good friend of mine owns an RX-8, and generally he loves it. But he's so fed-up with the expensive, daily visits to petrol forecourts that he leaves the Mazda at home and does most of his driving in his wife's 50mpg Honda Jazz. Says it all really.