Hey guys, brand new to the forums, but I've been spending a lot of time looking around the last couple of weeks, and will be spending a lot of time here in the future. I fell in love with autocrossing at the end of last year, and my '01 4 cylinder Mercury Cougar just isn't cutting it anymore, and after a lot of research and test drives, I settled on the RX-8.

I was hoping you guys could tell me if you think the following listing is a fair price, and any advice for things too look for when I go to test drive it tomorrow. The seller has said that he is firm on the price, and says that he paid 17.4 for it a month ago.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=278225850&dealer_id=65215601&car_year=2007&rdm=1273467968483&lastStartYear=1981&model=RX8&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=2003&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=100&marketZipError=false&color3=BLUE&color2=BLACK&search_lang=en&showZipError=n&make=MAZDA&keywords_display=&color=RED&page_location=findacar::ispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=distance&seller_type=b&max_mileage=45000&style_flag=1&sort_type=distance&address=93101&advanced=y&end_year=2009&doors=&transmission=Manual&max_price=&cardist=73&standard=false&rdpage=thumb


I plan on getting lighter wheels, better tires, a stiffer front sway bar, and Koni Yellows with the intention of staying in the stock class for autocrossing, so I'm sure I'll be on here asking questions, especially when it comes time to install the new shocks.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!

So I test drove the car, and it seems like it's in good shape, but I don't have much experience with the engine and don't really know what to listen for. The only thing I noticed that seemed odd to me was that when coming to a stop (push the clutch in and revs coming down), I heard what I can only describe as a "wheezing" noise from about 1.5k down to about 1k RPM. It lasted about 2 seconds and then stopped as the revs settled just below 1k. Does this sound familiar to anyone, is that normal? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I just looked at a '05 Grand Touring, 34k miles fully loaded sans navi and spoiler. Dealer offered 14,4 and I walked. (There's some exterior damage bringing the value down)

Going back to look at a completely clean 05 Touring, 29k miles listed at 11,9 tonight.

I think you should be able to do better than 17k. Dealers will pull all sorts of numbers out of their asses (and put those numbers on fancy official-looking papers sometimes). Just keep doing your research and know what you're willing to pay for that car before you walk in. Get your phone number and price in the hands of everyone who's trying to sell an 8 that matches what you want. Then just wait for the one that wants the sale bad enough to make a reasonable deal.

[Edit: I can't help with diagnosing your 'wheezing' sound, as the extent of my driving experience on the 8 has been test drives. :(]