bishs

I am considering purchasing an 05 rx8.. do i need to get a compression test if the vehicle still has warranty left on it?

Owner has all service records from dealer and the car is at 39k miles.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yes. Well, "need" is a subjective term. You deal with the consequences if you don't and it turns out that the compression was low but passing when you bought it, only to fail just past the warranty expiration.

viprez586

iTrader: (5)

It would be the best thing to do. Also look up some of the bulletins and see if any apply to you.

You can find them ------> Here.

bishs

Interesting.. well to be more specific it is part of my plan to "check the car out" and then offer cash.. owner wants to wait 2 more weeks for more offers.

Any suggestions on how to go about doing this? Offer cash and then say "lets get a compression test"?

bishs

nm I think i got it..

i will:

offer cash..
take it for a drive..
head for the dealer..
compression checks out.. then close the deal there.

thanks for the new insight.

bishs

Judging by other compression tests that I have seen people post...


I'm looking for numbers above 7.5 at 250rpm at all three points for both rotors?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

ideally, yes

bishs

How much lower is an acceptable number?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Failing is failing. But passing, it's a scale. It's not clearly good or bad when it lower but still passing. All depends on what you want to risk and/or deal with.

bishs

Thank you for your response. So you mean.. that the death of engine is inevitable.. but the higher the compression the longer it might last?


Seems like complicated business.. do you mean to suggest that there are better options then purchasing this car? Perhaps doing a rebuild on a broken motor?

xexok

You could purchase an rx8 with a blown motor for cheap and then get the engine rebuilt. You probably wouldn't save any money doing this but you would at least know the engine was good.

j9fd3s

every engine wears out, its just that the Rx8 engines wear faster, or show more symptoms from low compression.

so its up to you, but IMO its nice to start with a fresh engine, or at least a known good one.

the Rx8 is just different than most cars, the engine is cheap and disposable

Loki

iTrader: (1)

39k miles isn't really that much, depends how the car was maintained and driven. Rebuilds have their own problems, depending on where you get them. If you want one under warranty from Mazda, it may or may not be as good as the engine it had when it was new. I wouldn't start by rebuilding one yourself to be honest. On a scale of reliability it's DIY < Mazda < trusted rotary shops.

Anyway, to the original question, not sure what the problem is, you have 2 weeks before he makes a decision so ask for a comp test. If he pays for it, great, if you pay for it then you can make your deal.

One more thing, you sure want an 05? they're about to start going off warranty.. try to get a 06 or 07, you'll at least have a couple of years of reserve. It'll be a bit more expensive, but not by the cost of a new engine off-warranty

bishs

IT is kind of hard finding a car under $10k.. as an 06 07, well none that I have come across atleast. Most people want lots of money for their cars as if their 8's are some kind of Japanese collectible.. it is quite amazing. Seller motivation and KBB price differ immensely!


I'd like some opinions on the following...



121k miles 04 GT $5,000.

Owner says the last time he checked compression, it was fine. Would this price justify the cost of a rebuild later on in life, maybe even a year from now?

What do you guys think of this deal?


What other items should I be looking out for? Starter? fuel pump?
Is it even worth the trouble to get this high mileage car?

j9fd3s

i've bought two Rx8's this year, and sold one, and its a buyers market right now.

5k for a 121k car is alright, you should run the vin (you could pm me, or call mazda or a dealership) and see if/what updates its had. it might have had the starter, and the engine for that matter.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

At 121k miles on any car you have to start looking for other problems... Suspension, electricals, rust, transmission.. If you're looking for a project car, thats one thing, but if you need it for getting to work, that's another.

Basically I dont know how much money you have, but you don't want to buy a car that will ruin you if the engine goes. If you can accept paying for a new engine at any point in the cars life, welcome to the club. If not, this probably isn't the wisest choice IMO.

bishs

Isn't your 8 your daily driver? Lol..

Thanks for the life moral but this is a Mazda RX8 forum. I suggest you not impose negative "frames of mind" on people. Membership only requires that I submit my email and name.

I just realized that every post you made.. was quite significantly continuously not helpful at ALL.

j9fd3s

just assume the worst, buy a clean car and enjoy!

bishs

Thank you

xexok

Looks like he gave solid advice to me. Any car at over 100k miles is going to start needing many things done to it. While 5k may sound like a decent deal it probably wont sound so great when you start replacing/fixing all the things he mentioned. Having a car that you drove from 50k to 120k miles is one thing, you know how it was cared for and what may need to be changed. If you buy such a high mileage car that you have no clue about the history of other than the previous owners sugar-coated story then it could be a disaster. It could also be a great car, who knows.

bishs

Your right he was helpful in that regard, somehow I chose to ignore it lol. Sorry about that Loki ..

But yea I get it.. I'm not so sure that I want such a high mileage car. I have never had a car with that many miles before. Still on the look out..

j9fd3s

the number on the odometer is fairly meaningless. having worked at a dealership for 10 years i can tell you that people do really strange things to cars. mileage has almost nothing to do with weather the car is "good" or not.

with the Rx8 specifically we already know to look at the engine/cat, the other things like the clutch have kind of a known service life, and after that everything is really robust, or cosmetic.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

it's just like any other car, the rx8 have it's strength and weakness.

even new car have problems (READ: LEMON) so you should ALWAYS expect problems with ANY used cars.

Sometimes it's not even about the money. like the others have said if you need a car as DD and you can't afford much (if any) down time. then you should skip ANY kind of sports car (not just RX-8) and get some Sedan kind of car. Those cars are designed with "reliability" in mind and will almost always last longer and have less problems than ANY sports car.

viprez586

iTrader: (5)

+1 I work on used cars all day. Mileage is quite insignificant. Just inspected an 07 Ford with 40k on it. Trans was smoked among tons of other crap.
Having service history is super nice though!

bishs

Ohhhh.. so you mean to say that this car is for rich people only? That if your broke then you should really be thinking about making money. Is that what you mean? I wonder if you have some kind of emotional tie to me to give me such a great life moral or.. if you are doing something else. Whatever it may be, I do continuously appreciate the flow of concern.


Opp opp opp ppaa gang nam style.
You've given me new insight.


2004 23k miles Touring $10k. The price seems a bit high.. considering that KBB goes for 9.5k. It is clean.. this car was grandma driven. Owners admitted that they have never gone near red line. Candidate or should I pass this up? Grandpa says he has been meticulously taking the car to the dealership for oil changes before miles were due...

These questions are being posted so that I don't mistakes that could have been easily avoided by asking a few questions.