silverwolf

i am looking to buy an 8 finally. i found this one but its been in an accident. front passenger side. well the passenger side airbag deployed and apparently damaged the front seat in the process. all of the damaged was fixed but the airbag and seat. it has 1,200 miles and its an 05 base package. im wondering if . im curious as to how much you all think getting the airbag and seat replaced will be.

also, I should have a hell of a warrantee. i would drive it straight over to a mazda shop and tell em to get to work. what will they say when i do what. whats the process. do they say ok see ya in a few days or what?

thanks

blake

and really quick so i can post a pic of the rims on it and see if anyone recognises them. id rather have black rims but maybe i can trade later with someone.
im trying to put up a pic saved in my pics folder. how do i do it.

Rhawb

I'd stay away - accident cars are pretty sketchy. It might be a good deal now, but it's probably going to be nothing but headaches down the road. Save up for a little while longer and get a not-wrecked one.

silverwolf

i would really like to get this one if possible. its way cheaper than anything i can find anywhere else. a major steal. can you suggest something i should look for that may suggest bad 8? also its an 05 with 1,200 miles on it, that means its been sitting around. isnt it bad to let a rotory sit for long periods of time without running it.

Rhawb

Frame damage is a pretty good bet that the car's going to be messed up badly. Either way, cars never seem to be quite right again after they're wrecked.

I'm just wondering why the previous owner got scared away after they put in all that money for the repair work. Still sounds sketchy.

Joel Ramsey

Obviously it's up to you but sometimes a good deal isn't such a good deal. I would never consider a wrecked car. Do you know who did the repairs and did they use OEM parts?

Be careful. Spending more upfront for a perfect 8 may save you money and headaches in the long run.

My brother bought a used Audi A6 in 1998 and found it had been wrecked after the purchase. He had all kinds of body/paint issues and sold it but not before nearly losing his mind.

new2me

i set off 3 airbag this weekend..adjuster says they are about $1000 a peice. u may be able to find a seat someone swapped out in the fs section. good luck

rx8rotary

I would RUN as fast as I could from that car. There is a reason it is a "good" deal - they haven't found anyone to buy it for all this time because everyone has the same opinion most of us do - avoid a wrecked car at all costs. It will cost you more in the end than if you save up your money and buy a better used one later

Bob

Rhawb

I would say the only thing that car's probably good for is turning it into a non-street legal show car. I'd bet it's going to have so many drivability problems and other safety issues that it wouldn't be worth the money saved even if you did manage to ever get it back to being perfect.

XRX8X

imo i beleave that the air bag deploys from the bumper being hit.most bumpers deploy at 6mph or more and i have seen a few deployed at 3 miles per hour.a good inspection by a pro should put you at ease if you really want it that bad.you might be ok but there still is the chace it got hit hard.(new paint in key arears will show itself pretty much.)i work in a body shop with (god forbid)fords and the like.a lot of new vehicles today take a lot to deploy the air bag and on some it will not take much at all depending on the sensor itself on each vehicle(front rear sid or back)and new seat covers will run you about $150 bucks or so depending if the dealer you deal with is cool or not.best bet is to shop around.hope this helps!50/50 chance of a real steal.but this car is not that old and unless they had no insurance it should have been fixed and traded in?

reidswitch

I bought a twin turbo supra 8 years ago that had been an accident and repaired. I had the same reservations about buying it but a twin turbo supra at a good deal didnt want to pass it up. I took it to a good repair facility not the dealer that was selling the car and he did a complete accident inspection and found to strucural problems and felt all the repairs were done correctly. I then decided to purchase the care and 8 years later love the car and with no problems. I have over 120000 miles on the car now and the only repairs done to it were having the turbos rebuilt which had nothing to do with the accident. If the car checks out and it has a good price I say go for it...

silverwolf

so if i want to get it checked out by a shop, should i go to a mazda shop or a regular shop?

Joel Ramsey

Someone you trust (someone qualified) but definitely not the place selling it.

reidswitch

I went to a non Toyota shop to check out my Supra.

If it was me and your 8, I would take it to another shop because the dealership may be biased towards the car. There are many good shops that specialise in Rotarys, I would look into taking it to them. You will have to pay for the inspection as I did with my Supra but if you really want THAT car then pay it. My inspection for the Supra was under a hundered dollars and I felt it was worth it for what they did. If the car dosent check out then it saved you potentially alot more money down the road.

Good luck with it...

ken-x8

Not that I'm an expert, but their not replacing the air bags suggests they lowballed the original repairs. Take it to a good body shop to have the body work inspected. There's a certification program for body shops...forget what it's called, but someone here should know.

It's my understanding that bent frames/unibodies can be straightened. That's why good body shops have frame machines. It's not guesswork and eyeballing - there are dimensional specs and reference points for every vehicle. A competent shop can check that out.

Ken

YT1300

If you can, let it go. The possible gremlins with a crashed car are an incredibly long list.

An independent inspection is critical, and I'd probably say, indispensible. Take it to a reputable shop that isn't in any way affiliated with the dealer (you can ask your local AAA branch office for a reference, in a pinch). Even if it's not a rotary-specialist, they should be able to spot the obvious problems. A specialist will take it one step further. Either way, even the inspection might not be perfect.

The question you should ask yourself is how much risk are you willing to take?

Chrisbert

Run, don't walk. As well as our cars handle, you will feel every flaw in the car if it was bent. You will probably eat up $250 tires like candy.

Fly Clarice, fly, fly away.

silverwolf

ive decided against it. man i dont know what i was thinking....
im getting to ansy for this to happen. slow down blake sl o w d o w n

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

....a good decision!

S

Stavesacre21

as i found out in the past, newer-sporty cars with bumpers that are integrated into the whole front fascia (as opposed to rubber-ish bumpers seperate of trim) seem to have a MUCH tougher time staying flush at the seams.

After having taken my 8's front bumper off last weekend, I would definetely stay away from anything with front end damage. It may not show now, but that front bumper is more than bound to eventually have some sagging gaps in the bumper.

That's not to even mention other issues that tie into wrecked vehicles.

You would have to get a MASSIVE, good deal before i'd consider buying a wreck. I'd keep looking if I were you.


P.S. - sorry...didn't realize this decision was made. I'll still keep this post so I feel like this was worth the while

Rhawb

Haha, good! I was getting all angry about it last night (I was in a shitty mood, I needed something, haha) - thinking "he's just going to get it and it's going to suck and he's going to think that it's an RX8 problem rather than a problem with buying a wrecked car."

Seriously though, you'll be super happy you waited for a pristine car, it's going to be badass - just keep saving and don't let your excitement get the better of you. Good luck finding a nice one soon!

silverwolf

no i would actually assume it was a wrecked car problem. i find that many people who have problems with their 8 could have easily avoided it. its really a great car... just that some people dont keep up. well it was a good deal. 1,200 miles winning blue 05 12,000 bucks.... i figured any damage fixing would be around 4 max and i still beat a dealers used price at 16, 17 max.