Raivynn

I have been doing a ton of research over the past few hours due to my recent purchase. I owned a silver Mazda previously, and found I missed it so much that I replaced the MX-3 with the 8. Details: 2007; 45,500 original miles; had a price tag of $16k. I wasn't aware that compression testing was so important on these engines, so I didn't insist on it. All I knew that I have been drooling over the 8 since its introduction, and I had a chance at one in my color, monthly budget, and low mileage. I bought it off a used lot where I knew the general manager. Pretty sure I got a decent price on an almost new 8. I'm just hoping now I didn't get a car someone has dumped because it has engine troubles. This is my first car purchase! Always nice when you get one of your dream cars.

Now, I do have a couple minor details to iron out with the car lot, but I drove home on a next to nothing down payment, and affordable monthly payments - including an extended bumper-to-bumper warranty through the dealership. Still have to figure out what I'm naming her ....

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

congrats and welcome to the addiction

Here are a few threads to glance over
New and Potential Owner’s, Start Here https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/
Congratulations, you got an 8 https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/congratulations-you-got-8-a-202548/
New Owner FAQ’s https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...&highlight=FAQ

Also, make sure you read the “stickies” in each sub-forum

Get some pics up!

Wingznut

iTrader: (1)

Seriously, Raivynn... I'm not even sure I believe you bought an 8. I mean, how do we know you aren't fabricating the whole story???

Raivynn

I wouldnt believe me either. :p I will have pictures up in the next few hours.

Roidz

Congrats. Waitin on pics.

reddozen

iTrader: (1)

You're pretty close. There is a decent sized group of active rotary guys in the Middle Tennessee area. Most of us are in the Smyrna / Murfreesboro are, but there are a few out your way in Spring Hill, Franklin, Brentwood area.

Some of us will be at Import Alliance this Sunday (13th) at the Titans Stadium. 9am-5pm $10 per car. There were about 1500 cars last fall.

Novoken

iTrader: (7)

ya pics pics

pistonhater

Congrats on your purchase.

However, I wouldn't necessarily say 45,000 miles on a rotary is "low miles", LOL. That's probably the equivalent of 90,000 on a piston engine, ha, ha, ha. You know, these things spin at 9,000 RPMs

Raivynn

Considering my piston-engine cars last me 250k, 90k is still just fine when you only drive 20 miles per week. :D Don't rain on my parade - I made a great experience out of buying my first car from the used section of a dealership.

And yes, the Renesis is a very different monster from the standard piston engine. I am doing my research now so I can extend the life of my engine and prevent flooding later.

Raivynn

Just the initial "yeah, I replaced the old car" pic.

fuztupnz

iTrader: (4)

Welcome

that's not your 07 is it? Those wheels only came on 04-05 base automatics.

Raivynn

That is the 07. Door frame states this vehicle was manufactured in February of 2007. Car fax showed one minor accident in Sept of 07. And yes, much to my dismay, this 8 is an AT. I would've preferred an MT, but hey. When buying used, we don't get all the options we want all the time.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

You do if you take the time to find what you want I spent 4 months looking for exactly the right 8, and found it 2 days drive away, flew out to get it and drove back.


Gratz on the purchase anyway.

Verify that you have the 16" wheels (it appears you do). If you do, keep in mind with any future modifications that you do NOT have the "sport suspension". This means smaller brakes, softer springs and shocks, no limited slip diff, not a carbon fiber driveshaft. This makes some stuff cheaper, but limits your options with others. Doing a conversion to the Sport brakes is probably a direct swap I believe, but your minimum wheel size increases to 17".

Raivynn

I really would have liked the 18" wheels. I have to talk to Mazda anyway to have the engine compression tested (bought it before I knew that valuable info). This car was probably a seizure of some kind because it was purchased at auction. Very clean, minimal cosmetic damage (a couple dings, a couple scratches, and a few scratches I need to buff out).

But anyway. While I'm at Mazda, I am going to talk to them about pricing for the sport suspension and 18" wheels. I have finally come to appreciate the look of a stock car, after years of wanting to make everything aftermarket. Little teenager grew up. :p I did tell my husband he is buying factory floor mats for my 8 for me for Christmas!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

...you just admitted your gender. The leghumpers are going to pounce now. We tend to find rotor chicks irresistibly attractive


Anyway, don't bother "getting pricing" from Mazda. OEM 18" wheels from the dealer are $500 EACH, full brakes would be $4,000+, etc...

It's far better to locate a set of OEM wheels someone is selling on here for $200-500 (for all 4), and you can probably snag the full set of brake calipers from 1 or more partouts. There are usually 3-4 partout threads up at any one point in time.


Sold at auction is very typical though, doesn't mean it's a seizure. Most used car dealers sell their trade-ins at auction, and buy their showroom stock from auction. Don't read too much into that

fuztupnz

iTrader: (4)

Odd, I wasn't knocking you for getting an auto at all. I just found it odd that it had the 16's

as far as i know, by 07 all 8's had the sport suspension and the 16's aren't supposed to clear the brakes in the front.

pistonhater

Oh, I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression with my comment. I wasn't really trying to put you down or discourage you about your purchase.

It's just that from your comments earlier it sounded like you didn't know much about rotary engines. But hey, we are all here to learn. And this site has lots of good info.

Without knowing the previous maintenance history of the car, 45000 miles could potentially be a lot of miles in terms of wear/tear inside the engine. Hopefully the previous owner/owners did a good job maintaining the car.

Like you and others, I took several months until I found the car I wanted, for the price I could afford at the time. I bought it used too. Buying a car should be an experience, and I'm glad yo had a positive one.

Mine was positive until the very last moment. Found the right car, at the right price, but I was not too happy at the end with the way the dealer handled the last parts of the transaction - like making me wait almost four hours after everything was signed and done before I could drive the car, LOL!!!

Enjoy!!!

reddozen

iTrader: (1)

lmao... who's MR2... I have an 87 MR2 too.

Raivynn

Sorry man, the comment did come across a little rude. I'm unsure of prior care of the vehicle. I jumped on mine, because in my excitement, I forgot that other 8s existed, plus I already missed my other silver Mazda.

Don't get me wrong - I love my 8, and I am happy its an AT in some aspects.

Raivynn

The MR2 is turning into my restoration project - that was my daily drive prior to my 8.

pistonhater

Sorry about that then. You never know how comments might come across on an internet forum

By now you probably know that common advise on this forum is to do a compression test and get copies of maintenance records before buying a used RX-8 - especially with that "many miles" (again, miles on a rotary engine are understood differently than piston engines). What you expressed above (the highlighted part) explains why you didn't do that.

But hey, it's not the end of the world. For what it's worth, you might have purchased a very well maintained car that will give you many years of trouble-free enjoyment Some people here seem to luck out with cars that last forever without any issues. So go figure! Beside, being a 2007 mode, you still have a good number of years before the extended warranty for the engine core expires. So if anything goes wrong down the line, you should be covered.

Trust me, I am glad you bought a car you liked. Now you belong to a rather unique group of people out there that drive rather unique cars. Without fail, I almost ALWAYS get compliments on the car when I stop at a gas station, or when I go to a car wash. It makes me feel good about my decision to purchase the RX-8.

And in regards to the Auto vs Manual tranny debate, as you as you enjoy driving the car, who cares? Perhaps you don't need the extra horses that the manual tranny has - especially if you are only driving 20 miles per week, lol.

BTW, do not purchase any suspension parts from Mazda. There are plenty of aftermarket options that are better than the factory ones at even better prices.

Raivynn

pistonhater

The car looks in great condition!

The wheels are certainly the older style found in the early AT models. Considering yours is a 2007, it is really odd how they ended up in your car.

Raivynn

I'm really hoping the latter is true. It seems to have been taken care of, but that doesn't always mean anything. I am taking the car to Mazda within the next week or so for a compression test and full vehicle inspection. The dealer has been generous enough to offer the compression test and inspection for only 1 hour of labor ... So around $100. They charge $95/hr labor.

All in all, there are few options I didn't get - the transmission honestly wasn't the selling point for me. I didn't get the rims, but seriously, I bought a daily driver, not a car I'm dropping $10,000 into so I can race it.

I was surprised - but the factory tire size is 225/55/R16 - so I can only assume these are a: aftermarket factory parts or b: original equipment.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

If you are responding to my deleted post, I retracted it. We found out that the 16" rims were still used on the base ATs at least through 2007, probably 2008 as well.

We have just so rarely seen them (i.e. never before) that I am guessing the production count is incredibly low.