Lahujasaurus

I've been doing an almost insane amount of research on the RX-8, and decided to try and hunt one down.

This one got my attention: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...ationFlag=true

Now, I'm aware of all of the issue and concerns with RX-8s, and am already willing to accept the costs. I'm actually checking the car out very soon in person, and have a checklist of things I will be looking for/asking. And this is not my first car, I had an M35x in the past.

My main question for you guys is if you see any red flags I might have missed. I am aware of the concerns with it being at 140kms, by the way.

Thanks for the help guys. This seems like a really good forum, so I suspect I'll be more active here.

P.S: The car was being looked at by someone before me. He took it to a mechanic to take a look. Ultimately the deal didn't go through and I got a response from the dealer saying "He was not able to settle on a financing agreement". Something seems fishy to me, so if by chance the person checking out the car before me is on this forum and sees this, please let me know if there were any issues at the mechanic.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Well, aside from really weird descriptions (6-speed manual with overdrive? heated mirrors?), there isn't a lot of into there. If you've been doing research, then you already know that a compression test, using the correct rotary testing tool, is going to be the deciding factor. It will tell you if this engine is on its last legs, or if it's in good health. It's all entirely up to how the previous owner maintained it. This isn't optional, buying a car without the test could immediately cost you $6k+ in engine replacement.

Speaking of which... at $5900 and a free 1 year warranty, if the compression is bad, you could buy it, and then turn around and claim a rebuilt engine on warranty. Just make sure it will actually be covered.

NotAPreppie

$5900 CAD is about $4800 USD in case any of us south of the 45th parallel are curious.

I will reiterate what Loki said:
1) Rotary-specific compression test.
2) Read the fine print on that warranty. Get a statement in writing from the dealer that if the engine is/goes bad before the year is up that they will pay for a factory remanufactured unit OR a rebuild from a reputable shop.

Lahujasaurus

Thanks! Yeah, I've heard excellent things about that particular company when it comes to warranties, however, I am unsure of what I will be getting and what conditions apply. Will check that for sure.

And yeah I will ask them to cover the compression test if they claim they had it inspected since they need that to assure someone that there are no major engine issues. If they don't want to, I'd be a little bit suspicious.

It seems like they've had a hard time selling it so I can probably make them go the extra mile to get rid of the thing.

UnknownJinX

Compression test is definitely needed, although a quick way to detect possible low compression is driving the car a bit until it warms up, shut it down, and try to start it. If it takes forever to start hot, it's dying.

Price-wise I think you can definitely haggle it down. My impression has been that used cars are cheaper outside of BC.

Lahujasaurus

Thanks for the tip! I've got a few things I'm going to be looking at (colour of smoke, sound, how it starts, oil levels, etc.)

Also going to try and rev it to 9K and see what happens. I guess I should check coolant levels, and see if its dirty. I can deal with small fluid changes (I have some experience with my M35X).

As for the price, it is definitely overpriced for the milage. Unless the engine is new, I cant see them justifying that price tag for an 04 with 140K. I'm haggling that for sure. I just hope they know how to treat the car right...

NotAPreppie

What UnknownJinX said is true but it won't give you the whole story. The hot start test is only useful if it actually has a hard time starting when hot. Successfully starting when hot isn't a guarantee that the engine is good. It's possible for cars with failing compression numbers to start and run just fine in all conditions. They just don't make as much power as they should and they will need to be rebuilt sooner.

The only way to tell is to get a proper compression test.

In fact, I value an '8 without a compression test roughly the same as an '8 without an engine.

Lahujasaurus

Fair point. It's still good as a quick and dirty test I take it. Obviously I'm going to be pushing for a compression test paid by them, or have one done myself. Still need to price out winter tires and such (winter is coming) so this deal could very well go south. Thanks though.

northzone

From my perspective buying from a dealer just adds the 5% GST to the purchase over a private sale, I don't know how your ON provincial tax is affected. Ensuring that the "warranty" would cover the replacement engine is a must and that confirmation would have to come from the warranty company in writing. Otherwise ask how much cheaper the car is without the warranty coverage. Once I purchased the aftermarket warranty that covered the Diesel injection pump and injectors on the truck I bought because I knew they would require rebuild . Then when it was time for them to pay for the repair all I could get coverage for was the original amount I paid for the warranty.

Lookalike

Some RX8 actually do have heated mirrors. Mine does and I would expect a GT with Navi to also have them. You turn them on with the defrost for the rear window. It doesn't matter much in the summer but for those that winter drive their RX8, it does help

For the overdrive, you could argue that the the 6th speed is actually an overdrive, but that's pushing it :P

But in the end, I hate these adverts as they are just a wall of copy pasted text that doesn't tell you anything about this particular RX8 (engine condition, rust, paint condition, etc...)

Other than what other already said, I would also add that the 6 speed tranny has fragile synchros. Seeing that the car has a a very red shifter, I would double check that you aren't seeing any grinding at higher RPM in any gears.

Lahujasaurus

Yeah the ad isn't very helpful. Heading down tomorrow and I'll definitely test that. I intend to push the engine a bit when testing to see if I notice issues.