Another purchase opportunity
 

ok this has been the weekend from hell for me. I have the opportunity to look at another rx-8 sort of local to me. The kid said that he let it sit all winter and went to start it and it won't turn over. He said it smells like gas. This tells me its flooded. Its pretty cheap money for the car and god only knows what else may be wrong with it, but I figured I'd take a shot and also reach out to the experts here for some advice. The last 8 I looked at the seller neglected to tell me that the entire passenger side of the car was rotted.

Keep looking, you will find the one. Just don't forget the compression test on the engine...good luck!

turned out to be another bust. I bought new spark plugs just in case, but the car just wouldnt turn over. Likely due to the battery not being strong enough. Oh well

If its just the battery not strong enough, then just get a new battery with a stronger cranking power...right?

exactly that except this car was 2 hours away from me and any local store at that time was closed. The other car was a real disaster. The seller was an older guy and said the car was mint, I get there and the entire quarter panel on the passenger side was completely rotted

Ohh...well, keep looking, there is one out there for you. Keep us updated on your search, good luck!

is there a price range I should be looking at realistically for this car, or is it more or less touch and go?

Likely anywhere from 5k to 25k depending on year, mileage, compression, and general condition of the car. Also your location can have a big impact. Tough to ballpark a price but personally I'm looking to spend about 10-12k on a low mileage 07.