hello, im getting a used 2004 rx8 automatic on monday, and it has 92,000 miles, the guy who owns it has had it for 3 months and from what he said, he knows his stuff. he lets the car idle for a minutes and when he shuts it off it he revs it to 2,000 which i dont know if that makes a difference. I went to go fill it up when i test drove it because the yellow fuel light was on, and after i filled it up it seemed to have a longer start than usual. i just want to know if thats a problem, and when i first started it up before i drove it, it seemed a little long to turn over, but i'm used to driving a piston engine, the guy said all rotaries do that. So in all, i'm just wandering i'm i getting a good deal? hes selling it for 7500 and with the mileage and conditon its in really good shape. is it worth buying?

 

Get a compression test first, if it pass with flying colors, then those minor issues could be fix...

 

okay thanks, and is 92k miles high for rx8's? its the original motor

 

It's kinda high being a original engine on an rx8, but it all depends on the compression test. If the owner really took care of it, then i guess it okay.

 

a 2004 automatic on the original engine WITH GOOD COMPRESSION is worth about $5,000-ish.

With BAD COMPRESSION, this drops to about $2,000 tops.

See the new owner's thread. This one sounds like something is failing/fading.

 

the start up when i first test drive wasnt bad i just wasnt used to it coming from a piston engone, but after i filled it up it started up slower,i dont know if thats common or what

 

The start up times should be the same. If they are both just as slow, it's a failing starter. If the hot engine start was noticeably slower, it's one of the hallmarks of a failing engine as the heat in the engine expands the parts and creates more gaps, leading to lower compression.

 

on average how should it start up? im just used to a few clicks and it goes, but from a one of my friends who owns one he said it takes a second for it to turn over

 

It should start like any other car.

There is a lot that goes into how fast a car starts. Fuel pressure, spark plug health, plug wire health, ignition coil health, engine compression, starter speed, battery charge level, battery discharge ability, electrical grounds, gas quality...

This is true of all cars. Most cars have a wide range of tolerance on these points though, the RX-8 does not. It doesn't take much for one of them to start fading for starting times to noticeably lengthen, or the car to not start at all (the classic "flooding" rotaries are known for)

Again, I recommend reading the new owner's thread.

 

Yes, what everybody said. The hot start issue is common for engines with bad compression.
Can not stress strongly enough, do not buy the car without a Rotary specific compression test!