Greetings from Canada, very new to the car scene and I've been thinking about getting a 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3 it's the series II which I've heard has been deemed "more reliable." The one that listed for sale that's "the cleanest" and within my price range has a rebuilt street ported motor. Otherwise, the car is in pretty good condition. What other questions do I ask the seller to make sure I'm not getting left with a lemon? Should I even buy an RX-8?

Cheers!

 

Compression test with a proper rotary tester is the only way you can get info about the engine health. The other things you can check are how the transmission shifts into gears and listen for strange notices and clunks when driving
. Also have a look at the condition of the car..it will tell you if the person that owned it gave a ****...

 

Read this thread thoroughly.
8s are high maintenance, and have a steep cost of ownership, poor gas mileage requiring premium fuel and high oil consumption.
They are fun to drive.

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/

 

While true, you gotta pay to play. This is definitely not something a poor person should own. Parts are expensive and sometimes hard to find which makes them even more expensive. It's a fun car though, always wanted an R3.

 

Rebuilt and street ported? That's not a positive sign. There is basically no benefit to street porting these engines, so depending on what they actually mean by street porting and how well they did the rebuild, it could be good, but could also be pretty bad. Find out who did the rebuild. You can get it compression tested, but this isn't starting off on as solid a base as it sounds.

That said, having the engine already replaced in a high mileage car is positive, if done well. The 2 best ways to buy an rx8 is either dirt cheap with a blown engine but good condition, where you then drop in a new engine, OR freshly rebuilt by a qualified rebuilder or Mazda. It's all in the compression test at the end of the day, but while replacing engines sounds drastic, once done you are good for a long time.

Go to rx8help.com and read the Potential Owners section. It's maintained by a member here and summarizes the ins and outs for new owners.

As to whether you should buy an 8... going to need more context than that. We're all here because we love ours, or at least have an abusive relationship with one, but they don't fit every lifestyle. What other cars are you considering?

 

Hello fellow Canuck.
Considering the age of these cars nowadays, I feel ownership maintenance is more important than series I or series II. Of course the R3 has a few goodies. I would look for specimens that are well maintained by knowledgeable rotaryheads. Lots of info here to guide you through the buying process.
Personally I do not find the RX8 to be a maintenance nightmare. It's one of my more pleasant ownership than my other cars. With my BMWs, I have to hook the damn thing to a computer to reset values for changing battery! Battery! Oh new drivetrain oil replacement? Hook up to ISTA-D or INPA to reset. A Renesis engine costs a 3-4k. Try having your IMS bearing KABOOMing in your Boxster. M96/M97 engine is eye watering.
The magnificent treasure of KBs on this forum make maintaining an RX8 a joy. All the best in your search.

 

Links in my signature are a good start for your research.

As for R3, it really depends on what you are doing. If you are mostly just daily driving, then GT is fine with more creature comforts(like sunroof, heated leather seats, etc.). R3 is better for some AutoX fun.

As far as maintenance goes, it's not that difficult of a car to DIY for the most part, but it gets expensive if you let others do the work.

 

From my understanding, the owner put in a CNC Street Ported Motor done by a rotary specialist (the only rotary specialist in my province that I know of). I read through the thread thoroughly and religiously studied the rotary engine and basically the upkeep it needs to stay running well. From the thread, ignition health is highlighted and flagged, so according to the new owner, the spark plugs were changed when the new ignition system was put in (about 9000km on it). He also has all the invoices and dates on when the repair was done, so I have a pretty good feeling about it. But again I came to the forum to see what real owners think and their experiences.

As to why I want to get the car, I want a fun car to drive! I'm not going to be revving the hell out of the car daily and constantly trying to drag race the car. 160 lb/ft of torque is definitely not a low. I'm just looking for a car with character and that'll put a smile on my face when I get the revs up! I also own a Honda CR-V and CVT on that is atrocious so this will more or less be a summer/when there's no snow kinda car.

 

based on the general impression of your post; no, you should not buy an RX8.

ps: no, the S2 is not more reliable, not at all.
.

 

the S2 automatic engine has more oil injection ports than the S1 and is more reliable
the cost of replacing body parts on the S2 is unbelievably expensive as very few were made
headlights, taillights, airbags will eat you alive if you have to buy new ones

 

This is why I'd just get a series 1. You get basically the same car for so much less. I like how the S1 looks too. The extra OMP is replaceable through premixing. Extra money too in case engine goes.

 

Just stop there. Do not pass GO.

 

If you have a second car as a daily / winter car then I’d get the R3 trim for driving. The seats are better even though they are not heated. Also having a rotary mechanic in your area is a big plus.

 

Sounds like good motivation They are definitely fun.
Revving it out occasionally is generally recommended to keep things moving smoothly. It sounds like you are doing your research, which is good. Most of the negative feedback you are getting here is to filter out folks who buy a cool used car without having done research, and then wondering why its broken 2 months later. Having prior history on that porting/rebuild helps, at least it was not DIY.
At the end of the day any used sports car is going to be at least a little bit of a gamble, but this one is starting to sound better car and a better match of user to car.

 

Of course it's from The Goop.

JonTron's video roasted them pretty good.