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I pulled the trigger. My RX is getting "resurrected"!
I've had the car about a month now and I have to say, it's really growing on me.
When I first bought it I had zero exposure to rotary engines and my intention was to simply "flip" it. It smoked badly so I got it for a fairly good price. I figured it was worth it due to its exceptionally good condition.
I remedied the issue with it smoking, replaced the O2 sensor connector and heat shield (casualties from the PO letting the cat overheat), and replaced the coils, plugs, and plug wires. I compression tested and determined that a rebuild was imminent in spite of the fact that it runs quite well.
I then put it up for sale locally with full disclosure. I listed it for a pretty low price with consideration given to it's good condition as well as low compression numbers. It got a ton of interest but when I would emphasize to a potential buyer that it needed a rebuild soon the interest would quickly fade soooo...
I've decided to turn it over to Kevin at RR. I'm very fortunate that he's less than an hour from my house. I left it with him today and really enjoyed talking with him. Now I can't wait to get the the car back!
With a fresh rebuild in it, I'm sure I'll have to enjoy it for awhile.
I love that you are rebuilding it and that you are so fortunate that Rotary Ressurection is an hour away. Forget selling it, you should just daily it. Once your engine is rebuilt from them, just listen and follow what they tell you to properly maintain it. These cars are very solid and make excellent daily drivers. I should know, I work in construction and it goes off road, it drives amazing, it still looks so damn good and its actually very reliable and easy to care for. You can tell Mazda put a lot of effort in the design to make it owner friendly. Its just different than any other car in how you maintain it but in the end, it's not difficult to maintain. I've heard nothing but good things about RR, you're gonna be just fine.
Last edited by CaymanRotary; 09-02-2020 at 07:19 PM.
I love that you are rebuilding it and that you are so fortunate that Rotary Ressurection is an hour away. Forget selling it, you should just daily it. Once your engine is rebuilt from them, just listen and follow what they tell you to properly maintain it. These cars are very solid and make excellent daily drivers. I should know, I work in construction and it goes off road, it drives amazing, it still looks so damn good and its actually very reliable and easy to care for. Its just different than any other car in that sense but not difficult to maintain. I've heard nothing but good things about RR, you're gonna be just fine.
Yes, I am lucky to have RR so close. I am starting to feel a bit torn about selling. The "problem" is that I already have an extra car for fun (Saab 9-3 'vert). And a fiancé. 'Nuf said? 😄
Yes, I am lucky to have RR so close. I am starting to feel a bit torn about selling. The "problem" is that I already have an extra car for fun (Saab 9-3 'vert). And a fiancé. 'Nuf said? 😄
Get rid of the SAAB. Maybe the GF too, I dont know your situation . That RX8 is way better than some old *** SAAB.
Last edited by CaymanRotary; 09-02-2020 at 07:26 PM.
Yes, I am lucky to have RR so close. I am starting to feel a bit torn about selling. The "problem" is that I already have an extra car for fun (Saab 9-3 'vert). And a fiancé. 'Nuf said? 😄
thats usually a bad decision when it comes to both money and fun. you would be safer buying a highly modded fd rx7 lol
Nice find; I bought mine three weeks ago and started driving every day this week. It uses more fuel than my 1993 RX7 😆
Nice! Black looks good on that car.
You are right about fuel consumption. I don't know how the bad compression plays in to it but so far my RX is getting about the same mileage as my 5.7 4x4 Sequoia.
Yes, I am lucky to have RR so close. I am starting to feel a bit torn about selling. The "problem" is that I already have an extra car for fun (Saab 9-3 'vert). And a fiancé. 'Nuf said? 😄
If you're blessed enough to fit it all in while still being reasonably responsible I say go for it. I can't believe I've been fortunate enough to get two "toy" cars this year (Miata in March and 8 last month). I did sell my "beater" 2005 Matrix which I hadn't planned on but I do still have my truck for beater duty and it's low gas mileage isn't really an issue since my "new normal" doesn't appear it's going to involve a 28 mile each way commute any time soon.
My high water mark for automotive fun was dailying a SVT Cobra and also having an Alfa Spider and rust bucket CJ-7. I couldn't reasonably fit all that in and wound up selling the Cobra because I needed a truck because homeowner (I'd sold a 1990 Bronco just two years before and that was the mistake) and in 2015 I sold the Alfa and Jeep because the former had been sitting with a bad clutch and a whole host of other things needing done with no time or money to allocate and the CJ rarely moved for lack of time. Ditching all the temptations to spend money was the right thing to do as we were putting the kids in private school. Now that we homeschool and I don't commute there seems to be room to be an auto enthusiast again without them being such a burden.
Nice! Black looks good on that car.
You are right about fuel consumption. I don't know how the bad compression plays in to it but so far my RX is getting about the same mileage as my 5.7 4x4 Sequoia.
Thats normal fuel consumption for this car not low compression haha. Gotta pay to play.
If you're blessed enough to fit it all in while still being reasonably responsible I say go for it.
Yeah. Reasonably responsible. There's the problem. I'm blessed enough all right: blessed with 3 driving-age teenagers. All in older vehicles that I maintain. Add one more car and I've got a permanent eye-twitch.
Seriously though, I am going to keep the car for awhile after I get it back and enjoy it. IF I can live with the poor fuel economy on premium fuel I may keep the RX and ditch the SAAB, even though it's in excellent condition and very reliable.
I've had the car about a month now and I have to say, it's really growing on me.
When I first bought it I had zero exposure to rotary engines and my intention was to simply "flip" it. It smoked badly so I got it for a fairly good price. I figured it was worth it due to its exceptionally good condition.
I remedied the issue with it smoking, replaced the O2 sensor connector and heat shield (casualties from the PO letting the cat overheat), and replaced the coils, plugs, and plug wires. I compression tested and determined that a rebuild was imminent in spite of the fact that it runs quite well.
I then put it up for sale locally with full disclosure. I listed it for a pretty low price with consideration given to it's good condition as well as low compression numbers. It got a ton of interest but when I would emphasize to a potential buyer that it needed a rebuild soon the interest would quickly fade soooo...
I've decided to turn it over to Kevin at RR. I'm very fortunate that he's less than an hour from my house. I left it with him today and really enjoyed talking with him. Now I can't wait to get the the car back!
With a fresh rebuild in it, I'm sure I'll have to enjoy it for awhile.
I have read that Kevin at RR documents the teardown and build with pictures. Please post some up here if you can, especially the worn areas contributing to the compression loss. I would love to see them, and I am sure others would as well. That is a beautiful example of an 8, good decision to keep on the road!
I have read that Kevin at RR documents the teardown and build with pictures. Please post some up here if you can, especially the worn areas contributing to the compression loss. I would love to see them, and I am sure others would as well. That is a beautiful example of an 8, good decision to keep on the road!
That's a great idea and I'll certainly be glad to do that. Hopefully, for my bank account's sake, there won't be anything too dramatic to see.
The car is in great shape and I just couldn't bring myself to sell it to folks who had either never even heard of a rotary engine or wanted to turn it into an off-road 4x4 project. I kept having visions of it sitting on rims at a Pull-A-Part junk yard within a year.
3 driving teens *shudder*. My eldest turns 15 this month and my youngest 13 next month.
Eldest doesn't seem all that interested in driving. I've pointed him at the manual and told him he has to learn it to take the test but he just says "why get in a hurry I don't really have anywhere I want to drive to".
Feels like a failure in parenting from a car guy perspective but I don't want to force my interests onto them. Although the other day a friend came to visit, check out the 8 and go for a spin and he said "ooh, can I go too?" so there's hope.
[QUOTE=ScottJ175;4927049]Feels like a failure in parenting from a car guy perspective.../QUOTE]
I totally get it. At 15 years my son wanted nothing to do with driving. I only motivated him by pointing out that it would get him off the bus. I bought him a "barn find" 2000 Subaru 2.5RS 5 speed that I restored for him. It wasn't until after he got his permit that he got interested. Now, at 17 years, he's into cars and begging me for the RX (not happening). My fiancé's son was the same way. Not until after starting to drive did he get into cars. Getting them off the bus and pointing out that they would have some independence is the only thing that worked with our boys. Funny thing is my soon-to-be step daughter (now 20) couldn't wait to drive when she turned 15.
09-02-2020, 06:15 PM
. That RX8 is way better than some old *** SAAB.
I'm blessed enough all right: blessed with 3 driving-age teenagers. All in older vehicles that I maintain. Add one more car and I've got a permanent eye-twitch. 
