Greetings!

I have been interested in the RX8 for a couple of years now, just haven't been in a position to do something about it until more recently! I have really enjoyed reading a lot of the thoughtful and very informed posts from users here, and I hope to learn a lot more as I go.

I am currently looking at a used 2007 RX8 GT 6 speed with 22000 miles on it that looks to be in great shape. Got to test drive it, too. Idle'd a tad rough on startup, but otherwise drove great. I'm planning to get a compression test done this week just to see what turns up.

Assuming compression is good, what else should I make sure to check before I consider going for it?

 

Is it from a dealer?

 

Yes it is, small operation. The gentleman I spoke to about the car doesn't seem to know that much about it, it's specific history or rotaries in general. At least that's how it struck me after asking a few questions.

 

With the knowledge i have now, i would buy a rx7 FD/FC. Rotarys are fun cars. So it needs a coupe chassie and most important a TURBO ^^

 

As far as the rough idle they may have unhooked the battery temporarily and not driven the car since. Which would then delete the fuel trims because Im sure they have not driven it long enough for the car to relearn them.

It could be multiple things, but Id first ask if they did anything with the battery before you start searching for problems

 

Gotcha, that sounds reasonable. I'll ask next time I see them.

So, I called the Mazda dealership near me to get an idea when I could get a compression test done, and they told me they could do it Wednesday. They also told me it would cost $350. Is that a typical rate for that kind of test?

 

That's so far beyond reasonable.

Compression tests shouldn't be much more than $100 at the absolute most.

This isn't a first car, is it?

 

Okay that's what I thought. I was really surprised when they told me. Hmm, I'll look around and see if I can find another dealer I guess.

Nah this wouldn't be my first car, though this would be my first car that I would really enjoy!

 

A compression should cost ~1 hour of shop time. So, $150 at most. Definitely do not buy an RX-8 without having it done.

 

Yeah, agreed. I found a dealer not terribly far away that will do it for $170. The next closest is about an hour away, so I guess I will just go for it. Have it scheduled for Thursday. Should I make sure to specify 250rpm normalized at sea level or will they know to do that anyway?

 

Be explicit, tell them exactly what you need. Otherwise you might not get it. Good luck!

 

Appreciate the advise, will do! Very curious to see the results, because if they are good I'm going for it

 

I live in the St. Charles area. It's a bit west of St. Louis in Missouri. Why you ask?

 

So, I got my results from the dealership.

Rotor 1: 7.6 7.3 7.3 Rotor 2: 7.4 7.5 7.5

I wasn't given any other information about the test at all other than it being done. Following up to get more info, but I'm not really sure how to feel about these numbers if they are accurate.

 

Just from experience a comp test from a dealer ranges from $100-$250 depending upon area/dealer.

Those numbers don't mean a whole lot without an RPM though.

Travis

 

Those sound normal for a used RX8. No real cause for concern if at 250rpm.

 

 

Ah yeah, thanks for the chart! I'm annoyed that they didn't include the rpm, especially when I asked for it. Will call tomorrow to get that info though and I'll post back.

Thanks for the support, appreciate it!

 

All right, apparently the test was done at 270rpm.

If I am converting my results to 250rpm, they should look like this, correct?

Rotor 1: 7.4 7.1 7.1 Rotor 2: 7.2 7.3 7.3

I do like the car and might be willing to go for it if the price is decent. If I do, how quickly should I make sure to plan for an engine rebuild/replacement?

 

Advice bump! And just to make it worth it, here's a picture of the car