jessed

hey guys im looking at buying a rx8! i have found one but im not to sure yet as id like someones opinion from here. its a 2004 rx8 with a manuel tranny it has a smashed window and brokn front mirror and theres some rust on both the rear quarters. it has 160000kms and its bin sitting for i bit. when i asked for him to start it it took a couple tries but it started up. the guy doesnt know much about it hes a young guy not smart in my opinion lol but he didnt think it had any recalls fixed witch worries me alot. i lifted the hood up and all of the insolation on the fireall had bin chewed up by mice witch also scares me. i can prob pick it up for 3000. would that be a good price? i can to body work and other mecanical work but im scared about the rotary engine and i cant afford to fix the engine right away if that were to happen. so what do you think? thanks!

elle

ew I wouldn't buy that. Sounds like a lot more trouble than it will ever be worth.

monchie

The car sounds pretty beat up, but it could be just cosmetics (need pics to prove it). You never said anything about the body, so i guess its in good condition. Anyway, if the car runs and drives good and the compression of the engine is good, and you could fix the car up, then i guess its alright...

Chrishoky

iTrader: (9)

Dont do it! If your saying right off the bat that you cant afford to fix the engine then walk away from an rx8 all together. This car is no place for someone with very limited funds. Now if you had said you wouldnt "want" to fix the motor that would be perfectly acceptable. But since your financial situation wouldnt allow it, I dont think the 8 is the car for you.

kevinande

Turn around slowly and begin to walk away. When you think no one is looking run and keep going as far away as you can and don't look back.

LifeAfterRx8

iTrader: (17)

I'm not sure where you are from but I'm guessing not US since you said kms...

I know '04s are starting to get into the 6k range here in good condition and in UK they're around 2-3k now so it doesn't sound like there's a reason to fix it up, it has high mileage and it sounds to be in **** poor condition.

jessed

ya i ran lol i asked him if he had receipts for the last oil change and service and he said it was 11/11/09, and i said that wasn't good and he said he only owned it for two months and its not his problem. so i said forget it. im gonna save up this summer and find i nicer one. thanks for the help!

First RX8

Hey, I am a new member to this and not a big blogger so I honestly have no idea how to do this kind of thing. However I am really looking into getting an 04 Rx8. I am have a little above average knowledge of vehicles and love sports cars. I have found an rx8 that is in very good condition and seems as if the previous owner took care of it well. I was hoping you guys could help me make sure I am getting the deal I think I am. The Car has 97000 miles but the engine only has 70000. It is I believe the 04 tour package (the nine speakers,foglights,moonroof,dvd/nav, and spoiler).The guy is asking 9,800 but kelly blue book says 8500(private seller). I would pay no more than 9 from the research ive done, is that reasonable? also I am hesitant because of all the problems I have read about online, especially with this amount of miles. Please help me out a bit, love the style of the car and would love to get one. Just want to make sure it will last for at least 5 years with no major issues. (also he got a whole 90 point inspecition done by the mazda dealer and put new spark plugs clutch and few other small but important things in it all backed by paperwork.)

p.s. sorry for the long post.

Hey, I am a new member to this and not a big blogger so I honestly have no idea how to do this kind of thing. However I am really looking into getting an 04 Rx8. I am have a little above average knowledge of vehicles and love sports cars. I have found an rx8 that is in very good condition and seems as if the previous owner took care of it well. I was hoping you guys could help me make sure I am getting the deal I think I am. The Car has 97000 miles but the engine only has 70000. It is I believe the 04 tour package (the nine speakers,foglights,moonroof,dvd/nav, and spoiler).The guy is asking 9,800 but kelly blue book says 8500(private seller). I would pay no more than 9 from the research ive done, is that reasonable? also I am hesitant because of all the problems I have read about online, especially with this amount of miles. Please help me out a bit, love the style of the car and would love to get one. Just want to make sure it will be reliable for at least 5 years with no major issues. (also he got a whole 90 point inspecition done by the mazda dealer and put new spark plugs clutch and few other small but important thing is it is all backed by paperwork)

Hey, I am a new member to this and not a big blogger so I honestly have no idea how to do this kind of thing. However I am really looking into getting an 04 Rx8. I am have a little above average knowledge of vehicles and love sports cars. I have found an rx8 that is in very good condition and seems as if the previous owner took care of it well. I was hoping you guys could help me make sure I am getting the deal I think I am. The Car has 97000 miles but the engine only has 70000. It is I believe the 04 tour package (the nine speakers,foglights,moonroof,dvd/nav, and spoiler).The guy is asking 9,800 but kelly blue book says 8500(private seller). I would pay no more than 9 from the research ive done, is that reasonable? also I am hesitant because of all the problems I have read about online, especially with this amount of miles. Please help me out a bit, love the style of the car and would love to get one. Just want to make sure it will be reliable for at least 5 years with no major issues. (also he got a whole 90 point inspecition done by the mazda dealer and put new spark plugs clutch and few other small but important thing is that it is all backed by paperwork.) I understand that used cars are kinda a crapeshoot.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Please review the new member area, specifically the new owner's thread and the forum rules. Posting the same thing multiple times across the forum can be viewed as spam and lead to a ban from the forums. I have merged all of your posts into one thread for you, and you can see what we see at this point.

"not being a big blogger" really has nothing to do with it. A) This isn't a blog and B) treat the forums like a community gathering with people standing around in little groups talking. Running from group to group asking the same question without staying to participate in a conversation isn't something you would do in person (hopefully), so don't do it here either.


Every question you ask has been asked before by hundreds if not thousands of potential owners. Because this means that people that hang around here end up repeating themselves over and over and over again, we have a central location for the answers to those questions, plus many more that we know you will have but you don't know you will need yet.

Read thoroughly through the New Owner's thread and THEN ask questions that still aren't answered. It's pretty easy to tell when someone just skims it without reading it too, so do yourself a favor and take the time to read it.

First RX8

Thank you. Sorry about that. Took a good long Read and posted in the threads specific to my question. Thanks for your help.

Phylum

I hate the threadjack, but I still cannot create new threads for whatever reason...


Hi All - joined so I could glean from the experiences of others and the wealth of information already in the forums.

A local dealership just got their hands on an RX-8. Its right around my sweet spot for a hobby car and was hoping for some advice:

1. Year: 2004
2. Transmission: Manual
3. Miles: 81,213
4. VIN: JM1FE173940111122
5. Carfax report
6. Cost: $9,995
7. Photos: See Below

Now, I don't know a thing about RX-8's, let alone rotary engines. The first thing I'm going to do is try to get a compression test done on the engine, but beyond that I don't have a trained ear or any real knowledge in mechanics.
So I'm calling out to the community for

• initial thoughts on the vehicle
• whether its worth taking a closer look at
• other big things to check (or have checked) on the vehicle
• whether it looks like it could be a good buy
• what a good price would be

I know the dealership very well, and have some great reliable contacts there.

calhawk01

Hi i dont want to make another ''looking for rx8'' thread so going to ask a couple of questions here:

first of all, i'm scared *$*#less right now and think i'm an idiot for buying this car. b/c almost anyone and everyone i talk to... says stay away from this car.

with that said, i'm going to def stay away from 2004 and 2005 models. currently looking at a 2006 with 80K miles. i would prefer it to be less than 50k miles but those are out of my price range. but what about the extended warantey by mazda? do i HAVE to have a problem before i can get a motor replacement? for example, i was thinkng maybe i can get a high mileage 2006 (still under 100kmiles) and get a motor replaced for free. any thoughts?

yes i have read all the threads related to this

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Your post indicates that no, you haven't read even the basic new owner's thread. Please start there.


Whole thread moved to the New Member's subforum

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

lol no, you can't get a motor replaced for free. Read all of the stickies in the "New Owners" forum, and also in the "Purchasing and Finance" forum.
Read, read and more read. That is your best bet

calhawk01

i'm pretty sure what i read was that the MOTOR has a warranty and can be replaced for free (I AM NOT COUNTING THE ADDITIONAL CHARGES for things that are NOT covered via the warranty) but motor i thought was covered under warranty? and yes i did read, i might not have memorized it lol but i did read for sure!

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

You need to read more, young grasshopper...
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...rranty-147287/

blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

If you have the time, and the money to maintain it, this is a fantastic car. If your entire budget is going on the asking price, then you can't afford it. That is true of any used car
^IMO, 10k for an '04 is too high even in good condition. Look up the used car value.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yes, there is an 8yr 100k factory warranty. However, not only does this not mean "a free engine" because dealers can legally charge you for everything it doesn't cover that needs to be changed too, like oil, coolant, gaskets, the fuel line, etc... and can total up a $300-$500 bill for your "free engine". It also doesn't mean that you can just "ask for a free engine".

Like any other warranty, they only warranty against a problem. With no problem, they will refuse you. Even with a problem, they still might refuse you for a number of very legal reasons.

calhawk01

exactly... i didnt think it was "free" either.. obviously they are going to charge for other things.

i just was not sure if they would replace it without a problem.. since this is a huge issue for mazda.

i'm soo confused on what to do. i do want to get this price, and can maintain it also, but really dont want to have to spend 5k for the car if engine blows after 100k.

my understanding is that 2006 is a better year than the 04 & 05. so still looking at that.. but super scared right now. might not pull the trigger. as the guide that i read you posted.. about the "things to do" with rotray engines to keep the healthy.. seems like hell. i can imagine having to rev the engine every single time i turn the car off.. let it warmup for 10 min.. rev it to red line atleast once a day.. and 10 other things. and then replace so many plugs and whistles.. seems complicated. not sure why they did that to this car.. looks like such an awsome car

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

This car isn't for you. End of story. If you can't accept the possibility of engine failure, and the relatively simple maintenance list seems overwhelming, then very simply: you need to look elsewhere.

This car isn't for everyone, and Mazda didn't "do that to this car". There are quite a few cars out there in the world that are niche cars that only fit a very narrow fraction of the drivers. This is only one of them. Something piston powered would fit your mentality and goals far better.

(PS, you mis-read some of the stuff in there)

ken-x8

Cal-

More like "was" a problem, rather than "is." There were a number of engine failures in the early 8s, mostly 2004 model year. In 2006 they mounted a recall to inspect all engines, reflash the ECU with changes that they thought would help, and instituted the engine warranty. They also extended the original drivetrain warranty by a year. All that was to give customers for new RX8s confidence that Mazda would take care of them for a decent period of time, remove fear of buying. And hopefully make more sales than they would have if they didn't back it up.

It was not put in place so that someone buying a used 8 six or seven years later could walk in and get a new engine for free. And it does need a problem: the engine has to be broken in rather specific ways.

If you're easily frightened, you should reconsider whether you really want to buy a 7 to 10 year old sports car.

Ken