So, I'm looking at a lightning yellow 04 today. The owner claims oil changes every 3k and premix with premium on fill ups. I've only seen pictures though, so I need to know if there's other things I should check.

Most notably, are their any areas quick to rust I should be concerned about. I live in a coastal area so rust can be an issue for some cars. I know the FC had a lot of problems with rust in the rear wheel wells, but I'm having a hard time finding more info on the 8.

Other than that, I know to check the typical rotary stuff, but other than that, are there any electrical issues I should be on the lookout for? Or possibly any ways to tell if the motors/ignition/anything else is starting to go? I've read that the shifter shaking some is pretty common as well, but is there a point where it could be too much without it just flopping around?

Thanks for the help. I'm really pulling for this car to be as nice as the owner says. Next closest yellow is 250 miles and it's wrecked.

 

It's difficult to tell someone over the internet exactly what you look for when purchasing a vehicle, especially having no info on said vehicle. Have a read through the new owners stickies, such as this one. It explains many common issues known with this car.

 

Thanks, I have read over most of those. I had forgotten a few of them. I've been research for about a week now, not including all of the stuff I previously new, so a lot of stuff is starting to get jumbled together.

I just wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything. I know the 04s aren't known for their reliability, but I'm not going to be using this car probably over 3000 miles a year. I just want the renesis to last until I'm ready to commit to a 13b-REW swap and for the body to still be solid at that point.

 

On my phone atm, but try searching for a recent thread "good old rust". Also, ensure a compression check is performed. Lastly, see if you can learn the maintenance history of the vehicle.

 

I don't see this point heavily stressed in any of the threads you have created on this topic, so I'll add it here.

You must have a proper rotary-specific compression test done before considering any used RX-8.

 

thanks I'll try searching for that.

And yes I plan on it. That seems to be the number 1 to do. We have a rotary specialty shop locally, so I plan to have them do it. They are 100% trustworthy as far as rotary stuff goes. I've been to the shop and talked to the shop owner so I'm not too concerned about their quality of service.