Ardo09203

Hello All,

I saw a used Rx8 at a local dealer and have considered purchasing it. I like to consider myself to be a pretty savvy shopper when it comes to buying used cars, and I make sure that I do all of my research. I am a new comer to the world of rotary, and while I am pretty familiar with piston engines, the rotary's make me a little nervous considering that I know little about them.

I found this forum through a Google search, and up until this point I have learned the basics about making a rotary last. Such as daily red-lines, avoid cold shutdowns, allow engine to warm up, reg oil only, and to add oil when necessary. However, because I am looking to purchase a used car, I would like to know what to look for when trying to determine if the previous owner took proper care of the car, or if I am inheriting someone else's problem.

Please let me know if this is in the wrong forum, and whether or not this would be better suited being posted elsewhere.

Detail on the car in question are as follows:

2005 Mazda Rx8(Duh)
-I believe it is the GT because it has HID's, leather, power driver side seat, and sunroof

6spd Manual Trans

85,000 on the clock ( I rolled it over to 85 on the test drive)

The higher mileage makes me a little nervous, but I'm hoping someone can help me determine if it is worth it. What I know about the cars history is as follows:

-2 Owner, Purchased in Georgia

-Carfax shows no signs of wreck or damage (but we all know carfax only know's what it's told)

-There is one service shown on the carfax at the dealer in Georgia around 02/08, and I have called that dealer to confirm that what is listed on the CF is a true account of services preformed. Dealer reports the following history:

-Plugs changed 05/06 around 13k (Guessing owner flooded it)

-In 02/08 car was brought in for voluntary recall (something to do with fuel tank) PCM reset. Approx 26k on the clock at this time.

-Few days later in 02/08, car was brought in with "Lack of Power" and CEL on. This is where **** got weird. Dealer's records show that Plug, Coils, Cat Converter, and Battery was changed. PCM Re-flashed again

-Carfax also shows thermostat replaced on that service date, but no confirmation from dealer.

-I called Mazda to see if any other warranty work was done, and everything was confirmed with the exception of thermostat. Thermostat makes me a little leery because that indicates an over-heat to me.

-Mazda rep also mentioned that the 02/08 service ticket also shows "Short Block Engine" listed, but QTY is 0. He also mentioned something about the starter.

So it's unclear whether or not the engine was replaced around 30k

This is all the info I have, other than that, the current dealer has given me a list of everything they've "done" to it. Which included replaced tires (looks to be true), basic inspection, and changed oil.

Current dealer says that car belonged to "Sales Manager's Niece" and that she "Babied" the car. Which I hope isn't the case because I know this car likes to be driven like it was stolen. He also said that oil was changed with Mobil 1 (Which I then educated him on the regular oil thing) to which is promptly changed his tune to "Oh no, my bad, that one DOES have regular in it" If I did buy the car, I would make the change it in front of me anyway. He did say that he found a few quarts of oil in the trunk, so I'm hoping that's a good sign that they niece was adding oil.

I found myself educating this salesman about the car, rather than vise-versa. They were shocked to find out how much starting and stopping the car without proper warm up and cool down could hurt the car, and said "We'll keep that in mind when showing the car from now on!" He also freaked out when I took the car to 9500ish rpm during the test drive saying "Whoa Whoa Whoa....You need to ease up" to which I informed him of this car's engine properties, and how the car loves that!

Pulled fine all the way to 9500 without any loss of power or stuttering that I could tell BTW.

I have asked the dealer if a compression test was done during the "Inspection" (which I know it was not) and if they would be willing to do a "Mazda-Approved" test before selling the car. I am waiting to hear back. Will not buy the car without.

My question is, given the info above, and provided the CT comes back normal, would you buy it? Also what are some other things that I can check on the vehicle, and also potentially use a ammo to drive the price down.

I will not buy this car without getting a really good deal, and I'm hoping that with me knowing more about the car than the dealer, that I can use that to my advantage.

Also what are thoughts on negotiating a warranty into the deal?

Thanks for any help!!!!

Chrishoky

iTrader: (9)

Seems like you have done your homework! People around here will love you for that. The car to me seems like a decent deal, if the price is right. Make the dealer do a compression test and post the number here for confirmation, but high 8's mean close to new condition, 7's are good, 6's are close to failure. I would negotiate a warranty if you can, it cant hurt. Also I would guess the engine has been replaced by the "short block engine" even though the quantity is zero, wouldnt make sense to have it on an invoice otherwise.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

The regular oil/ Mobil1 thing is a non-issue at worst, and maybe a good sign, since Mobil1 is recommended by some here, which could mean the previous owner was paying attention to what has been discussed here, and maintained it the proper way.
You are right about the compression check;
no test, no deal.

Rx8GirlsRock

Hey! I have an 06 RX8. Right now mine is in the shop getting a new engine. Things I was told: RX8s need a new engine every 60-80K miles. Some Rx8s don't have issues, but most do. Luckily my engine was covered under the extended 04-06 Mazda engine recall.

Other just owner facts you may want to know that I am passing along FYI:

*Get a warranty get a warranty get a warranty. Find out about that engine replacement for sure. Will you be elligible for another one down the road via the recall if one has already been replaced?
*Spark Plugs. Change them yourself. Dealer charges $330. They are average $80 for the parts if you buy them at an auto store. Its harder to replace them than normal ones, so see if you can do it or if someone you know can replace them for you.
*Engine Coils. Go out like clockwork. One after the other. Once one goes out, the rest follow. Clockwork on the 8. Get an extended warranty bc they are expensive to replace via dealer. Especially if they go out one after another.
*Sparks go out at clockwork every $30K. Bank on replacing them. Every time. No getting away with them going for longer. This is NOT a HONDA.
*Tires. Depending on your trim level/wheel size. Tires are expensive. They are low profile so they go out faster. Expensive.
*Drive it like you stole it. If you can't do it EVERY DAY, don't own an RX8.
*Compression Test: Big Test to determine status of the engine. Agree with above posters. Get one done before you buy it. Especially on one with that kind of mileage.
*You cant skimp around anything in the 8. Use the correct oil. Use the correct gas. It's a specific car, so it has specific needs.
*READ the DIY stuff. See if that's something where you can fix some things yourself. Mazda has the hold on the rotary repair & they are expensive @ the dealer.


I've had more issues with my 8 than any other car EVER. Love the 8, but make sure you are willing to commit to something that has NEEDS. Its not a Honda that takes care of you, You have to take care of it. Its almost like having a dog. Put money aside for repairs. Its not IF but WHEN on the 8.

Seriously consider if the fun of the 8 is worth all the headaches and issues you will have with it & is it financially a fit for you.

monchie

Whoever told you that is crazy. Some has more than 100k miles with a original engine. A few has 200k miles with the same engine when it was built. So, it really depends on how you maintain it.

Chrishoky

iTrader: (9)

And sometimes, luck of the draw, especially with the factory reman engines.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Some of this is incorrect information, or is at least misleading.

No. RX-8's need a new engine when the current engine fails. Some engines just plain wear out, and can do that anywhere from 10,000 miles to 260,000 miles. A cooling system failure can kill an engine, regardless of what mileage it's at. A fuel pump failure can kill an engine regardless of what mileage it's at (I personally know 3 people that had their replacement engines blow before being returned to the owner's from the dealer due to previously unrecognized fuel pump failure). Poor rebuild quality can kill an engine within 10,000 miles, as can running it out of oil.

My point is that trying to put a mileage on how often the engine needs replacing is a gross injustice to every Renesis that can easily last longer, and tends to lead owners to ignoring the health of their car rather than paying attention to it to extend the life as long as possible.

A) It's not a recall. There was never an engine recall. You are referring to the extended engine core warranty. Warranties are NOT recalls.
B) Not much about "luck" really. Every RX-8 in Noth America had the extended warranty. 2004 through 2013. Just take a look at MazdaUSA.com for confirmation of that. Whether or not yours had the warranty still active is simply a matter of answering the question: "Are you still within 8yrs and 100,000 miles of the first in-service date for that car?"

It depends. Most aftermarket warranties are more expensive than the cost to replace the engine. This is a losing choice much of the time. Doing your research is far more critical than a warranty.


"harder" is highly subjective. For example, there are quite a few cars out there with 6+ hour jobs to replace the spark plugs, and you can replace the 8's plugs in 5-10 minutes easily.

No need for a warranty. You can get coils for around $30-35 each, simple to replace, and are part of normal maintenance. Zero reason to have a dealer do it. Buying a warranty for the coils will cost you far more than just buying the coils and doing it yourself.

Ardo09203

Thanks for the replies everyone!

New Yorker

Nope. Vast majority of 8's have only one engine: the one it left the factory with. Don't believe me? Ask any random RX-8 owner if their car still has its "original engine". They'll likely look at you like you're nuts and reply "I'm sorry, but... what???"

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

The others have helped in other areas. I will help with these.

You are going to hear more about peoples problems, than from owners that haven't had any problems. The second group have nothing to post about.

The starter was updated, when people started having engine warm start problems. This was Mazda's attempt to solve this by spinning the engine faster. Likely it was found by Mazda that carbon was not allowing the seals to work and a faster spinning engine would correct this. In my case, low compression was the problem and the updated starter didn't help.

Many people use synthetic oil in their rotary engine. The US owners manual is the only one that specifically doesn't allow it. Mazda, in Japan, sells a synthetic rotary engine oil. I use Shell Rotella Synthetic in my car.

Never trust what dealer tells you. A used car dealer can make up a history of past owners that new car dealers can't. They take cars in on trade-in or purchased at auction and have had no contact with any of the previous owners. The first thing you should do, in a used car, is to replace all the lubricants (engine, transmission & differential).

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Hi New Yorker, I have wondered about that. I don't know if there is a way to know for sure.
I think it's safe to assume 8s had a disproportionate
failure rate compared to most cars.

It may also be a case where people feel compelled to speak up when things go wrong.

Don't see a lot of " Hey everyone, things are going great, no problems here, have a nice day!" posts.

It would be nice to know how many are out there that had no issues.
*edit* my 1 finger typing bites me again al, kinda had the same thought on people posting with problems