Hey all,
The story is I'm 20 looking for a daily driver to work. 10 miles each way. And I came across this RX8 at a small dealership. $2500. But looking at the value on KBB and some other sites they all say closer to $4000. Should that scare me off? It seems to run fine, has some relatively minor body damage, 103,000 no rust, automatic, interior is next door to perfect. I am having him run a compression test on it this week should hear back in the next day or two. Thanks for any advice you can offer!

 

If the compression is good, why not. 2005 automatic means 4-port engine, so less power. Probably not ideal. In general this car is not ideal for short daily hops.

Just make sure he's testing it with a rotary tester, not a regular one.

 

I would avoid automatics as they had more problems.
Also a rotary specific compression test is needed, not any regular compression test.
2 sets of 3 numbers for each rotor face.
Unless you are mechanically inclined and don't mind spending time and money on a vehicle, this is not a good choice.
Read the new owner stickies for info.

 

If the compression test comes back okay, then go for it, but keep in mind Automatic trans rx8's are more prone to engine problems. Not saying anythings wrong with it, someone took good care of it to get that many miles out of it, or the dealership selling it could be trying to make a quik buk. But if i were u id go with the compression test results and see if any motor replacements have been done in recent years If your gonna be driving it as a daily driver be sure to get some redlines in and some highway runs and you'll be fine. Any else u would like to no?

 

Did all autos come with the shifting paddles on the wheel? Cause this one does. The drive is all hwy so I can easily redline it every day. Most of it is also country driving so I can push it a little bit sometimes. Thanks!

 

have your guy do the compression test

 

That's not the point, it's more like 10 miles is barely enough time to get it up to temperature to redline comfortably. Also it'll suck gas since it's driving cold most of the time.

As far as I know they all came with paddles.

It's true that early autos seem to have worse reliability, so make sure you're not buying problems. Also engines are more expensive to replace.

 

Oh, ok. I thought ten miles would be plenty long enough. But if its not...

 

Ten miles is plenty long. My coolant and oil temps are at normal within 3 miles.

You must get a rotary-specific compression test performed on the engine before buying.

IMHO, RX-8s are not a good choice for young people, as they are comparatively expensive to own.