I'm looking into an '09 that was rear ended... three times (?)
 

Hi

I have been looking into buying a new car and the RX-8 fits in the very select group of cars I'm interested in. After I found this bad boy, I registered on this board because I know how helpful forums can be an how priceless the information you can find there is.

I have actually done my homework and read all the main sticky threads so I now what to expect from owning an 8 (Great job to everyone involved into making these newbie threads by the way. You guys deserve an award of some sort). The only thing I couldn't find despite using the good ol' site:rx8club.com trick on google was this:

Would you buy an RX-8 that was accidented in the rear.

I ran a car proof and found that it had been accidented three times in the rear. Now I would never consider a car that had been accidented in the front for fear of engine damage, but what about the rear ? The first accident was obviously very minor as 1000$ of repair for a brand new (1367km!) is nothing. The second crash was bigger but 4000$ for a two year old car... I think this is not that big. I actually had 4000$ worth of repair on my 10 year old accord and the damage was almost nothing (although very impressive).

I haven't seen the car in person yet but the pictures are somewhat promising. There is a missing deflector on the rear left bumber, which could be from the last time it was accidented. From what I can tell, the body panels seem to align pretty freakin' good and the paint seems to be in great condition (especially the repainted parts huh)
The interior pictures are dark and grainy so I can't really tell if it's in good condition or not but the seats seem to be okay. I don't really mind anyway because I would most likely sell them if I were to buy the car.

Now obviously before I even think of buying the car I will get a thorough inspection and, most of all, a compression test. What the inspection (and no dealer or salesman) will ever tell me however is if, by YOUR experience, a car that was accidented in the rear can be repaired to near-new driving (not just aesthetic) condition.


thanks !

I'll be more worried if the accidents is on the front end, because the engine is right there. The shocks of the accidents might damage some engine parts (i don't know, but just sayin'). The rear end is just the exhaust, and i don't think the gas tank would be an issue.

Anyway, if you think from inspecting the rear end on damages of the recent accidents would be an issue to you, then maybe just find another rx8 that don't have these issues your worried about. Good luck whatever you do.

thx but I'm actually quite optimistic. As long as the car drives straight I'm happy. I just have to test drive it first :rollingla

I just thought of another thing I couldn't find. If I buy the car, will the engine still be covered by the remaining of the 8 year warranty even though I'm not the original owner ? Do I need some kind of official papers from the seller or is it all just at Mazda ?

The warranty is for the car, not the owners...lol

Anyway, if its an 09, then you have years to go. What is the mileage anyway?

yeah I know it was a stupid question but hey, my first car was 17 years old and my current one is 13 years old so I never had anything under warranty hah !

The car has 79 000km (49 000mi). I actually linked the ad, the carproof and another thing in my first post. The links are the underlined bits of text :)

It has 49k miles (i did the conversion) lol

Your good to go, warranty is still in effect... ;)

Don't forget to get a compression test before you decide to get it, good luck!

Compression test is a must indeed. If i were to buy, I would also start saving up immediately for a BHR ignition kit.


I'm still waiting on opinions concerning the multiple rear accidents, though.

The only thing we can really tell you to do is to take it to a good collision repair shop, and have them inspect the whole car, before you agree to buy it. If it passes that, then you should bring it to a Mazda dealer for a compression test. If it passes that one also, then you can consider buying the car.

Though, why you would want an R3 that has been rear ended multiple times is beyond me. If the dealer knows the car has been in that many accidents, they might deny any warranty work, if they aren't the most honest dealership. For the same money, you should be able to find an undamaged R3 with the same number of kilometers on it.

BC.

I could be wrong here, but I was under the impression that the 8yr/100000 warranty was for vehicles in the United States? It may be all of North America, but I'm just not 100% sure. You may want to check on that just to be sure.

If it were me, I would want to take the rear bumper cover off and look behind it first before doing anything. That's the only way to tell if it is sound. Also bring it to a specialty suspension shop and have them look at the rear underside with a fine tooth comb.

I can see how $4000 damage could happen. Parts for the series 2 are not cheap. I think I remember reading somewhere the the tail lights alone are about $500 each. If a wheel got damaged, they are about $700 each from Mazda. Who knows what else had to be replaced. Trunk maybe or exhaust. The list can go on. If the exhaust got pushed forward and damaged the Cat, That's I think around $2000 or more just for the Cat alone. Not to mention labor costs for painting. Blending pearlescent paint ,especially white, is an art form in itself. Reserved for only the most professional body man.

Not sure about the Canadian exchange rate, but the price seems really good if it were in U.S.

It used to be safe to say that engine problems were a thing of the past since you are talking about a series 2. However there are 2 active threads now that I can think of talking about R3s with bad engines. Id say have a compression test done.

thx for the reply

I'm not sure where I could find a suspension shop. I had an alignment done on my Accord once and they told me I needed a camber kit in the rear because the car is lowered. That means they checked the rear suspension as well as the front. Would this kind of inspection be enough ?

You just need someone who can spot a bent piece. Basically a good tire shop that has many years experience doing alignments. They will know what to look for as far as damage.

The best place to take it too would be someplace that performs mechanical repairs as well. Not just tires and alignments. The quick 1.2. "in and out" tire shops are ok for a good price and a quick turn around. But you need someone who takes pride in providing a service. They may want to charge you half hour labor for checking it out, but its worth if for the piece of mind.

All this should be done before you buy the car not after when its too late.

As far as where to go... Next time you see a sports car, Ask them where they go. Ask a couple of them.

hah,. nice

thanks !

I called my insurance 2 weeks ago to know how much it would cost me to insure a 2009 RX-8. The girl on the phone gave me a price and I was satisfied.

I got a letter today with new insurance papers and a prime 3 times the price of what I usually pay ! The girl changed my 2001 Accord for a 2009 Accord and the basic coverage for premium ! Apparently she is new and she made a mistake, which scares me because the price she gave me for the 8 wasn't good... I'm waiting for another quote tomorrow to know the real price. I bet it'll be at least twice as much as what she said (90$ per month. I'm 27, never had an accident, no tickets and never made a reclamation). 180$ per month would be too much... I hope this won't kill the dream

Try Belair Direct, they charge me 128/month. I live in southern Ontario, in the GTA, I have no tickets and no at fault accidents on my record. (2006 was hit in an intersection by a drunk driver, driving on a suspended license who went through the red light.)


D'OH! Just realized this was a revival!!!

yeah and quite the revival, too !

I got another 09 after all and managed to get it insured for 90$ per month, which includes my Accord :)

Great deal