Looking at buying a used 2004 RX8.
 

I've been using this site to help build my knowledge regarding used RX8's for a couple of weeks and am truly amazed at the amount of help you guys provide. To begin with, I'm a pharmaceutical rep that frequently does small trips throughout the day. I have understood the issues with oil, ignition health, etc., but I'm hazy with the following questions:
1) I have read that the 8 has trouble with quick jaunts (periodic small trips 1-2 miles or less in my case), would this be an issue with the 8 or would I just need to warm the car up properly and the issue would be resolved?
2) I live in deep South Texas (read really hot temperatures most of the year), what weight of oil would I use?
3) I'm looking at a 2004 M/T with 67,000 miles for around $9,900, is this about right? I like the mileage because it gives me some wiggle room with warranty, but not time wise.
4) Should I look for a newer model?
5) Should I ask the dealer/vendor to allow me to take it to a Mazda dealership to have it checked out properly, or do I just need the VIN#?
Any tips that I could do myself to checkout the car would be greatly appreciated!!!

1. Quick trips can be bad if the car is not properly warmed up. You could sit there and let it warm up but then you run into another problem which is carbon build up from just idling. So its kind of bad both ways. I guess if you just redlined enough it might not matter, but its hard to really say.

2. I'm in Nevada and it regularly hits 110 degrees in the summer, I run 10w40 now year round since it really does not get cold enough to matter. Theres some debate on this subject though, everyone has their own idea. Somewhere around the froums theres a post with a graph showing what weight oil to use depending on the temperature.

3. Look on the for sale part of these forums, you can find some pretty good deals. You also know that since they are a member here you have a better chance of the person knowing how to take care of their car. As far as the warranty goes they usually require you to have proof it has been maintained properly so you would need oil change receipts for the life of the car. Some people have bought a used one and got the warranty done with only receipts from the time they owned the car on here, but I am not sure how common that is.

4. Theres a thread in the "rx8 discussion" forum that shows the changes per year, check that out. I think 2006+ would be best but lots of people do fine with their 2004s.

5. You should for sure get a compression test done, and while they do that tell them to inspect it for any other problems. I think a compression test runs about $150.

Besides what they have mentioned, if you're buying a 2004 you should look for the car having an upgraded starter. This will help minimize the issue with starting the car after flooding the engine on short trips (it will not completely fix it it and you still should be careful and make sure you warm the engine up). If it doesn't have it it won't be the end of the world and you can still buy the car but I suggest you get it later since it will help avoid a few headaches (like a family member moving the car and flooding it inadvertently or things like that).

From 2006 forward mazda included the upgraded starter in the cars.

Aside from that I agree that the most important things are the compression test and to try to verify that all service has been done at mazda OR at least that all oil changes can be verified to have used 5w-20 oil. This is important if you ever need to make that engine warranty effective. I was one of the ppl that bought a used 2004 and got a new engine by providing the service history from the moment I bought it forward, but the car was fairly new when I got it so that might have been a big factor. I would def. try to get the history for your car since it has some mileage in it.

Other minor things to check on a 2004:
- On some cars the rear driver-side taillight might get foggy after it rains/snows. Check for any signal of humidity inside the left taillight and ask for an upgraded gasket if you notice something. Not a big deal as this is something you can easily repair later too.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Thanks for all the good advice. Sorry to be a pain but I've got three more questions.
1) If I properly warm-up the car in the morning then go about my day, do I have to continue monitoring engine temperature to make sure it is warm before I takeoff? Or will only doing it in the morning suffice? I know about redlining or driving it to 7K regularly/periodically, which shouldn't be a problem (one of the reasons I like this car) as I plan some spirited driving.
2) Will a carfax be enough for a dealer to honor the warranty?
3) Is premium gas "a must"? Or can I alternate with every other fill-up?
On a side note, there must be some renaissance like revival for these cars as dealers in my area can't keep them on the lot (used ones at least). This is driving the price up, similar like what happened to the Pontiac GTO awhile back. You could get a used GTO dirt cheap, but now everyone in their grandmother is commanding $12K and above for one. I really want one of these bad as I like to be different and I'm intrigued by the rotary. There are more than couple of 350Z's and GTI's in my neighborhood, would be nice to "stir" the waters with the 8. Thanks for all your help.

Where in TX are you located zip code???

San Juan, TX 78589.

Just make sure its warm before you turn it off that is what matters. I hope you plan on going higher than 7k rpm's. :P

Carfax does not show when it has had its oil changed as far as I know.

Some people don't use premium gas, but I always do. Its only about 4-5 dollars more than a tank of regular so I really don't see a reason to not use it. Also inside my gas cover it says "premium fuel only" so I go by that as well.

You don't *need* to use 5w20 oil to get the warranty honored. The manual says that 5w20 is recommended not required. So I really don't see how they could deny your warranty based on that.