Please help :)
07-06-2010, 02:28 PM
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Please help :)
Hi all, we are trading our current car in for an RX-8,
I have a deal agreed on this one http://www.shiresmazda.com/used_car_..._coupe_115.htm
Subject to a satisfactory test drive on thursday (I haven't even seen the car yet!
)
Anyway, we will be trading in our 2008 ST500.
I am hoping that you can all help out (being experienced owners
) and advise what things to look out for on the car.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated
I have a deal agreed on this one http://www.shiresmazda.com/used_car_..._coupe_115.htm
Subject to a satisfactory test drive on thursday (I haven't even seen the car yet!
) Anyway, we will be trading in our 2008 ST500.
I am hoping that you can all help out (being experienced owners
) and advise what things to look out for on the car. Any advice will be greatly appreciated
07-06-2010, 02:40 PM
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Thank you. main reason I postde here was in hope someone may recognise the car and be able to tell me more lol.
I checked out the FAQ sections, interesting reading, will look at buying tips too.
I checked out the FAQ sections, interesting reading, will look at buying tips too.
07-06-2010, 02:47 PM
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OK I have managed to find this:
Here's my checklist for buying a rotary:
- Talk to the previous owner and get a sense of whether or not they are into cars at all. I wouldn't buy a rotary from someone that isn't.
- Ask about their maintenance schedule (specifically oil change frequency). Mazda recommends 8K, I do mine at every 5K. It's quite disgusting by that point.
- Ask what type of oil they use and how often they top up between oil changes (as you know rotaries naturally burn oil). They should be putting at least 1-2 quarts between oil changes. If they mention the word synthetic, run. (synthetic oil is bad for apex seals in rotaries -- although supposedly not as bad on 8s as in 7s, I find it preferable not to risk it. Some people run it without issues. You can also run it safely with an OMP adapter.). If they never top it up, run. That engine is on its way out.
- Red line through the first two gears [there is a shift beep] and feel for any loss of power. Don't worry about hurting the engine, rotaries love to be revved high. Ask the owner how often he revs above 7K RPM. If never, move on. The third intake port opens up just below that range and if he never revs to that, the port likely some buildup on it and that may prevent it from working properly = loss of power, possible engine rebuild.
- Shift through every gear smoothly and look for any grinding. These AISIN transmissions are made of paper.
- Look for any mods. They aren't necessarily a bad thing as long as they are done properly and are of reputable brands (if in doubt post here)
- Do a compression test! This is the single most important thing you will ever look at when buying a rotary.
Good luck!
The problems here are I am buying from a Mazda Dealer, I wont know anything about the previous driver / his interests.
The Car has Full Mazda Service History.
My RX-7 needed a rebuild after 60,000 miles - is the RX-8 the same?
Here's my checklist for buying a rotary:
- Talk to the previous owner and get a sense of whether or not they are into cars at all. I wouldn't buy a rotary from someone that isn't.
- Ask about their maintenance schedule (specifically oil change frequency). Mazda recommends 8K, I do mine at every 5K. It's quite disgusting by that point.
- Ask what type of oil they use and how often they top up between oil changes (as you know rotaries naturally burn oil). They should be putting at least 1-2 quarts between oil changes. If they mention the word synthetic, run. (synthetic oil is bad for apex seals in rotaries -- although supposedly not as bad on 8s as in 7s, I find it preferable not to risk it. Some people run it without issues. You can also run it safely with an OMP adapter.). If they never top it up, run. That engine is on its way out.
- Red line through the first two gears [there is a shift beep] and feel for any loss of power. Don't worry about hurting the engine, rotaries love to be revved high. Ask the owner how often he revs above 7K RPM. If never, move on. The third intake port opens up just below that range and if he never revs to that, the port likely some buildup on it and that may prevent it from working properly = loss of power, possible engine rebuild.
- Shift through every gear smoothly and look for any grinding. These AISIN transmissions are made of paper.
- Look for any mods. They aren't necessarily a bad thing as long as they are done properly and are of reputable brands (if in doubt post here)
- Do a compression test! This is the single most important thing you will ever look at when buying a rotary.
Good luck!
The problems here are I am buying from a Mazda Dealer, I wont know anything about the previous driver / his interests.
The Car has Full Mazda Service History.
My RX-7 needed a rebuild after 60,000 miles - is the RX-8 the same?