jubeiaire

First off hello all Forum members.

I am looking to join the RX8 owners family
I am not new to the mazda family i previousy owned a Mazda 626. the tranny on that car went to crap and had to be rebuilt with all new internals. When i was preparing to be deployed to iraq the crank pully frayed my belt causing it to snap while on the highway. trying to safely get over 4 lanes to the arm the engine went cuput, dropped a new engine in and welll i gave up on the car after that.
here i am 5 years later:

Im debating purchasing an RX8 from a dealer, the price is beautiful however the car has high miles. this is the base line of the model i am looking at:

2004 Mazda RX8
Style: Coupe 4D
Mileage: 187,034
Certified: N/A
Color: Sunlight Silver Metallic
Engine: 1.3L Rotary MPFI OHV
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Drivetrain: Rear Wheel Drive


I read the faqs pages all 3 plus the update page. what i dont see is how many miles this generation RX8 can go before you need to look into a engine/tranny rebuild, swap, or new car.

what i am asking from the knowledge based forum members is what i should expect problem wise from the internals of the power train with this many miles and how far down the line should i expect to see these problems if not allready. ty in advance for the help.

Jay

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

In my opinion, I'd look for an 8 with less than 100k and has all of the maintenance records...
Mazda provided a 100k mile engine core warranty, but you are obviously WAY beyond that.
To answer your question, there isn't really any set number on when the engine will fail. It all depends on the engine itself, how well you maintain it, and how you drive it.
Hope this helps

Jacob6875

Unless they are offering a insanely low price on the car I would keep looking. Any car with almost 200k miles is going to probably have problems (soon if it doesn't have them now).

There is no set number if miles a car can go before needing a rebuild. That car could be on its 3rd engine as far as you know. I would try to find out what has been done to that particular car (has the engine / clutch / trans been replaced at some point?) then offer the dealer like 6-7k for it. Otherwise you can find a much better deal elsewhere.

Mazurfer

Way too many miles in my opinion, unless you are getting it for like $2000.00

jubeiaire

so heres all the info i could get from the dealer without phisically going in to see the service report.

Car had a single owner bought it from The Mazda side of the dealership, had all service done by the dealership. Decided to get an infiniti so traded it in to the same Dealership franchise just at their infiniti side.
Car drove in fine. after sitting in their storage building car wont start. Other potential buyers that came with mechanics said that it was flooded and would need new wires plugs battery and possibly starter. The dealer has it listed for 4435.00 as wholesale.

Now where im at is wether or not its worth my time to travel 1 state over to see the car and Service report in person.

From the faqs page id have to get wires and plugs from dealer only. what about starter, is that dealer only or do you guys have a company you recomend. If cost of these parts is around $300-$400 total it might be worth my time to go put them in and see if i can get it started; all based on the service manuall showing routine maintenance was done to engine and viable tranny parts, clutch, throwoutbearing ,pressureplate flywheel....etc etc.

let me know what you guys think. and ty for the info and help

On a side note i found a 2004 Mazda 6S V6 5speed 83kmiles . single owner soldier from hawai sold to aution, then sold to dealer and brought to my state by dealer. going to see that today

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

As for getting the car started:
-order your OEM plugs/coils/wires from a vendor on this forum, Mazmart. Cheaper than anywhere else. Don't worry about the starter just yet.
Now, if you have ~$5K to throw around, I'd say purchase this car (if you can get it started) and drive it until it dies (who knows when that will be...).
If you're more concerned about having a car that will last you a while, forget this car, save up and buy yourself a vehicle with less mileage

Where is your location? Start looking around the For Sale section of this forum to get a general idea of the selling price of our cars. '04's with less mileage can be purchased for ~$7-10K

Good Luck

jubeiaire

im in ny, im at 7500 price limit right now and outside of that one perticular car all th eother rx8s i see are above my price range. that car was listed with my banks auto dealer guaranteed price section. so it was first listed with the bank before the issues, the price auto updates when dealer changes it, so bank had no ideah that it currently doesnt start. When they gave me the list of set priced cars i was like "HOLY S**T an rx8 for 4435 thats crazy i want it", i found out the rest when i called the dealer directly...... sad face.

Jacob6875

If you budget is 7500 this is probably about the best you are going to find. (unless u want an 04 auto with 120k or something)

To be honest with only 7500 I would wait and try to save up more money and get a good 06+ or something. In the long run you would probably be happier getting your dream Rx8 than buying this one just because its cheap just to have one "right now".

jubeiaire

yeah i might have to wait on the RX8 till end of summer and get myself another 4 door. wife is like"i like how it looks but its soooo small for us and kids" i told her to take the bus and id just take the kids,,,she hit me said something in tounges and walked away....well if all goes well i might end up with a mazda 3 or mazda 6. thanks for the support guys. ill post up what the final descion is once i know.

steveyD

Hi there...I am going to buy an RX8 in South Africa but unfortunately I can't afford a new one. I drive a modified Opel Corsa Classic 1.7DTi but want the Mazda RX8. The car looks awesome and every time some bastiardo drives pass me with that car my wife goes mad with oooohhhh and aaaahhhh. Now I got to have it. I am looking at buying a 2nd hand RX8 2004 model as it seems to be the most affordable but I heard the engine floods and there are always other issues with the car with regards to maintenance. My next option is the 2006 or 2007 models but need some help in deciding.....I really must have this car so that my wife can stop smiling when that bastiardo comes pass me again :-)

jubeiaire

Well guys in the end i wasnt able to acuire an RX8, however i am still in the family having purchased a MAZDA 6S MTX. Thank YOU to all the members for the warm hospitality while i was here.
GodSpeed, MazdaSpeed to you all.




Just a side note for SteveyD: In the future no matter what car you wind up owning, or what forum you wind up being a member of; the type of post you put in my thread is considered thread jacking and is frowned apon across all forums.

Secondly if owning a RX8 is the only way to keep your wife from straying out the fence of your marriage then you need to man up and put her in her place or grow a sack and get a new wife.
This comes from a man with 6years married 11years together whose wife only openly goes OOOOOOHHHHH AAAAAAHHHHHHH when I do something for her.

steveyD

Thanks for the feedback Jubeiaire....I don't know what thread jacking means but it does not sound professional. I subscribed to the website to get opinions on the RX8.
I added what my wife does when seeing another RX8 because it is appealing to her and has got nothing to do with putting her in her place or letting her stray across the fence...I think that is offensive comment to any women that likes to say what's on her mind for example liking a car that goes passed us. If on the other hand you are making a joke then my wife does not just go oohh or aahh but also goes yes yes yes and I’m co@##$ !!
The RX8 is really cool for the price tag and I wanted comment to help me make up my mind whether this is a good choice. I was helped by Mazurfer where he indicated a few threads to follow and reading it was really helpful.