senna77

I hope you guys can spare another probably redundant question(s) from a newb. I've spent the last couple of weeks reading through all the sticky's and many of the other threads. Considering how scary some of them are in regards to mechanical problems I am looking for a fun summer car and the Series II may be up my alley since prices have dropped to what I can afford.

There are currently quite a few new, demo and very low mileage II's in my area. Here's a sample. If anyone can recommend which cars to go see in order of price/mileage, I'd appreciate it.

http://wwwb.autohebdo.net/a/pv/Occas...g=2009%2c&st=1

Now some of these have obviously been sitting around in showrooms with little use for over a year. Is that cause for concern being a rotary engine and can it dry out seals? I ask this since I plan to use the car for strictly spring/summer driving on sunny days about 5-7000KM/year. How does a Series II handle being stored for a 5 month winter period? Any thing special that needs to be done? Thanks very much in advance.

senna77

No replies? Anyone? I can here the crickets chirping in here. I'm practically on my knees.

Should I move this to the Series II technical Q's section?

shakeyourbrakes

iTrader: (4)

hey as far as price goes on the series II i cant really comment, I would say obviously try to get the lowest mileage/price combo. Overall I would personally get one that has the lowest miles, because even if you get one that has been driven, if the person doesn't know how to properly take care or handle a rotary, they might have done more "harm" then good to the engine life. Driving these cars hard cold, not reving the engine high enough and other things can beat those seals,rotors,etc up pretty bad. The pretty standard answers here would be, 1. Make sure the engine is warmed up before driving it hard at all. 2. Look into premix for the engine 3. Consider not using the standard 5w-20 oil Mazda recommends. 4. Rev the engine to redline once it warms up pretty often to keep carbon deposits from forming...and a few other things you can find on the forum

Those are probably the main things to look into once you find one. All the info you need is on this forum just look around and maybe search those terms i mentioned.
As far as storing it, you shouldnt have any issues, just make sure to properly store it as you would any car. Maybe consider having someone start it up every week or two to get the fluids flowing, and park it on carpet pieces to prevent flat spots on the tires. Thats what I have done in the past and havnt had issues. Other than that I wouldnt worry about the seals just drying out and ruining the engine..as long as you follow certain things to care for the engine youll definitely love the car.

Bladecutter

The reason why no one answered is because of how basic your questions are, and the fact that they are pretty much answered in the New Owner Thread.

Storage - Use Stabil, and put the battery on a trickle charger / float charger.

As for which car you should buy, that's all on your shoulders.

How much can you afford to spend?
Which color do you like the most?
Do you want an R3, or not?

We can't help you with any of those.

Test drive a new car first.
Both an R3 and a Sport/GT, so you can feel the differences there.

Then go test drive the slightly used cars, and the more used cars, and see how close they are in feel to the new cars.

Then buy the one you like the most, new or used.

You have to do this on your own.
They are all newer Series II cars, so have engines that should live longer than the Series I engines, so its not really the same as buying a Series I car.

Just test drive, and then pick one.

BC.

senna77

Thanks to the both of you for replying. I have been searching the new owners thread but finding specific info isn't always easy. Some of the threads have hundreds of replies, but I am reading non stop.

Just wondering how a rotary would respond to not being driven much, about 5-6000KM a year during summer? From what I gather these engines need to be exercised fairly regularly.

I was suppose to have tested a '10 R3 last Friday but we had quite a snow storm and the dealer wasn't keen on letting the car out on the road with all the salt, slush and heavy snow. Don't blame them either so the test drive will have to wait until the roads are clean again.

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

have you tried searching for storage tips? There are plenty of threads regarding that (especially in the Canada Forums).

I store my car every winter. The only thing I do before storage is remove the battery and place it on a trickle charger, fill the gas and give her a good wash.
When removing from storage I change fluids, wash/wax thoroughly and make sure to redline often to clear out carbon.

Bladecutter

I don't understand where you got that idea from, its not like the engine is going to lose compression of get carbon fouled while it just sits there.

The only things to worry about sitting for a long period of time is the gasoline going bad, turning to varnish, and that's solved with storage additives, and the battery going flat, and as I said before, that's solved with a charger.

Tell your dealer your looking to buy a car now, not when the snow has melted, and you need to let him know that if he's not willing to put you behind the wheel when you're good and ready to shop for a car, some other salesman at some other dealer will be more than happy to do so.

BC.

MaD666MaX

iTrader: (3)

i'm in montreal, if you need tips or have any questions, pm me, i could go to stealers with you.

check you clubrxquebec.com also