Hi everyone. This is my first post ever in any forum and I would like your feedback please. I live in Lawrence, Kansas. I really want a blue RX8. The deal below seems too good to be true so i'm very skeptical. What sort of things should I be cautious about? I sorta know the recall situation for 04 models. I'm planning to test drive this soon. What things should i be looking for when i test drive? What is wrong with this picture?

Here is a deal:

04 RX8 Grand Touring
Price $17,200
Mileage 10,929
Body Style Coupe
Exterior Color Cobalt Blue with Black Leather
Interior Color Black
Engine Rotary Engine
Transmission 6 Speed Manual
Drive Type 2 wheel drive - rear
Fuel Type Gasoline
Stereo Compact Disc Changer
Doors Two Door
VIN JM1FE173640123891

Seller's Description and Comments
2004 MAZDA RX8 Grand Touring, 1 Owner, ONLY 10K MILES!!, 6 Speed, Loaded with Leather, Power: Moonroof, Seat, Windows, Locks, Mirrors, Cruise, Tilt, AM/FM/6 Disc In-Dash CD Changer, Heated Seats, Spoiler, 18" Factory Alloys, Keyless Remote Entry, Alarm, PERFECT!, Never in an accident, Obviously Pampered by the Original Owner. I Pride myself in the Quality of vehicles that I deal with. My Prices are also Very Low because my overhead is nowhere near as high as that of most dealers.

Here's the link


http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...TAFSRCHUSDTEXT

 

Prices are low/ That's thousands too much... at least 3... 10k on an almost 5 year old car is a bad thing... this is not a good car to have sit, not that any really are.

 

I bought the same car minus the leather with the same mileage for 15k. Still it doesn't seem like tooo bad of a deal.

 

I would try to negotiate more and see if you can get a better price. But it looks like a pretty good deal. Maybe it was used as a weekend car?

 

Doesn't seem like a bad deal. Alot of people on here are going to say it could be lower, etc. I paid 13k for my sport 04 with 67k and a new (not reman) engine @ 66k. People said it was high, but the thing that makes the difference is the area.

At the moment in my area these are selling like crazy for insane prices, and the private party value on them is insane as well. If the blue book dealer value on that car is correct for your zip then I'd say go ahead.

The one thing you should look for though is if it was pampered too much. Driving these things as you would a regular car is not good for them. A rotary engine is impressive in that it is a real workhorse, and it loves to be wound out. Babying these causes carbon to build up on the rotor seals, rotor housing, and exhaust ports, which causes the engine of course to slowly break down over time. Driving these like you stole them will cause the carbon to stay burned off.

From what I've read these are also prone to detonation with cheap gas, but everyone's experience has been different, and I for one have done nothing but run 93, so I wouldn't know offhand. I would see what the dealer knows about that as well, and what gas he has put in it since he's had it. Not a big deal, but an engine that's had alot of detonation issues is usually prone to fail.

That's all the advice I can give you really. You have another 8 years and 90k miles on the warranty at least for the shortblock, so I say go for it. If you're someone that enjoys driving, you'll fall in love.

 

I would try to find an 05 or even better an 06 in your price range instead of an 04. It will protect you from a lot of the early gremlins. Should be doable if you're ready to spend 17k.