Considering Buying this rx-8 need advice
 

So I have wanted to own an 8 since I was a Freshman in highschool(now a freshman in college). Now that I got my first real job and I have a few thousand saved up I wanted to see if maybe I could make my dream come true. Well I started searching for 8s for sale in and around Chicago and I found a dealer selling a used 2004 rx-8 AT for $7,500. Considering I don't drive stick it being a AT wasn't the biggest downfall.

My first experiance with it-
All i read was how great they are at turning, however I didn't find this true. The wheel was just hard to turn. Maybe a result of low power steering fluid or my own weakness but i'm used to my VERY loose steering wheel and pedals on my POS car I have now. I also didn't really get a chance to open it up. We drove in a residential area so I never really got above 35mph/3k rpm. I was also a bit nervous to rev it too high too even after reading how this car just begs to be revved to beyond 7k.

The Pros:
Its an rx-8!!!
No easily visible damage to the exterior other then one dent(See below)
Attachment 289471

The cons:
It has 85k miles
Has some cosmetic damage inside and out(nothing major but i'm a bit of a perfectionist)
I'm not the biggest fan of the Nordic Green Paint
The AC didn't work and that worried me
4 speed AT
The dealer said the check engine light was on though it wasn't when I got in ofc this is still a big concern.

Some things wrong with the interior:
None of these are really major but they really bothered me and all I thought was my friends getting in my car, noticing the little things wrong with it and thinking i'm a dumbass for buying it.
Looks like someones dog chewed on the console...
Attachment 289472

This little plastic piece is missing from the passenger side. Again its the little things that annoy me :/
Attachment 289473
I didn't get the best first impression of the car. It was in dire need of a car wash and a vacuum. The pictures the dealership took were of the car after it had been detailed so I like to think the cosmetic faults deserve a second chance.

I'm well aware of the maintenance that comes with owning a rx-8. I already bookmarked where to buy what you guys voted "best" 5w20 oil because i'm going to need a lot of it :D. It also runs on premium and only gets 17/25mpg but I'm willing to live with that for this awesome car. I even checked with my insurance on what it would cost me to insure it and its only $140 for full coverage(not bad since I pay $70 for liability on a '99 Chevy prizm XD)

You could have the CEL code read and post back here...
But, this car sounds like a dud. Is the dealer offering to check into any of the issues you noticed? Steering is crisp in my 8.

Read this thread (if you haven't already) https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/

First of all thanks for the quick reply :D
I was thinking I probably would be better off spending the extra 5k(so so) for a newer, lower mileage rx-8. There are plenty for sale around Chicago and I don't think they will be going anywhere anytime soon. I already found a '07 AT 62k that isn't a hour drive away. That was possibly the worst part... was that I drove an hour to check out that car and I was completely disappointed. That ride home sucked :(

I'd skip that 8. There are plenty that are better.

When I was looking for mine I too started with AT, it was all I ever drove. After taking two local ones on test drives I felt they were lacking. The next one I tested was in Florida, I flew there. Made a fool of myself driving stick for the first time in ten years, stalled three times in the lot and again at the first light on the test drive. I had decided AT in an 8 wasn't for me. Signed and drove 8 long hours home!

Warning: If you do something like this bring along someone who knows how to drive stick. I brought my dad because I knew I was beyond rusty lol

There are about a dozen reasons not to buy this car, but I'll just focus on this point... Don't ever buy a car that you don't love the color. This is something you have to look at every single day, and you will just regret it day after day.

Be patient, find another that doesn't have so many glaring issues.

I will avoid cars specially with body damage...so, i'll say...look for more.

The first RX8 I ever drove was an 04 AT. I came away from that drive severely disappointed in the whole RX8 hype. It wallowed a bit in the corners, and the AT shifted like the true definition of a slushbox. (plus - I wasn't aware of the HP difference between the early AT and MT models. It definitely likes the extra HP the MT has)

I gave a couple of newer MT ones a second chance, and now have an 07 MT in the garage. The 04 AT *I* drove was nowhere near the car the 07 AT I bought is.

Personally, I'd keep looking. This is a car worth learning to drive a stick for.

I agree with the above. Dud... learn to drive a stick and find an 06 or newer. It might be more expensive now but it will save you time and money later.

I voted "no."

Beside the cosmetic blemishes, you are talking about an early 4 speed AT. Those are the ones anybody that knows anything about RX-8s will tell you to stay away from.

Try to find a newer AT with the 6 speed transmission.

- or -

Learn how to drive manual!!!

Trust me, you will not regret it. You are a young guy looking to buy your first sports car. Do yourself a favor and learn how to drive manual.

This is not to start another debate about manual vs AT transmissions. At the end you buy what you feel more comfortable with. Some people here that know how to drive manual ended up buying an AT RX-8 mostly for comfort.

However, I think it is sad to see how nowadays younger guys do not know how to drive manual.:(

Learning how to drive stick was like a "male rite of passage" when I was in high school, LOL

Pass on it. Don't buy it just because you are dying to have one, there are probably better deals out there and vehicles that have less cosmetic and issues inside. Also learn to drive a manual, you won't regret it!

Don't risk it. CEL's often relate to trivial things like Gas Cap fitments etc but, there again, it could be something SO much worse. As for AT or MT, I'd have to go for the practical argument, where do you live and where do you intend to drive it? For me I live in a fairly quiet neck of the woods (Wilmington NC), modest traffic and I don't need the car for work coz I work at home. So its just a toy for 2 or 3 times a week and hence I wanted a Manual for fun factor. I once lived near NYC and often drove in there for work though and frankly an MT there would have been an absolute misery stop start stop start. So if you're thinking daily driver to a city, then AT's probably the way to go.