heavenslaw

Hi im curently buying a mazda rx8 2004 damaged from a scrap yards to rebuild as a project. and wanted some insight on what ppl think about the damage on the car. im a bit affraid for the frame but it does not look that serious.

im getting it for about 3k rougly been looking to find one for about 7months now in canada.

from the info i got the motor is working in good condition the transmission is good also it has 98k km


here are 2pics of the car :





Flame me if u want but id like info.
pros and cons

monchie

You said your worried about the frame being damaged, that is a big deal. If i were you, i wouldn't spend a penny on fixing this scrap. You will likely spend a lot of money on just fixing this up and if it's the frame involved, good luck!

It's up to you if you have a lot of money to spend on fixing this up. Keep us updated whatever you decide to do.

heavenslaw

see the thing is this is a long term project 5 to 10 years i plan on putting roughly 25k to 30k to fix it up nice. whit this kind of buck you think i can get aways with it. like whats the wrost part of a damaged frame i called a guys who fixes frames and he told me not to worry about frames can be fixed with no problem aslong as they aint too badly damaged. with this said im like to get more info on the cons of a dented frame. ive been looking for a rx8 for 7months and i tought this was my lucky brake...

monchie

If you have that much money to spend, then just get a new one or one that is not salvage, then you can modify it as you will, right?

heavenslaw

the fun of doing this is a project of rebuilding and mecanics. redoing the paint and all. there is no fun in buying a new one

monchie

You said 5 to 10 years... that is a long time rebuilding and it's really up to you anyway. If this is a hobby for you, then have fun and good luck. Keep us updated and take pictures of the progress if you decide to do this project.

Jacob6875

25-30k???

You realize you can buy a brand new R3 for that price don't you?


But if you are serious about buying it offer the guy like 1.5k or something for it. I bet he takes it.
Also unless you can start the motor I wouldn't just believe that it is in working condition.

Texas RX8 R3

I couldn't imagine putting forth this much time & mental energy towards a project like this. It may be a fun & challenging task, but...

Maybe I'm not as passionate or motivated in this particular perspective as you are... Yet I still don't comprehend the essence or purpose of taking on such additional stress.

Regardless, I respect whatever decision you make. All the best.

DBSHINKA8

DEE Dee DEE!!

heavenslaw

i plan on making sure the car starts and all.my main question is do you think the front of the car is beyond repair? from the pics id like somebody to try and access if the frame is damaged alots or a little?

Yes i know i can buy a new one for that price. but 25k over 5-10years aint much.

heavenslaw

also i plan on keeping the car for many many years only take it out on nice summer days and pass it down to my son someday

monchie

From the pictures you gave us, it is really hard to tell if the frame is damaged. The front could be fixed.



Whatever you wanna do, go for it. Just keep us updated with the progress with pictures, of course. Good luck.

RX8inSTL

iTrader: (7)

If you plan on putting 25 to 30k in it, I think it would be better to spend a little more on the intial car so you can be sure the frame is fine. Im sure you can find a nice 04 for around 6-7k if you spent some time looking.
I personally wouldnt ever buy a car that was wrecked I just think theres too much that could go worng and little things will most likely always be there.

Rotary-RX8

iTrader: (1)

If i were you id buy a nice 07-08 and mod the **** out of it (T U R B O). Or even buy a brand new R3. But since you said you like building ****, then go for it and use that money to rebuild it. Ouch it kind of hurt a little to say that .



I still say get a new R3









Hey have you considered getting a new r3

boizart1

Are you guys really that naive about vehicle repairs? Thats like a 3 day job...about 2 to 3k in labor depending on where you get it done. Parts are what will kill you. I had bought mine for 7k about 2 years ago, spent close to 3k on parts. The car was 2 years old with one thousand miles. If you get it for 3k and pay to fix...you're gonna be about 7 to 9 thousand into it, is it a rebuilt title? That drops the resale value considerably, not only that but you wont have that sweet 100k miles extended warranty. I just let go of my 06 GT with 55k miles for $7000. Rebuilt titles are tough to get rid of. With that being said, there's used cars out there that are clean titles that have been in worse accidents than some rebuilts.

boizart1

Oh and that car has very LITTLE damage. Having driven plenty of wrecked cars in the past though, problems do arise. Other things start going wrong with the car. For personal use I prefer a new car, nothing to worry about. That peace of mind is priceless.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

OP, I don't think you really know what you are talking about here. I don't mean it harshly and I don't mean to give offense, it's just the truth of the matter:

1) This isn't an old classic. Parts are still in production, so obtaining parts is simply a matter of ordering them, paying for them, and getting them shipped in. The restoration costs and time you are indicating are more reasonable if this car was 30+ years old, parts were no longer in production, etc...
2) With that ^ being said, if there is no frame damage, then it shouldn't take more than $5k-$7k in parts to repair that car, well under your budget, and you could easily do it yourself within a year, even if you were just spending some time on it on weekends.
3) If you have the time and money to spend, including space to put a completely unusable vehicle for 5-10 years, there are many many cars out there that you would be able to get a return for investment on. That car will never be worth what you put into it.

I am building plans for a project once I can move to a house that has the space do start it, for a Renesis powered Miata, and I expect that project, which includes gutting of both a Miata and a lightly wrecked RX-8, to take no more than 18 months at most, and cost me no more than $15,000. Probably less with selling off the unused parts from both cars.

Your project is no more than a front end repair, unless there is frame damage, which you already seem unwilling to tackle.



I would instead recommend buying a new RX-8, or nearly new, and spending the next 5-10 years enjoying it, bank the rest of the money upon the time you can get a quality engine rebuild. Or buy an older one with an engine that needs a rebuild (about the same as a wrecked 8), spend the $5k or so on a GOOD engine rebuild, and have a fantastic car for the next 5-10 years.

I 100% understand wanting to do a project that other people don't see the sense in, because the value to you isn't the end result, but....your numbers are realistic.

f you REALLY want a project in that time and cost range, work on a radical engine swap or find an old muscle car, etc...

terch1

iTrader: (2)

RIWWP I couldn't have stated it any better. Op if you want a project car go get yourself a '69 Camaro or any older Mustang. As RIWWP stated you are never going to get a return on the money you invest into that car. So my opinion is find a RX8 for under $10,000 and enjoy driving it. Next go get yourself a classic and make that your project.

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

I admire you wanting to keep a car and tinker with it over the years. Sometimes its not about the worth of the car.
People dont make money on tinkering projects. That is never the goal to the experienced car guy.
I doubt that car has frame damage from a slight frontal impact. Air bags probably did blow? That can get a little expensive to redo. Headlights also are expensive.
98K on it?
Dude at 3K that is NOT a deal. at maybe 2K it would be? Maybe. More like $1500 I would say.
Remember you have to pay for shipping also.
You can buy one for 5-6K that the engine is still under warrenty. Then you can drive it and enjoy, plus the driving it would give you some insight as to what you want to do with the car.

heck I have a rebuilt 2009 R3 that is perfect. Has only 9K miles on it. I will sell it for $15000.
OD

heavenslaw

ok i tought my stuff over and decided to maybe look for a 2004 rx8 in working condition and tweak it from there. my first idea of a project was a shelby mustand very only one but finding the body was near impossible so gave that up. we aint got the resource to find damged cars in canada so that sucks. im checking out a rx8 at around 8k and ill add about 10k in tweaks about like body kit, lambo doors, neon light, redo the paint and the inside of the car redo the seats into leather.


If anyone has sites for damaged cars that i can look up further project that would be cool. and usefull.

so what do you think about this

blazenblue63

Depending on your funds you have available now I'd buy a kit car. You can get a Shelby cobra or lancia stratos or whatever and build it from the frame up. Drop in a drivetrain of your choice and voila! Your own personalized one of a kind car.

P.S. don't do neon.... if anything get led's.

P.P.S if you get lambo doors do it right and get motorized ones