I've been looking around at RX8's lately and have been seeing a few of them listed on craigslist. Most of them around 2004-05 models with only 30,000-40,000 miles and around $14,000-$15,000

So instead of paying full price for a brand new rx8, would it be worth taking the plunge on a used one with a few miles on it?


Any suggestions would be great! thanks~

 

If you don't mind minor imperfections here and there, you can certainly save some money on used ones as they've depreciated quite a bit. Just stay away from 2004's unless you know for a fact that the previous owner had the recalls and service bulletins done. Otherwise, you might find yourself with a lot of initial expenses to get everything running and looking correctly.

 

Is there anyway to tell if the previous owner flooded the engine or anything of that sort?

 

The 2004 RX-8s tends to divide by zero... if you don't want to create a black hole then stay away from the 2004s. 2005's are ok but personally, I'd go for a 2006 or newer since they have the least problems.

 

Buy a brand new one. Sheesh!

 

Haha, but for the price of a brand new one, you can sometimes buy 2 used rx8's.

By the way, how much did you guys pay for yours? I see that new ones go from $26,000 - $33,000

 

I would not buy an RX8 off of craigslist.

At least not here in San Antonio........some pretty creepy people hanging around craigslist San Antonio, very few of which I would trust enough to buy a car from.

If their only option to sell their car is to post the car (everyday, mind you) on craigslist, well........Anybody that can't afford $1 a day to pay for an ad on autotrader.com probably couldn't afford to maintain the RX8 in the first place.

 

try used, best way to save money unless you want to wait until february which is when they offer thousands off MSRP as they try to get rid of their inventory

 

i bought mine off craigslist and got a great deal.

 

Really? How much did you pay for it?

 

i don't think craigslist is all that bad. you just need to know how to check out the car and get as much info from the owner as possible. i'd say it's better to buy one off the forum here but recently a lot of the fs posting are posted by people who have 0 previous posts or new members who signed on just to sell their car, which makes it no better than craigslist, i guess

i probably would never buy a brand new car until/unless i have lots of disposable income; you just lose so much money. used 8's are such great deals, and especially now that they're starting to dip into 13s and 12s and mazda extended some of the engine warranty. do lots of homework and get a nice used one

 

I found my car off of autotrader. It is a 2004 and the owner had proof that all the recalls were replaced and services were up to date etc. I got a great deal and a new engine. I am all for buying used. Just be smart, there are plenty out there so you can be picky.

 

Used low mileage, definitely. Let someone else take the depreciation hit. Doesn't seem that hard to find used low mileage 8s--I suspect it's owners who are not happy with the gas mileage or lack of low-end torque or just bought a car they couldn't really afford.

 

save up and get an 09 rx8, i believe it will be worth it.

 

I'd recommend buying almost any car used. It makes so much more sense financially, and with dealers offering Certified Pre-Owned with extended warranties it's an even better deal.

 

I bought mine from an auction in april of 06 with 19K miles on it and it was a nightmare up until 50K with all the problems stopped. Now at 67K its running good and been problem free for a while. Buy used FTW.

 

used

 

Nothing wrong with 2004's.

Many of us have them and they run grat.

Main problems have been w/auto trannies.

 

Both???

 

to be very honest with u, Rx-8 is prolly one of the few cars I'd mention buying new just because it needs taking care of from day one. Unless u know the seller I wouldn't recommend it. RX8 was my first new car, everything else I have bought used. Just my 2 cents. Any other car used would be the way to go. O yea also the MINI new makes more sense since almost everyone sells it close to sticker.

 

most cars need care from day one.... there is a definite difference between a honda and a ferrari care-wise. but most cars do alright with standard maintenance.

i bought my rx8, grand touring, red, with red/black interior, fully loaded, for $20k. it had 19.5k miles on it. never had a problem. i have 38k miles now.

 

as soon as you drive a new car off the lot it's used.

 

i love my 04, no problems, all the recalls done and it runs great.

 

I would have bought the 8 used if I knew the car had been redlined often and broken in and maintained properly...and if the owner didn't use the transmission as brakes (which my friend who's selling his car did to hold off on replacing his brake pads )

 

I respectfully disagree from a financial standpoint . Unless the OP plans to put a significant amount down (30-50%), he will have serious inequity in this car for the first 1-3 years of ownership pending what his term and monthly payment is. Buying a slightly preowned 8 will have already depreciated and he wont take a hit on it. I sell cars for a living and pretty much all Dodges, and RX8s are the only cars I would SEVERELY discourage buying new UNLESS you plan to keep it for a long time and/or put a large sum down. Supply and demand, these cars have HORRIBLE resale value.

buy used 06-07 FTMFW!!