Wrathre

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forums, I've glanced over them a few times, but have just recently signed up. I'm in the market to purchase an RX8 here in the next month. Now, I personally have no experience with anything rotary engine related, but have always been a pretty big admirer of the RX8 (a friend has one).

My question I'd like to ask is what should I be looking when checking out different 8's that are for sell, like any quarks with the engine or what not that I may not be aware of.

I will probably end up purchasing an 04 MT with 40-60k miles (as those are mostly what I've seen in a price range I'm considering. I live in GA, so any tips based on the environment would be much appreciated as well.

So basically any and all info that could be helpfully to me in this purchase, I would be really thankful for.

I'll continue to skim the threads and pick up as much info as possible, but any reference links and advice would be much appreciated. With some luck, I'll join some of you as a fellow owner soon =)

Thanks again everyone!

reaper1

If your going with the 04 make sure all your updates are taken care of . This was the first year of production so like everything else there where some issues . Not all of them but most of them. Most will tell you to stick to 06 and up , most problems where taken care of. Learn about the oil , know that it suck gas , about not to turn off the car until it is warmth up properly and hopefully your friend knows enought to help you out .

Plus there is plenty to read about in here in regards to any ploblem you might have or for that matter specific questions you have .

Enjoy.... when you get it.

gmr.cornell

Hi Wrathe,

I am in the same boat you are - looking for an RX8, new to rotary. Here is what I've picked up so far - but I might be wrong!

a) As reaper1 says, make sure all recalls have been performed.

b) From what little I understand, an engine compression test might be useful to gauge the condition of the engine - and I've read that it takes about an hour to perform it; so I was thinking of getting one done as part of a preinspection before I buy a vehicle.

c) The clutch assembly also might be a problem; though I am not sure how that can be checked without a long inspection. Ditto for the transmission, which might also have trouble.

d) I think regular oil changes are really important for the rotary - so if possible, I was thinking of checking all the service records available.

e) If you are going to drive in snow, get snow tires, since it appears the stock tires don't provide much traction.

Hope this helps. I am subscribing to this thread, since I hope to pick up useful pointers too!

Mohan

ATL-GP

Morning Wrathre and GMR. First of all....GET ONE!! You'll love it. But secondly, and most important, you might want to think about just taking it to Mazcare for a pre-purchase inspection. Basically, if you need to get the car serviced...and it's not a factory warranty issue, you'd be better off staying AWAY from the dealership. Check the site...Mazcare and I believe there is another place called Mazmart that specialize in Mazdas/ RX-8s. Not familiar w/Mazmart, but the guys at Mazcare are top notch...and they are straight up enthusiasts too, so they can give you a lot more insight into the car and performance vs. the dealer. Good Luck, OH, i've got an 04...and other than the new motor it required, i've been all good, not a single problem. DOHHHH, just realized GMR...not sure where you are, but if GA the above applies.

iuillustrious

I was in your boat last February when I purchased my 04 GT. I bought it from an individual who seemed to have taken great care of the car. At that point he hadn't completed all of the TSBs, but had done at least one reflash. After I purchased the car I took it into the local dealership and had them go through all applicable TSBs and update the car while it was still under the original 48k, 4-year bumper to bumper warranty. I am still having a few issues with that, but it is dealership related.

Unless you can find an 04 with all service records and/or can get a printout from a local dealer showing which TSBs have been completed, I would search high and low for an 05 under 48k so you have at least a few months to own and drive the car while still under the B2B warranty. Pricing shouldn't be too much higher than an 04 with similar mileage. That way if little issues arise, (sunroof rattle, brake squeal, AC compressor,etc) you can have them taken care of for free.

Check out the following site for a list of all TSBs that apply to this car. Read them all and then see if the cars you are looking at have had these issues addressed. There is a good chance many of these issues could pop up on the 04s if they weren't addressed prior.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com....php?pageid=11

Hope this helps.

Chris

04RX8man

Like said above if looking for an 04 make sure all tsb's and recalls are done because if ur out of warranty they will not b covered!

Wrathre

Hey everyone,

I just want to say thanks for all this great information so far. I really appreciate everyone taking a moment out of their day to provide me with some of this great info.

One thing I will say is I am definitely going to look into an 05 if possible based on some of the recommendations so far.

Any other small bits of advice are still greatly appreciated, so thanks again everyone!

04RX8man

recommendation 2: Buy a turbo kit!

Wrathre

Heh, may hold off on that for a bit, if I really enjoy this one for a good year or two, I may just end up purchasing a new one ^^

04RX8man

yes a new car is always nice I know that

Wrathre

Thanks again for all the info everyone!

stephenwolf

Only advice to you is make sure all re-calls have been done to it.
Check the last oil change.Test drive and make sure all the gears go in properly.
And make sure it starts easily.Especially make sure atleast all planned tune-ups have been done.Checkout all the other post in here for a list on tune-ups.
Check the milage too.If it has a rediculous mileage and you think you'll have problems in the long run,you shouldn't buy it.The eight is a very high maintenace vehicle.Like what you said you know nothing about it.So read up yo.other than that
The rx8 is a great car to drive.Straight sex fosho.Hope you have fun with yours.

Wrathre

I have one more quick question, I'm looking at another 8 in about two days and I wanted to know how I could tell which model it is (touring, gt, etc).

It's an 05 with leather innterior (solid black leather seats rather), sunroof, no navi or 6-disc changer.

Is there a certain feature I can look for that will pretty much tell me which model it is?

stephenwolf

The entry-level Sport includes halogen headlights, cloth seats and a 100-watt, single-disc, six-speaker stereo system. Sport models start at $26,435, not including a $650 destination charge.
A step up is the Touring, priced at $27,860, which includes high-intensity-discharge headlights in place of the halogens, plus fog lights and a 300-watt, six-disc, nine-speaker stereo. Stability control is standard on the Touring.
Then there’s the Grand Touring model, priced at $31,000, which includes all the features from the Touring plus automatic rain-sensing wipers, leather-trimmed seats, power front seats, heated side-view mirrors and a keyless push-button entry and ignition system.
The new R3 trim has a sportier suspension and 19-inch wheels wrapped in high-performance tires. It’s only available with a manual transmission. Unique appearance add-ons to the R3 include a spoiler, side sills and bumpers. The R3 starts at $31,930.

Wrathre

Were leather seats an option in sport or touring models?

hughtwg

I'm pretty sure leather is only on the GTs.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

this is a helpful read.

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/rx8-faq-new-owners-116484/

beers

Wrathre

Just picked up my 2005 RX-8 GT (black), 20k miles. Will be posting pics later when my camera is charged.

Wrathre

Here are some shots from the dealership, I'll be taking some high resolution ones tomorrow on my camera to post.

neXib

Oh really, Bridgestone Potenza isn't that great in the snow? Gee, who'd guess

WTF is with people that fail to see you NEED two sets of tires? Do you really need to tell people that? Let natural selection sort itself out.

ken-x8

Why do you say that? Routine scheduled maintenance items (fluides, brakes, etc.) are in line with most other cars. There are no valves to adjust, no timing belt to replace, which cuts out stuff that other cars need. Yeah, you'll use a quart of oil every couple of thousand miles, but that's nothing to obsess over.

There are folks here who spend a lot of time working on their 8s, changing oil and ignition parts very often. But that seems to be how they enjoy their 8s, much like the guys who spend a full day every weekend washing and waxing theirs.

Ken

Razz1

I know of several people who do nothing to the RX8.

The only maintenece you have to do is check oil every 1k and add as required.

Spark plugs at 30k.

valczir

Hey, just wanted to mention that I'm also in the same boat. I'm currently living in Colorado, although I like to hide that fact (Minnesota is my home, and I doubt very seriously that I will ever love any other state quite as much as I love MN).

I found a dealership that's about a 7 to 10 hour drive from where I live, selling an '04 RX-8 at around $13,000. I talked them down to $11,190, and I'm going to pick it up this weekend. It has 50,500 miles on it, so it's outside the bumper to bumper warranty, but I am pretty sure it's had all of the recalls done and everything. The history report said the car has only had one owner.

It's a touring (which is good, 'cause I'm not very fond of leather seats), six speed manual (obviously). The tires on it are an all season tread, which will be fine for now, but I plan to get some 17" wheels with blizzaks on them for winter driving.

I was planning on taking it to Farmington, New Mexico (to the nearest Mazda dealership) to have a checkup done on it, but is there a better place in my area (or in Minnesota) where I could take it? Is there anything I can look at, myself, when I get to the car, to make sure that it's in decent condition?

Wrathre

In the driveway finally