zracer196

Asking $13,900. Hoping to get for $13K OTD with taxes, etc.

Still has a few months left on the Mazda motor warranty (if the 8 years or 100,000 miles is in effect). There is a clean carfax. One owner.

Thanks!!

Karack

yes that is low mileage but your warranty will be up in months and as soon as it does drop off the value will start dropping like a rock.

for the same price you could get one years newer with more warranty left, and you may likely want to have it.

xexok

Just make sure you read https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...t-here-202454/ and get a compression test(takes a special tool, so mazda dealer or rotary shop) on ANY rx8 you plan on buying.

Check the prices people are trying to get for their cars on here and compare.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

That's an asinine price. I have seen clean low mileage 07' GT's for that price, heck I even saw an 08' 40th AE for 14k.

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

Seems he purchased the car, $12,950 2005 RX-8.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Well the price on that one seems even more crazy, especially for a sport but it looks well maintained and documented at least. Were Xenons optional on the Sport? I don't recall. Honestly I think that may be a touring.

Edit: No, it's a Sport with a bunch of options I guess.

zracer196

Honestly I am VERY picky. I do not want something that has worn seats, leather, a bunch of miles, etc. There's a lot of them out there with 50K miles on them for a little lower (maybe $11,000). But NOT in the condition that I want.

So to spend a few extra bucks on an exceptional one...It's worth it to me.

Looking forward to the RX8 experience!!

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

If it's a good value to you and you're happy with it then that is all that matters. The prices now days are crazy. My original sticker price was over $32,000.00 for my 04' Touring

pistonhater

I think the sticker price for the 40th AE 2008 was $34,000 or something close to that

Three years later I paid $18,500, and the car only had 13K miles. Quite sad to see how quickly these cars depreciate

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Yeah we have a local guy who bought his back in 04' brand new with just about every Mazdaspeed part in the catalog (including the Mazdaspeed wheels) and he paid almost $50,000.00. He now dailies an SS Camaro but still owns it. I remember seeing a brand new Shinka when they came out on the showroom floor for like $39k. Pretty sad when you could get a 2011 GT with nav or an R3 for 24k-27k when they were new.

zracer196

I think the talk about new motors, etc doesn't help! But for a buyer like me I can get an almost new sports car for much less than a Corolla or Focus costs!

pistonhater

Wow, 50 grand!

The numbers for the shinka were pretty up high too.

It's amazing to see how pricing changed for new RX-8s over the years.

jamesf

iTrader: (1)

I would have loved 13.9k for a car with such low mileage. There werent many 8s for sale in my area of NY and I ended up paying 13.9k for my 05GT with 75k miles from a Ford Dealer. Had lots of problems too. It's actually kind of funny. There was 1 other dodge dealer that was selling an 04 with 40k for like 11kish which I passed on only because of the service I got.

A 3rd 8 which was being offered to me at a MUCH better price but considerably further away ended up falling through while I had a deposit on the 04 from dodge. I called dodge (this is before I even got financing or anything. It was just to hold the car for 1 day) and told them that I decided not to buy it and they refused to give me my deposit back because they already "got the car already to go". It was the biggest load of BS I've ever heard. And they were a**holes about it too. I finally complained enough to the service manager that one rep said "Ok were gonna cut you a check for the 500.00 you deposited". Guess what? I got a check a week later for 400.00. What a shady freaking dealer.

monchie

Mine would be the same...

Karack

then why did you ask the question if apparently cost really does NOT matter?


and sticker prices aren't insane, my '87 TII had a sticker of $24k with a manual steering option back in 1987. minimum wage at the time was $3.50/hr. if anything it is inflation that has gone insane. of course the top end of the spectrum hasn't doubled in average yearly income compared to minimum wage but that is also partially why we are in a recession.

zracer196

Actually price does matter. But I wanted an apples to apples approach. I don't think you can compare a price if the only thing consistent is the year. To me miles on the car, number of owners, how it was maintained, the condition it's in make a big difference and will also affect the price.

So I was looking for opinions based on that criteria. I should have stated that in the post.

I knew I could find a car with double or triple the miles in ok shape for $1-2K less. But I like finding "new cars" at a fraction of the price.. I feel like I am buying an "almost new" $30K car for $12K. Even has a few upgrades and some motor warranty left!

Thanks for the opinions. I'll post my thoughts on the car once I get it!

Karack

low mileage doesn't mean anything either.

plastic becomes brittle, hoses become soft, belts begin to crack and coolant seals begin to harden with age.

things will fail just from sitting.

basically it is the equivalent of buying a newer car with more miles.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Exactly, a 9 year old car with low miles is just a car that has sat for long periods of time. I'd much rather have a car that was well maintained and driven on a regular basis.

zracer196

I guess that's what makes this country great...We all have our own opinions and desires.

I am just a nit picky person...Don't like seats worn out, steering wheels worn, scratches, rattles, worn out bushings, etc.

I have had nothing but great luck with buying the low mileage cars and with the resale when I get bored. Never had any problems with those items mentioned (cracked plastic, etc.). These cars have all been driven...They are not museum pieces. I could see that if they just sat and were never driven or run for long periods of time. One of my last cars was a 1999 Viper with 13K miles on it. Pristine condition. Not a single issue with it. Actually made some money on it too. Thankfully there are a decent amount of people who will pay a couple of pennies more as well.

Karack

apparently you haven't bought many used rotary cars then.

piston engines can sit for 40 years without being ran and be perfect. rotary engines have rubber o-rings sealing the combustion chambers. rubber deteriorates with age even with lack of use. i wasn't so much referring to the interior of the car with my references, i was referring to the rubber fuel lines, the engines seals, the intake manifolds(plastic), the belts and hoses(lose one and you may lose the motor), i could go on and on.

yes it may be just my opinion, but i also run a rotary engine shop and i see all the failures and causes first hand. for the amount of money i would have looked for a newer, higher mile car with more warranty left.

zracer196

Again, different strokes for different folks. Not interested in a well used car.

I'll take my chances on a car that has been driven continuously over time but in small increments. While I don't know much about these motors, I would think that if the car has been well maintained, compression checks out well, etc. that I will continue to have the same results as the previous owner. Of course I know things can and will break, but I'll take my chances.

I guess I could have bought the high mileage car that needs a new motor just due use (it seems apparent that these motors are lucky to go 100K miles) but I'd rather take my chances with a newer car. If I scan over the many problem posts on this forum, history shows many issues with use or higher miles. I searched a bit but could not find a post showing issues due to light use over time. Again, this car has not sat in moth *****, it has been used regularly over the last 7+ years. It's also 7.5 years old, not 27.5 years old. I know things get brittle, etc. but it's not that old. It's been well maintained (belt changed, plug wires, coils, etc.), garaged kept and driven regularly. The previous two adult owners are both car enthusiasts, etc. Not some clueless kid. This is a good gamble IMO.

Either way, this car is a fun toy for me. Not a daily driver. Should anything happen, it's not going to break me. I'll handle the issue should it occur.

Thanks for the opinions.

Karack

the early cars had more issues than the later models. they're called revisions to fix issues, many engines get revised numerous times to fix flaws.

i understand you probably already bought the car and want to tell yourself it will be alright and it probably will be, but you may want to accept some of those bits of info if you do look into buying another down the road.

zracer196

Sounds good Karack...That is why I came here to look, buy and make an informed decision. Ultimately I make it...And will live by it.

I am not some kid who is non-mechanical...I road raced AMA Pro for 12+ years (built my own bikes / motors)...Did the Daytona 200 in 2002, have had countless cars, over 50 motorcycles, and currently race hare scrambles...So no stranger to things with motors.

I know this car is different, but it is still a car. Nothing magical in my book.

Hopefully the good track record I have built with all of the purchases I have made in my lifetime will pay off with this car.

But yes, I have used this forum as a base to make what I think is a good decision. Ultimately am I going to not buy it because you may think the seals will go, hoses will pop, rubber will crack, etc? No...But I do value everyone's opinions...That's why I am here.

PS...We must have time to waste to keep going back and forth over something trivial! LOL!! Oh, and thanks for explaining to me what revisions are! Look at sport bikes...Get them almost every year. LOL!

TopGear8

iTrader: (3)

Not a terrible price.

pistonhater

That's not a fair example.

A viper is consider a "super car" in many circles. At their price range it is very common for cars to have very low miles, and they retain their value pretty good. Many people buy high end sports cars to not use them.

So...how is it that you go from owning a Viper to wanting to buy an RX-8? Even some of the older ones are worth a pretty penny.