bishs

So I found a guy on craigslist wanting to sell his car for $5000. He says that he changed his radiator recently and there is fluid leaking. He states that the car is running 3/4 temperature? ..

I'm not sure whether he changed his radiator due to high engine temp or some other reason. He did tell me that the radiator "broke".. So he replaces the radiator and there is fluid leaking causing the 3/4 high temp? I'm not sure if this guy was the first owner or where he got the car.

But What are some common things that I should look out for in this car?
What is a normal temperature for this 04 car?
How will I know if there has been damage to the engine?
30k on motor and 180 on chasis.*


I'm new rx8 but I do own a Subi.




Do you guys think this might be a safe deal?




Thank you in advance for your knowledge and expertise.

xexok

Get it compression tested and find out what other maintenance he has done to it. You will need to go to a Mazda dealer or a rotary specialist for the test and pay around $150. The car has almost 200k miles of most likely hard driving so there may be many repairs in your future depending on what this guy has changed out already.

What do you mean by running 3/4 temperature? Do you mean the temp gauge needle is 3/4 of the way over? That would be bad news.

Even without the leaking fluids problem I think the car would be worth maybe 5k-6k going by blue book. You didn't mention what trim it was so I looked it up as if it was a grand touring. If you go by blue book then his price is high I think.

ttame16

iTrader: (2)

^what he said.

Also, make sure the compression test is done by a rotary mechanic or by mazda. The compression tester is different than those used in piston engines. Not to insult your intelligence but I didn't know that when I bought my first 8 a few years ago.

bishs

Yea.. I'm assuming that 3/4 is the needle on the temp gauge.


So I should avoid this deal?

Hector Castillo

iTrader: (6)

mmm i dont thing is a good or safe deal man you should find another one also you have to ask about the compression test from mazda never ever buy an rx8 with out the compression test numbers.
imo the engine is done and thats why overheating
thats my noob advice: dont buy that car! you can spend 3 4 grand in other engine... headache is for free lol so dont do it

bishs

Hmmmmm

Chapsy

if the temp gauge is 3/4 towards max that's bad news. Rotaries ride a thin line between being at temperature and overheating. Even if it's 5k, I'd say it's a bad deal. I'd look for one with far less miles, hopefully from a Mazda dealership or an enthusiast who knows how to take proper care of it.

also, if it's an 04 you'll want to check and make sure it's had its engine replaced under warranty and all the other recalls. definitely do a compression test and get the maintenance history checked if you're genuinely interested in the car. Basically, if you have any questions or concerns about common problems with the car, you should reference the newbie threads, more specifically the ones that are in RIWWp's Signature. I was so-so on my knowledge about Rotaries going into the purchase on my 8, but now I feel pretty confident with a lot of things after reading through them. You should take the time to do so if you haven't already.

I still think it's a bad idea. I typically don't look at any car with over 100,000 miles when buying used unless it's in pristine shape otherwise. I have a feeling you'd be walking into a heaping mess of repairs if you went with this one.

just my .02 on the matter.

bishs

Thank you very much, I'll take a look at the newbie section.

ShellDude

iTrader: (12)

bishs where are you located, generally?

bishs

I think he meant 3/4 of the entire gauge lol!

bishs

he just told me that the the radiator and thermostat gasket need to be replaced...


is it worth the drive? hes about an hour from where i am..

I really do want this car.. as i've already crashed my subi.

bishs

Cali

Mazurfer

Looks like you are gonna go look at it no matter what we say, but I'm going to join the others and based on the info you have given........................give it up and look for another. The ONLY way I would even consider this is if it had a compression test and I'd really have to examine the cooling system top to bottom.

ShellDude

iTrader: (12)

find a dealer near him and make a beeline for it during your test drive.

bishs

Yea we are agreeing on a compression test as we speak..

bishs

says the head gasket needs to be replaced....



wait huh? lol

bishs

guys he offered it for 1,000... what do you think?

ShellDude

iTrader: (12)

head gasket?

bishs

Hes not too mechanically inclined.. but his mechanic told him that loL!


It seems the engine is done for and is running high temps.

His offer is 1k.. is that a deal?


How easily would i be able to get this fixed? He says something about oil and water being mixed.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

For $1,000, yeah it's probably worth it. However, expect that you will be putting a new engine in for $3-5k.

If he thinks it is a head gasket, then someone told him it is one and he believes them since we don't have a head gasket. However, the symptoms /results of a head gasket failure on a piston engine means coolant seal failure on an RX-8, and that engine would be considered dead, even if it doesn't know it yet.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

For clarity, the quick list of what you can expect to replace before getting it on the road:
- Engine ($3,000 to $5,000, depending on how high of quality you want to go, DON'T go Mazda reman, no warranty and you might have a failure as soon as 10k, his reman only lasted 30k after all)
- plugs, wires, coils ($180-$220)
- Radiator ($150-$200 for OEM, ~$500 for best)
- thermostat ($75)
- coolant hoses ($150-300, depending on if you get all of them, and upgraded or OEM)
- Fuel line and/or fuel line clips (unsure the price)
- motor mounts ($200)
- Coolant bottle ($130)

as the short list you can expect. This is all assuming you do the labor yourself and don't pay anyone to do it.

However, you would then have a car worth ~$7,000-$9,000 (depending on body/interior), so a starting price of $1,000 is actually quite good. You have to be willing to tackle that project though. Paying someone else to do it will end up costing you far too much.

The good news as far as the project is concerned, all of those other items are easily done with the engine out, or you have to remove them to get the engine out anyway, so it's not any more work for you to do it than just the engine replacement. Someone else would keep piling on the labor charges most likely.


(Edit, added coolant bottle)

NotAPreppie

For $1000, I'd do it for a project car. If you need it for a daily driver and/or aren't prepared to do a lot of work or have a lot of work done for you, walk away.

This car's current owner doesn't appear to know much about the car and that makes me wary. My hunch is that this guy hasn't maintained it very well (for whatever reason) and that means that you're buying a lot of liability.

Don't get me wrong, RX-8's are a VERY rewarding car to own. But this particular one is going to need a non-trivial amount of TLC.

Mazurfer

^...................you got that right!
Could be a money pit long term.

Hector Castillo

iTrader: (6)

man...everyone in this forum told about dont buy that car if you really want to buy it then do it but be prepare to get a big big problem since you dont know about rotary.... but well good look

bishs

Decided not to buy it.