Humble Newbie here, please help :)
 

Hi everyone,

Like all of you, I just love the RX-8.

I've always dreamed of owning one of these, and I feel that now the time is right.

I live in Los Angeles, and I've been looking for used (2004) RX8's.

Most of them that I've come across (but haven't test drove them yet) are priced between $19,000.00 to$ 20,000.00, with approximately 17000 to 25000 miles on it.

What do you guys think of these prices?

Is there any advice that you can give me when I'm seeing these cars in person?

Thanks a lot!
I appreciate all your help

-Sunny

I just bought my RX8 a couple of days ago and love it.. Its a 2004.

But anyways, I bought mine for $18,889.00 from Carmax. Its VR, MT, Spare Tire Kit , Sport package, 6 disc cd changer.. 18k miles..

I checked out the local store here, and they didn't have any RX8's.. So I found one using their website at another store and had them transfer it to the Louisville store. I paid $330 for the transfer.

I'll post some pics when they become available.. Happy Hunting.

I would also recommend carmax. That's where I got mine last week. It is an '05 with leather, sunroof, spoiler, and fogs, with only 4,000 miles. I got it for 22,998. I would definitely say you can get a better deal on an 04 with more miles.

I've read in these threads that at wholesale auctions the 2004's are going for $14,000. That's a lot to play with when dealers are asking $18-$20,000.

I just picked up a new 2006 w/ touring package three weeks ago and was able to get it down to $23,750 with dealer discounts, rebate and MAC financing. Someone on here has gotten a base down to the low $20's. That's for a new one!

Doesn't seem like any big difference for MT's from 2004 - 2007. For the AT the 2006 has the 6 speed vs. 4 speed on earlier ones.

Check out the Purchasing / Insurance board here for more pricing threads. :)

Check your PM...

My 05 GT is for sale.

Don't buy used unless you know how to buy one and what to look for.

Any used car could be a night mare.


Unless it's an 8

if you're willing to do a little searching and maybe a little waiting, carmax is pretty good. got mine about a year ago... 04 with 5700 miles on it for $21,000. GT package... everything but navigation and 6 disc changer I believe.

i can't believe there are so many backing carmax - it's the biggest ripoff out there. if you're buying from a dealer you can probably get that same for about $18K-19K. if you buy private you can stay closer to $18K or under. and for pete's sake, stay away from carmax. they buy for $16K and price the same car at $22K with no haggle - i've seen it personally.

I knew I was paying more at Carmax but I really enjoyed their customer service, and warranties/guarantees. Also I was able to fully browse all their in stock vehicles for the entire US. There was pictures available for every single car. Good pictures too. Most other dealers, either just have a text listing, or maybe one single bad picture. I searched through all their cars.. Compared.. Compared.. And narrowed it down to a few and chose the one I wanted.

They also gave me a 5 day money back guarantee. I can take it back within 5 days If I decided it was a bad move.. Or whatever. They claim they don't even need a reason to take it back. 30 Day Warranty also.. Even tho its still under the manufacturer warranty, so I'll just take it to the dealer instead.

So all in all.. The reason why I picked Carmax was because of the ability to search through their entire inventory with good pictures available of every vehicle, their guarantee, and warranty. That was enough to seal the deal with me.

Thanks

i don't want to give you buyer's remorse or anything. you got a decent deal but paid more to buy from a dealer and more from carmax. the extra warranties aren't free and you probably paid a couple thousand for it if you got the extended warranty. if it had been private party your car would have been a couple thousand less. but some people need the comfort of buying from a dealer and are willing to pay for it. enjoy your 8 and don't look back and worry about whether or not you could have gotten a better deal.

Check out kbb.com and see what a typical price for an 04 with @ 20k miles would be.

is the customer experience worth $5,000 to you? There are plenty of places that do nearly as good a job that you can deal with. I love how "no haggle" is shown as a benefit to us somehow. Haggling is something customers to do get the price down, so how is having a "no haggle" policy an advantage?

I am with you zenmoused. The "no haggle" policy also takes all the fun out of it. :)

It depends where they set the no-haggle price. Buy a washing machine or TV set at K-Mart and you get a no-haggle price. No matter how good or bad a negotiator you are, you get the same price. You can comparison shop between stores to see if that price is fair.

Some people are just not good negotiators, or hate the process. I hate the process so much that I buy a new car only once every 10 or 20 years. Saturn and Carmax try to make the price part of a car purchase similar to shopping at K-Mart. Never having dealt with either Saturn or Carmax, I don't know how fair their prices are.

Ken

I do agree with whoever said they buy your car and then jack up the price. They bought my car from me for 3200 and then I looked it up the other day and they are selling it for 8,000.

I found my EXACT same Rx-8 at a dealer the other day, the sticker was 28k... Kbb said I should look to pay around 26,500 from a dealer for it. I think my 23k was an awesome deal.

05 GT with 4k miles. Ah, yeah.

Watched used 2004 - they had a lot of engine troubles in the early editions - later ones get better gas and oil, especially oil. Make sure all the recall items have been taken care of, and get some kind of warrenty. Look, if someone sells an 8 it was for some reason - find out about the prior owner and talk to him!
Get a good comprehensive insurance policy - All State has been very kind to me!

Consider a new - used car - an 8 that has sat on the lot and so its not this years and may have only been used in demos - if there is less than 12,000 miles on a used one and its an 04 they probably had engine troubles

Check the good dealer bad dealer forum to find a good dealer and mechanic in your area. If you get a good one you will want to be buried in it - if you get a bad one she will make you weep! I got an 05 (engine built in 04) and it is a jewel - some say beware of silvers - blues seem to have been made on a very good day!

If there is vibration and rattle, watch it - engine should sound like a vacuum sweeper and be a little on the quiet side, and the ride should be like cream. Since you are from L.A. it might be worth the field trip to head down to San Louis Obispo - central coast - and check in with Valley Mazda in SLO, the service manager owns an 8 and is a long time rotar head and the mechanic usually knows what he's doing -

Thank you very much for your reply!!!

I'm trying my best to take your advice!

I'm no longer looking into a 2004, and I am focusing on finding a good 2005.

I came across this RX 8 on the internet.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...Z-90017&aff=cg

Carfax says it has a clean record.

It is a 2005, GT package, with a navigation system.
Milage: 120

Asking price:25,000.00

I was wondering if you guys were planning on purchasing this car, what would be considered a "good deal" for this car (how much would you be willing to pay).

Thanks a lot!!

22-23k, KBB.com it

RX8 Sunny that is MY EXACT CAR! Except I don't have navigation.

This is a great comparison for you. Mine had 4,000 miles, that one has 200. And mine didn't have nav. So you'll be paying $2,000 for navigation and practically no miles. I think it's a great deal. You could probably even get it down a little bit.

Hi Guys,

I really need your help right now.

I found a good RX8, with 15000 miles driven on it. Excellent condition.
Grand touring package, along with premium rims, and spoiler.

I negotiated for $20,000.00

I would appreciate any comments and suggestions that you have.

Thanks you very, very much!

have them run a carfax, have your own person look at it and if everything checks out, that shouldn't be a bad deal. it also depends on year and whether you are buying from a dealer or private. more details and we can assist a little better. have you checked the for sale forum here? there are some that you might be interested in. also, do you have any pictures or is the listing not online?

Sunny - Not to give you a sales pitch, but we are in Orange County and will happily help you out. You can see me and I'll introduce you to the dealer who I have known for 15 years. He's a great guy, good friend and he'll work directly with you if you like. Check out our inventory on the parent site at ocmazda.com. And if you see something you like, call me, Bob in parts.

Do you belong to Costco? If so your entitled to a great deal from us as well.

Bob is a stand up guy, and there are in fact some good sales reps at OC Mazda. I'd say it's worth looking into.