vipernicus42

Hey Guys,

Some of you might know me from rx7club, I've been over there for years. I've got two FBs (84GS and 85GS) and wrench on them mostly myself. Just finished rebuilding and swapping the engine on the 85 actually.

Anyway, I was hanging out with a friend tonight and he suggested "Hey, let's go test drive a car, I've been thinking of getting a Mazda6". So we went to the dealership to do some test drives. They didn't have any standard V6 lease return Mazda6s so we were about to walk off the lot when I walked by something that caught my eye.

It was a red Rx8 with an unbelievably low price tag. An affordable one.

A 2004 Rx8 6spd
100,000km (62,000mi)
$12,995CDN

I couldn't believe it. I took it for a test drive and it drove fine but I'm going back on Saturday to see it in the light and get the answer to some questions I asked about the car's history, recall reports, etc...


So what do you guys think? I know with FBs high mileage doesn't scare me. There's nothing on an FB I can't tackle myself with a 100pc generic metric toolset, a jack, some stands and some liquid wrench. I'm guessing the 8 isn't as easy to work on, but I'm going to have a look around to see if I can find a FAQ or whatever for things to look out for.

So what are your opinions? Anything I should look out for with a "high mileage" 8? or a "First Release Year" 8?

Jon

tubingchamp

iTrader: (3)

I payed near $50,000 CDN for my 2007 brand new...

Get it.

vipernicus42

*laughs* I went on auto trader to get some comparison prices and I actually found the car itself
http://www.trader.ca/powerpage/detai...8&adid=7372543

Jon

Apexin

i just picked up my 2004 6sp. I love it. Everything about it puts a smile on my face. I haven't wrenched on it yet but i plan too. I like it a lot more than my 300hp WRX and my buddy has a 2002 z06, i would still choose the 8. Good luck.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

04-08 rx8s have a 8 year/100k mile warranty. so 62k miles should be no sweat.

only downside to that car is that it has a chevy gto wing on it, but thats a really good price. buy it! you wont regret it.

vipernicus42

I'm going back on Saturday. I've asked the guy to have the car checked for recalls (which ones exist for the car and which have been done) before I get there on Sat, as well as about an extended warranty. They said a 3yr warranty would be $2-3k, and I'd definitely be taking it if I buy the car. That way if it's on the edge of needing a rebuild, they'll swap in a crate engine renesis under warranty.

I asked for a compression test, he said that comes with the 100point inspection if I decide to buy the car. I told him that it's one of the things that will influence my decision, so we'll see what happens. If I can get it in writing that I can return the car within a week or two and not have to pay anything for that privelege, then yeah I'll get the 100pt inspection and even take it to another garage for a second opinion.

So Saturday will be the deciding factor. If all the recalls have been done and the compression checks out, then I probably will.

A funny side note. I laughed when I found a bottle of 2-stroke in the trunk... lol

Jon

tubingchamp

iTrader: (3)

Hope you get it man, you won't regret it

ShinkaTeen

my opinion.


13k for a 62k miles 04.


Makem go lower 9k!!! if not lower.

+the shifter looks like a ***** -_-.

vipernicus42

They won't go lower. I've checked with some folks around here (mainly Joe from RPM Motorsports in the GTA) and they say it's one of the best prices they've seen for an originally-Canadian Rx8, especially from a dealer.

I already added "Replace the shift ****" to my terms of purchase, lol. It's one of the things the guy will be checking out for me when I go back on Saturday.

Jon

ShinkaTeen

dammit i need to read better,

CDN cash is less than U.S right? sorry im Currency challenged. it sounds like a good deal then if the guy up top bought his for 50k.

rotarygreg

pic it up man. you'll be happy you did. the 8 is such a nice car. a great balance between compfort and fun. the clutch is light and easy to work. it handles like crazy, but is high enough you dont have to crawl over speed bumps on an angle. only thing, ditch that gay shiftknob ASAP. lol.

also, my dad and i have an FB, 84 GSLSE we've been working on for years, slowly but surely its gonna be a really nice car if it ever gets finished. its a california car, so its spotless. Great car to work on IMO, and my 8 isnt too mcuh worse. i mean the car is wired from here to tomorrow, but still, not too hard to work on. and you wont need taht liquid wrench for a few years. lol.

Greg

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Well, a RX8 is definitely more difficult to work on than an FB. There has been a lot more vacuum hoses that get in the way. At least you don't have a distributer that you have to set leading and trailing timing. Spark plugs get changed from under the car.

risky business

about 6 months ago i bought my 2004 Velocity Red rx8, it had 66k miles. I have had any problems yet and im approaching 75k, i drive the ***** off it too.

CyberPitz

Ahh, another 7 owner who is falling for the Siren that is the RX-8.

I say get it

dozer

iTrader: (3)

this guy makes me LOL...

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

You mean Pontaic
Im right here also, 72K and I drive like an ***. I say get the car. The only thing and I know this is a bit stereotypical but it has a GTO wing and a cheap *** shift **** which shows the prior owner was more than likely young and possibly had more mods and beat on the car

You are a rotary guru so just make sure to give the car a thourough inspection, make sure to check to output seal of the trans for a leak that is caused by abuse (which mine has ) Also make sure no gears are grinding and all the TSBs and recalls were done.

If all checks out, sounds like you found a nice deal

vipernicus42

So I spoke to my dad this morning (I pass a lot of stuff by him. He's an awesome guy and I trust his opinion). His reaction was very good, he basically told me to get the car if I can afford it.

I went down to the bank at lunch and talked to the lady there. We've applied for a loan that would pay off my visa and my overdraft and buy me the car along with the extended warranty. She said my prospects looked good. The interest rate is a little high but it's lower than my visa and in the end I will pay less in interest because it's a 4yr loan instead of a 5yr one that the dealership was going to give me.

That, and I can pay into it any extra that I want. The downside (might be downside) is that my rate is tied to prime, so if prime goes up so does my payment, but we already know prime is set to drop another quarter or half point in December anyway, so this might not be a bad thing... I doubt prime will be coming back up for at least a year or two, which gives me time.

I called the insurance company.. the funniest thing is that if I got the same kind of coverage my rx7 has (only liability) the insurance for the rx8 is actually $5/mo cheaper. Don't ask me how. Aparently they think my rx7 is at more risk of causing bodily damage to a person who would sue than the rx8 would be!

Depending on cash flow and whatnot I might opt for more coverage. Full coverage including collision, comprehensive and liability would come up to $150/month, whereas liability only is like $40/month.

We should know if I get approved by tonight. With any luck, we'll be good.

Jon

Ross_Dawg

iTrader: (2)

damn... sounds like a great deal! Get some pictures up when you buy it and welcome to the 8 forum!

CyberPitz

Damn, good luck bro!

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

dont get an extended warranty. did you not read my post?

ALL 04-08 RX8S HAVE A 100,000 MILE / 8 YEAR WARRANTY ON THE ENGINE.

unless you want a warranty past 100k miles, but usually thats were extended warranties stop. or if you want an extended warranty for bumper to bumper stuff. or to cover the transmission. but honestly, the engine is already warrantied, why waste your money?

vipernicus42

Apparently not in Canada...?

Plus the things that are most likely to go aren't the engine as far as my experience. N/A rotaries are practically bulletproof, especially if you know how to take care of them. ("a redline a day keeps the carbon away" and "premix is your friend" are two such lessons).

My friend Michel has a Protogé that he got the extended warranty on and it was a good thing - he broke a fork in his transmission, blew an alt, broke an end link (twice) and it was all covered, as well as some other smaller things that happened when he hit a patch of black ice on the parkway and had a close encounter with a bush...

Jon

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

not in canada? i dont see why not. im pretty sure they do.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...47#post2495847

check that thread. and call mazda canada before you spend thousands on a warranty.

vipernicus42

Well, I'm definitely going to ask about that tomorrow! I don't see why MNAO would not include Canada in this, though nothing I've found mentions us specifically and all the info I've found appear to be American (numbers are in miles instead of kilometres, etc...)

Still though, considering the closest rotary mechanic I trust is 6hrs away it would be nice to be hands-off for the next 3yrs and have the local dealership take care of it for me. I do enough wrenching on my FBs! And with how brutal the winters are up here (yeah, I grudgingly admit I'll be winter driving this beast... It's sad but true) things are more likely to break on it than you might think.

Jon

CyberPitz

If I'm not mistaken, there have been some Canadian RX-8ers out there saying they called and got confirmation about Canada being included...

Here's a post.

https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...&postcount=445

*Edit* another
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...da#post2496502

636

Oh that's my friends Jose's car. It had a greddy turbo , had a problem with the turbo i think. There was oil going through the turbo into the intercooler and combusting in the engine. Was spitting oil through the exhaust. The tranny was run with royal purple 95% of its life so the synchros are gone. He sold it cause he used it for drifting and got damage on the right rear fender , bent the frame and the toe arms and everything were replaced. LOL , dude im just kidding. Btw good luck on your purchase , and done use royal purple gear oil .