Joining the dynasty
 

Hello all,

I have, barring a final compression test tomorrow, purchased a new 07 touring blue with 65k miles for $15k. Though I think its a gt since it has heated leather seats and keyless start :) But I seriously love the way this car drives. Not that you all don't know the feeling. Time to be rid of the 01 eclipse.

I set out alone for my first major purchase post-college (which sucks to not have someone to bounce ideas off of), researched the hell outta it, and everything seemed to go well during the test drive. Looks very clean on the outside/inside/engine besides the ton of pollen that's appeared today. I made sure to double check anything that could signal a failing engine, I did a cold and hot start and the car started right up.

The only thing that has me worried is the maintenance history and any future warranty issues. See there isn't much of a maintenance history... From the Carfax this was a lease car for 4 years with 3 different owners. I'm going to call Mazda tomorrow to check if they have any extra info and for the MSP16. I hope it won't be too major an issue in the future. Any thoughts on getting an extended fidelity warranty? Preliminary research seems to show that's it so-so, I got more looking to do tomorrow. But I did get the dealer to pay for the comp test and (hopefully) see if the 60k maintenance happened.

I'll have more less grimy photos after this deal's gone through.

Thanks!

From fwd to rwd.....nice choice! Congrats.

Can you confirm the paint code? It looks like Phantom Blue, but it could also be Stormy...

MSP-16 is already flashed, as your car is an 06 or higher. You also have the updated starter :)

The 8year/100 mile warranty is transferable, and starts on the date of the ORIGINAL purchase of the vehicle. Now, provided you can get the maintenance history, you should have no issues dealing with the warranty!

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the addiction ;)

Very nice car!

I hope everything goes well!

Looks like I've jumped the gun. Compression test came back slightly (very) unsatisfactory. And it seemed to drive so well.

700, 689, 703 @ 250rpm
660, 667, 674 @ 250rpm (i think)

The mazda dealer they took it to said they would do an 'induction service' to try to boost the ratings, but it would cost me $400. He doesn't want to pay because the car is new on his lot and will sell quickly.

Should I abandon this one? I reallllly like it haha. And it drove so well, but everything's telling me not to. Especially when I started thinking about the service history today, which will make the engine replacement harder.

Yes, abandon. You can find a better engine.

Yea I already decided, next time I won't be posting before I buy. You guys are great though, thanks! I'll be back within a couple of weeks

Not really. Always worth asking our opinion in case there is something you are missing :)

We don't think less of you for it.

So here's a question. The stealership is getting a replacement engine based off my compression test. If I don't find a different car before the next 2 months when that happens, would it be worth still looking into? I'm trying to not get my hopes up again, but I like this one.

As for the warranty, it seems that the reman keeps the remainder of the 8yr/100k and theres a 12mo/12k warranty on the installation of new parts?

Also, would Mazda fight a 3rd engine replacement if there's a lack of maintenance history on the first engine? Thanks

If the engine is replaced, that is a good(ish) thing (some engines aren't up to par, as they are remanufactured, not "new"). Just make sure you keep the receipts and keep up with maintenance. Because, yes, the warranty is for 8yrs/100k miles from date of purchase!

If you like the car, I would say wait until they put the new engine in, and then make a choice. Be sure to break the engine in (or not. It's a good debate lol. Research that here!).

Personally, I would get it ;)

If you really like this one, then go for it, or better yet, just find another one with no problems at all.

With a reman I would say that is a good deal. I also recommend the Fidelity warranty. I had an extended warranty (thru Federal or Fidelity, can't remember) and it covered a few issues when my alternator overcharged and fried a couple of things like my ABS unit ($2400.00 and can only be installed by the dealer) going out and a couple of smaller electrical issues. It will also cover the engine in the event Mazda Denys a warranty replacement for some reason.

with a reman, I would say that's a good deal too.

But without it....the price seems a bit too high for that many miles

with a Reman? I'd go for it.

but not for the price tho, maybe 2-3K less.

Hello folks,

Warning: This is a pretty lengthy because I'm long winded, but it helps me get everything straight tho and hopefully someone will read it.

Time for another installment of VectorMan getting his hopes up. I think I've found the one. BB GT with 32.5k miles. I was on the fence about the BB vs PB, but the black is super sexy in person and I likes it. I hope this guy's not on the forums. Compression test is tomorrow.


Maintenance/Pros:
*Self maintained oil changes with journal records (no receipts for 20k to current miles)
*Mazda has service records up to 20k miles
*Lucas UCL each oil change
*Knew about top off
*Knew about warming up
*Willing to do 30k fluid changes and put semi-new tires on the rear wheels.
*Great color
*Seemingly strong engine (~1sec semi-hot start, .5sec hot start)

So we're off to a great start.

Cons (nitpicking):
*I don't think the coils/wires/plugs have ever been done so that's first on the TODO.
*Auto carwashes put small scratches in the paint, not that noticeable.
*Cloudy headlights, easy to fix
*There was a fairly loud clunk into first gear, but I just found a thread pointing to the input shaft and saying it's normal. My eclipse does the same thing. I'm going to try holding the clutch in for 5s then shifting to see if that is the issue.

Questions:
*Engine sound. So I don't really know what a good engine sounds like. The PB in the 1st post had a failing rotor. I drove an 04 silver GT that seemed ok. This BB has just as much power as that silver, but the engine sounds... higher pitch, I guess that's a good description. I think comparing it to something I vaguely remember is causing me unnecessary worry. I've checked out some videos online but shitty phone mics don't translate well. I could drive an 09 at the dealership to compare.

*Idle. I've seen all these videos/posts on rough idling but not much on a normal idle. I know it's suppose to float around ~800rpm but I didn't really look at the number yesterday (one thing I forgot). But I blasted the AC and the car never shook or anything, but I could tell the engine was kinda slightly bobbing. Nothing extreme like 1k rpms or quickly, but probably much less than 100rpm. I think it was just the fuel injectors, but I'm being paranoid. Does that sound normal though?

Thanks for reading!

TLDR I like the car

carfax issue help me gah!
 

I need your help!

Every time I make a decision something bad happens. I haven't bought the car yet though. I'm in urgent need of opinion please. So i bought the carfax, and it's reporting a potential odometer rollback.

you can see in the attached pic, but basically it goes:

(everything good prewards)
12,574mi, 4/7/09 hall mazda, va beach, virginia - maintenance
31,126mi, 9/3/09 bob moore mazda, OK city, oklahoma - maintenance
31,130mi, 9/3/09 bob moore mazda, OK city, oklahoma - car offered for sale
13,761mi, 9/22/09 hall mazda, va beach, virginia - inspections
7 months later - registration issued/loan - lien reported
(everything good postwards)

It looks like the numbers on the 31 got switched up, but then again the cars 1500 miles away in oklahoma somehow. Maybe someone typed the wrong VIN in at the dealership. 20k miles in 5 months seems crazy to me. Also It seems weird that the car was somehow sold in OK then ends up right back where it started, registered in the original place. Also the car only shows registrations in Chesapeake, where the car was sold to this second owner.

I even called Mazda (which was why i held off on the carfax) and they have all the correct maintenance history for mileage not even on the carfax (from 0-20k miles), and he didn't mention anything odd.

Everything before and after that checks out with religious oil changes, except for a hard start/no start condition checked at 18.9k miles and the cars been rolling around on those original spark plugs probably all this time.

I've never actually seen a wrong carfax before, but I know they can. I hate for my first car purchase to fall apart on me. Please rx8club, you're my only hope!

That is exceedingly odd. Not impossible, but definitely odd. Dealers can certainly make mistakes though. My official Mazda records show dealer service at 721,902 miles in 2007 on my 2005.

(That was my plate number)

I would guess that Bob Morre Mazda in OK entered the wrong VIN and just coincidence that the mileage was in an appropriate range where the typo transposing is possible.

Wow that looks so suspicious. I would walk away while you can. The price really isn't that great anyway.

Yea I think it's just an error. I'm going to call MNAO and that dealer in the morning and see if they have record of the sale/if any of the car details match. Just doesn't make sense for the car to be sold in a different state then end up right back where it started.

Damn bro, I was in your shoes today....ready to pick up my 8 tomorrow from a private owner pending the compression test today, which failed...now I have to wait for a reman or find a new one. Hopefully the next one I find isn't as sketchy as yours! Good luck.

My OP ended up like yours, but this new one wasnt so much sketchy as I was just freakin the fuck out. I was overanalyzing lots of things. Buyin your first car alone sucks, especially one with a lien.

Anyway, ended up working out. Compression test came back good/fair. The plugs/coils need to be replaced and it should go up. Filled out the paperwork today and should have my BB GT in a couple days once the title clears. Yay

very nice color choice

Carfax errors are not uncommon, and they miss a lot. I've owned multiple vehicles that have been in accidents, yet the Carfax is clean. Sounds like you made the right choice by not worrying about it.