Insignia

So there is an RX-8 near me at a decent price with fairly low KMs and am debating buying it. However I have been reading the forums and I notice there are a few TSBs and whatnot.

I pulled the service records for the vehicle and there are only 6 TSBs that were done. None of them include the starter, batter, plugs. Now the dealer is a Mazda dealer and they assure me that these are all the TSBs and that the vehicle does not need anymore. I am a little concerned about this as from what I have read on here there should have been a few more fixes.

Anything in particular I should check for?

NoTears316

This is a link to all the recalls/service bulletins that have ever come out for the 8. The 8 you are looking at may not NEED all of them though.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...ins_index.html

NoTears316

A recall is mandatory, a service bulletin is only performed if your 8 qualifies for it (you actually have the problem).

Insignia

Thanks for the info! I really liked the car for it's looks inside and out, however I couldn't drive it as it is snowing heavy here and it only has summer tires. Kind of hard to make a decision without driving it lol.

NoTears316

Glad to be of help... but yeah, you will want to test drive before making an actual decision on the purchase.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

if they haven't done the starter/battery replacement in the "engine cranks, won't start" TSB I wouldn't touch it with a ten ft pole and somebody else's money

see the $%#@$#@$ FLOODED!!!! thread .....

pdxhak

iTrader: (2)

Team,

My dealership told me they would not do the TSB for the starter/battery. They said the last engine recall basically did it so there was no need. They originally ordered the parts and then sent them back.

CTrx8

iTrader: (2)

why wouldn't you? if it's under warranty he can go in and say he had a hard time getting it to turn over and get it done himself. that's how i got mine done so that i wouldn't get caught on a business trip unable to get it started. the dealer said he'd rather just take care of it rather than waiting for it to happen and have to pay a tow truck to do it. mind you, this was a horrible dealer with everything else but the thought of flooding seemed to scare even him.


[EDIT]
just read your updated thread - didn't realize you had updated this afternoon. sounds like it's a very hit or miss process with dealers which isn't new for mazda

CTrx8

iTrader: (2)

that doesn't sound right. call MNAO and see what they have to say about it. the recall doesn't add the new battery, starter, and plugs needed to prevent the accidental flooding.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

The TSB says only if the customer complains about a "engine cranks, no start" problem, they won't just put those parts in otherwise

in our case they still haven't put them in

pdxhak

iTrader: (2)

Team,

That is exactly what I did so they ordered the parts. Two weeks later the parts are in but it is still a couple of weeks before the emissions recalled are preformed. I requested if they could do all the work at once and they said no problem. When they called me to schedule the recall work they informed me the TSB for flooding was no longer valid.

I will call them Monday to see what they say. I see there is an updated TSB for this dated 11/21/06 which is after the recall work was done on my car.

CTrx8

iTrader: (2)

i guess it's an interpretation of the updated TSB. they can either interpret it as don't do the TSB if you have already done the emissions test or how i would read it would be a simple order of which should be done first. of course i would interpret it in our favor and they would do it with whatever is easiest/cheapest for them.

msrecant

This is simply not true. The "Engine cranks no start" TSB updates 4 things:

- PCM firmware
- upgrade to a 640 CCA battery
- upgrade to the new starter
- upgrade to the new leading plugs

The engine recall updates the firmware and insures new leading plugs are in place. However, if you car is a 2004 MY it will still need the battery and starter unless that work has already been done. Early 2005s will need the new starter.

Because "Engine cranks no start" is a bulletin, some dealerships will NOT do the work unless you actually flood the car, even if you have starting complaints. If this is the case then call the Mazda 800 number as they overruled the delership in many cases.

TeamRX8 is right that 2004s should have the battery upgrade plus 2004s and early 2005s should have the starter upgrade. This should be done while the car is still under warranty. So if the car you are looking at is out of warranty don't buy it. If it is under warranty buy the car conditional on the work being done for free.

Insignia

Well just got back from a test drive where I drove a demo RX8 with winter tires on it and HOLY ****! I have previously driven an SRT4 and I bought it because of sheer bang for the buck performance wise when it came out and I love it to this day. I love how quick it is in a straight line, but the damn torque steer always bothered me. However I have never had as much fun as I did on my RX8 test drive.

The owner of the entire dealership came out with me today and he drove first and he tossed the vehicle around corners at break neck speeds! I was completely shocked as he did this! He then let me drive the RX8 and WOW! I had such a blast driving it! Now to decide what to do. Ive narrowed it down between two vehicles and the RX8 and a CTS. Now I know these are two different vehicles, aimed and two different markets but thats my short list.

The RX8 would be an awesome daily driver, but the CTS would be a better cruiser. I do a lot of traveling so I need a comfortable vehicle with some decent power. I am done with my insane high HP days. My SRT is putting down 400+ HP but I dont have the need nor want of High HP anymore. The RX8 and CTS both had Navigation which is a must have option, but for sheer fun factor the RX8 wins! Sure the CTS has more "toys" but damn the RX8 was FUN!

Insignia

Any suggestions for negotiating the price? They are asking about 4K over black book value.

CTrx8

iTrader: (2)

details on the car? options, packages, miles, etc. and listed price are a good starting point. not sure if you already posted it but i didn't see it.

Insignia

2004 RX8 GT Package
Sunroof
Navigation
All options basically
60,000KMs

Asking about $25,000 CDN.

Dealer is so far waiving document fees and giving me an updated nav disc, which he claims in an $895 CDN value. I find the nav disc price BS as I have had other luxury vehicles where the nav dics were at MOST $300CDN.

Insignia

Any input guys?

CTrx8

iTrader: (2)

the two "freebies" are nothing for them to even worry about. the doc fees are just their processing fees so most dealers are willing to drop that if you push the issue. it's a BS fee that they put on there to make copies and have an administrative assistant file the paperwork.

as for the price, that equates to approximately $21K USD which is very high for an '04. of course i'm also making my assumption that prices are similar in canada which may be quite off base. for that car in the states i would say you should get it for about $17500USD at a dealership (maybe even $18000USD). i would look around to see what others are selling for locally and get a better idea and i'm not sure if edmunds.com has values for canada but it would be worth a look.

Insignia

Yeah I kind of figured the price was high, however up here in Canada it is about the normal selling price. The freebies I thought were BS as well. For some reason up here IMPORT dealers do not like negotiating on the price.

EDIT - Just did the calculation based on an 18K USD Price.

18000 USD x 1.15 (Current Exchange) = $20,700 CDN x 1.061 (Duty) = $21962 CDN x 1.13 (Sales Tax) = $24817 CDN

So it does seem the price is inline after the exchange, duty and taxes. I still think I should be able to negotiate a better deal somehow. Oh and as a good faith the dealer just called me and informed me he did the starter, plugs and battery TSB.

Rhawb

Best tip for negotiations I can give you: Leave.

Since it seems you've already left, you can either play the waiting game (they'll cave...they always do), tell them you've found another one in town and they're offering less (kind of sleazy, but car dealerships aren't known for their class either), or give them an "ultimatum" price that's even lower than your ideal price in hopes of them coming down to your ideal price. You can also confront them, telling them that they're asking way over the market value for the car.

Remember to not let them talk you into things or make you question your decisions. My roommate's girlfriend nearly got taken recently thanks to a smooth talking salesman. Even a few months ago when I was helping a different roommate buy a new Mazda 6, a salesman started yelling at me for "talking him out of a good deal." Made me question myself a bit, but I caught on and we ended up getting a few grand off that "good deal."

Also, don't negotiate payments, negotiate straight cash. They can bury lots of fees and other crap when you negotiate payments. Pretty much, just remember the whole process is a series of mind games.

Insignia

Thanks for the info. I have always leased vehicles in the past and the RX8 would be the first I would be actually buying so negotiating on price is new to me lol. I have already left on him about 3 times now and you are right he has been calling me back non stop lol.

Rhawb

Yeah, just stay strong. If they sense that they can take you for a few more bucks, they'll take advantage of that. By the same token, if you sense something amiss about the negotiations, you're probably right. Ask for a while to think about it or tell them you're going to need to go home and think about it.

Let me know if you have any questions - I'll be checking the site all day.

Insignia

Thanks for the help! I think they believe they can take for full asking price as everytime I went to the dealer I went in my Mercedes. I have no problem with paying what they are asking, but I do not believe in paying sticker lol.

They also tried to take for a ride on the inservice date by saying it was later than it actually was. This I found out through my own investigating. This particular RX8 is the exact way I would want it, and it is rare to find one up here with nav.

CTrx8

iTrader: (2)

looking at the calculations you should be shooting for the $21K CDN. i see you have added duty and sales tax which i'm guessing they will add onto the original asking price of $25K CDN. if you can get them out the door with all charges at $22K CDN you should feel pretty good but again i'm also unfamiliar with canadian pricing and negotiation.