JakesRX8

I'd just like to announce that I'm a new member to the forum and will be purchasing a 2004 RX8 GT in 3 days. I'm beyond excited. I've drove my 97 Honda Prelude for the last 7 years but it's starting to rust and has a little engine trouble so I'm going to retire it to my "winter driver". The RX8 is black, manual transmission, 57000 miles on it and in great condition. The dealership is asking $12,500 for it and from my research that seem to be a reasonable price. The dealership is 3 hours away from my house so the first time I test drive it will be this Saturday. If all goes well I will be the owner right after the test drive.

Any recommendations on certain things to be aware of on my test drive? The major items I've read about on this forum are:

-2004 Engine failures (but mostly in automatic trans)
-clutch pedal brackets breaking

Any info on 2004s is MUCH appreciated.

Thanks!

Lunacy

Where the hell have you been researching?

2tone

iTrader: (3)

yeah, i'm not good with prices, but that seems a little high man. i had my '04 listed at 12.5 with a few more miles but full body kit, wheels, and suspension upgrades. so a fully stock 2004...you might want to find closer to 10k.

JakesRX8

Well considering it's a dealership, I know that they jack up the prices considerably. If it was through a private owner I wouldn't expect to pay that much but I wasn't able to get a personal loan (damn those home foreclosures), so I HAVE to get financed through a dealership and pay a little extra for the car.

2tone

iTrader: (3)

fair enough.

umm, keep looking around the forum some. after the car warms up, DEFINITELY redline it a few times, no matter if they say not to. should pull consistently all the way up the rpms. if you hear ANY pinging (search for MIAC), RUN RUN RUN away. otherwise...just general stuff i guess...how does the cluth feel, will it need new suspension soon. ask what the 60k maint. is b/c you might need to replace something soon after buying it. ask for the carfax i guess. how many owners (if it's bounced around a few different people, it may not have been taken care of that well).

oh, check for full transition from cold a/c to heat too.

Dravethe

Congrats,

Just make sure you do your homework.

Here is a link by Green, it has a few easy mods you can do yourself with your first 100$ spent on the car.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...=1#post3666147

slayer22

i will also add.. ask for the maintenance paper work.. if your engine goes ka-put mazda will ask for the history of work on the engine for them to uphold the warranty.

JakesRX8

Thanks. Those DIY articles will come in quite handy. I'm new to the rotary world so I need all the help I can get. Less than 24 hours to go!!

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

$12,500 is more than fair for a dealership price on an 04.... About the same that the 'cheaper' ones are going for around here. Just fyi, seems like a decent deal.

As mentioned, just watch the powerband as you redline it, should be very linear and pull progressively harder all the way up to 9K. Also, watch it at idle. A little vibration or slight dip in RPMs when flipping the AC on is normal, but if its shaking hard, may need new plugs/coils etc....

GL with everything, and hopefully the next post will include pictures

cornholio135

iTrader: (2)

I would look around for a newer model with less miles... I just got an 06 Shinka with 35k miles from a dealer for $15k...

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

I sell you my car for 12,000.

deal ? Its a 05, even better, Shinka(Special limited edition), Plus the dealership has replaced the engine. about the same odo (its about 58.1K I think)

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

Ill sell you mine for $11,000 lol

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

you bastard.

10,999 !

czr

iTrader: (3)

Welcome to the club. She's kind of quirky but hopefully you will grow to lover her. Don't forget to post in the What was your previous car thread

tcole6

Won't minus three equals yesterday...did you get her?

tcole6

Well t minus three equals yesterday...did you get her?

Sandhofer

Ha too busy driving it to let us know...

JakesRX8

Yes, I did end up buying it. I've been busy fixing the little cosmetic blemishes on it like rock chips and scratches. I absolutely love the way it handles and the power is a HUGE step up from my stock 1997 Prelude. Soo much fun to drive. I haven't pushed it to the limits quite yet though. I want to replace the transmission and differential fluid first.

As far as I can tell the person that owned it before me only put one aftermarket part on the car and that is a K&N Typhoon intake. It looks kind of strange under the hood because there's no cover to the airbox now. Just a big K&N cone filter sitting there. And I assume since theres no cover over the airbox that it's sucking in a mixture of cold air from the front of the car and hot air from the engine compartment. Does anyone know if a stock airbox cover will fit over the Typhoon intake system so I can block out the hot engine compartment air?

I've also noticed a little vibration when sitting at idle. I've never drove a rotary before so this could be normal but the rpm's do jump around every now and then at stop lights. I'll be replacing the plugs/wires/coils as soon as I can and hopefully that helps. The vibration isn't violent or anything but I definitely feel it when gripping the stick.

All in all I'm very happy with the car. I ended up getting it for $12,200 with a full 3-year/36,000 mile warranty which covers engine/transmission/electrical. So that right there lets me sleep easier at night.....at least for the next 3 years. haha

On the agenda for tonight......fix condensation in the tail lights.

Renesis07

iTrader: (1)

K&N is garbage, switch to AEM, Racing Beat REVi, or back to OEM. Is the filter Carbon fiber? If so you have the version 2 which isnt AS BAD. If its a big *** cone, its the version 1 which is total garbage and will require replacement right away.