livelarge

Hey all, been reading the posts on this site and am really looking forward to being a part of this group almost as much as getting a new RX8. My wife has decided that after 12 years driving mini vans she wants something fun to drive again. We looked at all kinds of cars and the 8 gets her vote. Big part of the decision is the low sales prices on the 2004 with rebate.

We have two red 8's with grand touring package in our area. One has 100 miles on it and one has 965. The higher mileage one makes me nervous in that I know everyone who has test driven it has probably beat the snot out of it with no intentions of actually buying one and walked away. I'm sure it was broken in hard. They are quoting a price of $23,800 complete with all but tax.

The other car is identical, has 100 miles on it, and is very nice. Only problem is when we drove it, it had a funny hiss sound when just cruising along in 6 gear. Sounded like sand on the windshield, like when you follow a semi down the highway. We thought is was the stereo, but turning it off made no difference. It had that kind of staticky sound to it. Any ideas on what this is?

Obviously, I want the 100 mile car if they can fix it. Going for a price tomorrow. If I can get even close to the $23,800, I want the low mileage car. Any advice would be appreciated.

msrecant

IMHO, never buy a car with a known problem that bugs you. There is no way you can be sure that it can ever be fixed. I don't care what the dealer promises.

It sounds like the higher mileage car "feels" like it is in better shape (smooth engine, braking, shifting, clutch, etc), in which case I wouldn't worry it being "broken hard". At 1000 miles, you would have some clues if it truly were abused. Also, you have 48,000 miles or 48 months of very good warranty to cover anything bad and you are getting a great deal.

If you want "pristine" then pay the extra bucks for a new 8 right off the truck.

fredw1

I had concerns buying any car that has any miles on it. Even with 100 miles, there is no guarantee that it hasn't been to redline 100 times. I decided I'd rather pay the extra $$ and get one that only I had driven (or close to it--it had 3.5 miles on it).

Jaguar_MBA

My car had ~900 miles on it when I bought it....I had to have it shipped up from another city. It currently has ~12,000 miles with no issues at all. I would agree that it would be better to get a lower milage car if it has everything that you wanted.

I suggest you check completed auctions on Ebay to see what similiar RX8 cars are selling for. $23.8k sounds pretty good.

By the way, my warranty is 4years or 40,000 miles...not 48,000miles.

czr

iTrader: (3)

Isn't it 4 years or 50k miles?

Peregrine8

Yeah it's 4/50

livelarge

Dealer who has the low mileage car jsut called an confirmed he'll meet the deal of the one with the higher mileage. The buzz sound we heard when driving it turned out to be some tape on the windshield from a sign they had on it. How's that for a high tech fix?

So, we are going with the one with 100 miles on it. I feel much better about the car. It has been sitting inside all this time and is all cleaned up and ready to go. Just one small scratch they agreed to fix and we are set. I am Sh**ing y pants in anticipation of getting this thing. Problem is we go on spring break starting Saturday and I'd almost rather stay home and play with the RX8, but the kids won't agree with that.
:o
I fell like the $23,800 is a good deal. Found out though that this month, dealers are getting a $500 incentive from Mazda on top of the $4000 rebate so it really is nothing out of their pocket. They are going another $200 on top of that. I probably could have gotten an even better deal if I had pushed but the last guy told me it was out of their pocket. Man car dealers can be real slim *****, not all ot them, but most.

msrecant

$23,800 is a great deal. Congrats!

fredw1

Enjoy!

markd

Don't ever believe them when they tell you they're losing money off of you, or that they need to feed their kids or blah blah blah. If they weren't going to make a profit, then they wouldn't sell you the car.

Regardless, that sounds like a pretty damn good deal, my friend! I'd just take it for another quick test run before you sign any papers. Welcome to the Club and, soon, welcome to the Cult!

PS. I did this in another thread, but if you need me to re-post the multiple methods of breaking in your 8 when you get it, I can do so or PM it to you.

livelarge

Would love the break in post, can you show it again here? Otherwise, I'll do a search.

markd

Here you go...

Method #1 (from Mazda manual)
- First 600 miles: Drive at varying speeds road and engine speeds; avoid full throttle, rapid acceleration or kick-down of transmission. Do not use special “break-in” oils.

Method #2 (from Racing Beat)
- For the first 1000 miles (1609km) do not accelerate under full throttle, and do not exceed 4000 RPM.
- For miles 1000-2000 (3218km), expand the RPM upwards - but do not accelerate at full throttle.
- Over 2000 miles (3218km), full throttle and high RPM is acceptable.

Method #3 (Mazda manual + Japanese Rotary Mechanic’s Procedure)
- 0-600 miles (965.4km) Follow the Manual, but keep it under 4000 RPM
- 600-800 miles (1287.2km) Open it up a bit, vary accelerations and speed RPM < 5000
- 800-1000 miles Drive the car, enjoy it but still keep RPM < 6000
- 1000-1250 miles (2011km) Drive it as it's power curve intended it to be RPM < 7000
- 1250-1500 miles (2413.5km) Test the car frequently from RPM 6000-9000 in every gear

Related threads/websites:
Breaking in question, need answer ASAP
Racing Beat’s RX-8 Break-In Procedure
2004 Mazda RX-8 Quick Tips (see page 22/23)