How hard and expensive would it be to get the right side dash 'panel' replaced. Looking at a used 08 and it is creaked. I live in Florida west coast and if I buy it will need a good wrench shop that could do the repair/replace if parts are still available.


Thank you

 

Fixed 2 already with carbon fibre wrap. Mine were way worse than this. I had to strip it down to the foam. For yours, just fill the cracks except the H pattern for the airbag.

 

Carbon fiber?
Isn't that going to interfere with the airbag deploying?

 

Its not real carbon fiber, just a plastic wrap. I made light cuts where the pattern for the air bag is. Cant notice it.

 

Its a part thats still available and easy to replace. The whole job takes about 20 minutes. The airbag assembly has to be transferred to the new cover and the new cover goes back in place of the old one. Poor design and cheap materials associate with the dash cracking but its something we will have to deal with. All of my 8's have a cracked airbag cover. I have an uncracked one waiting to go on in the spring.

 

They are like $300 a piece. I cheaped out but still looks good. The wrap took about an hour after removing the dash piece. Could probably do it faster but it is kinda fiddly.

 

Thank you, had an rx8 back in the day. I am now looking at a used 09 rx8 pewter-ish color, not silver with tan -ish interior. It has the Premium package 2 automatic model, figure will get 16mpg in city on a good day if lucky.

Will just be a 2nd car, not a DD to add enjoyment to when driving around now that I am retired. Had a rx7 back in the day. It had an oversized sunroof you could take off and store in the back hatch. Darn the good old days

I don't want to spend over $11,000 and have a few other cars under consideration as well.

• 2009 mx PRHT - fun to drive, tight fit, zero space to carry stuff inside save for small trunk.
• 2012 VW EOS - that ‘transformer’ drop top can have leak and noise issues when driving I have read
• 2007 bmw Mini Cooper S convertible ‘sidewalk’ edition with brown leather that looked nice though seller never replied.

If still for sale at end of year will consider one of these unless something else shows up on the radar. It is hot in Florida more then not so a drop top ride would only be good for certain times of the day if I do not get an rx8.

 

Is it worth saving the money and getting a prior 2009 rx8 model? I know the engine was changed for 09 models and since I am looking for an automatic, most likely, figure I can use all the hp the engine comes with.

 

The S2 had some reliability improvements but to be honest its still a rotary and vulnerable to engine issues. The big improvement was the extra OMP port for better lubrication to the middle of the apex seal. A lot of these improvements can be matched in a series 1 simply by premixing the fuel.

If you have a larger budget, the series 2 is very nice, but you get more savings buying a series 1. You can also likely find a near perfect series 1 with a near perfect engine for $7500 - $8000. Series 1 parts are also easier to come by as they didn't make as many series 2. For me, its not worth the premium. Stick to later model 6 speed autos 2006 - 2008 as they added the 6 port auto for those model year cars. The 2003-2005 are 4 port 4 speed automatics with about 20 less HP than the 6 port auto.

 

Thanks for that information. I need to decide to drive out of State with a friend going out of town to see a used 2009 for sale. Possible the used car dealer will be by a Mazda dealer and if so will need to see if they allow the car to be taken there for a cylinder/ports compression check. I don’t know, sort of wondering, since the rotary is now a dead engine brand if it is wise now days to consider purchasing one after all these years. Love the look and could live with the mpg just worried about the engine over time even though one I am looking at has less then 70k miles on it.

 

It may not be a mass produced engine anymore but its far from a dead brand and dead engine. There is still a ton of aftermarket support for rotary engines and a ton of loyal enthusiasts. Nothing would ever sway me away from rotaries. I've owned them since 1999 and have never not had more than one in my fleet.

Having a proper compression test done on the engine is a must before purchasing an RX-8. This will tell you were the engine stands health-wise and negotiations can be made with the seller based on that information. Also, the Mazda dealer can give you a printout of the warranty information and you will know when and if the engine has been replaced under warranty at a dealer.

 

The engine is actually the easiest thing to find. Rebuilders can get engines back to you, all it costs is money. The real issue is that other parts of the car are a bit tricky to find if they go out and need to be replaced. Also, parts for the series 2 are really expensive due to the rarity as only about 17,000 were produced globally I believe. If you are worried about cost, a late model series 1 is cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, easier to find, and are easier to maintain over long periods of time than a series 2 is.

 

Hum...so this sweet looking color combo 2009 that I am eyeing might not be the 'better' year to get in the long one cost wise maybe. Darn, really was liking that Diamond Gray Metallic (gray) and Dune Beige interior color. Mazda dealer up there wants to change $145 for compression check and $145 for an inspection should the used car place let me take it there to be checked out. Guess I will go look for some 06-08 models since I don't have to decide until first week of January on the road trip up north.
Thanks for the info everyone