So I almost bought a 2010 Blue R3 with 28k miles... New Engine?
 

Short story, I've been communicating with BMW Dealer serving Edmond, OKC, Midwest City, Norman & Moore, OK | Jackie Cooper BMW about a beautiful 2010 Aurora Blue R3 with 28k miles they had for sale at a reasonable price. We had a verbal agreement but I didn't put a deposit on it.

I was going to fly from PR to OK to do the deal, drive it to Jacksonville, FL and ship it to PR. It took me a couple days to get the shipping company ready and the loan approved and when I was going to get the plane tickets they called me to let me know they sold it to someone else... :'( Good thing I didn't have the airfare yet!

On the flip side, they told me that they took it to Mazda for a checkup before delivering it to the new owner and that Mazda found the engine needed to be replaced under warranty!!!?? I was surprised an S2 with so low miles needed a new engine!

So I'm not sure how to feel, sad or glad that I didn't buy it...

And???

The new engine was free for whoever bought it...

Sucks for you though.

If someone didn't know to put oil in it, they could have easily killed a perfectly good S2 Renny :(

I was looking for a lower mileage R3 but now I'm bummed out and even if I find another one I'm gonna be thinking about what if the engine is bad...

Asking a seller, dealer or private, to do an engine compression check before buying a car is gonna be a hassle.

Asking a dealer to do one isn't a hassle unless they are shady. I mean, they found that one was bad probably because the guy that bought it had them do one.

And better a hassle with the dealer than a bad engine when the car gets to you...

I wouldn't worry about the s2 engine that much. Mines at 70k and still pulls strong. Maintenance is the key. Warm it up, keep it oiled up, be religious about oil changes, let it cool down. Its actually super easy just takes a little more time.

I thought that too and then boom.

Even at that mileage it's possible it could need a new engine if the former owner never topped off oil or only shifted at 4k (although I'm no expert as to whether an apex clog at that mileage is feasible). Redlining and oil topoffs are required for RX8 ownership regardless if S1 or S2. The S2 reliability improvements mainly address engine flooding / start-stop problems.

I've asked several times and there's always push back or they want me to pay for it non-refundable or just say that I can do it after I buy it and take it to warranty if needed...

Another reason I seeked low mileage examples.

I guess they know they can sell it to someone who asks fewer questions (and sell them a warranty at the same time). It's one thing if you walk into a dealership and build a relationship with the seller, its another if you're just a dude from the internet. You gotta go there in person if you want it.

Or take the risk. Anyway, the 8year/100mi warranty applies in the US regardless of ownership. Worst thing that happens is you come back stateside and get it replaced under warranty.

That is unfortunate to hear my friend. Too keep my sanity I like to think that very early engine failures are bad luck rather than high mileage engines being good luck.

Well then you assume luck is more important than engineering. That's unfortunate to hear.