Thinking about buying an '04 AT - Questions
 

I bought a brand new Red '07 manual trans Sport model w/performance package just over a year ago and had to sell it recently (complicated story). Now my wife and I must buy a 2nd car again and I came across a Yellow '04 AT w/black leather interior. Gorgeous condition inside and out w/only 29K miles, and I've always liked yellow (used to have a yellow '91 MR2 that I still have fond memories of). I have mixed feelings about the automatic transmission. The manual is definitely more fun, but I guess I'm getting old (was already lazy), so I must admit that I kind of like the idea of being able to use my cell phone or have a drink more easily, plus stop & go traffic would be less of a pain.

Two things that concern me:

1) Winter/snow. Just moved back to CT and it's been really cold. I've read here that with a set of Blizzaks, the RX-8 should do OK in some snow. Looking for more confirmation on this.

2) The car I test drove vibrated like crazy when idling at a traffic light. I felt like I was in a massage chair. I've read here that this might be engine mounts. If I were to buy, I'd push back on the dealer to commit to fixing this, but should I be worried?

3) Despite the pristine condition and low miles, is there any reason why I should be wary of buying an '04 AT?

Thanks!

In response to question 2.

When my motor was going I had the same bad vibration even after the engine mounts were replaced. I would have the dealer replace them first, and then test drive it. Also, while the A/T is more comfortable you may get to a point where you miss the real shifting.

One thing that I have read constantly on this forum is how the rotary loves to rev and how essential to it's lifespan the revving is. You lose a little bit of that with an A/T.

You do have the 100k engine warranty so that helps. How long do you have on full warranty? My 04 is out in February, and I'm pretty uncomfortable.

You'll be fine out here with the Blizzaks in the winter....the 04 AT's have the 4-port engine though, so not as much power as the newer AT's. Definitely have the dealer fix the vibration & do all recalls/flashes before you buy it though

If you could live without yellow, I would look for an 06+ AT. 6 Port engine and less problems from what Ive heard. Just a suggestion.

I always think "Hey, this isn't so bad!" for about the first hour of driving automatic...Then I get really tired of it and driving suddenly becomes a chore. I really think you'll miss the MT, definitely try not to settle.

edit: didn't realize you already owned one, whoops.

Id recommend looking for an 04 MT in lightning yellow, or an 06+ AT. I think after being an MT owner, you will miss the performance if not immediately, then eventually.

the vibration is a motor mount issue. I just had mine fixed under Mazda's 65k drivetrain warranty. The tech said it would not be covered under the 100k extension. After parts and labor, it was almost a $1200 job, so make sure it will be covered under a warranty!

I love my 04 AT, but I've been an auto driver since I started driving. I know how to drive a stick, but see it a MT as something more for a weekend toy than a daily driver. The AT isn't fast, but I'm happy with it. I also haven't driven a MT rx8, so keep that in mind

Thats why you love your AT so much ;)

Its not necessarily a motor mount issue. Just have them replaced before buying, and see if that fixes it.

yeah I personally would look for MT also and DEF try to find on in yellow You know you want to b part of the Lighntning yellow group!!!!! We are the most popular color......hahahahahahaha

2004 automatics have a really low re-sale value regardless of miles or condition. How much are they asking for it?

I don't think anything makes cell phone usage less dangerous. But as far as eating while driving... You're usually not going to take a sip or a bite while in the middle of something significant like going through a tight corner or passing on a two lane road. I've never had a problem eating while driving a manual.

Anyway, once you've mastered heel-toe, it's not a big deal to master heel-toe-knee for those moments when one hand is on the shifer and one is holding the Big Mac.

Ken

1) RX-8 does fine in the snow with snow tires, plenty of threads here about that.

2) Take it into the dealership and have them check everything out, it'll be worth it to see how much they quote you on replacing anything they find to be bad / it'll be worth it to have them determine what all warrantied recall work they can do to it.

3) '04 AT are 4 port, as someone above pointed out. The 4 port are better for going turbo, if that's something in the back of your mind. I have an '04 AT and I love it, I'm actually having Black Halo Racing (Charles R. Hill and Easy1 on this forum) install a turbo, many many upgraded components, strut bars, and some other things here shortly. No, it's currently not as fast as a MT. But it will be able to spank the pants off any N/A MT out there once I'm done :) So if you want a car that you have plenty of room to upgrade, want to save a few thousand dollars, other luxuries the AT offers - the '04 is fine. But if you are REALLY concerned about power / don't want to be ridiculed for having an AT sportscar, get the MT :)

One other advantage to the AT is the ability to take off in 2nd. gear; pretty handy in the snow!

I'm sure you mean the MT.

you can do it in the AT, and I would assume the MT as well.

The RX-8 is awesome like that, AT and MT let you take off in 2nd!! Sweetness. Another reason to just get an RX-8 !! lol

No, I meant AT, still have to do a lot of clutch slipping with the MT.

yea i can take off fine any time in second with my AT

lol, well my MT can take off in 3rd :lol:

Have you tried that in the snow yet?

Thanks for the all of the advice. At this point we're actually bouncing between an RX-8 (for me) and a CX-7 (for my wife, with me taking her old Lexus RX300 for now and trading that in for something in the Spring).

FWIW, the AT RX-8 I started this thread about has 29K miles and they're selling it for $15K. As I mentioned, it's in gorgeous condition, inside and out, but the vibrations I experienced concerned me.

I also came across a Yellow MT RX-8, also for $15K, which has 37K miles. It's also a one-owner car w/leather interior (and navigation system, unlike the AT), but I haven't seen it first-hand so I can't comment on the condition (but the one-owner status and relatively low miles might bode well).

don't stick yourself in a headache of an 04-05 AT rx8.. 06+ maybe.

i would run far away from that vibrating AT.

way way WAY overpriced!! You should be able to find a <$12,000 04 AT with <40K miles EASY. Have you looked at rx8s on this forum, theres members here selling them!

You could get a GT MT for those prices! Remember, a nice shiny detail doesnt mean the cars worth more money.

Nope, my car sits nice and pretty in a garage from November to February :aroused:

I second that scott, waaaay over priced. Don't pay what I paid! ahahaha. Nah but mine had 20k miles when I bought it and I was stupid and paid 17k for it =(.

considering the OP has 07 VR sport MT under his name i think we steered him in the right direction!

No, the '07 VR MT is what I *had*. It's sort of a complicated story, but the short version is that I bought it around August-September of '07, had it for a year, and then we decided to move back to CT. I was uncertain of my job situation, so I decided to sell it to free myself from the loan while we underwent the scrutiny of going through the mortgage approval process. Plus, since we were moving to CT, I figured it might not be the best car to have in New England. So I sold it to CarSense (in PA) for $18.5K (I originally paid about $24K for it new).

Then, as it turned out, I ended up staying with my current employer (working remotely from CT), and I'm sort of missing it.

I'm not interested in buying one new again now, though, which is why I'm looking around at used cars. I'd probably want to avoid Velocity Red, since it would seem like I was downgrading to an older version of my previous RX-8. By changing colors (and getting one with leather), it would seem different and, in some ways, better than my '07.

On the way into work today, I saw a mid-'90's Nissan 300ZX, which also got me to thinking about looking into getting a used one of those (2+2, as I need something with backseats). I guess it's the economy, but I'm finding myself looking for good bang for the buck (sub $15,000), even though both my wife and I are still gainfully employed.

Anyways, I'll search the forums here to see if anyone's selling an RX-8 in the CT area for a good price, but the prices I mentioned are pretty standard for what I'm seeing on cars.com.

just fyi, i think i know that yellow one you're talking about. it's on ebay now for 13k. did you check that one out in person yet? looks nice...

REsuperD, you are right! Thanks for pointing that out. Now I know that I can get it for at least as low as $13K. Hmm. I'd still want to drive out there and see it in person first.

Decisions, decisions. Do I go with the practical choice of an AWD SUV or an RX-8?

So I've seen a few comments here advising of problems with the '04-05 AT RX-8's. Is an '04 MT RX-8 considered to be a good choice, or is '04 in general more trouble than it's worth?

04 MT is good as long as it was maintained. People will argue that 04's had the most problems, but I disagree. There's a bunch of 04 MT's on this forum with WELL OVER 100K. Expo made it to 11X,XXX before rebuilding and he didnt even need it :) , theres another guy with 160,XXX on engine #1. Search 100,000 mile rx8s and read the success stories and how these owners kept their car healthy.

Im personally at 71,8XX on my 04 with no real engine problems.

Everything that I have seen is that 04 of either MT or AT is more likely to have issues than any other year, and AT of 04-05 is more likely to have issues than MT of the same years. It doesn't mean that 04 AT is automatically junk, but the history of the car, how it was owned, driven, and taken care of, including what reflashes, recalls, etc... matters quite a bit more. Mainly due to the 4 port AT for 04-05, and the large number of flash changes through 04 and 05. Things settled down quite a bit for 06+.

If you can't get that kind of history information, then you are making a much safer bet going with 06+ AT or 05+ MT.

And asking if you should get another 8 on here is like asking if we agree that air is a handy thing to be breathing. :)

THough you could go my route, and get both. As soon as I can, I'm trading my wife's Mazda5 in for a CX-7 for dealing with winter.

Meh. The Yellow '04 MT GT got sold yesterday, so it looks like I missed out on that deal. I'm not seeing a lot of other great bargains near me on cars.com. :(

be patient, good deals are worth waiting for. Dont hop on the next one that comes available just bc youre eager, make sure you take the time to inspect and look it over as well as extensively drive it. Youre an ex-8 owner so you know what to look for.

Thanks for all of the help everyone. As it turns out, we bought a used CX-7 today (taking possession on Wednesday). My wife will drive that and I'll drive our '99 Lexus RX300 for a while. Right now, my the two cars on the top of my list are the RX-8 and the Mini Cooper convertible, so perhaps I'll be back in the RX-8 club in the not-too-distant future.

AT=no. Yellow=no.