Howdy everyone.

Once again, I finally feel I have couple of good choices to choose from for my RX-8. Below are the links to the Carmax listings for the cars. Of course I'll be getting a compression test done (at my own expense if needed) as well as checking for abuse etc. From the little information provided by Carmax and what you can see, would anyone like to share some advice?

2007 Mazda RX-8 Touring in Miami, FL- 8781732 at carmax.com

2006 Mazda RX-8 in Norcross, GA- 8837816 at carmax.com

2005 Mazda RX-8 in Tampa, FL- 8367332 at carmax.com


For your information, my budget is about $19k and I've got to buy it from a dealer for my bank to approve it (or I would have already bought Chris' RX-8). So if you don't feel these are good choices and would like to suggest one of your own, please keep in mind my budget, my location (Jacksonville, Fl and I'd like not to have to travel over 150 miles to get the car) and the fact that I'm quite n00bish, even though I read the bloody RX8 - FAQ for New Owners every day, along with the New and Potential Owners START HERE! and others.

Thanks for your help. I'm thankful for your collective knowledge, the fact that you (hopefully) won't flame me for my n00bness. I look forward to becoming a true member of the RX-8 Community.

 

If you buy at carmax you can expect horribly inflated "no haggle" prices. Look around at other places and I bet you can find a much better price. The Carmax near me wouldn't even let me take a car to my own mechanic to be checked out, they said they had already checked it out themselves and it was in great condition.

If you see cars offered with an Autocheck report you should get a Carfax on them as well. There are many instances where Carfax has records/accidents that Autocheck does not list.

 

True that. Well, I was also looking at this as well (as I really wanted a 40th Anniv)

Used Mazda RX-8 4dr Cpe Man 40th Anniversary 2008 in Jacksonville FL

 

Here's another 40th for sale I saw driving by this dealer recently...
2008 Mazda RX-8 - Used Car Tampa FL | Cars Unlimited
Lower Price, Less Mileage

And I agree, I wouldn't buy from Carmax

 

Nice, thanks bro. Probably won't if the consensus is that they overcharge and I wasn't too thrilled about having to talk them into letting me do the compression test (the sales agent already told me that he'd have to work on getting approval for that). I'll ring that dealership up in the morning. Any other suggestions, please keep em coming!

 

I never bought any car from Carmax, but I heard from others that they are a reputable dealers. I'm not trying to defend Carmax, but I think they have some descent price vehicles, compare to some other dealerships out there.

 

Howdy all. Picked out an 04 Red with sunroof and pop up nav, 58k miles. They put it on the truck today... Will post pictures as soon as she arrives!!

 

Congrats, Hope you got a good deal on it and had them do a compression test before purchase

 

If I remember correctly Carmax has a 5 day grace period where you can change your mind no questions asked.

Its an 04. USE THE 5 DAY GRACE PERIOD TO HAVE THE COMPRESSION CHECKED ASAP!!!

Do it on the first day. Go straight from Carmax to the Mazda dealer and have it checked. If their ### point inspection includes a compression test (I doubt it does) They probably don't know how to do it right. Have it double checked just for your own piece of mind.

 

The odds of Carmax having a rotary compression tester are even slimmer than the odds that they might know one is important....

 

The 5 day grace period is great, I test drove a 09 R3 550 miles. It was also useful when it came to negotiating with the Mazda dealer for my 2011 R3.

 

You guys are great. The salesman and I spoke about that and that is the plan. Pick up the car, go to Mazda and get test, and then drive home or drive it back depending on results.

Am I getting a good deal? Good enough for me. Honestly, I've been working the numbers for this for the better part of 6 months and I'm happy to say that the car payment won't inconvienence me and I'll also be able to keep adding to my $5k engine rebuild fund. (one of the threads said this was a good idea to have as a just-in-case and even more for older models such as the '04).

I'm just ready to go!

 

Yup, engine replacement/rebuild fund is always good to have.

If the engine fails, don't forget the option of seeing if Carmax would have it replaced. They may prefer to have a sale and charge some internal insurance account with the repair than cancel the sale and take loss over time looking for a buyer. You might get the 8 you want with a fresh engine to boot.

Or if the engine passes, but is weak, see if you can get them to throw in a warranty on it for a period of time.

 

How much is it? Mileage, other info?