I just test drove an RX-8 yesterday and immediately fell in love (I'd heard that rotarys were smooth, but man, I was impressed). I'm going to have the car checked out by a rotary shop nearby (compression test, etc...). I haven't been looking at RX-8's much, so any advice/opinions would be welcome the car is as follows

-06
-30,xxx miles
-rebuild/salvage texas title
-horrible hail damage (hood, roof, and trunk would have to be replaced to make it look decent)
- right side fender dent
- cracked rear bumper (it's been repaired with zip ties and it's not going anywhere but it's ugly
-owner is a smoker, although he assures me that since he doesn't smoke tobaco, the smell will go away : )
-has enkei rims (they are nice, tires are ok - kumho extas)
-slotted and drilled brake rotors (almost new, with race pads)
-BC Racing coilovers
-drivers side curtain airbags have been deployed (owner says it happened when he was drifting).
-Current owner says he bought it with 26k miles, and drove it for a while. Now he needs money to move out of the house.

Asking price is $7500, but I'm counting on a lot of wiggle room in that price. I'll have cash, and I'm looking at trying to get the car for $5500 or $6000. It's ugly as can be, but drives great, and seems to be mechanically sound. Provided the rotoray shop confirms that the engine is good and the body is straight, what do you think? I figure with the low miles, it's a good fixer upper/poor mans fast car.

Any advice would be welcome, I'm not mechanically inept by any means (I'm a physicist/engineer) but I'm a complete noob when it comes to RX-8s. Any wisdom/advice would be appreciated.

 

Without a couple of photos, it's difficult to tell. If it were me, I would not even consider it, there are plenty of 04's out there that look nice and have decent engines. If you looking to spend money to fix one up then buy one with a straight body and put the money into the engine. If I just had to buy that car, I probably would go anywhere above 3k, but that's just me. I am willing to bet the insurance company totaled the car due to hail damage (be sure and ask if the title is clear) or he did not have comprehensive on it, and that's why it looks the way it does. We always tell people to get a compression test, and this purchase would be no different, but I just have a hard time shelling out money for a car that's already sounds like a POS. My advice is find another car.

 

I'm pretty much sure I'll walk away if there's any frame damage. My hope is that the frame is straight and the engine is good. I do know it was totalled due to hail damage. Apparently, the car wasn't considered totalled until it was brought to Texas (we have different standards for rebuild/total here I guess).

 

I love my '04 but the reality is that RX8 resale values are tragic. I wouldn't pay $7500 for one that has been wrecked, has a zip tied bumper and wreeks of smoke. There are just to many nice undamaged ones out there for the same price.

 

Yeah, the more I think about, the more I think I'm not interested unless I can get it for a very low price, at $3500 or even $4000, it's a possibility, especially if the engine is great and the frame is straight, but if there's any frame damage, I'm not interested.

 

Those are bad signs, but it could be fixed. If your budget is limited and if you could get it very cheap, then its up to you. Make sure you get a compression test on the engine, and find out if there is frame damage. If its me, this car is a no no...

 

run away too many bad signals dude

 

Well, the mechanic's report on the car was good (I had a local rotary shop do a presale check). They said the compression numbers were great (didn't actually look at them, but I wouldn't really know how to interpret them anyway). Body is straight, suspension is good. Only thing they recomended was that the coilovers be adjusted slightly, and that I replace the spark plugs, ignition wires, and coils.

 

any final thoughts? The guy said he couldn't do less than $6k. My feeling is that's too much. It doesn't have a warranty because of the rebuild/salvage title. On the other hand, it does only have 30k miles on it and thats pretty tempting.

 

I would call your insurance up first too, i wonder if having a salvage title would affect rates or come in under special terms? In my book just having that alone means its a dead man walking and i'd be shunned by my family for buying it. The fact it is also still heavily damaged is concerning.

Also don't take the shops word 100%. They might not have noticed everything. The bumper being held on with zip ties is a big red flag too. Did the seller explain it in a way that you're not concerned? Usually the reasons bumpers get busted is because of an accident and the hail might be a convenient excuse to avoid the bigger questions.

For an 06 with 30k miles 6k seems decent, but if you ever wanted to fix the hail damage your probably looking at another 6k in body repair. It seems this guy thinks he can sell a screwed up car at full market price. The others are right it should be fairly easy to find another car in great condition for these kind of numbers, especially if you go down a year or two.

 

My thoughts are the same. If you pay 6k for a salvaged vehicle that's resale value already depreciates like a rock, then your nuts...IMO. Not to mention the insurance company will not pay much if anything in the event of "another" total loss or heavy damage. Good luck.

 

I'm new in the Form and got a kick out of seeing this Discussion, I bought my RX with Hail Damage and have driven it for the past 3 years. It's a great car and I don't have to sorry about Parking Lot Door Dings. Still has great paint and is not a Salvage Title. You don't see the Hail Damage till your right on it, I call it my PGA special

 

That being the Major difference.

 

Yes, agreed, I didn't buy my car for resale, but as a good run around car to replace my BMW Z4, and it is. The only problem I found after 20,000 miles of driving it, was that in this model the Seat angle has taken it's toll on my back, considering I'm 65 and the back hasn't been good. So now I'm going through the dilemma of trying to sell it, NO FUN!

 

Not sure what the used 8 prices are like elsewhere, but even here in Canada it is possible to find an undamaged one for that amount, so I would suggest you look around for a much nicer one.