Hello, RX-8 Club.

New member here and I've been the proud owner of a Nordic Green 2004 6 Speed RX-8 for over 4 months now. It's not the prettiest example on the road, but $2000 for one that runs and drives is a steal. Interior is in nice shape, the unibody is completely solid, the clutch feels good, transmission feels good, can't really complain to be honest.

Picture of the car before I bought it.

I bought it when it had 91,613 miles on the Odometer and I have already put nearly 2000 miles on it already from pushing it to 9000RPM nearly every day. Before buying it I performed a compression test and it averaged 115 PSI in both rotors, but this was done with a conventional tester so the numbers are likely inaccurate. One of these days I would like to get around to buying a rotary specific tester to get more accurate data regarding the engine's health. Aside from that it's been a strong runner and it brings me immense joy driving it. So far I have
- Replaced the Spark Plugs, Spark Plug Wires and dumped in fresh 10W-30 conventional oil the day after buying it
- Installed Performance Ignition Coils by Black Halo Racing
- Deleted the Air Pump
- Deleted the Catalytic Converter
- Replaced the CAT with a straight through Muffler
- Installed an eBay grade Exhaust Manifold, a custom 2.5 inch midpipe, and an eBay grade dual exit Muffler
- Replaced the cheap aftermarket shift **** with one that used to be in my Dad's BMW
- Replaced the old battery terminals
- Cleaned up the battery ground
- Flushed out the coolant
- Replaced the water pump
- Replaced the rear shock absorbers
- Sourced an OEM Cassette Tape Player from the junkyard
The only real issues I have is that the ABS Unit working whenever it feels like it, the cruise control no longer works and the steering feels stiff when turning left. Eventually I would like to have it repainted, give it a nice set of rims, a Re Amemiya Super Intake Box, replace the radiator hoses with a silicone hose set, upgrade the radiator, give it a tune, an instrument panel, and a Series 2 Starter Motor. My long term goal with this car is really to keep it as long as possible, and so far it's been good to me. Right now my next maintenance check is replacing the worn out tires and changing the differential fluid. I'm well aware of the challenges that come with keeping the Renesis a healthy runner and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep this survivor on the road.

Picture of the manual with the VIN and original purchase date written on the cover.

 

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new RX-8!! Your car looks great and seems to be in great shape as well! It seems as though you are doing great things with the car and have a solid plan moving forward! Glad to see another fellow Nordic Green owner!

Nordic Green is my favorite color on the RX-8 and I currently own two RX-8's in Nordic Green. Both have the identical interior color and are GT trim levels. Here are a couple of pictures:

This one is pretty clean and I've had it since 2022. Its been a restoration project and a car that I want to hang onto. The car was rough when it arrived:





A new engine and a ton of work and it was once again complete:













This one, I got in a trade deal in 2017. Its really rusty unfortunately and it needs a lot of work:



I also have a Brilliant Black 04 6spd. I drive the car often in the summer and I've had it since 2015:

 

Thank you for the warm welcome. I couldn't have been happier with my purchase because the RX-8 is the most fun and comfortable car I've ever gotten behind the wheel of. Whoever owned my car before me definitely looked after it and I intend to give it the same care and attention as the previous owner. The idea of an engine rebuild doesn't scare me since that means I get to learn more about this mechanical marvel of combustion engine technology, and because it's simpler than a VW Flat 4. I'm looking forward to the future of my Nordic Green GT and will use this forum for any help with maintenance.