Hey Guys,

I posted this on the rx8 club, but the guys here are much more technical and all my friends are here, so here it goes.. (plus it would probably result in me selling one of my two FBs so it's "1st Gen Related" hehe )

Anyway, I was hanging out with a friend tonight and he suggested "Hey, let's go test drive a car, I've been thinking of getting a Mazda6". So we went to the dealership to do some test drives. They didn't have any standard V6 lease return Mazda6s so we were about to walk off the lot when I walked by something that caught my eye.

It was a red Rx8 with an unbelievably low price tag. An affordable one.

A 2004 Rx8 6spd
100,000km (62,000mi)
$12,995CDN

I couldn't believe it. I took it for a test drive and it drove fine but I'm going back on Saturday to see it in the light and get the answer to some questions I asked about the car's history, recall reports, etc...


So what do you guys think? I know with FBs high mileage doesn't scare me. There's nothing on an FB I can't tackle myself with a 100pc generic metric toolset, a jack, some stands and some liquid wrench. I'm guessing the 8 isn't as easy to work on, but I'm going to have a look around to see if I can find a FAQ or whatever for things to look out for.

So what are your opinions?

Jon

 

Oh and I actually found the car's autotrader ad for those who are interested in seeing it

http://www.trader.ca/powerpage/detai...8&adid=7372543

Jon

 

61K doesn't seem that bad for a 04..but watch out...i've heard of a lot of 8's 13b being shot cuz the PO did not warm up properly and also beat the Sh*t out of it..so it could be upon a rebuild..cuz..they dont actually know what they have or how it works..the just drive it like any other piston car..but i know you would take care of the car...

 

ask for a compression test on the car and make sure all of the recalls have been performed, then see if they offer an extended warranty (since it's a stealership). That sounds like a good deal if everything checks out. g'luck

 

I'm going back on Saturday. I've asked the guy to have the car checked for recalls (which ones exist for the car and which have been done) before I get there on Sat, as well as about an extended warranty. They said a 3yr warranty would be $2-3k, and I'd definitely be taking it if I buy the car. That way if it's on the edge of needing a rebuild, they'll swap in a crate engine renesis under warranty.

I asked for a compression test, he said that comes with the 100point inspection if I decide to buy the car. I told him that it's one of the things that will influence my decision, so we'll see what happens. If I can get it in writing that I can return the car within a week or two and not have to pay anything for that privelege, then yeah I'll get the 100pt inspection and even take it to another garage for a second opinion.

So Saturday will be the deciding factor. If all the recalls have been done and the compression checks out, then I probably will.

A funny side note. I laughed when I found a bottle of 2-stroke in the trunk... lol

Jon

 

lol, a bottle of 2-stroke, maybe the PO was a true rotorhead . Good luck with the decision this weekend, i've heard that 8's are pretty fun on the track (even tho they are underpowered)

 

Actually, that price range is not THAT uncommon for used 04-05's. I own an 04 MT RX-8. If u get serious about getting it, be sure to get/do following...
1) Be sure to get compression checked prior to purchase. Get the print out, not just their "word". Mazda service are shady *******.
2) Dont care what the salesman says, at some point make ur shift points at least 8k rpm during test drive(s) (in safe environment of course), this ensures the gears/synchros arent worn and tranny is good. Request a route that includes an on-ramp to highway.
3)Get as accurate vehicle history u can. As well as prior owner info. Find out what (if any) dealer warranty/maintenance work has been performed on it.

And of course do your own inspection of everything else. The engine core is already covered to 100K miles (just be sure to keep oil/oil filter reciepts and any other maintenance related reciepts in case warranty work (if ever needed)requires proof) I LOVE my 8 and it has treated me very well for past 2 yrs with very little issues. Bought mine with 38K and it now is at 56K.
RX8club is VERY good site with ALOT of knowledgeable fellas. There are a million threads on there of "what to look for when buying used RX-8" (be sure to read these prior to purchase, they can save u alot of grief) so ur thread may be met with little enthusiasm. Those guys are notorious for being hard on new guys so use the search button often before asking questions that have been covered a million times before (im sure you know that though). Feel free ask me any questions re: the car. I can honestly tell you that even after 2 yrs i get the same exact, exhilerating feeling i got the first day i drove my 8, every single time i drive it. Has turned me into a f*ckin rotorholic

Shameless pic of my other baby....

 

I love RX-8s. Excellent cars. If I ever decide to upgrade to something newer, it'll quite likely be an 8. With a turbo kit.

 

lol, thats a good sign! Average everyday shmoe wouldnt know **** about premix.

 

An RX-8 would be excellent. I test drove an 07 with 8500 miles on it and loved how smooth it was and how firm but comfortable everything was. Just please do us a favor and ditch the gay shift **** and put the original back on!

 

What month of 04? A lot of 8's at that time were underrated HP that the factory stated and Mazda issued $500 gift cards to people with such and such VIN numbers and below.

 

That 100-pt inspection is usually done by the dealer before they accept the car. It's downright weird that they're telling you that they don't do it until after you buy it - - makes no sense that they didn't didn't test it before buying it themselves, or before setting a price.

If you decide to go for it, see if you can get them to throw in an official FSM to sweeten the deal. I forgot to do that when buying my 350Z and found out later that Nissan wanted $400 for the (1400-page!) manual set. Took me a while to score a digital copy at a reasonable price. Aftermarket manuals for newer cars are virtually non-existant, and very glossary when they do exist.

Good luck. I was teetering on buying an -8, but they hadn't quite come out yet when I bought my '03 Z, & I needed the car.

 

if you like the FB the rx8 should really float your boat. except better.

the 8 is fun in the same way as the FB, plus its quieter, rides and handles better, its got a better stereo, and looks like a new M3 (so its cool)

the rx8 is actually easier to work on than the FB, mileage is about the same, i average 18-20 in an 8.

i think power is fine in the 8, it doesn't put you in the seat like a turbo car does, but i look down a lot and the speedo is over 100mph. plus if there are turns, the gearing is really nice.

the suspension is really excellent, it rides nicely, and handles really well too, WITHOUT having any bad habits.

the rear seats actually fit people, but (and this is the major flaw in the design) if they puke in the back, theres no window.

if you are looking at the 04-06 cars, you wanna make sure it got all the updates and warranties and stuff like that. there are a bunch of ecu reflashes, a new starter etc.

as you can tell once i find a job, the rx8 is the next DD for me

since its a newer car, you might want to make sure its still got at least the factory powertrain warranty still on it

 

So I spoke to my dad this morning (I pass a lot of stuff by him. He's an awesome guy and I trust his opinion). His reaction was very good, he basically told me to get the car if I can afford it.

I went down to the bank at lunch and talked to the lady there. We've applied for a loan that would pay off my visa and my overdraft and buy me the car along with the extended warranty. She said my prospects looked good. The interest rate is a little high but it's lower than my visa and in the end I will pay less in interest because it's a 4yr loan instead of a 5yr one that the dealership was going to give me.

That, and I can pay into it any extra that I want. The downside (might be downside) is that my rate is tied to prime, so if prime goes up so does my payment, but we already know prime is set to drop another quarter or half point in December anyway, so this might not be a bad thing... I doubt prime will be coming back up for at least a year or two, which gives me time.

I called the insurance company.. the funniest thing is that if I got the same kind of coverage my rx7 has (only liability) the insurance for the rx8 is actually $5/mo cheaper. Don't ask me how. Aparently they think my rx7 is at more risk of causing bodily damage to a person who would sue than the rx8 would be!

Depending on cash flow and whatnot I might opt for more coverage. Full coverage including collision, comprehensive and liability would come up to $150/month, whereas liability only is like $40/month.

We should know if I get approved by tonight. With any luck, we'll be good.

And I've already made sure my login still works on rx8club.com so I'm set there too, lol.

Jon

 

If you are getting a bank loan , you will have to get full coverage , The bank owns the car with you , and they will demand their asset is insured .

Hope you get it ... I have test driven several 8's and love them . I even like ( cough cough ) the 2006 AT models . Those paddle shifters are a laugh.

 

8s are alot better than people give them credit for. Just don't sell all your FB connections!

 

They consider the RX-8 a 4 door sedan, that's why the insurance is cheaper. RX-8 is a great car, I chose the Mazdaspeed 3 for my DD instead because of better gas mileage and space

 

Don't worry, only one of my two FBs is going. I wouldn't sell the other one no matter what. It's been in the family for years and I've but too much time, money, effort, blood, sweat and tears into that car to get rid of it.

Jon

 

If you decide to purchase their warranty, be very carefull to read the fine print. My brother in law paid a high price for a used car because it included a "bumper to bumper" warranty in which (they said) absolutely everything was covered. After the purchase he found out the hard way that it covered nothing at all and now the car doesn't even run and he's got another 4 years of payments. Don't trust them an inch.

That bit about refusing to perform the inspection until after you buy the car sounds like pure bullshit, and would probably be enough to make me walk away from the deal.

Good luck...

 

I hear ya.

FWIW, this dealership actually has a very good reputation in the region and has long been the only place I go when I need mazda-only parts. The sales dude was a newbie and it showed, but I kind of liked that because there was no pressure on me. With the thousand questions I asked him the pressure was clearly on him the entire time. Then when I called Joe at RPM with the sales guy sitting right there I could see him sweat, lol.

I'll be asking about the compression test and the 8yr/100,000mi engine warranty that I read about today. We didn't get into an extensive discussion about warranties when I was there, at one point he just said "It's over 100,000km so it's out of its factory warranty" which is true for the rest of the powertrain, and more than true for the rest of the factory coverage. He might not even have known about the extension that Mazda gave for all the Rx8 engines back in June.

Even if it has the engine warranty from the factory for another 40,000mi I'll still get the extended warranty. I've got a friend who bought an '01 Protogé two or three years ago who got the extended warranty. Good thing too, since he's feeling pretty thankful after the warranty covered a broken fork in the transmission, a blown alt, two broken swaybar end links and some other small stuff, as well as payment for the rental car he used while it was in the shop!

Jon

 

+1
the early 8's had omp issues among others so make sure the motor is covered..

 

Lots of sub $13K "buy now" 2004 rx-8's on e-bay. Lots of 4 y o cars lose +50% of their value. Any 4 y o car that isn't a POS is going to drive smoother, handle better , and have more hp than your +20 y o car.

But there few 4 y o cars that the dealership replaces the engine as frequently as the rx-8.

http://forums.automotive.com/70/6210...lem/index.html

So get yourself a long pole, and don't touch the rx-8 with it!! And if I were you, I would jerk the dealership around so more just for the fun of it.

 

With a factory-supported 8yr, 100,000mi engine warranty, even if that was true it wouldn't matter. I'd get a new engine if it blew and if they really were going through that many engines they would a) find and fix the problem that's blowing them and b) wouldn't have extended the 8yr 100k mi warranty to all the rx8s back to 2004....

And keep in mind "sub 13k on ebay" doesn't mean sub-13k for me. I'm talking $13,000 CANADIAN dollars, for a car that's not imported from the states. When talking to folks up here the general consensus is that sure you can "Buy it Now" for $11k USD, but then you have to go through all the hassle of importing it, and with one dollar Canadian being worth $0.80USD it would have to be sub-$10k just to be equal dollar-for-dollar on purchase, not to even get into the importing part of it that would add another grand or two at the least and leave me without the option of a dealership extended warranty...

Jon

 

My FB handles better than my Mazdaspeed 3.

 

Great Idea - Good Luck. Personally, I would go with an 05+