God it's been forever since I've been on here but I figured it would be the right place to go to get a few questions answered. My focus has finally done what all late model fords do... go out on me. It will cost around 1,200 to have the tranny fixed and I'd rather not milk a dead cow at this point.

I'm looking at a 04 rx8 with 69k mikes and they're asking around 10-11k for it. I just need to know what to ask and what to check before making the buy. I hear the engine starts going at 70,000 but I don't know what to take from that. Any help will be appreciated!

 

It all depends on what you want. The renisis engine that comes with the rx8 is extremely restricted as far as performance goes. Simple old turbo 13b engines are way more powerful and capable than the rx8 engines... Rx8 performance compared to rx7 performance is hardly comparable...

 

What? looks like you're comparing na renesis engines to turbo'd rx-7 engines.

The renesis is THE most powerful, non turbo, rotary engine to ever exist in stock form. It's a 1.3L, which makes 238bhp, when mated to the manual trans. I think auto is 197.

BUT there's some flaws with it that exist-- The coolant passage casting is thin & breaks, requiring an engine swap under warranty (this was really prevalent w/ the autos).

If I got one, I"d pre-mix it, as the stock OMP tries to be "conservative" w/ oil consumption. I'm sure you could EASILY get 150K out of one if you maintained it right.

 

I would do a little research to see how much these cars go for then make an offer. IMHO 10 to 11k is a very reasonable price depending on the history of the vehicle. Try to find some flaws with the vehicle. The interior, tires, wheels, paint, head lights, tail lights etc. and see if you can get the price maybe $1000 bucks lower then their asking price. If you can get $500 you're still walking out with a good deal.

These are some of the questions I would ask.

1. Do you have a Carfax? <- Most important question. Try to get a carfax from the owners.

2. Receipts for the vehicle. Anything from windshield wiper blades, oil changes, to tail light bulbs. See what type of work has been done to the vehicle.

3. Ask if they ever had a compression check done lately. If not get a compression check done before you purchase. This is one of the main things to do. You don't want to purchase one with a bad motor.

4. Ask if the car has been in any accidents. From a minor fender bender to some1 bumping into it with their bottom, Get as much detail as you can.

5. Ask if it has the original motor,tranny, rear end, clutch. If it doesn't ask when it was changed and make sure they have proof.

6. If it's a manual check the condition of the clutch. Also ask for a receipt if the clutch has been changed. Don't forget to ask when it was changed.

7. Make sure the vehicle has a clean title. If it doesn't WALK AWAY. Unless you don't care.!!!

8. Look in the engine bay and carefully inspect the hoses. If it looks shiny make sure it isn't just a gloss coat of liquid wax to make it look new.

9. Ask when it was tuned up last.

This is all I can think of for now.



Rotary motors are very reliable. I don't care who responds after me saying they aren't. They are. If you give it a proper tune up, keep the oil in check, and never let the motor over heat you'll be fine. I've had engines well over 180k and I even had one in the 250k range without a rebuild. If you want to rev it up high and punch the gas and all, you need to properly tune the motor so it can handle the abuse. If you take care of it, it will take care of you. If these motors only lasted till 70k, trust me it wouldn't sell.


Edit: You can find some nice deals on autotrader.com. If you haven't looked there already go look.

 

id say an rx8 is the BEST rotory car for a newbie....but it it harder to get more power out of it. there are turbo kits and what not but honestly, an RX8 will feel crazy quick after getting out of a focus.

Cordite laid out some great info for ya, as he always does. I dont think your buying this car to make a race car so it would be a much better daily driver then an FD, and a lot cheaper too.

btw 10-11k is not a bad price if its a stick. Dont get an auto. they have about 40 less hp...

 

Check the Recall TSB's on the car to make sure they have ALL been done...

The 04-05 RX8's had the most recalls out of ALL of the RX8's since they were the 1st one's to hit the streets... I also believe that Mazda went ahead and issued a 100K mile warranty on ALL RX8 motors to ease the minds of consumers. But you would have to verify that info as it is only hear say on my part.,..

BTW... I have an 02 SVT Focus with 160K miles and it still runs like a bat out of hell... I actually gave it to my 17 yr old Son to drive for the last year and he is having fun with it....

Good Luck
L8R

 

WTF ???? For years I always thought it was " Like a Bad out of hell "

 

Also in 04 their was the 4 port model of the motor that was way under powered compared to the later version of the renesis that switched to 6 port design.

 

Hey Buddha,
I think the 4 port VS the 6 port has to do with the tranny... I think the Auto's are 4 port and the 6spd is 6 port. That's why some of the RX8's produce 232HP and the others are 197HP. Not positive but I believe that's how it goes...

L8R

 

This is correct. That's why the autos are alot more prone to coolant seal faiulre, because the metal is thinner near the seal in the auto motors. I know 04-06, all autos were 4pi, & 6 speeds were 6pi