Hey guys, so I just recently made an account here because I'm looking to get an RX8. Yes I know all the drawbacks of rotaries and specifics of the RX8 already, I done a lot of research already as well and I've just always wanted a rotary car. So I'm currently looking for one and here's what I found, a 2009 RX8 Series II with 139K miles on it which seems kinda high to me. But the owner says the engine has no cold or hot start problems and he has taken care of it well it seems just that he hasn't compression tested it:

Redlined every drive
50/50 Prestone coolant
Recently changed coils and plugs in February
5w20 mobil1 conventional oil
oil change every 3000 or 4000 miles
Topped off oil every week
Never flooded
No hot start issues
No pre mix
He estimates 22mpg highway and 17mpg city

Seems like he's doing everything right to me, what do you guys think? I'm gonna take a look at the car soon so yea I haven't but photos looks good. He's asking for $5K. Any opinions welcome. I feel like its good with all checks out but the mileage seems high and he hasn't compression tested it so I'm kinda afraid of the engine on its way out seeing the mileage, what's the usual mileage one could get on a series II engine?

 

Get a compression test or assume the engine needs replaced. At 140k miles I would assume the engine needs replaced. Later years have better starters and stronger batteries so they will still start fine even with low compression.

 

I saw you asking the same thing on Reddit.

But yeah, a rotary-specific compression test first before anything.

 

I'd want a compression test but if the car is in good shape, it seems like a good deal to me. Miles never bothered me, even for rotaries, it is how the car was cared for and driven during those miles that really matters.

 

Series II were nowhere near as bad as SI motors. Probably is fine, get a test anyway though. Mine has 93k miles on it and it cranks and starts instantly hot or cold.

 

First off as all of the others have mentioned, a compression test with a rotary compression tester is the first thing to do before purchase. Otherwise, a $5,000 car can quickly turn into an $8,000 car. I'm sure the engine is worn and will eventually fail as you would expect. See where its at first. See what recalls and warranty work and been performed on the car as well.

Depending on where you live and where the car has been, you will want to check for signs of rust. The rear quarter panels and rocker panels love to rust. Check the rear subframe and suspension for rust. This could be another can of worms that you don't want to open.

 

Just to keep piling on:

Price an RX-8 without a rotary-specific compression test the same as an RX-8 completely missing the engine.

 

This!

 

I bought one with 95k with good compression and excellent maintenance and it still crapped out after a month....I think with high mileage, it's just a bit of a luck thing even after doing all the proper vetting

 

I'd be curious to know how good compression was determined, and how exactly it crapped out. Very rarely do they just grenade one day out of the blue. Most of the time they deteriorate gradually.

 

Good point Loki. At this point, I'm still investigating. Plan to post here as I find things. It may not be totally crapped out. Just smoking and flashing oil light. I started a thread on the subject. I'm a newbie with these cars (although not cars in general) and am still getting my feet wet with the FSM. But to your point, for all I know the engine is still healthy and I have other issues.

 

Being pessimistic and cautious, I wouldn't take much notice of what the seller has told you about the performance or maintenance of the car to date. He has a vested interest in giving you the impression it's been lovingly cared for and in perfect condition. Most of the claims can't be verified and it's irrelevant anyways to the current state or health of the engine. You need to do whatever checks yourself to verify the current vehicle condition. Don't rely on just hearsay from the seller...

Unless provided with receipt of a recent engine rebuild or engine replacement, with a high mileage car you'd have to realistically expect to be undertaking some major engine repairs / rebuilds / replacements down the track. How far down the track is anyone's guess, but these engines are generally high maintenance with short lifespans - it is what it is. As such, regardless of how well they may have been treated they don't have an infinite life and more often they fail more prematurely than owners expect....

Not trying to turn you away from buying the car, just trying to be really honest.