Cheers everyone!

I'm flying out to my first duty station in Texas next week, and with a sum of money saved up for my first car, I'm finally able to buy the car that I've been drooling over for as far back as I can remember seeing it on the road.

I found a seller close to my base who's getting rid of his weekend-drive, 94K miles, mica red manual 6-speed 2005 RX-8. This individual is a trusted seller who owns a large collection of cars, and has taken meticulous care of this one in particular in the 4 years that he's owned it.

The car is stock with the exception of a K&N air intake and aftermarket exhaust.

Complete VIN check comes back excellent across the board, with an extremely well-documented history.

The day after I touch down in Te'has, I'm scheduled to take it for a test drive, and barring some glaringly obvious issues, I'll be driving it home (err, to my temporary base housing) the same day.

I consider myself very critical of car mods, and I don't intend to turn this thing into a rolling abomination.

That being said, I'm very comfortable working on cars, and I'm almost certainly going to make the following modifications over the course of the next couple years (in no particular order):

- Axial flow short shifter
- Window tint (dat Texas sun doe)
- The airbox mod found on these forums
- A very reasonable headunit/speaker/amp setup (none of that "rave in the trunk" ****... unless you're into that...)
- Clear corners
- AC/oil cooler screens
- Remove the VFAD (I'm still a little hazy on this one, but experienced individuals seem to recommend it)
- Swaybar
- A tire/wheel combination that's aesthetically reasonable and improves the handling (I'll get input on this one when I tackle it)
- A nice black repaint, because I'm not the biggest fan of mica red

I'm 99.9% sure this isn't the best place to ask this question, but here's to the .1%:

When I go for the test drive, are there any good "tests" you guys recommend I run, in terms of both driving it and visual inspection?

Thanks in advance and I can't wait to friggin' own this car.

 

Escher,

A rotary specific compression test is mandatory. Read through the new and potential owners thread linked in my SIG.

Run it hard (after warm up) for at least 25-30 minutes. Turn it off and start it hot. How long does it take to start?

All of this is covered in that thread.

Have a good night and enjoy your new duty station. I was out of Ft. Hood and Ft. Bliss stateside anyway.

Travis

 

Thanks for that resource. I was looking for a thread like that but not in the new members section.

It looks like only Mazda dealerships are able to perform the compression test (I'm not in the mood to buy a testing unit). Any idea what this will cost?

 

Post up in your regional forum.
Some members (myself included) already own testers and it's way cheaper to have it done by a member.

Dealer cost 110-250 varying by location.


Travis

 

Excellent I'll look into that, thank you!

 

Welcome!
You may want to add coils, spark plugs and wires to the list of things to do, unless the previous owner can prove they are recent and in good working order. Common failure point with expensive consequences.

The other thing is that K&N typhoon intake has caused other people many problems including unstable idle, high intake temps and power loss. It's a piece of junk Perhaps the PO can include the stock unit with your purchase so you can put it back on the car. The original intake is VERY difficult to improve on.

 

Interesting info, thanks for that! I have the full list of checks from the stickied thread to go through.

 

Ditch the KN. Put in the stock airbox, or an AEM. If you go with an AEM keep the lower shroud for ducting. Revi is a good choice too. KN is no bueno.

 

CG - right on. Stock air box is best for smooth (low turbulence) air flow into the TB

 

Thanks for the tip. I'm bummed that the upgrade isn't really an upgrade, but it's good to hear that Mazda did it's due diligence with that OEM part.

I've got a heavy weekend of engine teardown and inspection ahead of me for all of the electrical engine components.

 

Welcome..

The Congrats Thread in my sig has suggestions for a "new to you" 8. I have taken both of mine through the process.

Off you list. when you get to tint, you definitely want the ceramic tint and get the clear stuff put on the windshield. Massive difference in keeping the car cool.

Only other thing for a test drive is to slow to about 25 mph, put it in 6th gear, and accelerate. You will not accelerate fast, but you should pick up speed, and it should be smooth.