ItalynStylion

Allow myself to introduce.......myself

My name is Steven and I'm certainly no stranger to the rotary. At the age of 16 I saw my first red FD. It was a 1993 and it was for sale. I wanted it dearly. Fastforward about 12 years and although I had ALMOST purchased an RX7 multiple times, I'd never quite pulled the trigger. So with that said, I had a 2009 Tacoma (bullet proof) that was paid off and I was making good money. I decided to pull the trigger and buy myself the car I'd lusted after all these years.

I found a VERY nice FD in Los Alamos New Mexico with only 31k miles on the clock. Pristine, is the best word i could use to describe it. Not surprisingly, the car gave me a good bit of hell but I was prepared for it. I'd spent the last decade learning about the car and hanging around other RX7 owners. In the end, I created a near perfect turn key RX7 with 313whp, outstanding brakes and suspension, with great reliability to boot. Fun car, an absolute BLAST at the track.

Last week I sold the beast. Sad story, I know. I sold it for a multitude of reasons. While the car was very well kept it still had some "noises" and other nuances that bothered me. At 22 years old, it was starting to show it's age a wee bit. Plus, it was a bitch to drive anywhere on crappy Dallas roads. Getting stuck in traffic or hitting a pothole would almost be enough to give me a stroke. All of that combined with ZERO tech in the car, no storage, and no cupholders....it's really a car with ONE purpose. I tracked the car a bit and would LOVE to continue that part of my life. It's an addiction I'm more than happy to feed.

I've driven an RX8 many many years ago and remember loving the gearbox. They are just a touch heavier than RX7s but with a few VERY nice upgrades. Large trunk and back seats being the big ones. Better interior features are kinda nice too. But the one thing that intrigues me is the rock bottom prices on the RX8. They are dirt cheap. I understand why and it's kinda exciting.

My plan is to buy a 2009+ RX8 (ideally a blue R3) and turn it into a very nice ALMOST daily and part time track car. The suspension geometry is actually better than the RX7 and the weight is close (I hear the stock RX8 exhaust is heavy which will be changed along with other things). I'm planning to start my modification process to include better brake rotors, pads, and ss brake lines. Then I'm likely going to move on to better suspension (unless I get an R3 with the bilsteins). Long term goal is to swap in a 13b-REW so I can make reasonable power. I'm under the impression the renesis doesn't do well with forced induction but I'm still learning.

Anyway, I'm hoping to learn a lot from the forums and really hoping to contribute too. Below are some pictures of the previous ride. She will be missed!

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ken-x8

Welcome! Hope you find a good one.

Ken

ItalynStylion

Thanks Ken!

I'm finding a LOT of 2009s available but not much newer than that. On a side note, I've not found ANY....NOT ONE, in the nice deep blue color that the series II come in. I'm dying for that. Thinking it might be easier to buy another color and wrap it.

JCrane82

iTrader: (3)

Welcome, and awesome FD you had there.

I would suggest having your first update be in the suspension and wheels/tires department. The stock brakes are very very good. There really is no need to upgrade them unless you are running race slicks or are over 250 rwhp. I have never had any brake fade or overheating on track, and I am running 265 wide semi-slicks with upgraded suspension (stock power). On really warm summer days on a sticky track, it is difficult getting into ABS due to the amount of grip, and still no brake fade or cooking of pads.

ItalynStylion

Wow, that's impressive. I'd read they were good but I didn't know HOW good. Thanks for the tip.

Suspension will take priority then. Other than that, these things stay reasonably cool with the stock rad?

Also, what kind of things should I look for when buying a seriesII? I know to do a compression check on the rotors but what else are these things prone to having fail?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Not on track. The stock radiator is fine for the street as long as it isn't old, but it can't take extended time at full throttle. Read up on the coolant gauge too, and how you can't trust it.

Series2 is pretty solid. Some random quirks here and there, but nothing chronic like the series1

ItalynStylion

Sounds like the RX7. The stock temp gauge in the 7 wasn't really good for anything. You had to linearize them with a network of resistors to get it to really tell you anything useful.

ItalynStylion

What should the compression numbers on a well kept 6port be?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

We have OBD2, so it's a lot easier than that. But yes, same problem.

Have you read the new owner's thread?

I have a section on that. There is even a table of contents with in-thread links so you can jump past the rest of the important stuff

JCrane82

iTrader: (3)

This is also dependant on if you start doing power mods. The stock cooling system is pretty good as long as you are at stock power. Extended beating on the track could cause issues, but usually fine if you are only doing 15 minute track sessions. You weren't planning on doing any wheel to wheel racing, right? Just HDPE?

Loki

iTrader: (1)

He's in TX. Personally, I would err on the side of caution, temps can spike over 220F in regular summer weather depending on speed/track config, and that's in Canada summers. TX might be a tad more severe

JCrane82

iTrader: (3)

I also want to add that with my current setup, I have upgraded brake pads, stainless brake lines, and super blue for fluid. So even though it isn't "stock", per say, it is pretty close to stock.

A big brake kit isn't really needed on the RX-8, unless you are wheel to wheel racing or are FI and over 300 HP.

poacherinthezoo

Some early 2009's caught the tail end of the weak clutch pedal bracket issue that mazda had a TSB for. Something to look at before/after test driving.

The early 2009's also got hit with the crappy coolant float sensors that sink over time.

Good luck with your hunt. The blue R3's are the fastest

(If my memory serves, there were only 555 blue 2009 R3's sold in the US, and a total of ~850 R3's sold over 09-11 in the US market.)

ItalynStylion

Darn right blue is the fastest! (my Tacoma is blue too) Sounds like that color config will be hard to find. Hell, I can't find ANY blue ones for sale around me.

And thanks for the insider info on the TSB and other things to look for!
Yeah I wasn't suggesting a big brake kit, just stuff similar to what you've done. Pads, rotors (when mine die), fluid and lines. I've read great things about the brakes and they should be sufficient for my use. I've been to the track 3 times in my last car but want to start going more regularly.
True story. It gets really hot here. Traffic sucks too which isn't an obvious issue till you consider that air isn't flowing over the radiator when you're sitting still.
Good to know. It will be nice being on OBD2 and not having to find a damn rolling dyno shop to inspect the car every year (man that was a pain).
I'll check it out. I haven't had time to read everything but I think I poked around in there a bit. I'll revisit it.

ItalynStylion

Also, I found this pretty lady about 2 hours from me. Not terribly close so I'd have to get the price down to something reasonable before I'd even consider making the drive. That being said, what's it worth realistically? What should I try and leave the dealership with in terms of price? I was thinking something on the order of like $13k but even that feels a little high with the miles being what they are. Engine may be on it's last leg.
Tyler, TX 2009 Mazda RX-8 Used Coupe Longview, TX Dallas, TX Velocity Mazda | 400282 | JM1FE174890400282

JCrane82

iTrader: (3)

I would think that the white car would be worth $13k tops. I have seen many low mileage series II cars around the $14k mark. And these are GT's with under 30k miles.

Also, the blue you like is called Aurora Blue, and it was only available on the R3.

One more thing about the brakes, I really don't think upgraded rotors are necessary, unless you require new rotors anyway. Autocross/track pads, super blue fluid, and SS lines.....and you have enough braking force to pull your eyes out of your sockets (assuming you have good rubber).

I have a friend that has a '93 single turbo FD, and we autocross together. He still has the stock suspension on it, and I always find it crazy how much body roll it has. The first time he road with me, he was amazed by the corning power my RX-8 had, and the braking ability shocked him too.

ItalynStylion

That's kinda what I was thinking (in regards to price). I'm wondering, since it's sold by a mazda dealer, if they will "certify" it or throw some type of warranty on it.

And yeah your friend probably needs to replace his suspension with something decent. The FDs all have tired and old setups that have dry-rotted over time. That's what was so hard about owning a 7, some stuff fails due to miles and the rest fails due to TIME. Funny things start happening to polymers past the 15 year mark....

I'm looking forward to getting some seat time in an 8 on a dry road. I test drove a car last night but it was raining outside. Plus, I noticed a stumbling idle when warm. It also had a very odd thing where as you stepped on the gas (from idle) it would really vibrate just before it started to rev. Scared the **** out of me.


And thanks RIWWP, just reading your thread now with the comments about compression numbers. And I didn't realize ignition coils were that terrible on these, wow!

muythaibxr

I didn't realize the R3 was that rare. Makes me feel better that I managed to get a hold of one recently, and it only had 12.5k miles on it!

ItalynStylion

Lucky! Feel good about it!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

99% of the problems owners have with RX-8s are because they weren't aware it COULD be a problem. Time and again, owners that are aware of something that could go wrong, never encounter it. It's the people that are unaware that usually get punched in the ***** and wallet raped before they can figure out what's going on.

The new owner's thread is scary to a lot of people, but the few that really get it are the ones that will do fine as owners. If someone gets scared away by the new owner's thread, it's probably for the best for everyone involved. God knows plenty of people SHOULD be scared away before purchase.