some_postman

Hi all,
Back in 2002 I was living in Canada and went to the Detroit auto show and sat in a RX-8. I wanted one bad lol.

Now I'm older, fatter, with two little girls (6&8) and living again in my homeland of New Zealand, I'm seriously considering actually making that happen. We do have a second more 'sensible' car, but it looks like I can still easily fit my little family. I would be driving it to and from work, about 50km a day. I realise it's not an ideal commuter, but if you have to go to work you may as well enjoy the ride to and from more, right?

My dilemma is the concept of importing an RX-8 into NZ. I understand this has some risk associated with it, but the cost advantage is enough to make me consider that risk acceptable.

A 2005-ish average km (60-100 thousand km) RX-8 would cost around $12 -15k in New Zealand.

Alternatively I could import one from Japan from around $7-9k for essentially the same cost (including shipping, insurance, certification and GST)

The problem is I obviously can't look at car 'health' or have a compression test done. I literally have the cash to buy an import sub-10k but not to buy something in the NZ available range.

So questions for the experienced people here:

1/ Would you take the risk on overseas RX-8, if you were in my situation?
2/ Is 100,000 km a lot for this car? I know that's nothing to be worried about with a regular piston engine car that has had regular oil changes... but I know this car has its.... challenges. Would buying a second hand car at 100k km be too scary for things that could potentially go wrong?
3/ I've found a 2005 68,000 km car I could import for barely over $6k! But it's an automatic... it is so tempting at that price, but would I really be taking all the fun out owning this car with a slush box?

Any other thoughts or feedback are welcome.

Kind regards

Khurram

I guess, Only if you can have someone get the compression test done and a full inspection on your behald before you proceed with your transaction would be great.

These cars can be really solid if looked after, mine is an 04 with 251k kms on it right now and not a single problem yet. Offcourse, compression is lower than stellar.

Another issue to be considered is, wheter you have a good source of rotary techs and parts availalbe to you. I have a hard time getting parts in Canada, I have to import from U.S.

Here is a link, these rx8's are located in New Zealand and are under 15k hopefully that would help

Used Manual Mazda Rx8 for Sale to $15000 - Autotrader New Zealand

some_postman

I have found a 2005 Type S with 100,000 km for USD$4100 and was very close to ordering it. But I just was offered a 2005 Type S with 140,000 km for $2700!

With normal piston cars I'd take the risk on extra km (knowing that if there were mechanical issues I have $1400 to spend on it before its the same price) but I have no idea whether 140k km is just a little too much to risk on. Thoughts please?

gwilliams6

If you buy any RX8 without a compression test beforehand, your initial joy at snagging a bargain can turn to disaster as replacing an engine can easily cost you more than your "bargain" priced car's total price. Yes it is a huge risk to buy any 100,000km or 140,000km RX8 without knowing the engine's condition, as well as the condition of other key parts, ignition, cooling, exhaust, suspension etc. You are better off buying a NZ car which you can have tested and examined thoroughly before purchase. For sure used RX8 sellers in Japan would love to sell you their poor condition RX8 sight unseen. I have owned seven rotary Mazdas since 1973 , over a million rotary miles driven combined on the street and track, and I have taken great care of my Rxs and they have lasted without a single rotary engine failure ever! But I would not take a chance to buy a used RX without a compression test and look over of key components. Like a previous posted stated it may be difficult or expensive for you to get replacement parts for your car so you want to start out with a car in the best shape possible for your money. If you can't find a NZ car in your price range now, maybe saving some more money will allow you to get it later. There will always be used RX8's out there.

Current car: 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8, Mazdaspeed CAI, BHR ignition, Nippon Denso Racing Iridium plugs.

some_postman

Thank you for your considered advice. I do realise that is is quite the risk.

Just so I know, what would you estimate it costs to rebuild the engine, if it did have poor compression? There are a couple of mechanics in my city that specialise in rotary cars and the RX-8 (and the 7 before it) are pretty common on the roads over here.

frenchnz

I had a similar dilemma. I decided that too pay a bit more and view and test the vehicle was worth while. There a few vehicles that are imported into NZ and you can even import via an agent if that is what you want to do. Given your overall relocation cost I personally would err on the side of cautions in spite of the potential of a bargain.
I picked a good condition late 05 ( model year 06 ) as a NZ new and I am happy with car and the price I paid.
Good luck.

some_postman

It's cool to find another person from Christchurch? What part of the city are you from? I'd happily buy you a coffee and see your car, if you're willing!

some_postman

Oh! And the dealer I'm talking to in Japan is going to take the car to the local Mazda dealership for a compression test, which is great news. They said they will send pictures and the chart/results on Monday or Tuesday.

gwilliams6

Sounds good, just make sure the dealer certifies the test to be for that car. Check that the vin number actually on the printed compression test matchs the vin number on the car. I am not saying the dealer would be dishonest, but if you don't have some personal experience with that dealership, just be careful. Good luck that the compression test comes back good. RIWWP (RX8 club moderator) has posted an excellent compression test result chart here on the club forum, use that to analyze the result numbers. Best of luck in your quest, they are truly special cars to drive.

some_postman

Well the dealers were obviously confident in their car, as they took it to the local mazda dealership to get a compression test. The results are attached here... i'll have to go find that table so that I can interpret them!

EDIT: From what I can see, this car has an engine that is failing It looks like it would be a very bad idea to buy this car. DAMN!

Khurram

I agree.. as per my limited knowledge it appears to be failing.

gwilliams6

Yes those are failing numbers,sorry. Best look for another RX8.

Nite-Stalker

You can get some reasonably priced ones already in nz. I picked my 2004 one up a couple of weeks ago for under 10k. It's done 118,000km but had engine rebuild at 115. Paint and everything else on it are great. I looked at 2 the other was a 2006 had 80-90km on the clock but had rebuild only a few thousand k ago, there were a few more like that when I was looking as well.... All it takes is patience

some_postman

That's good to know! But who spends $5k on an engine rebuild and then sells right after? I guess whoever it was, it was good for you! Where did you find them? Trademe motors?

Nite-Stalker

Both were on trade me. One still is I think. Reasons the one I got the owners had to move to aussie. The 2006 one the guy is a student in Auckland no parking there so no need for the 8 and costs of insurance etc... so there are circumstances that allow you to get a great buy

some_postman

I've found a couple of potential candidates already.

1/ 2003 Winning blue 6 speed manual with 110,000km, $10.5k. Apparently the engine was rebuilt at 80k km. They would be willing to get a compression test at my cost

2/ 2004 velocity read 6 speed manual with 120,000 km, $9k. They had an engine compression test done on it 8 months ago when they bought it and the owners sound downright pedantic (check oil every day, warm up fully before even leaving the garage...). I prefer the blue , but this has red/black leather seats and looks stunning.

Any thoughts?

some_postman

I have the compression test results for the second car (red 2004). The standardised scores @250RPM are:

Rotor 1: 700, 710, 700 kPa
Rotor 2: 618, 637, 637 kPa

This was done 6,000 km ago.

Williard

iTrader: (18)

https://www.rx8club.com/attachments/...sion_chart.png

Above is the link to the compression chart you need.

#1 is ok
#2 is failing.

some_postman

Thank you. I did look at that chart and saw that the results were very borderline. The weird thing is the results from the Mazda dealership had the comments "Only just below minimum spec, compression is very good compared to any other vehicle"

I'm confused by this comment. If it is below Mazdas minimum specification, how can it be very good? Or does the dealership just have low expectations and thinks that most RX-8 would 'fail'?

Williard

iTrader: (18)

The dealerships are filled more often than not, with people who have no clue what they are doing when it comes to RX8's.

That statement alone contradicts itself.

Below minimum spec but compression is very good?

#1 i would call borderline
#2 is flat out bad.

Once your past that black line, you really should be planning either a rebuild, or a new/reman engine.

Have you ever heard the phrase you can put lipstick on a pig, still a pig?

Same concept, they can try to spin their words whichever way they please, the numbers are still low and will only continue to get worse.

some_postman

Are any cars I look at over 100,000 km likely to have bad engine compression results? It's 2 out of 2 so far.

Williard

iTrader: (18)

Not really. In all honestly i can understand that it's a bit disheartening. But this is definitly not a car to just settle on. You need to find the right one, with good compression. It just takes time. There are a lot that were well taken care of and have a good engine with good compression. Unfortunately, there are even more that were not taken care of, that have bad motors and need love.

Keep searching, you'll find what your looking for.

It may take some time, but it will be worth it in the end.

Nite-Stalker

It's all about patience
You will find something when the time is right.
It would be interesting to know the compression of mine. I never got it tested before i purchased it.

some_postman

Well I've totally given up on the idea of importing an RX-8, mostly because the communication with the Japanese dealers is slack and only one so far was willing to do a compression test.

There are a lot of used 8s around, and a surprisingly large number of autos. I'm not even remotely interested in them. Quite a few 5 speed/4 ports around...And I think I'd feel short changed with one of those. Even with those filters I have dozen cars I've been considering (including a shinka)...but I'm leaning towards a 2006 stormy blue with 82,000 km from a dealer. It's at my budget limit, but I understand stepping up from an 04/05 to an 06 is a good investment? The dealer is getting a compression test on Monday. If for some reason this doesn't work out I still have plenty to consider...I'm just getting sick of looking!

Also, that 06 is imported from the UK, not Japan. Is there any differences with UK 8s I should be aware of?

some_postman

There's an '04 with 130,000 km on an online auction and it looks like it will go for cheap. Given that I've seen two cars fail a compression test at 100,000 km, what's the chances of a car with that many km having a good result? Or will I just be throwing a few hundred away for the test?