Itchin4N8

I'm a newb but a long time lurker reading through the threads. I do know that a compression test is a must before buying.

I recently ran across a crazy low mileage RX8 that was driven only during the summers. It has less than 15,000 kms which is almost too good to be true (can anyone say odometer reprogramming?). Price is about $4000 more than other cars of similar vintage which have 5 times as many kilometers on them.

I don't know how much they are willing to budge on the price, but for a 11 year old car I think it's priced a fair bit higher than market value even though it hasn't been driven much so I'm hoping there's some wriggle room since for the price I could get a 2009 R3 but with say 70,000 km. I don't like the Recaros and lack of sunroof though.

I guess if it does check out, and I can get it for a decent price do you think it's good or should I suck it up and just look at R3's or newer cars with more mileage on them?

MIGhunter

I don't like the body of the 09+ Mine is a 07. So, you know you need a compression test. Make sure it hasn't been wrecked. If it is truly a 06 with low miles cause it was garage kept and only driven on special occasions, then you might have lucked into a hidden treasure. Just find out if the seller is honest or not. No accidents, no rebuilt engine, good compression, etc.

Also, I wouldn't waste my money on an automatic even if it had 5 miles on it.

acroy

The sweet spot now are S2's; many are still under warranty, and they're under $10k.

Find a good one, don't worry too much about compression test before buying. Test it a couple months before warranty expires. If it fails, they give you a new engine. If it passes, great.

The S2's are improved significantly over S1.

This is based on my personal experience. I would only buy an S1 if something made it really special.

MIGhunter

Body on an s2 is gross

zeropeorth

Make sure it wasn't wrecked and the compression is good as stated above.

What color int/ext? What trim level? Does it have navi? Auto/6 spd? How much are they asking?

Does the features it have work for you? Do you like the color? Is it a touring/GT that has the sunroof? Does the styling of the S1 vs the S2 have any affect on you?

The only real advantage the S2 has is the extra oil injectors, everything else comes down to personal preference if the cars are in similar condition overall.

I paid a premium for a 06 Shinka with under 22k miles, that was summer driven and well cared for and that was around 18 months ago, I've put over 2k miles on it so far with no issues to speak of, only doing required maintenance. Well worth the premium paid to me, over something with 4x the mileage, much more wear and tear, and questionable driver history/usage. I don't consider cars like this 'over market value'; their value is just in a different market ... of barely used cars versus normal usage cars. You are actually lucky, the values have dropped quite a bit over the last couple years

If you don't really care if a car is low mileage/showroom condition, then it isn't worth the premium and you should pass. People with cars like that price them high on purpose to get buyers who'll take good care of their baby after they give them up. It is similar to classic cars, I look at a certain car every now and then; I can usually find them in the 3-9k range, but the only ones I'd personally go after unless I was looking to spend a lot of money on a restoration/paint job type stuff are the 12-20k range ones, because they are low miles and well cared for. I'm willing to pay 2-10x as much for something that is in as pristine shape as you can hope for; not everyone is, nor should they.

So, do you like the R3 styling, and worth it to not have the leather seats and sunroof of the GT version of S2? Do you like the styling and color of this S1? For me color means a lot, even though I have a copper red and wish it was stormy blue, I can live with it; but if the car was say, tan with brown interior, even if it was brand new, full warranty, for $5k, I'd walk; wouldn't be worth the effort or investment to have those things changed, better to go to someone else who'd appreciate it the way it is.

A lot of if this car is worth it really comes down to you finding out what is right for you overall. You don't want to spend thousands of your money on a vehicle to not like what you are getting. Make sure it checks off as many boxes as a used car possibly can for the price you are willing to pay. I'd be tempted to trade them if it was a Stormy Blue Mica GT in equal condition to mine, wouldn't happen, but I do love that color (wrong year for that color though :D)

Hopefully any of this rambling has helped you find a bit more of what you want in an RX8, and helps with your decision making process.

Itchin4N8

Thanks guys for the replies. It's a manual white. I still need to verify if it's a GT or not. I don't know a whole lot more. Did the GS's come with sunroof, spoiler, lower body cladding as options? I'll have to check to see if it has been flooded as we've gotten a lot of rain some seasons. I don't know if a Carproof would show that or not if it wasn't reported. I also don't know how well they took care of it as they might have babied it without revving it up once per drive? How much carbon can build up under 15000 km if the car hasn't been revved really high?


I actually don't mind the newer S2 styling with the flared front bumper. I liked the idea of the extra oil injector too, but I don't mind the S1 and doing premix or the Sohn adapter mod.


I guess I have to decide whether that $4000 extra might be better saved up for a new engine in the future or a car with lower clicks on the engine. I know with older vehicles seals and hoses age and dry rot happens. Maybe I'll go check it out and find out more.

MIGhunter

When ppl talk about "Flooded" they are talking about an engine flood. Which is when the compression is too low for the engine to start. When this happens the part of the combustion process fills with gas and the spark plugs don't ignite. Now they are covered in gas and can't ignite, aka Flooded. Aside from the "gumming" up of the spark plugs the main reason this is an issue is that it's a sign of poor compression and the engine is starting to go bad. It's possible to flood it by not letting it heat up. Like go start your car, realize you left something in the house and shut the car off to unlock the house door. That leads to flooding too.

Itchin4N8

Oh yeah, I read all about that. The flooding I was referring to was actual flooding where the water from rainfall overflows banks and submerges cars in a pool of water! We've had some awful years where that has happened so I have to be extra careful about mold and rust if a car has been immersed.


I've read the new car owners threads and watched countless videos about flooding, how to deflood, etc. I've tried to do as much research going into this possible purchase, but it still scares me a bit as I see so many cars on sale with "new engines" with varying kilometres on the chassis.

Jakea4m

I have an 06 Shinka that just turned 12,000 miles, its a barn baby, and has only seen rain a couple times. Other than battery all is original

Itchin4N8

Nice find! I'm surprised people buy these RX8's new and don't end up driving them. Maybe this one will pan out for me... hard to say. I just hope the owner kept the oil levels up and isn't trying to sell it off due to starting problems related to poor compression... that plus maybe they didn't rev it to 9000 rpm each trip which might lead to carbon build up?