Hey there,

Been stalking these forums for several months now and just signed up to ask some questions. Ive done a lot of research into the 8 and I am thinking about buying one within the next year, im just looking for the right one. My biggest question is what everyone's opinion is concerning buying privately, or buying from a dealership. Of course private sales dont come with a warranty, are cheaper than dealers, but you run the risk of poor past owner ship...
Mazda dealers are generally way more expensive, but offer a warranty if you wish to purchase one...
Basically what im asking is should i just look for a rx8 and replace the engine and start from 0km, or buy from a dealer and get a warranty?

Save on initial purchase, and start from 0km..vs... spend more with a warranty in place.

Im looking to only drive in the summer.
Thanks for any tips, this is my first post.
And yes ive done my research and searched for related posts.

Cheers,

Mitch

 

Im thinking about buying an 8 that real clean with a pooched engine and just replace it altogether. I have got quotes for re manufactured + install.
Or should i just go the dealer/warranty route..

 

Well first and foremost welcome!

Secondly sorry to say you will not be getting one with 0km's/miles on it as they have been out of production since 2011.

All RX8's have an 8 year 100,000 mile 160,000 KM warranty on the engine and drive train though which is transferable to the current owner regardless of whether you purchase it through the dealer or privately.

Any purchase of a used rotary powered car should first have a compression test done to determine engine health, and this is a rotary specific test. not the same as one done on a piston engine vehicle. You will need 8 specific number 2 of them being RPM and 6 of them being compression scores, 3 per rotor.

You have to make the choice between Series 1 and Series 2 if you don't know the difference please research it here on the site. Series 2 vehicles are more likely to have engine warranty remaining, however most people tend to like the styling on the Series 1. If you want an R3 then you will have to get a series 2 as that trim level was not offered until 2009.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes i didnt mean literally 0km, my mistake. re-manufactured is a better way to put it. And ok ill have to look into the series 1 and 2.

I am aware the compression tests are a must when looking to buy. The 8 year warranty doesnt leave me with much of an option concerning buying ones from the early years. The extended warranty from a mazda dealership is what im contemplating about. Not sure if it would be worth the extra money to go that way and not have to worry about things, or if it would be better to just drop a low km re-manufactured engine in a clean rx8.

Mitch

 

ohh... I forgot to mention I go tomorrow to test drive a 2011 Rx8 r3 with 86k on it.

2011 Mazda RX-8 R3 | used cars & trucks | Oshawa / Durham Region | Kijiji

 

It's all a matter of preference. You'll eventually be rebuilding the motor whether you buy one with a warranty or not. If it's worth it to shell out the extra cash to purchase one with a warranty and get a motor on Mazda then do that. If you like the older ones and want to go that route it's entirely up to you, just depends on how deep your pocketbook is.

 

Keep in mind, just because one comes from a dealer, it doesn't mean it was cared for better than one that you are getting private sale. The one's the dealers have these days are just trade-ins anyways!

The best you can do is check it's carfax, check over any possible history that was saved/offered with the car (private sale you can probably get more history as you can actually talk to the owner).

You still need to go over the same information regardless of where you buy it from.