Eldragon0

So a Mazda dealership near my house recently (today) put this sexy car up on their site. Used 2004 Mazda RX-8 For Sale | Bloomington MN . It's a bit on the $$$$$ side.... for an 04'. But it's also in immaculate condition.

Now the bad. it had an engine rebuild at 10k miles in 07. From 07-13, it's only had 4k miles put on it. It HAS had all of the recalls done. I'm quite weary of the low mileage on it. It's also an "auction" car. So there are no paper trails for it. I've been weary of it because of these facts, I guess I'm just curious at this point. After the engine has been replaced, and all the recalls done.. is there really anything to be worried about in an 04-05' model?

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

Ridiculous price, for a sport. Even with the miles.

Cornbred

delivering mind blowing torque. . lol

Posted From RX8Club.com Android App

Eldragon0

Yea, I was planning on offering 10k for it. I'm just worried about the condition of an engine that hasn't been ran in possibly years....

also... WOW I didn't see that comment before on the torque XD that's great!!!

Eldragon0

Soooo they threw a limited LIFE TIME power-train warranty on the car.... As long as I do my 3month/3k mile maintenance. Kind of REALLY makes that 15k price tag a bit more plausible. http://www.walser-mazda.com/warranty-for-life.htm#rules

Eldragon0

So guys... I'm about 90% sure I found the one....Beautiful pearl white ( Sunlight Silver) it's a 04' with 14k miles on it, and 4k on a new engine. ( sketchy!!! I KNOW) But it does have a life time warranty. I've read the rules and what's covered... and frankly it sounds just good enough to be true. Here's the run down : Walser Mazda | New Mazda dealership in Burnsville, MN 55306

With that posted I'm sure you won't read it all >_< But here's what's covered.
"Engine:
Cylinder block, cylinder head(s), rotor housings and their internal parts, intake manifold, exhaust manifold(s), timing gears, timing chain(s) or belt(s), timing chain or belt tensioner(s) and timing chain or belt cover, valve cover(s), flywheel or flexplate, ring gear, harmonic balancer, oil pump, vacuum pump, water pump, oil pan, turbocharger or supercharger housing(s) and their internal parts, waste gate,intercooler, engine mounts, and EGR valve.

Transmission/Transfer Case/All-Wheel Drive Assembly:
Transmission case, transaxle case, transfer case and their internal parts, torque convertor, vacuum modulator, cooler and metal cooler lines, transmission mounts, slave cylinder and master cylinder of a manual transmission clutch assembly.

Drivetrain Assembly:
Final drive and axle housing(s) and their internal parts, axle shafts and bearings, universal and constant velocity joints, drive shaft(s), center bearings and drive shaft yokes, four-wheel drive engagement actuator/motor, traction control linkage, solenoids, control processor and sensors, and 4x4 locking hub. Front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive."


For the most part it's just take care of your car and it'll always be under warranty BUT one thing; This stood out to me and it kind of worries me.

"Owner's Responsibilities
If the owner fails to maintain the vehicle according to the requirements below, coverage under this Limited Warranty will be restricted or denied.

Any mechanical failure caused by sludge buildup, contaminants, foreign objects, improper amount or type of fluids, lubricants, coolants, or refrigerants, or lack of required maintenance."

If my cat goes bad... isn't that generally from a buildup? Or my engine blowing out from loss of compression from carbon build up , couldn't that be a contaminant, or foreign object?

Fickert

iTrader: (6)

Well before you get too caught up, I am sure this warranty reflects in the bill. And you need to see if upgrading the car (if you plan to) will void warranty as well. That would seem like a hidden piece of info in your warranty. And for the cat usually that is the case I believe. Or if you track the car and the cat has to deal with extreme heat for a long time from the engine. But carbon build up probably would be a "Contaminant". But thats when you go with a midpipe or high flow cat
good luck.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Please try to stick to one thread for the same topic El. You are still discussing the same car, so same thread.

Eldragon0

D: Sorry RIWWP. I'll do my best for you. Also I called the dealership and the "master techs" are gone for the day. But when I go for the test drive tomorrow I'll get to talk to them about what is considered and acceptable loss to replace. Also, yes the car is 15k, where I'd expect to pay around 10-11 in my area for this car with 60k+ miles from a random dealer. If the car ever breaks down and the engine or tranny needs to be replaced it'll instantly pay for itself. That aside, I'd rather have a car that's always there, over a car that's there for 2 years because I wanted it to go faster. Down the road I do want to do some work on it, possibly highflow, MAYBE a turbo ( highly unlikely) I'll have to ask if having my ecu flashed will screw me over too.

monchie

If its me, i will try to avoid specially the 04's, because of the issues on that year alone. Secondly, it was an auctioned car and it doesn't mean a bad thing, but for me, i'll pass with auction sales, you don't know exactly what your getting. Last but not least, even though it has a reman engine does not mean its a good thing, you still have to get a compression test on the engine to know the condition of it, and you don't have a warranty anymore for the car too. Anyway, its up to you, were just giving you are opinions on it, good luck!

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

FYI those extended warranties are a joke, yeah they sound great on paper. They 3rd party companies fight you on every repair and hardly ever pay, that plus you still have a cash deductible of a couple hundred bucks even if they do pay. Its another way dealers make a profit on you.

Eldragon0

As long as it's that dealership, there will be no deductibles for 5 years, and really the 3rd party companies fight if you don't have all the proper documentation. I intend on doing a thorough look into them as well as talk with the master mechanics tomorrow on the fine writing of the contract. I agree, it could be sketchy, but it could also be a diamond in the coal. Not too good to be true, but just good enough to seriously look into.

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

No dealership provides extended warranties on their own, they are all 3rd party wither it be a company like 5 star, auto care, etc... I sold cars for a couple years, the dealer and the sales person makes hundreds off of them and 99% of customers either never use them or face obstacles when they do.

Eldragon0

Yea, I'm well aware of that. That's why I'll be asking PLENTY of questions tomorrow when I go in for the test drive. On the other topic of it being an 04', knowing there are so many issues with it, once they had all the recalls done are they "all better" or are there still persisting issues that the 04 model had after the recalls?

wcs

iTrader: (2)

Don't want to rain on your parade...
Diamonds are most commonly found in a host mineral called Kimberlite not coal.
Actually IIRC diamonds are never found in coal.

Only common property is "C"

Just say'n "A diamond in the rough" I think is what you mean

Sounds like you are taking all the right precautions.
GLWP

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

IMO opinion people all bash on the 04's saying the have the most engine failures, which isn't true the only reason it seems true is because the 04 have been around the longest hence the most failures.

I have had two 04 8's with no problems at all, it all comes down to how you take care of them. Im not saying the 06+ is not better as it is, but there is nothing wrong with getting a mechanically sound 04 either.

Eldragon0

Thanks for all your inputs. :D As always they are very much appreciated. I know the 04's have a bad rep, but we don't really sticky the good, just the ways to prevent the bad. If we could go off topic here a bit, I'd like to ask you smert peeple a question. If you had the choice of a 6 speed manual 04, or 06 in pristine condition, 100% new (But 100% perfect, no defects) What would you chose and why?