Tyler Braithwaite

Hello I'm thinking of buying this 04 RX8 the person who is selling it thinks there is a problem with the seals in the motor and it also has $350 in back fess
But the person is selling the Rx8 to me for only $700 it also has about 97,000 Miles also give or take. What should I do or not do? I'm also not mechanic savvy

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Unless you want to become mechanic savvy, or are willing to spend possibly more than $5K, you should pass.
(If it's an automatic, DEFINITELY PASS)
8s are dirt cheap right now, it would cost more to pay someone to fix it than buy a running one.
If you are willing to learn how to work on them, and want to gamble $700, there's a slim chance it could be something easily fixed.

NotAPreppie

Take it on a test drive. To a Mazda dealer. Have them run a rotary compression test. Should cost you $100-$200 (depending on labor rates in your area).

The dealer should give you 7-8 numbers:

• 3 pressures for the front rotor
• 3 pressures for the rear rotor
• 1 or 2 RPM figures.

That will give you a better idea of what you're getting yourself into.

UnknownJinX

But if you buy a shell and put a reman in there yourself, that's an almost, if not completely, new engine in the car, so you start with a clean slate. That could very much be worth the extra cost.

As for automatic, eh, depends on people. As usual, manual is highly recommended, but if for some reason you must have an auto and you don't mind the 40 BHP loss and a more expensive reman, it's not the end of the world.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

OP says he's not mechanically inclined.
I'm assuming him dropping a reman into a shell is not an option.

toplessFC3Sman

Based on his initial post and the cost, I'm assuming that it doesn't run (at least not currently), so driving it to a dealer is probably not feasible. If you're trying to own one of these on the cheap, knowing how to do your own work (or being willing to read a lot and learn) is essential.

Tyler Braithwaite

Lol Thank you

Tyler Braithwaite

Thank you for the advice I'm actually college student so if there is a chance I think It might be worth it

Tyler Braithwaite

Lol I'm starting to realize that lol I'm willing to learn I just don't want it to be a waste of time if avoidable

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Are you willing to spend 700 on the chance that you get it to run, but also the risk that you end up with a $700 paperweight that requires $5000 in work to go anywhere? Because that's basically the situation.

If the seller is right and it has worn out engine seals you're in the $5000 side on the equation.

toplessFC3Sman

Well, there's no way of knowing if it'll be a waste of time until you check it out... $700 is a hard price to pass up, and many people who aren't familiar with rotaries are more than willing to run to the "oh, it must be the apex seals" excuse for any non-start condition. In fact, that's what got me my '09 a few weeks ago for $4500 - the dealer couldn't get it started and couldn't be bothered to de-flood it, so I made a deal with them to buy it at wholesale price if I could get it running.

I'd say, if you don't mind getting your hands on a few tools and a jack, and a friend who is more familiar with working on cars, I'd look up the de-flooding procedure that requires removing the spark plugs and unplugging the crank angle (technically eccentric shaft) sensor, then cranking the engine numerous times with the throttle to the floor in 8 second bursts to clear all the fuel out of the combustion chambers. Use jumper cables to another running car to make sure you aren't completely killing the battery of the RX-8 with all the cranking, and keep the cranking speed up. Then, when you reinstall the plugs and hook the wires back up, if you can coax it into life, you may have a fun, working car for cheap. Keep in mind though, you'll need to be vigilant about not shutting it off until its warm to avoid flooding, and the compression will likely be low given the age and mileage, but at that price I'd say its worth the risk as long as you're willing to learn how to wrench.

Fijibluefg2

Where are you guys getting $5,000 from? Who’s got that kind of money to put into a fully rebuilt and ported engine?

There’s a ton of Renesis on eBay for $1,500 - 2k WITH the 6spd transmission, ECU, etc still attached.

find one with decent compression and throw it in. Then still sell your old core to makeup some cost plus all the spare parts from the replacement block.

There are smart ways of going about it.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

factory reman is ~3500+1k core and about 1k for incedentels like clutch, belts fluids etc. ebay motors are a gamble

Loki

iTrader: (1)

The "find one with decent compression" part is how you get to 5k. Especially if OP isn't mechanically inclined and will need someone to install it.

You can certainly buy an ebay engine, but there's a reason it's not in a car and the odds that that reason is it was replaced with something else, are pretty high.

Fijibluefg2

Who cares why it’s out of the car? Rear ended and totaled, so they pulled the one thing still worth a damn.

I’d rather throw in a half decent Reni to bang on for a grand vs $3,500.

If you’re planning to keep it for many many years, sure maybe a fresh block makes sense but for your average beater RX-8 for $700... nah. A $1,000 JDM block that still runs fine will do.

In my honest opinion.

UnknownJinX

Realize that there is a chance that $1000 will get you a paperweight, and a lot of junkyards will have their fine prints say that rotaries are not covered.

"It runs fine" means almost nothing. I can make a Renesis out of Legos and say it runs fine. Doesn't cost me anything to say that. Unless it comes with some resemblance of proof it's health(a rotary compression test before it's pulled), play this lottery at your own risk.

I asked my local dealer about labour for a reman install and I think it should be around $1500.

So $3k for an engine, $1.5k for labour, $1.5k for incidentals(clutch, coolant lines, etc.), and the $700 for the shell. ~$7k gives you an 8 with a new engine, clutch, cooling system and other parts. That's a good deal.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Or you can spend $7k on an already running 8, not waste time cobbling together a $700 shell and go for a ride.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

This is a thread from a couple of years ago I like to share now & then you may be interested in.
Young guy looking for an 8, a lot of input and info, and he ended up with a very nice, healthy GT.
https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...ve-rx8-259334/

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/

strokercharged95gt

As stated above, not mechanically inclined and owning an rx8 is Russian roulette for a $700 car. You'd better off paying more for a low mileage example with good services records and a compression test.

UnknownJinX

Yeah, but will that $7k give you a new engine without any previous owner's mistake being carried over? Will it give you a car you know for sure that will have a ton of new parts?

To each of their own. I think it's a good solution to spend some extra time to put together a shell, especially if there are no decent examples around.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

I've learned how valuable time is.
Not a lot of 'extra time' in my case.

UnknownJinX

I am already assuming you are giving the work to someone else to do.

If you need to get around for a little while, ask your friends, Uber, etc. Still some options.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

you havent went lego shopping lately, ******* got expensive