So title says it all. I just found a deal that beats all the other ones, I really have my hopes on a 3rd gen RX-7 but that is a bit to optimistic. So I'm settling with the RX-8. The car itself is a 2005 with about 42,000 miles with a few modifications such as a new intake & recently replaced intercooler. The owner has all the receipts for the jobs done to the car. What I'm trying to figure out would be, is this a good deal? This would be my first car & personally I'm ready to tackle the maintenance of the vehicle. I have my cousin who has offered to help me with doing the oil changes & other things such as intake replacement, etc. Were going to go check out the vehicle in a few weeks & see how she drives. So I just need help being that I'll possibly be a rotary owner soon. Also would changing the oil to a performance oil that can withstand high heat help with the performance of the car? Still I need as much as I can know about the vehicle & what to be in for. Thanks!

 

"Newly replaced Intercooler?" Is the car boosted? Sounds like you need to do some reading. Check out the New and Potential Owner's sticky.

Besides your lack of research, I'd say that an 8, or any sports car is a terrible idea for a first car. You have enough going on, and regardless of how responsible you think you are, you aren't.

 

+1 what fuz said.

 

So I would like to point out & not to be rude, I'm 20 & am paying for the car out of pocket. I have a job & have the means of maintaing it. I'm not extremely responsible but I wont sit with my arms crossed expecting the car to fix itself. I'm asking for help not for someone to drive me away from getting some old beater suv or minivan... Like I said not to be rude but I need help not to get bashed on because I'm young & inexperienced. I'm looking to learn that's all. Thanks.

 

Well if you are paying cash then maybe but there are a lot of potential costs so read the thread I have linked in my sig.

 

I second what has been said above.

May I ask what makes the deal on that car so unique? You made it sound as if this is the deal of the century.

Worse case scenario, the car is boosted (since you mentioned the intercooler), has a lot of issues, and the owner is trying to get rid off it asap, hence the possibility of a very tempting price to close on a quick deal.

 

To be quite honest, you don't really sound like you know what you are talking about. Not that you have to know a lot about cars to drive an RX-8, but it is definitely more intensive than most vehicles. I read many many threads on this forum for a couple of months before I made a purchase. Hang out in the "Tech Garage" and read threads in there. A lot of the stickies are great, and need to be read.

I would stay away from buying a boosted 8, unless you know what you are getting into.

 

I confused the whole thing, it wasn't the intercooler but a new radiator. The car isn't boosted. I hardly know about rotaries. I have a much more knowledge about piston engines. I'm going to be reading up more on rotary engines. Still I was reading some of the costs & its alright. I'm not much of a person who spends alot of money on going out & stuff. Still I'm personally interested in the car. What about getting a proper compression test for the car?

 

Sounds like trouble, I'd stay away.

Replacing the radiator so early sounds to me like he hit something which ended up breaking the radiator and that's only reason it was replaced.
Was it replaced with an OEM part or OEM replacement? There's a lot of things to factor.

 

Yeah. Well it was replaced with a Mazda radiator at the dealer. He has receipts.

 

Still sounds squirrelly.

The rad sits behind the a/c condenser, so road damage would break the condenser first, so it wasn't that, it must have been plugged up/overheating.

The NUMBER ONE thing that will kill a rotary is a good boil.....

 

Well, if you really want this car, then follow the guidelines set in the new owners thread.

Take the car in for a PPI.
Have them, very specifically, test the cooling system and the compression test at a dealer, and not the one that did the radiator work, if you have a choice. Find out when the ignition coils, plugs, and wires were last changed.

If all of that checks out, take it to a body shop, and ask them to look for any signs of crash repair.

If that checks out, buy it, and you will be in the same boat as the rest of us.

BC.

 

I was about to say that I had called a local rx specialty shop by my area. I'm trying to negotiate with the owner to getting it inspected by them before I buy it. I'm also looking for vehicle history & trying to get the car ok'd before I buy.

 

That is what you do, try to have the issues fixed before it gets out of hand.

 

Guys .. you're wasting your time.

He wants the car and no kind of reasonable rationality will change his mind ... he will literally continue to find reasons why your arguments are invalid.

In two months he'll be here wondering why his car stalls at a light.

 

Like the others say ... it sounds like you want the car more than anything right now. Im not gonna lie i was the same but i joined this forum for a whole year before actually going ahead and buying an rx8. Ive read alot of the stickies (not all) and the only advice i can give you is make sure youre financially stable to afford it and make sure you know what this car is all about.

By the way .. if youre looking for a 0-60 car ... get a mustang.

 

^Listen to these guys, they know what they are talking about. IMO you need to be able to afford at least $3k in repairs at any given time. What happens if your engine blows and the 8 year 100k mile warranty is up next year?

 

No. But if the rotary shop you're taking it to says the car is OK and you buy it, ask them for their oil recommendation. Look for RIWWP's new owner sticky for lots of good background info and advice.

As long as the car checks out OK, the price is right, and you're not stretching yourself, go for it. Really cool car.

FWIW, I learned about the RX-8's existence combing through Motor Trend when I found that I did not fit in a Miata and that a BMW Z4 was too soft and comfortable. Caught my interest (I knew about Wankels), looked at one at a nearby dealer, and two days later it was mine. Sometimes it pays to not overthink things.

Ken

 

Thanks for some of the words of advice. I personally don't like American cars. None at all. I've stuck with jdm & that's it.

 

I would highly recommend not getting a rotary as a first car. Especially not one that has already been modified. They are really cool to have yes and I have mad respect for all owners but they are kind of a hassle unless you have a nice income and can support possible issues that will most likely arise.

 

Also, how have you stuck with JDM if this is your first car.

 

I noticed the typo. I've been posting via android & its a pain trying to write. "I've been stuck on jdm & that's it" was what I was trying to post. How? I've driven other cars obviously man.

 

They have a lot that can go wrong with them imo, they are just not quite as robust as a piston engine. To be rotary is like a nice petite hottie and piston engines are more like a big burly dude.

Especially in the earlier years of the RX8 production with the engine issues they had. As far as not buying a car thats been modified, I am not saying all tuners but a lot of "nooby" ones that just go and strap some **** on and don't do it right can cause you to spend a lot of money later on.

In the same respect I know there are people that would disagree. Just do more research before you get hooked into a rotary car. Personally I LOVE my RX8 but if I could do it over I would have gone with a 350Z probably...

Besides assuming that your young since this is your first car I am guaranteeing your gonna try to race some Honda's off a red light... Problem is you will lose...

 

Then just buy a Yugo and be done with it.

Ken

 

Im just doing a bit more research. Overall its a good car but like you said people have no clue to what they buy. So I'm just looking around & seeing who has the car with a full diagnostics record & all. Thinking about the Mx-5