I found a 04 RX8 Grand Touring 6spd for $9,888 Drove it LOVE IT but it has 112,000 He has had it for 2 wks at the dealership and I want it. Is it worth it or should i go for all the other 04 rx8's that are usually asking 12-14,000. High miles arent good but i nonly drive on weakends. My job requires me to fly around the US alot so i dont need a car. but im not rich either.

 

You need to find out it's history. It's history will make that a great deal or a terrible deal.

If you aren't 100% sure that it's the one you want though, walk away. Don't buy something you will feel regret with later.

 

You love the car, we all do \

As RIWWP said, if you are hesitant, walk... History is the only thing that would make me look back. But as others might say, it is an 04... I personally would walk and find a newer one... 06+. Worst thing we all want to hear is that you purchase this one and come back with problems and your love turn to hate...

Good Luck!

 

just keep in mind, your warranty (even the extended warranty) is gone. do you have the funds to buy a new engine should this one fail? i'm not saying it will but you need to have the money available should you need it.

 

+1 to all of the above! RX-8's are exotic cars, with all the delays for spare parts, attention to maintenance, and dealer gouging that go with exotics. Used 8's just happen to be temptingly affordable. I've repaired & restored cars for over 30 years and I love working on my 8... but Series 1 cars are never-ending projects. If this particular car just squeaks into your price range, maybe wait until you can afford a newer one. Good luck!

 

PS: I voted "Buy it" in the poll, because I thought "Hey, that's a great price for a project!"

 

I would get something with less miles...

unless you can find out everything about it and get a compression check done on it.

 

if its not on its original engine then perhaps. but you need to get a carfax of this vehicle before you think abouto buying

 

to give you an idea i paid about 12800 or 14000 OTD. its a 05 with 15k miles 1 owner great shape and its a GT.

 

dont take it for 10K

maybe 8 K.

 

i got mine with 58k for $10,000, clean.

 

I think you could do better. I'd be hesitant about that one, too. I looked at a lot of 8s, and when I found mine, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind. It was a good day.

 

Wouldn't happen to be silver would it? I turned in a silver 2005 GT about 2 years ago with about 15k miles on it. How you got it for less than 14,000 I have no idea. They are going for so much more than that on autotrader.

 

no its a white one.

they were asking 14.9k + tax and title. i told him 13k otd. he came back with 14k otd. i could have got it lower but i went from out of state and did not want to pass it up. it was easy to get him down. i said do you want to sell the car today?

prices on autotrader are asking prices. find one thats not a new listing and i think you have a better chance at getting them down so they can move it.

 

so hold on guys because im about to buy an 04 rx8 with 45k for 12000.. it has a clean carfax 1 owner no accidents nothing... its sexy black on black leather heated seats.. i plan on talkin the dealer down to 11500 11k if possible... car seems clean online and checkin it out soon.. good deal or naw?????

 

For a sports car, I thought the RX-8 was supposed to be a very reliable car if taken proper care of. When you say they are never ending projects, are you implying the car will be in the shop once a month or more often? From your experience, how much are you actually spending every year on maintenance? Saying their "never ending projects" makes them sound like an absolute nightmare to own.

I'm tempted to buy an 07' with 40k miles and would take excellent care of it. I met with the female owner and she claims to have taken good care of it (oil changes every 3k). The physical condition seems to be great, but I definitely want to get it checked by a Mazda dealer to make sure their is nothing too wrong with it.

I figure worst case scenario the engine dies on me due to not being well enough taken care of. So I get another one and start off fresh.

 

REL RX8: That '07 sounds sweet! I smiled at "worst case scenario the engine dies" because that's my attitude too. Needing an engine wouldn't make me throw my hands up. It's not something I expect, but common enough that the possibility is there. Does that make it unreliable? Compared to a Civic or a Mazda 3, maybe. But certainly not a nightmare.

Having said that, nearly every issue with a sticky in this forum has happened to me. Park for a week, turn over slow for a couple tries... engine's flooded. Solved that with an Optima yellow top, no problem since (remember, mine's an '04). DRL module died. Coils die. Sparkplugs are unique. Tail lights seal out water like the Titanic.

Bought mine used, and I've never been to the dealer except for parts. Other people might have had this car in the shop every few months. A great first car for someone stretching their budget just to buy it? Tough call. But man, I smile ear to ear every time I drive it!

 

Thanks for the reply, you basically said what I wanted to hear.

According to the change log for new model years, the 04-06' years seem to have the most problems, which leads me to believe that the 2007 should have a lot less problems. You being an 04' owner, it makes sense that your RX-8 is a never ending project, it was the first production year. I wonder how much different your experiences would have been had it been a 2007 or later.

I don't see any reason not to buy the car right now, other than the unknowns involved with what an inspection might find. It seems that the breaks are about ready to be changed and the spark plugs and coils should probably be changed too. I don't know how much all of this would cost to replace/repair, but that will probably determine what I'm willing to buy the car for.

The RX-8 really worries me when buying used because it's impossible to really know how well it was maintained. I do however know the interior and exterior is in very good shape.

I really do want to want this car. I've been a leaser my whole life so this is a totally new experience for me. I've never really had to fix or replace anything on a car before.

 

Walk on this one, OP. I've spent about a month looking in to my first RX-8 as well, and I've gone out of my way to avoid two things: '04 models with more than 50,000 miles on them. The '04 has enough significant problems with it alone, and with the RX-8 being the already-high-maintenance car that it is, you really don't need unreliable parts adding even more weight onto your shoulders. Go out of your way to find at least an '05; I assure you that with patience, you'll be able to find one that fits your budget.

I'd definitely avoid the 112k miles, too. Think about it. Many people on this forum have had their RX-8s give out on them below 100k, even with the utmost amount of care that almost everybody on this forum can't stress enough. What if the previous owner was terrible with maintenance and just got lucky with his engine? Do you know if there was more than one owner for this car?

I know exactly how you feel right now. To you, this might be "the one" and you don't want to think too much about what could go wrong. I've faced this same decision with about five RX-8s in the past month, and it's pretty annoying. Just be patient, and play it safe. You do not want to purchase a rotary engine car with 112k miles and an unknown history.

 

Grog: What are your thoughts on a 2007 RX-8 with 40k miles that appears to have been taken good care of but cannot obviously be guaranteed?

 

Oh, sorry. I kind of skimmed through the posts in this thread and missed that one, haha.

40k miles sounds great, as does the year. If her claims on changing the oil every 3k are true, then I don't see too much wrong. I personally would refuse to buy any used car (Especially sporty ones like these) without a history report. You should definitely call Mazda, give them the VIN, and see what they say as far as history goes. I'm not exactly sure how all of that works. Whether they only record maintenance if it's done at a Mazda dealer is beyond what I know.

Can I ask how much she's asking for?

 

as far as the 07 goes: can you ask the lady who owns it, if she broke it in properly? and if so, did she drive it like she stole it?

as for used rx-8's i'd almost be hesistant to buy one unless i could talk to the previous owner. this car needs to be taken care of in a certain way. i wouldnt purchase an 04 unless i got it for dirt cheap and had the funds to replace the engine on hand.

 

Hehe no problem.

See my thread here: https://www.rx8club.com/purchasing-financing-insurance-56/advice-needed-used-purchase-195759/

I'm going to get it checked out at the dealer, and I also hear that some dealers will share service history if you have a VIN number. From the sound of it, the brakes are probably going to have to be replaced soon and the battery integrity is questionable (battery died when I tried to start).