Ok, just got back from checking out a used 8 at a dealer. Here are some details:

2005 Touring
12,000 miles
Clean carfax/title
Asking price: $15k

Because the mileage is so low I was expecting it to be nearly flawless. However, when I finally got a chance to take a look at the car up close, it had a surprising amount of little chips and scrapes; the front bumper was especially rough. The interior was even worse, there seemed to be some stains from white paint or something on a few places in the interior, the silver strips running down the center consoles had a couple of gouges in them and the shift **** was absolutely scratched to hell. Also the trunk release didn't work.

So the price/mileage seemed very tempting, but at this point I'm thinking I will just move on... any thoughts/opinions?

 

Walk away! there are much better cars out there that are in much better condition.
Mileage plays no biggie here since all rx8's have extended warranty.. soooooo even if it has 30K miles your still good.. well thats my opinion

 

^^ i agree

 

If the cosmetics are that bad, there is no telling how the previous owner treated the car as a whole.

 

Yeah, thanks, you guys are right. I think I was just so excited about the specs/price that it took a little while for the reality to sink in.

 

Maybe it was owned by a family of rabid possums? How do you get a f'd up 12k mile car?

 

It was probably used at the track often, either that or the owner had a psycho ex girlfriend or 2 or 3.

 

THIS

 

if it sounds to good to be true, usually is lol.. I hate that rule but it ALWAYS gets me

 

No problem man it happens you know? we all get a little to excited sometimes.

 

I think i would prefer a southern car because there isnt the corrosion of salt that happens to northern cars.
mines from IL and its been in texas its whole life and its Clean and rust free
but not everyone goes to another state to piuck up a car

 

The good thing is the new and used car market is so bad, it'll probably still be there and they'll have lowered the price. And that price is so high for the condition.

 

no way man. that sounds horrible. 5 thousand. ;].

 

hear ye hear ye, great advice there.

mazda paint is pretty limp wristed these days and chips very easily, not necesarily a sign of bad ownership. Scrapes are another matter tho.

The silver strips are very fragile and will scratch and scrape VERY easily, I've tried to be nice to mine but to no avail. If you use your back seats at all they'll get scratched, and since you DO use the front ones, they'll get scratched there too. Gouging is another matter and shows poor care of the car. White splotches on the interior also a bad sign, and if you have cloth seats... the manual states that you should not use water to clean them or the color might run; so hard to clean, and it's also another sign of bad ownership.

As for the shifter, also very easy to scratch and a very common point of wear for many owners. Mine happens to be in good shape there, no wear at all, but if the previous owner had a ring on his right hand then I can see it being torn up like that no problem.

All in all, I think you could get the dealership (if mazda) to replace the scratched up parts, but the other damage points to a careless owner and who knows what else they didn't take care of. Sure the engine has an 8 year warranty and replacing it will be free, but having it die on you is still a tremendous inconvenience. So unless the price is right (like 11 grand) I'd look somewhere else.

 

One of the big things about the RX-8 is styling in my opinion, providing many comforts while maintaining a sports like status. It would behoove you to take in consideration that if the RX-8 does not -look- good, then it's a RX-Waste :P

 

yeah walk away and keep looking there are plenty 04 05 and 06's with low mileage and good prices....