So I have seen this rx8 in this salvage yard for a couple of weeks, so I decided to stop by and see what is going on with it and the lady at the desk was of no help lol...

I left and called up there later that day and talked to the owner about the 8 he said that it was his neighbors son's car and he was driving it one day and it died and will not start so they took it to the shop and said it has bad coils and plugs and the didn't want to pay to fix it so the sold it to the salvage yard.

Now keep in mind the salvage yard owner said he don't know what to do with it or how to fix a rotary so I of course asked how much for the car as is, But I do know it is a 6 speed.

He said $3,000 so I low balled and got him down too $2,300.
I have not seen the car but will on Monday is there any advice for when I go or is it even worth it?

 

Well if it doesn't have a salvage title and their story adds up, then I would say it's a good deal depending on mileage and what it actually needs.

Now if they're story is BS and it's some frame damaged car that should have been scrap, I'd walk away. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure insurance companies will only deem a "non wrecked" car to a salvage yard if it was a flood related issue, not if an engine just goes bad and I'd be a bit skeptical as to why someone would just want to throw away a 7-8k car when a remanufactored engine from Mazda is around $2800 installed or could have simply picked up a used motor for $500-1200 easy.

 

Yea I hear Ya.
I have seen a glimpse of the car from out side the gates and it looks shiny and dent/ bump free but I couldn't see the front of the car. Now can I see the coils with out removing anything at a top glance with a flashlight.

 

If it was just sold to the salvage yard, but still has a clean title, I'd take that deal in a heartbeat. Even if it has a blown engine, you are only up to the cost of a running 8, probably better than the cost of one with a fresh engine. But chances are you can add ~$500 worth of maintenance onto the purchase price and have a solid 8. Probably not a perfect one, but for the price, quite good.

If it's actually a salvage title 8, then it's probably on the high side and I'd walk.


Yes, you can "see" the coils, but that won't tell you a thing about them. You would need to bring a coil tester, get it to fire, and test the coils one at a time. A tall order. For that price, I'd just order 4 new coils, a set of wires and a set of plugs, possibly a new battery as well, bring those with some MAF cleaner, maybe some AFT or 2-stroke to squirt into the service ports, change it all out at the salvage yard, clean the MAF and ESS, lubricate up the internals through the service port or plug holes, and fire it up.

 

Well that the thing he knows nothing about these cars so I dont wanna get it running there, If that makes sense.

 

Well, don't get it running BEFORE you seal the deal

Once the title is in your name, not much he can do about it. When I bought my 8 back in 2007, the Mercedes dealer priced it as a 8,000 mile 2 year old Base trim, rather than an 8,000 mile 1 year old fully loaded GT. He was wondering why he had so much interest in it, and I didn't mention his error until after I had it in my name, paperwork signed. $13,000 off for 1 year and 8,000 miles is quite a drop, even for an 8.

 

Yea I was thinking of using my buddy's truck and trailer and taking it home . But either way works lol.
And just to double check a green title is a clear title right and yellow is salvage?
and how much to title transfer?

 

The title details are based on state. I have no idea what your state's salvage titles look like. I have seen anything from a huge red "SALVAGE" stamp on the title to just a field that says "salvage" in normal print, etc...

Check with your DMV.

 

So is there anything I should check out while I'm there?

 

Most of the normal list to check over is going to be impossible or not really critical given the price.

I mean, power steering, cranking speed hot and cold, etc... are only going to be possible after you can get it started. So the normal used car stuff that isn't based on running condition. Body lines, repainting, crumble zones, interior condition, etc...

 

For $2,300 I would buy it right now just for spare parts/project car! Even if it turned out the motor was blown.

 

correct me if im wrong riwwp,

but if the coils plugs and wires are "bad" and this lead to the engine not turning over, i think it would be safe to assume that these coils plugs and wires were bad for a long time, i think its a possibility that the cat might be clogged but for how long?

anyway, i think its a good price if its got a clean title. But i wouldnt walk in expecting to turn over $2300 and have a problem free car. you might get lucky though, the stories exist everywhere about people picking up flooded 8s for almost nothing.

 

Correct, chances are the cat is either close to dead, or dead. That may not matter for his state though. Doesn't for mine so it wouldn't sway me.

 

Yea I live in Oklahoma we don't test here. I would buy mid pipe any way lol

 

And is there a way to check the cat?
and would a clogged cat, bad coils and plugs stop the car from running??

 

A clogged cat wouldn't keep the car from starting, just severely cripple power once the pressure from the exhaust gasses packing into the header and cat get high enough to make it hard for the engine to push the exhaust out in the first place. Only real way to check is to remove the cat and take a peek inside

 

But bad coils and plug would still stop it from starting?

 

Any combustion engine needs these things to start:
- Airflow in
- Fuel flow in
- Spark
- Sufficient compression to compress the air/fuel mix.

Air in is nearly impossible to remove, so usually any starting problem is one of the other three.

Fuel can be ESS, fuel pump, bad fuel, fuses blown, or other electrical issues
Spark can be plugs, wires, coils, grounding, getting drowned with a liquid, battery, ess, fuses, or other electrical issues
Compression can be seal damage, too slow cranking speed, cracked block

Each of those points can have many different causes. It's actually quite a huge list of exactly specific things that can prevent an engine from starting. But if the prior owner was negligent and ignorant enough to get the car into the situation it is now, it's probably just completely shot ignition (coils, plugs, wires). Even if the problem isn't with those, you should replace them anyway because you don't know the history. Other easy possibilities are a dying starter, dying battery (although I'd bet the salvage yard tried charging it so it's unlikely), or corroded grounding points. A deflood procedure should be your first step when you do have in the new ignition, because it's probably flooded as well (since most of the no-start conditions cause flooding). If you can't get it started with new ignition, cleaned sensors, good ground, and sufficient crank speed ont he starter, then pull start it with another car. If it STILL won't fire, then you probably have deeper problems, and really need to verify if it has spark and is getting fuel. If it's getting both of those and won't fire then it would start heading toward costly electrical failures (like the ECU).

But considering it died when the guy was driving it, it's unlikely that. Probably simple neglect.

The engine could be on it's way out too, something you will have to keep in mind.

 

Hmmm well this is all good advise I really do thank you.
I will defiantly post when and if I get it!

 

compression can also be caused by a simple fuel washed engine, ie flooded.

i add about 5ounces of mmo to each lower port runner if the engine spins with no resistance, it usually only takes a few seconds of cranking to tell if the engine is going to do anything about building compression back up. blown seals with good spark and fuel will generally cause backfires through the intake, telling you the engine is really toast.

an engine with no resistance sounds like like a starter spinning with nothing attached, an engine that has compression will give you a pulsing sound. generally cars with these issues are usually flooded but that does not mean the ignition system is working and could be the underlying issue as to why the engine is now flooded. so it's not a bad idea to change the plugs and air out the engine while the plugs are out. the coils can be checked with a timing light while cranking to see if they show any signs of life.

 

Well everyone here is an update.

I went up there today and I found out a lot and I'm going to be getting this car.
Its an 04 Mt rx8 leather 95000ml
It has BHR coils from what i could tell and agency power exhaust with a meta dash kit but no radio and i think it has a mid pipe but was hard to tell it does turn over but wont start. the price is $2300 and has a clean title so this has became a for sure deal.

 

If its BHR coils, I doubt its not starting because the coils are bad.