First of all I want to say that I'm really glad to have found this site. Thanks to you all I've learned so many things about this car that I would never have been able to find out on my own.

So I just bought an '04 RX8 with 45K miles and there are a few things that I'm a little concerned about. Since I bought the car from CarMax, I have a few days to decide whether I want to keep it or not. The first thing that I'm concerned about is the rough start. It turns for a good 4-5 seconds before starting. My friend has an '05 and it starts up nice and smooth every time. After searching the forums I found out that the starter in the '04 is weaker than that in the '05. Could this be the reason why it struggles to start? Or could it be a sign that it's been flooded a few times? I know it's not the plugs because they changed those before I bought the car. The second thing that I noticed is the slight grinding sound when the car is at idle with the clutch depressed. Again, after searching the forums I noticed that others experience the same sound but I'm not sure if everyone does. Is this sound normal? Can it be fixed?

Thanks!

 

Starter:Yes,

Grinding/squeaking noise (everyone explains it differently):Yes,

Also, it CAN be fixed, but there's really no point because it will just start up again and leave you frustrated.

Wouldn't hurt to get the compression checked, either, just to see how the engine is.

Make sure you don't shut it down cold, and try to keep the revs up if you can (a redline a day keeps the stealership away!).

Most importantly, enjoy your sweet ride and PICS!

 

My '04 has the same starter problem, i think many with '04's have the same problem as well.