picking up my first rx8 on sat coming, been on forum for a bit, under old details, as was prev buying rx8 but didn\'t happen then but is def happening now.
just trying to put the feelers out for potential problems to look out for, ive already read up on the hot cold start stuff so anything else to look out for?
its a 04, 56k on clock just had mot and service
prev had citroen saxo for many years as it was fun and easy to fix cheapish to run, now making the step to a more grown up car, as apparently scoobys and evos aren\'t proper family cars. ( wife thinks as mazda has the room in back it will be a family car for nice outings)
Quote from: marcusd;883719picking up my first rx8 on sat coming.........wife thinks as mazda has the room in back it will be a family car for nice outings
Nice work, she\'s in for a shock then, when you plant your foot in third and the car smoothly accelerates to 90+mph before the beep (on a private road of course :Laugh)
Having said that, the 8 is very good as a daily drive, just thirsty on fuel - don\'t expect more than 20mpg.
Ignition maintenance is critical, a poor spark can lead to CAT and even engine failure. If the ignition leads are original, change them for Magnecor or other high quality leads. If you are not sure when the ignition coils were last replaced, change then asap. Mazda OEM coils are really only good for 30k max miles. If you plan to keep the car, invest in one of the many coil upgrade solutions, using D585 coils, which should last for the life of the car.
DON\'T buy coils off eBay - there are loads of horror stories of people buying cheap coils which have turned out to be fake and have resulted in horrendous damage. Buy from MRP (vendor on here) or other, quality, source.
Mazda say oil changes should be done every 12k. No way, change every 3-6 k max. Mazda say use 5w-30, but experience has shown this oil is too thin and leads to premature stationary bearing failure. Choose a 5w-40 mineral oil instead (NOT synthetic).
Make sure you have some "decent" tyres on the car. The car won\'t reward you in the same way if cheap "ditch-finders" are fitted. If you want some advice on tyres then ask away, good tyres can be had for ~£100 a corner.
To avoid flooding the engine, when starting from cold, do NOT turn off the engine until the temp gauge has moved at least a couple of "pips" up the temp gauge. It\'s a pig to sort out a flooded rotary, but I\'ve had mine 10 years now and have never flooded it, by following that simple rule.
Welcome to the world of the rotary, you\'ve made an excellent choice, these cars are a real pleasure to drive, with truly amazing handling. The beep at ~9000rpm gets addictive, and you should aim to exercise the full rev range on every journey, but ONLY after the oil is fully up to temp, about 10 minutes after the dash temp gauge gets to the middle position. Keep the revs below 4,000 until that time. Not using the full rev range can lead to carbon build up in the engine, resulting in seals "sticking", so you are doing the engine a favour by revving it hard ;)
I\'m sure others will be along to add their tips too :Laugh
I love the sound of the beep I\'m gonna get to play with I have a beautiful road to drive to work that will see plenty of beeps on limiter.
now to get this straight to check hot cold start, I should test drive it, take it easy for 10 mins then open up a lil, come back turn off leave to settle for 10-15 mins and try to start up again?
Spot on, if she starts in a second or two after that a spirited run and a "heat soak" it\'s a good sign, but not a real substitute for a hot compression test.
Check for flashing engine check light when accelerating as this will indicate misfire. These cars will actually keep on running with failing coils/leads sparks and a first drive you would not notice the lack of performance versus a healthy car. It should pull hard and strong in top of rev range. 231 or 192?
as its just been for an mot you wanna see the emmisions printout that accompanies an MOT cert....id be suspicious if this was not available.
If seller has no idea when coils changed then budget for a set straight away. and remember it really is a buyers market for these so do plenty of haggling.
As Casey has pointed out above be armed with all the facts and you wont buy a pup.
id get her hot shut off and restart within a minute.
Good luck!
It\'s a 231 gonna try haggle for enough cash off for new coils anyways as thanks to this site I can go armed with info I need. Can\'t wait for a blast on sat now