buying 2nd hand

[Spectre26]

Any thing to watch out for when buying a 2nd hand RX8? Like tell tale signs of boyracer style abuse? Impropper running in of the engine ? etc etc...?

[BlueAdept]

I would have a look over at rx8ownersclub.co.uk as there may be a few cars from long term members up for sale..   I don\'t think there\'s anything peculiar to the RX8 which would be a giveaway, but if the car has under 15000 miles, it should probably still be on the original tyres unless it\'s been worked hard...

What spec are you after?

[Spectre26]

Hi there Blue. I chatted to you at the JAE when u put the thought of getting the lo power version into my head and turboing it etc. After asking about on the forum now know its not really a workable plan:( It did sound like a sweet way to save yourself a few grand. So I guess now i will be looking at the high powered version.

I spoke to my dealer with regard as to when to place my order to get my 8 by Jan. He told me i got a few more months before I have to commit. And as i have just got into a lil cash flow prob, nothing too serious just means i cant be too liberal with the £££. So i am looking to save where i can with the car. But looking at all the 2nd hand cars that i have so far i really cant see the justification of paying about £2k less for like 7K on the clock etc. So i am leaning more and more to a new car. But that is not to say that i will rule out a good condition 2nd hand RX8. Its just the old story. If the condition is good and the price is right then I\'ll go 2nd hand. Saving on the money would be very nice...

So just thought of asking on here for what to look out for as this will be the 1st rotary powered car i\'ve ever bought. And as such I am clueless as to what to look for to assess if its in good or bad condition. As from what i understand its pretty easy to damage a rotary through ignorance and lack of knowledge on rotaries.

[zevans]

The main thing to look out for is oil abuse, so to speak, and try and assess whether the seller warms it up and cools it down properly as well. Oil care and heat cycles are what do for tips and seals in general, although that said I get the impression that the RENESIS is a lot stronger in this respect than some earlier versions of the engine.

As James says tyre and pad condition is probably a good general indicator as well. I drive mine hard but with mechanical sympathy, and things wear out pretty evenly. If you\'ve got uneven wear on things it\'s possibly a danger sign.

I\'ve only had to top my coolant up once in 25k so far, and that was only about a pint or so, so again, that might be a good thing to look out for.

There are a few recalls and problems with early cars... quick list of the top of my head:

Some cars came with a weak clutch. Doesn\'t really seem to be a pattern to this one. Reversing uphill is usually the giveaway. OTOH none of the cars seem to like reverse anyway so don\'t worry if there\'s a -slight- burning smell. The clutch in general is pretty strong, and of course there\'s no torque to lunch it anyway, so if it\'s not broken in the first few k, it probably won\'t break at all.

Early versions of the ECU / map could be a bit flaky but as long as the car has been serviced by Mazda recently that shouldn\'t be an issue. Flooding isn\'t really an issue either on latest versions - but if the car flooded often in early life look out for signs of cat damage or dirty plugs.

The heat insulation recall you\'ve probably read all about here - or if not, on rx8ownersclub. I\'d really join that forum if you haven\'t already!

The cat seems to be a weak spot too (Done to death elsewhere on these forums, do a search) - signs to look out for are loss of power at high revs under load - ie 4th gear. Quite hard to test since this is at 90+ mph but really you should make sure it goes through 4th smoothly.

I personally think a rotary that has done 10,000 miles at 10 miles a day (2 x 5 mile commute) will be in worse condition internally than one that\'s done 30,000 miles at 100+ miles a day. But then, I would say that.

I\'ve seen a lot of people moaning about how thin the paint is as well - mine doesn\'t seem to bad but mine is solid rather than metallic, so perhaps that\'s why.

Best thing to do as a test is to warm it up and then launch it - it should pull smoothly and evenly all the way through 2nd up to the shift warning. It should also feel comfortable going over the shift warning (you\'ve still got 1300 revs left to go and the limiter is quite soft, so don\'t be shy.)

Bit of a sweeping statement, but there\'s so many 8 owners don\'t actually know what they have bought, so it shouldn\'t be hard to find one that\'s never been driven hard. (And in fairness after a few track days I must say I\'m not sure what would break even if you donutted it around Tesco all day every day.)

Finally since mine\'s a rare colour I might be tempted by a ridiculous offer

[Spectre26]

you have a YELLOW!!!!??? Man I have been looking so hard for a yellow RX8. Had no luck at all infact i\'ve only ever seen 1 yellow RX8 on the road..EVER. I could make u a redicilous offer :p but that would defeat the point of me gettin a 2nd hand.. to save money. Very tempting offer thou.

Anyway back to the point. I\'ve been looking through private Ads in papers, the usual autotrader and any dealers and the story seems to be the same no matter where i look. 10K or more on the clock at only a coupple of grand less than new. In my head i cant really justify the expense. I did see a few going pretty cheap but IMO i didnt really feel a piece of mind when viewing the cars, so just go with the instincts n leave it.

Looks more and more like i\'m leaning to my orignal plan and buying new. Even more likely now that Mazda have started on their 0% finance schemes

[chris_c201]

I\'m obviously biased as i\'m selling but i personally think if cash is an issue then 2nd hand is prolly better.....

I\'m selling a 53 plate 231 (14k miles) and my asking price is 17,500 altho i\'m willing to discuss "sensible" offers. Thats approx 4.5k of brand new and i\'m not saying this to get you to look at my car but there are quite a few out there for similar prices.... mine is black for info...

[Spectre26]

I\'m obviously biased as i\'m selling but i personally think if cash is an issue then 2nd hand is prolly better.....

I\'m selling a 53 plate 231 (14k miles) and my asking price is 17,500 altho i\'m willing to discuss "sensible" offers. Thats approx 4.5k of brand new and i\'m not saying this to get you to look at my car but there are quite a few out there for similar prices.... mine is black for info...

Arrrgh.... damn u :p If only u mentioned it sooner... Am seriously interested but... have already put down my deposit with my dealership Take delivery of it at the end of next month. Got myself a nice winning blue, would have loved a yellow but sadly i was told none have been on the market for ages...

Thou on your offer, like i said it is tempting with the savings n all except u r in Glasgow n i am in Surrey, kinda far 2 arrange a deal.... ahhhh thoughts of what could have been...

[chris_c201]

Ach thats a shame.....

Nevermind though, i\'m sure you will love your one anyway, jus a shame that you have to wait AGES, lol..

Good luck wi the car....