Potential Sale - 2004 RX-8 Lightning Yellow 50,000 Miles

[cib24]

It may (or may not) be time to consider selling my Lightning Yellow 2004 Mazda RX-8 and I wanted to at least give fellow MRC members a sneak peak prior to making any final decision.

I have owned this car since November 2013 and during my ownership I have spared no expense (seriously, I have a spreadsheet of all costs including fuel!) in keeping this car looking great and running great. I'm confident that it is in better condition than nearly every other Lightning Yellow RX-8 in the UK and I am also confident that it is one of the quickest RX-8's in the country (excluding race spec'd cars with stripped out interiors, bridge ports, race suspension, etc.). Several RX8OC and MRC members know me and have seen my car in person and can attest to it's condition.

Specs

• 50,000 miles (actually about 49,850);
  
• £285 per year to tax;
  
• 231 rebuilt in January 2014 at 43,965 miles by Hayward Rotary. Engine spec is stage 2 port which is essentially a large street port with an axillary bridge port. Came with 30 months/30,000 miles warranty. 17 months and/or c.24,000 miles remaining on warranty;
  
• Lightened flywheel and stock Exedy replacement clutch fitted at time of rebuild;
  
• New battery with rebuild;
  
• Waxoyl underbody with rebuild;
  
• Alloy refurbish with rebuild (not equivalent to a professionally done refurbish but looks very good. One curb mark in rear left wheel);
  
• All fluids replaced with rebuild - differential, gearbox, oil (has been changed twice since), coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid (I'm joking  :mrgreen: );
  
• Genuine Mazda OEM coils with less than 9,000 miles on them;
  
• 8mm blue Magnecor ignition wires fitted at time of rebuild;
  
• Racing Beat header;
  
• Racing Beat dual-resonated mid pipe;
  
• Racing Beat cat-back exhaust;
  
• Racing Beat front and rear anti-roll bars;
  
• K&N filter;
  
• Tein S.Tech springs;
  
• Slotted standard brake rotors;
  
• EBC Yellowstuff brake pads with plenty of life left;
  
• 225/45R18 Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires, good tread remaining;
  
• Black leather interior in very good condition with Bose sound system. Very limited scuffs and scrapes and absolutely no new ones since I became the owner;
  
• Wheels-In-Motion Alignment and Geometry service completed in October 2014;
  
• Windscreen replaced in September 2014 due to adhesive breaking down. The windscreen is now fixed and has a lifetime warranty (apparently). Problem I was having is shown in this video;
  
• Lots of service history receipts from before the rebuild (not that they really matter that much) in addition to every single service receipt since I took over ownership including every single petrol station receipt...A bit much? Maybe; and
  
• MOT passed in October 2014 with no advisories.

Description of Condition and General Usage During My Ownership

The paint is in excellent condition for the age of the car. There are some small stone chips on the front bumper and the hood from rocks over the years but nothing noticeable unless you are looking for them. The car is 11 years old so the paint isn't brand new but overall it's very good with virtually no swirl marks or anything of that sort. One downside is that there is a noticeable dent below the passenger rear door (you will see it in the photos). Shortly after the engine was rebuilt in January 2014 I took the car to Gleam Machine and had minor paint correction and enhancement work done to bring the yellow back to life. I think the pictures below will speak for themselves.

The interior is also in very good shape with like-new carpet, like-new floor mats, leather seats with no tears, limited scratches and scuffs on interior plastics (except for the damn glove box. I have searched my entire ownership for a good used one and they don't seem to exist. Every single used glove box is scratched and I have purchased 3 of them off of eBay), and limited-to-no rattles.

The car spends most of the week sitting in a secured garage so that it doesn't have to be exposed to the harsh UK weather and is washed and detailed after almost every time I use the car on the weekends. When it is used it doesn't see short journeys (average journey is over 75 miles) it's 85% highway (which is why I average over 23 mpg) and the car is never ever shut down cold or rev'd until it is warmed up. The car exclusively runs Shell V-Power as it is part of Hayward Rotary's warranty requirements and I premix 150ml of Castrol Power-1 Racing 2T with every fill up. Hayward Rotary runs a 10w-40 semi-synthetic with their RX-8 rebuilds and thus I top up with Shell Helix HX7 10W-40 every time it's needed.

During my ownership the car has seen 5 track days at Snetterton, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Brands Hatch and it runs like a champ. At the track I never let the car run more than 15 minutes and the car is cooled down before coming back into the pit lane and turning the engine off. I have yet to see another Mazda RX-8 on the track that is quicker on the straights unless it has some sort of forced induction.

Price and Last Comments

I'm still deciding on price but I do not plan on letting the car go for peanuts, especially considering the condition and spec. Obviously, I'm also not unrealistic and know that I won't be getting back what I've put into this car but that's what makes the potential purchaser the lucky one.

I also WILL NOT be parting out the car. I don't have the ability to do that where I live and I really don't need the hassle of taking everything off and trying to go through the long process of selling things individually. This car doesn't deserve to end its life this way and needs to go to an owner that will care for it as much as I have.

I'm sure I'm missing something worth mentioning here so if anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to ask and I will update this post accordingly.

Photos

[boosted]

Nice car mate! GLWTS.

[clive]

I saw this car in the flesh in December and it really is as nice as it looks

Roy a ball park figure will help as I would not want to see you offended with stupid offers

[cib24]

I'm not sure how to edit the original post but the car is now officially for sale.

£4,995 is the asking price for the car which I consider a fair price given the spec and condition of the car.

Oil, spark plugs and brake fluid are scheduled to be changed at Essex Rotary on 10 April and a complete inspection will also be carried out and other items fixed accordingly. This is not cheap to do before selling a vehicle but in my opinion it is the right thing to do and will ensure that the new owner remains in compliance with the Hayward Rotary warranty and has nothing to worry about until the next oil change in 3,000-6,000 miles.

I will upload photos of the interior and engine bay as I realize I didn't do so.

Please contact me via email through the forums or via my phone number 07586376412.

[cib24]

I was washing my car today and remembered to take a few photos of the interior, odometer and the engine bay.

Below are photos of the interior before any interior dressing on purpose to highlight its condition. At the moment I have all weather floor mats in the car but the carpet ones are in the trunk for use on dry days.

















Next, is a shot of the engine bay which is very clean but I didn't take the cover off because it looks stock so it isn't that exciting to see. I tried to get a shot of the header but although I can see it with my own eyes a good photo just wouldn't come out on my camera.



I also realized that I didn't have a good shot of the rear bumper with the Racing Beat exhaust (only installed it in February because it did not arrive until then despite ordering it in September last year).



Finally, the odometer reading from today, and yes that is 182 miles to just under half a tank of petrol in the photo. She runs very well and is relatively frugal when required.

[cib24]

A link to several high resolution photos added (some even 38 megapixels!)

http://1drv.ms/1CxQpA4

[cib24]

Advert updated. Price £4,995 ONO

The following items were completed on April 10:

• 10w-40 semi-synthetic oil and filter change;
  
• oil pan had minor leak at front. Removed, cleaned checked for corrosion, replaced with new sealant. Car was not driven for approximately 2 hours after sealant was applied;
  
• all four spark plugs changed with genuine NGK plugs;
  
• brake fluid flush;
  
• no reverse lights diagnosed. Reverse switch on transmission replaced; and
  
• left rear shock found leaking. Replaced with quality used shock.
  

This was not cheap to do but car is now 100% ready for a new owner whom will not need to service it for ~6,000 miles.

[boosted]

How the hell do you get 182 miles to half a tank? im lucky to get 200 to tank full!

GLWTS

[cib24]

Several people have been asking if I really do get 23 mpg and how I do it. I think it has to do with a lot of highway driving at legal speed limits (+10%) and a combination of factors including Shell V-Power, premix, frequent servicing and porting equals better breathing. Attached is an Excel sheet showing the data from all of the fuel receipts I have on record (5,000 miles worth).

[cib24]

The RX-7 I purchased is coming in sooner than expected and I don't really have the ability to store two cars for an extended period of time. Therefore, the price is now £4,495 ONO which I think is very fair considering the spec and condition of the car along with the fact that the engine is still warranted for 17 months and/or c.24,000 miles. This means that the new owner effectively gets a car which is virtually risk-free to run for the next year and a half and they also get a car with all of the key bolt-on modifications already completed.

[boosted]

Seen your ebay ad...very impressive indeed!

[cib24]

Picked up my RX-7 yesterday and now I'm stuck with two rotaries! Unfortunately the RX-8 needs a new home!

[cib24]

Car is now sold.