Reply With Quoteim not sure which modal woud be gratest... hopfuly one of our rx8 chiefs will answer.
Friend is looking for a rx8
She doesn't live in texas so i don't want you for sales unless it's a grate deal
what does she need to look for, what are long term problems to try and avoid, what is the best year and modal?
im not sure which modal woud be gratest... hopfuly one of our rx8 chiefs will answer.
ass whoof i were tinking!Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
Is she planning on buying a manual? If not, tell her to skip the RX-8 altogether. Automatic RX-8s came with a derated engine that makes less power (and even less torque) than the standard engine, since they are limited to 7500rpm.She doesn't live in texas so i don't want you for sales unless it's a grate deal
what does she need to look for, what are long term problems to try and avoid, what is the best year and modal?
All of the manual transmission cars come standard with uprated brakes, suspension package, a limited slip diff, and 18x8 wheels at all four corners, so pick whatever color and option packages you want.
For a track/autocross car I’d stay away from any package that adds the sunroof, since this eats up about 2” of headroom, and the RX-8 doesn’t have a lot to spare.
I would look for the Sport Package (’04-’06 cars) or Performance Package (‘07+ cars). This adds self-leveling, xenon HID lights, foglights, and stability control. The foglights don’t do much, but the HIDs and stability control are nice on a daily driver. This package is easy to identify in online ads – any RX-8 that has foglights (as shown below) automatically has the HIDs and stability control.
For ‘09+ the RX-8 gets a better transmission, a slightly shorter rear end ratio (car isn’t any faster than an early car due to about 100 pounds of weight gain over the years), and the R3 model adds unique suspension, 19" forged wheels, and leather-trimmed Recaro seats.
If it were me, I’d find the nicest, lowest mileage ’05-’06 car I could with the Sport Package. I’d also probably stay away from the ‘04s, as there were numerous minor issues with the early cars (starter, slave cylinder, battery, taillights, etc., etc.) that were ironed out in later cars. Yes, I own an ’04. Mine had a lot of warranty work in my first year of ownership to take care of most of these problems. The people I know who bought later cars didn’t have these issues.
Overall the cars are typical Mazda – pretty well built, but not quite Toyota quality. I’d have a reputable dealer do a compression test on any car I was looking to buy to check the health of the engine, even though the factory engine warranty is 8 years/100k miles. I’d also make sure the car shifts smoothly into all gears and doesn’t whine – the ’04-’08 transmission is a little weak, and doesn’t stand up to abuse very well.
Last edited by altiain; 12-01-2009 at 11:15 AM.
Iain
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