Looking for my first RX8!

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hogesar
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Looking for my first RX8!

Post by hogesar »

Hi all,

Long story short, i'm looking for my first ever rx8. Long time admirer but half-put-off by the horror stories. That's somewhat changed as this time round it won't have to be my daily. I'm sure it will be sometimes but essentially I have another car to use should I need to.

So, I haven't really solidly decided on a budget yet which is helpful. I guess 2.5k or under? Obviously at the higher end of that I wouldn't want to be looking for a rebuild immediately. It's going to do about 5k miles a year give or take. Always wanted to try a rotary and I'm relatively ok with spanners so service items etc and modifications would be done by myself.

Now I say 2.5k or under but I also really like the look of the R3 and have been tempted down that road too!

I guess the first question is 2.5k realistic for an 05-08 ish year car with < 70k miles not needing a rebuild for at least 8-10k miles or so? If not where do I need to place my budget? And what's the going rate for a decent r3?

Cheers.
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Nickp47
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Re: Looking for my first RX8!

Post by Nickp47 »

Hello! 2.5k will buy you a very nice example of the Series 1 RX-8 with good compression etc, perhaps a bit more for the best examples of the desirable PZ or 40th Anniversary models.

You will need to spend more to get a good R3, written-off examples sell through the salvage auctions for £2k plus due to the value of their interior, wheels etc. Personally I would say at least £4K would be needed for a decent R3.

Whereabouts are you?
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V8 Power
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Re: Looking for my first RX8!

Post by V8 Power »

You should be able to bag a good one for that budget.
This is worth a look.
viewtopic.php?f=145&t=79028
Long time member on here so worth a pm to see if interested.
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GreySilver Beast
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Looking for my first RX8!

Post by GreySilver Beast »

Hi & :welcome: to the RX-8OC :thumleft:

Please put your Location here in the Profile Section =D>

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hogesar
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Re: Looking for my first RX8!

Post by hogesar »

Cheers for the quick responses!

I've updated my location - it's Norwich, Norfolk. So yeah, pretty much resigned myself to having to travel for a decent RX8. I'm not in an urgent rush as I have another vehicle to get rid of first really to give us some driveway space! Hoping in the next month or so, although could do earlier if the right one came up.

v8, the one you've linked looks good. Guess the only concern is shell on 92k - rust? Reading up on here the sills etc seem to be a bit of a problem?

Also, and pardon my somewhat limited knowledge on here - it says the rear rotors compression is lower than the fronts - but no hot start issues. I guess without figures it's impossible to know how soon that is likely to become a problem?
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Re: Looking for my first RX8!

Post by Scartlead »

Yes rust can be a problem, so worth checking underneath, but would apply to any car really. Ref compression, front and rear figures rarely match perfectly as wear can be slightly different, but essentially you are looking for similar figures
Aka Mark

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acegeezer
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Re: Looking for my first RX8!

Post by acegeezer »

Horror stories are bunkum really, get a good car that is one that has been maintained properly and carry on that maintenance in the right way and should go for a very long time.
I have owned my R3 for the past 5 years, putting 50+k on her and trouble free too.. with the compression (alluded to by V8) higher now then when I purchased, just goes to show what correct maintenance and driving it properly will do to keep carbon at bay, good luck with your search & :welcome: to the forum :)
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Re: Looking for my first RX8!

Post by Shagrington »

Hi and :welcome: hogesar. :) You seem to have a good idea of what to look out for already, but there's no harm in having a look at the Buyers Guide, if you didn't already see it, to see if there is anything else you may not have been aware of viewtopic.php?f=25&t=24047
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