Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

A chance to introduce yourself...
turnips
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Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by turnips »

Good afternoon,

I've been browsing the forum as a guest for the past week or so, figured I should actually register.

Always harboured a bit of a longing for an RX8, and I'm currently in the market to acquire one as a weekend car. Got my heart set on the looks (and cruise control) of an R3, but so far the ones within striking distance that have caught my eye are either amusingly priced (the £9k wonder on Autotrader), or sold by dealers with questionable background/practices (7s all round). I'm not afraid of mechanical issues, but I am afraid of body work.

I suppose the sage advice would be to sit on my hands a bit longer on the off chance an OC member needs to sell theirs [-o< !


Cheers

Alex
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Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by GreySilver Beast »

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

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acegeezer
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by acegeezer »

Always a possibility, but regret looms large in those that have parted with them, there has to be a solid reason to relinquish an R3 as they are getting scarcer to pick up, particularly a good one as you have noted.
You never know now it's out there, you may get a PM or two ;)
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by Shagrington »

Hi and :welcome: turnips. :D You could possibly take the one for sale from the dealer with the questionable reputation to another local specialist with a better reputation for a second opinion and compression test ...

Good luck with the hunt anyway. :thumleft:
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by 350matt »

There are loads for sale just not R3's
depends on how far you want to travel
expect to pay at least £1500 to 2K for an S1 with no rust and decent compression
search on here for buying tips and decide if you want a 231 or 192

but if an R3 it musts be then there were only about 700 or so imported
turnips
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by turnips »

Thanks for the welcome all, and thanks for the advice. Shockingly I somehow hadn't managed to twig that I could take a prospective car from a dealer to a garage for a more trustworthy check (despite having done so with previous car purchases...!).

I didn't actually realise so few had been imported, having a quick look on how many left and pleasantly surprised to see ~70% are still on the road.

With any luck I'll be joining the membership ranks soon enough.
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by PeteH »

If cruise control is a key reason to choose the R3 then you might be surprised to find that it can easily and cheaply be enabled on the s1. If you join the Club you will find all the information you need to do it.
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by 350matt »

R3's are nice but I'm not convinced they are worth 3 to 4 times the value of an S1 I'd say to drive a few and make your decision then as you can get an S1 with a rebuilt engine for less than an R3 still
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by warpc0il »

If I was in the market for an 8 today I'd be looking for a clean 40th Anniversary edition.

Basically the best and latest of the series 1.

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Nickp47
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by Nickp47 »

Just out of curiosity Warpcoil, why is that? Or more to the point why a 40th over an R3?
Not trying to say R3 is better by asking, just interested to know.
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Re: Hello! Prospective owner on the hunt

Post by warpc0il »

There's so many parts of the R3 that are unique.

This makes some spares difficult/impossible to buy used and more expensive new.

Very few aftermarket parts fit the R3, compared to the S1.

No sohn/Cofs for the R3.

19" wheels are style over function, with less choice of more expensive tyres.

The R3 gearbox is flaky, even more so than the S1 6-speed

The Recaro seats provide better support but the sides wear badly.

I can live without cruise control or retrofit into a S1.





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