Newbie Looking for a RX8

[xstian]

Hi I'm new here, looking to buy my first RX8. I did look into buying one a few years ago, but got put off in the end, by rust worries. I used to own an MX5 and didn't wasnt to go through that again. I ended up buying a R26 Megane in the end, but that's long gone now.

I've been thinking about buying a GT86 for a while now and had started to make enquirers into some. While searching for GT86's, the RX8 kept coming up and it got me thinking, this might be the last chance I get to own a RX8 and a rotary engine. So I've come full circle and I'm looking for a RX8 again.

I think I want an R3, mainly due to age and less chance of rust. I would also consider a good 231. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Christian.

[BigPete]

I have a Kuro for sale rust free

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264900632398

[BigPete]

Hi and Christian. Rust is definitely the main issue to look out for, so find one without rust (or just a bit of surface rust you can treat early maybe) and you should be fine. Have you read the Buyers Guide? viewtopic.php?f=25&t=24047

Better still talk to bigpete (just saw his post) if he has a rust free one for sale

[GreySilver Beast]

Hi Christian & to the RX-8OC

<<<<<< Please put your Location in your Profile Box, it will help us to know where you are, if required any help in the future

Please check out the EVENTS SECTION's for anything coming up soon in your area

Events Team

[xstian]

Thanks for the welcome. I have read the buyers guide thank you and I've now added my location to my profile.

That looks a nice car bigpete, but I think I'm going to hold out for a R3 to start with, unless there is good reason not to.

[SmuttyHutty]

Hi Christian

I am on the Cambs/Suffolk border, so not far from your county - which part are you in?

When I was looking for my RX8 my shopping list consisted of two items:

minimal rust
solid engine

That was it. And I spent a good deal of time shopping around and eventually found my 2004 Nordic Green 192. I've taken it up to BigPete and he commented on how clean it is underneath. I'll have it Krona rust treated in the spring (mine is a fair weather car so I don't take it out if there is salt on the road) and I have a compression tester and give it a check every six months. I did wonder if I was missing out by not having the 231 but threads on here by RyanRotaryPerformance and others have reassured me that the 192 has qualities that the 231 doesn't have. I am happy with my purchase anyway.

If you're holding out for an R3 they do come up for sale pretty often. There are 4 for sale on Autotrader; one private seller in there as well.

There are a ton of friendly and amazingly knowledgeable people on the forum and they are all incredibly supportive. I have no doubt that someone can guide you on your path to RX8 R3 joy!

[xstian]

Hi Christian

I am on the Cambs/Suffolk border, so not far from your county - which part are you in?

When I was looking for my RX8 my shopping list consisted of two items:

minimal rust
solid engine

That was it. And I spent a good deal of time shopping around and eventually found my 2004 Nordic Green 192. I've taken it up to BigPete and he commented on how clean it is underneath. I'll have it Krona rust treated in the spring (mine is a fair weather car so I don't take it out if there is salt on the road) and I have a compression tester and give it a check every six months. I did wonder if I was missing out by not having the 231 but threads on here by RyanRotaryPerformance and others have reassured me that the 192 has qualities that the 231 doesn't have. I am happy with my purchase anyway.

If you're holding out for an R3 they do come up for sale pretty often. There are 4 for sale on Autotrader; one private seller in there as well.

There are a ton of friendly and amazingly knowledgeable people on the forum and they are all incredibly supportive. I have no doubt that someone can guide you on your path to RX8 R3 joy!

I'm in Thetford, so probably not far from you.

I'm in no rush to find a car and I've only just started looking, so I'm sure the right car will come along. Rust is the main thing I'm concerned about, hence looking for R3 as they are the newest. I don't mind one needing a little mechanical work as long as its priced accordingly.

[SmuttyHutty]

Hi Christian

I am on the Cambs/Suffolk border, so not far from your county - which part are you in?

When I was looking for my RX8 my shopping list consisted of two items:

minimal rust
solid engine

That was it. And I spent a good deal of time shopping around and eventually found my 2004 Nordic Green 192. I've taken it up to BigPete and he commented on how clean it is underneath. I'll have it Krona rust treated in the spring (mine is a fair weather car so I don't take it out if there is salt on the road) and I have a compression tester and give it a check every six months. I did wonder if I was missing out by not having the 231 but threads on here by RyanRotaryPerformance and others have reassured me that the 192 has qualities that the 231 doesn't have. I am happy with my purchase anyway.

If you're holding out for an R3 they do come up for sale pretty often. There are 4 for sale on Autotrader; one private seller in there as well.

There are a ton of friendly and amazingly knowledgeable people on the forum and they are all incredibly supportive. I have no doubt that someone can guide you on your path to RX8 R3 joy!

I'm in Thetford, so probably not far from you.

I'm in no rush to find a car and I've only just started looking, so I'm sure the right car will come along. Rust is the main thing I'm concerned about, hence looking for R3 as they are the newest. I don't mind one needing a little mechanical work as long as its priced accordingly.

You're only 20 minutes down the road from me!

Good luck with the search - I am sure that members on here can advise you if you find an R3 in another part of the country and want it checked by someone who knows rotaries.

[GreySilver Beast]

Hope this helps in whatever decision you make

I owned a 192ps for just under 5yrs, before selling it for a new 3 MPS MKII and then bought the R3 as a toy and kept that for about 18mths and only gave it up, as could no longer drive a Manual Gearbox

Between the two, preferred the 5sp box on the 192ps version, but for long distance driving, preferred the R3 for the Cruise Control

Have also driven the 231ps 6sp Manual and 210ps 4sp Automatic Models

My current car is a Toyota GT86 Auto 6sp Paddle Shift that I bought brand new in 2013

Currently planning a New Car to replace two cars

[SmuttyHutty]

I am happy with my 192. When I hammer it I'm doing about 90mph in 3rd gear which is plenty fast enought to get your collar felt. I've had RRP remove the rev limiter so I can keep the revs high through fast corners. The gearbox is solid and the gear changes are now smooth thanks to Bigpete and his monster socket.

I'd like to try a 231 one day so I can see if I can feel a difference but it's not a major hankering. And I only paid £1600 for it. At that price I can feel good about spending cash on the car and keeping it running smoothly.

As for GSB's car history - makes my past of Austin Mini Clubman Estate, Ford Capri 2.0, Ford Fiesta, Austin Metro, Rover Metro, Austin Healey Sprite, a few more rather embarrassing cars that I refuse to mention, Rover Mini, Saab 95.....look rather mundane!

[xstian]

Thanks for all the advise guys.

In many ways the 192 would maybe suit me better. I don't particularly want a fast car. I sold my R26 megane which had 270bhp because it was too fast to have fun on the road with. Once you got to the sweet spot handling wise, I was going way too fast for the road. The megane wasn't supercar fast I know, but it was just too capable to be fun on the road. I'm now driving a modified Peugeot 205 DTurbo van, which is absolutely wicked fun to drive on the back roads. 50mph feels like 90mph in the megane.

The reason I'm not so keen on the 192 is that you get a better spec with the R3 and the 231 to a point and also resale values. The 192 is going to cost just as much to run as the other 2, but it not going to be worth as much when I come to sell. I think I'll keep an open mind when looking for a car and buy on condition.

How does the GT86 compare with the RX8?

[SmuttyHutty]

Remember that the post 2006 cars are in the higher road tax bracket.

When I drive down the Icklingham road from the A1065 (known as The Fun Road in our house) I see how fast I can take some of those corners, but only when I am very confident there is no traffic coming the other way because I can see across the field to where the road is heading. In the French runaround I lose my courage at about 55-60mph, but in the RX8 I've gone round there in excess of 70mph without a flutter. And coming back the other way towards the A1065 you can go even quicker.

It's like the car is on rails!

[GreySilver Beast]

How does the GT86 compare with the RX8?

It's far better in every way , but there again it's a newer car and one would hope for better improvements

[nightfire10]

How does the GT86 compare with the RX8?

It's far better in every way , but there again it's a newer car and one would hope for better improvements

Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk

[350matt]

How does the GT86 compare with the RX8?

It's far better in every way , but there again it's a newer car and one would hope for better improvements

I'd beg to differ here chap
the rexi suspension is superior, the interior is better and the engine a far sweeter device, I did about 25K miles in the works GT86 and I definitely prefer the Rx8

you can of course tune the Gt86 engine to much greater extent than the rexi lump and this results in a fast car
and it does look great

and regarding the OP's request there's a black PZ for sale on here and these are also well worth considering as handling is possibly the best of all the rx8's

[GreySilver Beast]

............and out comes the RX-8 defenders and yet I was asked a simple question , which I have answered

Oh have driven over 132k in mine and driven 65 trackdays in the GT86

[Ainmhidh]

...on an RX8 forum, who'd've thought?...

[SmuttyHutty]

Hi I'm new here, looking to buy my first RX8. I did look into buying one a few years ago, but got put off in the end, by rust worries. I used to own an MX5 and didn't wasnt to go through that again. I ended up buying a R26 Megane in the end, but that's long gone now.

I've been thinking about buying a GT86 for a while now and had started to make enquirers into some. While searching for GT86's, the RX8 kept coming up and it got me thinking, this might be the last chance I get to own a RX8 and a rotary engine. So I've come full circle and I'm looking for a RX8 again.

I think I want an R3, mainly due to age and less chance of rust. I would also consider a good 231. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Christian.

viewtopic.php?f=145&p=1294078#p1294078

[xstian]

I've seen a RX8 for sale that I'm interested in. I haven't had a chance to view it yet because of Covid restrictions, but hopefully I can have a look next week.

I have a couple of question's before I view.

The car is 1 owner form new with a FSH with Mazda. The car has done 65k miles and is still on the original engine. It's not had a compression test. From doing a bit of reading the engine can go anywhere between 20k-120k, but it seems once over 60-70k seems to be about the time these give problems. The price seems OK, but certainly not cheap if it where to need a rebuild in the next 6 months.

If I could persuade the seller to get a compression test done, which seems to be the sensible thing on any car, what sort of number should I be looking for? If the test shows good compression does that mean the engine should be good 10,20,30k miles or just that it is OK at the moment?

I understand there is always a bit of a leap of faith with these cars, but just want to know what others think.

Thanks Christian.

[GraemeC]

Welcome! You have found the right place to for information on RX8's!

Given even the newest R3's will be 9/10 years old, unless only an R3 will do, you will likely have more success expanding your search to include other models and buying primarily on condition

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/m ... r3#!newreg

RX8's can be cheap to buy, but they are not cheap to run, hence there are lots of poor condition cars out there

Good luck!

[350matt]

I'd agree that a compression test should be the next step and its a indication of engine wear but not no guarantee of how long it will last
that said if it has compression in the 5's then this should be used as a bargaining tool to reduce the price or shop elswhere
if its in the mid 6's to 7's buy it and enjoy

bear in mind that pre-mixing will improve its life as does regular oil changes and the use of slightly thicker oil than the 5W30 originally used

[SmuttyHutty]

I've seen a RX8 for sale that I'm interested in. I haven't had a chance to view it yet because of Covid restrictions, but hopefully I can have a look next week.

I have a couple of question's before I view.

The car is 1 owner form new with a FSH with Mazda. The car has done 65k miles and is still on the original engine. It's not had a compression test. From doing a bit of reading the engine can go anywhere between 20k-120k, but it seems once over 60-70k seems to be about the time these give problems. The price seems OK, but certainly not cheap if it where to need a rebuild in the next 6 months.

If I could persuade the seller to get a compression test done, which seems to be the sensible thing on any car, what sort of number should I be looking for? If the test shows good compression does that mean the engine should be good 10,20,30k miles or just that it is OK at the moment?

I understand there is always a bit of a leap of faith with these cars, but just want to know what others think.

Thanks Christian.

Hey Christian

I have a compression tester which I am happy to lend to you.

[xstian]

I've seen a RX8 for sale that I'm interested in. I haven't had a chance to view it yet because of Covid restrictions, but hopefully I can have a look next week.

I have a couple of question's before I view.

The car is 1 owner form new with a FSH with Mazda. The car has done 65k miles and is still on the original engine. It's not had a compression test. From doing a bit of reading the engine can go anywhere between 20k-120k, but it seems once over 60-70k seems to be about the time these give problems. The price seems OK, but certainly not cheap if it where to need a rebuild in the next 6 months.

If I could persuade the seller to get a compression test done, which seems to be the sensible thing on any car, what sort of number should I be looking for? If the test shows good compression does that mean the engine should be good 10,20,30k miles or just that it is OK at the moment?

I understand there is always a bit of a leap of faith with these cars, but just want to know what others think.

Thanks Christian.

Hey Christian

I have a compression tester which I am happy to lend to you.

That's very kind of you. I may well take you up on the offer. Is it easy enough to do the compression test?

[SmuttyHutty]

Fairly easy.

Takes half an hour if you're slow like me. Involved taking the N/S wheel off and reaching through to the plugs.