Stew Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Ok, my boss has me on the hunt for an Rex. He is a family man so wants the back seats. Is pistonheads the best place or should I try an owners club? If so can someone link one up! It has to be a 231 and has to have have leather and preferably blue (any shade) Any help would be appreciated. Somewhere around the k mark but over for the correct car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Stew forget Piostonheads - go the the Mazda dealers - they have loads of them on the forecourts - guy here got a 3 month ex demo top spec (like my old one - sniff sniff!!) for £17K !! The average price seems to be £12-15K for a 2 year old one - but depends how much he wants to spend I still miss mine to be fair - its very practical the boot is huge - plenty of room inside and the back even if your super tall!! Most of them have leasther as no one wants the fabric seats - Bose stero in them is the best I ever had - better than the Zed! general quality is superb paint finish is better also mine never chipped and the alloy whees are p**s easy to clean! Go for it - try to get them to throw in a spare wheel also in the price they are about £180 for a fitting kit - or used to be! One last thing and I speak for all ex RX8 owners - do not listen to muppets banging on about how much oil you need to top up - its b****ks!! I hardly needed to top it up much and I do 700 miles per week! Just make sure you check every other week the level to be safe. Hope this helps - Stew pm me if you need any other info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Cheers Stan. Good insight there. Prices up here are still higher but he'll travel. I'll have a look on Mazda website. Is it worth checking out an owners club for a well cared for example? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zummertor Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Sounds like he's made a few of the right choices already for RX-8s. There are a few limited editions around from the various years mostly the changes were to paint and trim but pro-drive one firmed up suspension along with a few other mods, I would suggest that although it is quite desirable as a basic un-modded model the suspension would not be family suitable. Oil reserve is much smaller than most cars as part of the desire to keep that bonnet line low in the design, this is why when oil is used it is more noticeable than other cars, so checking it regularly is a must, I think the oil usage is a little higher though, worth checking the oil and filler to check for overheating signs. Private sellers are having a real difficulty so if you can find an enthusiast then you'd be in for a bargain time. I've noticed some dealers are selling some pre-registered ones at very keen prices so well worth a shop around them, not your area but Bristol had one up last week that surprised me (next to Lotus dealership before anyone asks). Well finished as Stanski says, I think the dash finish is very good, Bose stereo good other one is complete pants, boot good enough to be practical and the ride is quite smooth so ok for passengers, knee room in back is cramped so if his family is long legged they will notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Good stuff guys. His family is fairly young at the moment and his loon (son) loved the car, plenty of room for him in the back. Any other do's or dont's with the Rex as I don't know a huge amount about them. Distance is NO problem at all for a good deal.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 How much does he want to spend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/ A few in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 around 10k. I wrote it in the first post but must have forgot the numbers..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 for £10K he should be able to get a 2-3 year old no problem - but since they are the same high tax band as Zeds a lot of people have run for the hills which is why there are so many on the forecourts - there are still scare stories about the engine but as long as its a warranty, full service and the alloys dont have tyres worn on the outer rims by muppets driving them to death you should be fine. One other thing - there is a lot of heat transfer to the central tunnel the interior can get quite warm - they put extra shielding on the underside but it does'nt make much difference . Only bits I found a bit of a pain: You cant just move it and switch the engine off or it will flood - you need to let it warm up a few mins before switch off - bit of a pain if your in a hurry. Taking the engine cover off to get to the oil no fun if its p**sing it down The washer bottle is not the biggest for a Jap car -unusual - as it auto washes the lights when full beam on - so depletes the reservoir quickly! If some d**k parks right next to your door - its a bind getting in as the front doors are quite long. Go for Black with the Red leather You can fit a lot of big stuff with those suicide doors open (as no pillars to get in the way) Mazda want you to use that so called special oil for it but when its serviced at the dealers they only put there standard stuff in they use for all the other cars anyway !!!! The RX8 club will tell you what best to look out for. Good luck with the search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinopy Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 I'd have to agree with the engine flooding comments, it's a right pain in the arse and one of the biggest reasons why I got rid of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 have a look on the OC. some well looked after examples. thing to look out for - - Slow starting. This can be a sign of low compression. More and more of the early cars are suffering this. Its a new engine Im afraid. But Mazda are currently replacing free of charge, even if out of warranty - Knocking when turning. The drop links are known to go. - Check the engine mounts. Quite a common problem with corrosion. - Check to see if its had oil cooler piper recall done. These corrode easy, and then dump all the oil on the drive and shag your engine when you start it. I never flooded mine once. So long as you warm it up, before shutting down, you wont have issues with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Thanks again. Getting good responses here, just as good as the rex oc I bet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 I'd have to agree with the engine flooding comments, it's a right pain in the arse and one of the biggest reasons why I got rid of mine. Mine never flooded in fact I had no problems with it ever - in fact its the only car I ever owned that had no issues?? was a 2004 model 231bhp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zummertor Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Go for Black with the Red leather +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zummertor Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... x_mileage= If stuck on Blue this or similar Evolve might do the trick, damm long way from you though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1 HNK Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 just drove past my local mazda garage and there must be no less than 10 rx-8's on the front. good car for the cash, borrowed my mates for about 2 months last year. i just found the lack of torque frustrating and the mpg was worse than my 147 gta which i had at the time and that is saying something!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indyzed Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 just drove past my local mazda garage and there must be no less than 10 rx-8's on the front. good car for the cash, borrowed my mates for about 2 months last year. i just found the lack of torque frustrating and the mpg was worse than my 147 gta which i had at the time and that is saying something!! Couldn't agree more. I just told my dad and brother yesterday that those were the two biggest reason I love my Zed so much. Gobs of torque and great mpg without even trying. It's such a satisfying, well-rounded sports car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotuscc Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Mazda claim to have improved the RX8's heavy oil consumption in a very recent engine update. My brother-in-law had the starting problem issue with his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p1tse Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 . Only bits I found a bit of a pain: You cant just move it and switch the engine off or it will flood - you need to let it warm up a few mins before switch off - bit of a pain if your in a hurry. can a turbo timer type switch resolve this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 I've got two, one is blue. Might be slightly old for him on an 04, but only 20,000 miles and a mint car. Other one is a 53 plate with factory Sat Nav. Pictures and full descriptions : www.SouthamsOnline.com I get them in all the time, they usually move pretty quickly if priced right. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted September 3, 2008 Author Share Posted September 3, 2008 Thanks Dan. He actually bought one the other day. It was being delivered this afternoon but he's away for a few days. It's a grey 05 and looks like a minter. Was £9500 or there abouts..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p1tse Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 05 at £9.5k is good. anyone know what the mpg of these are like, have read it is bad. even on long distance motorway, it still only returns low 20's. any opinions and what the price of a: rx8 pz grey 56 plate with less than 10k miles? only conern, is that they don't seem to hold their value very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 05 at £9.5k is good. anyone know what the mpg of these are like, have read it is bad. even on long distance motorway, it still only returns low 20's. any opinions and what the price of a: rx8 pz grey 56 plate with less than 10k miles? only conern, is that they don't seem to hold their value very well. No offence but your asking that on the wrong forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p1tse Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 none taken i was suprised to see the positive replies above and some members seem to know quite a bit about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 anyone know what the mpg of these are like, have read it is bad. even on long distance motorway, it still only returns low 20's. any opinions and what the price of a: rx8 pz grey 56 plate with less than 10k miles? only conern, is that they don't seem to hold their value very well. They are a bit thirsty, but no worse than most cars with 231bhp. Thay have absolutely no torque and need revving to make them go, which is fun for a while but can become wearing depending on your driving style. Also means it's very easy to get caught in the wrong gear and have very little acceleration - for instance in 6th at 70 there is not much pick up and you need to drop down to make them go. Personally I prefer torquey cars but thats just me. 56 plate should be around £12k and yes they do depreciate because there are plenty about. They are a bargain second hand if you ask me. For example I just sold an 03 plate Mini Cooper S with 30k for £8495. Sat right next to it was the 04 plate RX8 with 20k for the exact same price. I know which one I would rather have. Nice drive though, I like them and always have a couple about the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.