Halp! Found an RX8 with small issues + Cigarette smell!!!

[amdhunter]

Thinking about purchasing an RX-8 after all the crap I've been talking about getting a 135/S4/TT-S...

Anyway. It's a 2004, Manual, 66000 miles and was owned by a friend for about 9 months. It has the following issues.

Airbag light goes on - I figure the dealership can fix this.

AC doesn't work, it's got a brand new compressor, but only stood cold for 2 days, then blows hot air. (leak somewhere?)

Really strong cigarette smell. He's tried the whole time to get rid of it, but the smell is SUPER strong still. No one has smoked in the car for over a year, but it is like sitting in an ashtray. Any suggestions to get it out? Interior is leather, and has been washed. Carpeting has been washed, Ceiling has been wiped down. At one point, you could see cigarette tar literally dripping from one of the visors.

Other than that, the car seems to be in perfect mechanical shape, but the cigarette smell might be the dealbreaker. I can't sit in it longer than 10 minutes without feeling an asthmatic pressure in my chest. How likely is the smell to disappear if it hasn't even gone down a little bit in a whole year?

 

[PhoKingGuy]

That smell doesn't go anywhere, its there to stay

 

[MiataNC]

I am an RX-8 owner/enthusiast, so here is my $.02...

2004 = Worst year for the RX-8. Some real teething problems and known issues that you will want to avoid unless you truly love the idiosyncrasies that come with ownership. If you are serious about getting one, stick with manual and only look at 2006-2010 models.

Airbag light = No small thing. Could be anything from a faulty sensor, bad ECU, to a botched repair job (vehicle involved in an accident). The car is not under warranty, so expect it to be a pricey repair.

Cigarette Smell = Smoking in a car can ruin it for a non-smoker. It is almost never worth the cost to fully remove the smell. You might get lucky sticking dryer sheets under the seats and soaking the interior with something like fabreeze. If you can't stand being in the car now, don't expect it to get much better.

AC = The RX-8 is built/sold in limited numbers. Unless it shares AC parts with other models, be prepared to spend more than a typical economy car to repair it properly.

The RX-8 is a truly fun and amazing car to drive. Be sure you truly understand the trade-offs in owning one before you make the leap. Spend some time researching the car at http://www.rx8club.com

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Besides, the RX-8 is nothing like the 135/S4 etc, you have to rev the shit out of it to get any power. Plus the maintenance is insane

 

[Zenmervolt]

That smell doesn't go anywhere, its there to stay

Ozone generator can go a long, long way to getting rid of the smell.

ZV

 

[thescreensavers]

That smell doesn't go anywhere, its there to stay

yup its, one of the hardest smells to get rid of from a cars interior. People have all these tricks to male it smell better, just google.

I hear an Ozone generator is also good for this

 

[MiataNC]

Besides, the RX-8 is nothing like the 135/S4 etc, you have to rev the shit out of it to get any power. Plus the maintenance is insane

Redlines is @9500 RPM, and the motor can spin that high all day. In fact it LOVES to spin. Smoother than anything else out there with pistons. It really rips.

Power comes on @5500RPM. It will break the tires loose dumping the clutch @4500RPM from a stop, or rolling on the gas mid-corner (with ECS/TCS turned off).

There is NOTHING insane about the maintenance.

I put 20K on mine in the first year. I have only paid for...
Oil changes = Same price as my Mazda3 and MX-5 at the dealership.
Tires = I am due for tires because I am hard on them all the time.

In between oil changes I keep the oil topped off (the car burns oil by design), adding a little more than 1/2 a quart every 1500 miles. Other than that I check my tire pressure regularely and keep the car washed. Nothing more is required.

 

[amdhunter]

I am an RX-8 owner/enthusiast, so here is my $.02...

He's owned two 2004's over a 5 year period. I've ridden in one almost daily, and has driven his current one more than he has probably. I am aware of most of the quirks (water in tail lights, visors breaking every summer, coolant leak over time, etc.) so I am not going in blindly.

I am also buying it to mod it a bit. First thing is to upgrade the stock sound system to something retarded (I used to be into sound systems a while ago, it'd be fun to get into again) and then little things like a cold air + exhaust, and lighter flywheel.

It doesn't have any appearance package, so I'd want to track down a Mazdaspeed kit, or normal appearance kit.

You've mentioned the RX8 club, and despite my modest 7 posts there, I have purchased a few items for my friends RX8 there, and have been a long time lurker. I currently have a running WTB thread for one.

The cigarette smell thing is a dealbreaker though, if it's going to be that tough to get out, I won't even consider it. Maybe I'll try the ozone thing and a detail before I buy. I don't mind spending money on it beforehand.

 

[StageLeft]

How is having a rotary engine a small issue? Engine lasts about as long as Kirstie Alley's last diet. Now that's hardly objective but in the absence of any actual numbers I can find and only endless anecdotes it is nonetheless quite safe to say you're not going to get the miles out of it you'd get out of a piston engine. And not just less but probably a lot less.

The cars are pretty slow, BTW. Certainly slower than they look. They do drive tightly and have four seats (the rear two are usable).

 

[JulesMaximus]

yup its, one of the hardest smells to get rid of from a cars interior. People have all these tricks to male it smell better, just google.

I hear an Ozone generator is also good for this

Rotten meat is worse. I used to work in the car rental industry and we picked up a car once from a woman who left a few pounds of beef in the trunk for 2 weeks during the summer. We NEVER got the smell out of that car. Even after detailing it professionally 3 times it still smelled like rotten meat. You literally wanted to vomit everytime you got into that car...it was that bad.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Rotten meat is worse. I used to work in the car rental industry and we picked up a car once from a woman who left a few pounds of beef in the trunk for 2 weeks. We NEVER got the smell out of that car. Even after detailing it professionally 3 times it still smelled like rotten meat. You literally wanted to vomit everytime you got into that car...it was that bad.

More than an alternator sized chunk?

 

[amdhunter]

Rotten meat is worse. I used to work in the car rental industry and we picked up a car once from a woman who left a few pounds of beef in the trunk for 2 weeks. We NEVER got the smell out of that car. Even after detailing it professionally 3 times it still smelled like rotten meat. You literally wanted to vomit everytime you got into that car...it was that bad.

LOL! Same thing happened in my old Galant. We left pork in the trunk after taking food home from a party. It got rotten after a few weeks and we finally found it in the trunk.

Car stunk for months after that.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

One of my buddies has a heavily modded RX-8 so I speak from what hes told me. He loves the way the car handles but even with his TT set up my GTI (with stage 1) was still just as fast as his was off the line, the car has no low end unless you switch gears at like 6k rpm or something. The mileage is pretty abysmal, I think he gets like 14-16 mpg

 

[amdhunter]

One of my buddies has a heavily modded RX-8 so I speak from what hes told me. He loves the way the car handles but even with his TT set up my GTI (with stage 1) was still just as fast as his was off the line, the car has no low end unless you switch gears at like 6k rpm or something. The mileage is pretty abysmal, I think he gets like 14-16 mpg

Damn. That kind of sucks. I really wanted to flash my GLi all this time, but never had the guts to mess with a leased car.

I don't plan any real modifications to this car (probably will invest $3-4k total) and most of the mods will be sound related (read: heavy weight). It would suck if I can't really get a little more power out of it.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

You should just keep your GLi and flash it to stage 1, it would probably be faster than an RX-8

Edit:

If you really want a monster you can sink 2-3k and go to stage 2, but you're going to have to buff up the internals for that. You'll be able to hang with a 335i though

 

[Arkaign]

I'd say keep the GLi as well. Really the only reliable way to get decent power from an RX-8 is to swap the motor to something with torque, and that's a pricey and time-consuming task. You really really have to know what you're doing as well.

 

[StageLeft]

Damn. That kind of sucks. I really wanted to flash my GLi all this time, but never had the guts to mess with a leased car.

I don't plan any real modifications to this car (probably will invest $3-4k total) and most of the mods will be sound related (read: heavy weight). It would suck if I can't really get a little more power out of it.

A neighbor of mine did that to his leased VW. He no longer has the car so I assume he simply backed it out before returning it.

Anybody looking to buy an RX8 should ask themselves why Mazda is the only company that puts rotary engines into their vehicles. It's for marketing and nothing else; in most cases it's an inferior engine. Its power sucks, mileage sucks, longevity sucks.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Sounds like a ball-ache.

 

[amdhunter]

I'd say keep the GLi as well. Really the only reliable way to get decent power from an RX-8 is to swap the motor to something with torque, and that's a pricey and time-consuming task. You really really have to know what you're doing as well.

You should just keep your GLi and flash it to stage 1, it would probably be faster than an RX-8

Edit:

If you really want a monster you can sink 2-3k and go to stage 2, but you're going to have to buff up the internals for that. You'll be able to hang with a 335i though

I kind of really want a RWD car, although I am looking at a used 2009 Civic Si ($15K) that has been flashed/lowered already. It needs some bodywork though (dings on the sides, needs front bumper) but has the full HFP kit/HFP Exhaust and Navigation.

Whatever I choose, I don't plan to keep very long. More of a toy to play with for a year or two.

I am giving up on the idea of buying an expensive car. I think making $5-600 payments to lease a car is kind of ridiculous these days, considering you can't do anything with it.

 

[StageLeft]

I am looking at a used 2009 Civic Si ($15K) that has been flashed/lowered already. It needs some bodywork though (dings on the sides, needs front bumper) but has the full HFP kit/HFP Exhaust and Navigation.

AMD you don't actually know what you want. You are just dying to get out of your GLI and spend money some how some way, come hell or high water. Drive your GLI through its lease and get something then.

 

[jlee]

I kind of really want a RWD car, although I am looking at a used 2009 Civic Si ($15K) that has been flashed/lowered already. It needs some bodywork though (dings on the sides, needs front bumper) but has the full HFP kit/HFP Exhaust and Navigation.

Whatever I choose, I don't plan to keep very long. More of a toy to play with for a year or two.

I am giving up on the idea of buying an expensive car. I think making $5-600 payments to lease a car is kind of ridiculous these days, considering you can't do anything with it.

If you want a toy, see my sig. On the right. Cable throttle, too! 😛

 

[amdhunter]

AMD you don't actually know what you want. You are just dying to get out of your GLI and spend money some how some way, come hell or high water. Drive your GLI through its lease and get something then.

This is not far from the truth. My GLi is my first leased car, and I hate that I can't do anything with it. 3 days after buying my Galant, I had a crazy sound system + rims on it.

My Civic had a nice sound system + really nice rims, but I never got around to getting the HFP exhaust/Kit, because it got broken into.

I really would love to do stuff with my GLi, but the buyout is retarded expensive. I can buy another GLi for less money. (Although in worse shape I bet.) I just want something to play around with.

 

[TechBoyJK]

amd i pm'd you about car audio.

HERTZ FTW! I've always done PPI/Eclipse/Focal/Alpine setups in the past, carefully selecting my gear after scouring forums and doing irl listens.

Hertz audio just blew me away. The high energy hertz line blew my focals out of the water, for half the price. The 6.5's sound like 8" subs in boxes. When people get in my car and hear it, they ask me where the subs are. (i have a bmw z4, so the cabin is small).

 

[MiataNC]

Anybody looking to buy an RX8 should ask themselves why Mazda is the only company that puts rotary engines into their vehicles. It's for marketing and nothing else; in most cases it's an inferior engine. Its power sucks, mileage sucks, longevity sucks.

Hate much? Perhaps you should ask yourself why you have to slam a car and the people who drive/own it simply because they do not share your opinions.

Mazda still manufactures a rotary engine, because they have a passion for it. It is their legacy and part of a rich racing heritage. It is NOT simply marketing. Mazda to this day competes with and wins with rotary powered cars. In fact Mazda is more involved in racing at levels achievable by the common man than any other make. Believe it or not there are enthusiasts out there that enjoy being part of that heritage, and support a company that dares to be different.

I have driven all of the cars that get reviewed side by side to the RX-8, and in my opinion the trade-offs are outweighed by the complete package offered by the RX-8. You won't see me bashing those other cars, and I offer a balanced opinion of the trade-offs in every thread that discusses the RX-8. For me it is a much more enjoyable car to drive at any speed.

When it comes to being "inferior" and "sucking", I have found those two words apply more often than not to forum haters and spec sheet racers who join the herd in bashing something that doesn't fit their narrow world view.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

It looks like the OP is looking for a project car. A small word of advice. A project car should not be your only means of transportation.
If you want a fast, well handling car with potential for more modifications, you can't get more for your buck, than a 90's Mustang or GM F-body. You can get them all day long for $3000 in decent shape, dump another $3000 into one and you'll eat most cars on the street. My 23 year old T/A. will rape RX-8's all day long and that is with it carrying a full interior, full audio/video system. And I only paid $3k for the car. Granted it isn't stock and I'm not done upgrading it, so I have a few more clams to spend on it, but when I'm done it'll be a mid 10's car. It's currently a 13 second flat 1/4 mile car on street tires and with the original 1987 suspension in the car.

As far as the cig smell, you'll never get rid of it. Febreeze, Ozone, all of that masks the issue, it doesn't get rid of it. In order to get rid of the smell for good, you will need to replace ALL the fabric in the car. The seat cushions will need to go. The dash will need to be pulled and thouroughly cleaned inside and out. Dash vents need to be cleaned or replaced. Even after all of that, if you have a sensative sense of smell, you'll still get occassional wafts of cig smell.
Other options for RWD fun cars would be a Soltice GXP or Saturn Sky Redline if you can find one.