Looking for a clean good condition. Prefer manual. Prefer something in the Southeast.
It's for a friend who is not mechanically inclined, so those sub $1K cars are probably off the radar. Need a fairly clean one.
I'm such a cheapass that I'm not sure what the going price should be for a car that doesn't need a motor. Any thoughts? What's the price range these days?
I think there was a solid one listed on here recently for about 3k.
found it. my memory wasn't very accurate on price. $4.5k
If you want it to be in good shape with good compression numbers it's going to be $4k to $7k depending on region and other details. Or $10k+ for a nice 2009+
If you are doing anything other than buying cheap with room in the budget to put an engine in, compression test before purchase.
Remember that automatics are completely different engines, it's not a quick easy trans swap to convert one.
How not mechanically-inclined is this friend? RX8's do obviously require some care and feeding compared to a normal car. Any one that you buy, you should take a look at the cat and make sure it is not clogging. They go through ignition coils every so often, OEM are $250ish or you can get plug'n'play lifetime coils for around $400 but either way it would be smart to do that job on any car you buy. Spark plugs are around $100 a set and don't last as long as piston engine ones. It's generally wise to do some sort of premix routine for longevity. You need to stop driving ASAP if something breaks and it's trying to overheat, much moreso than a piston engine. These are relatively simple tasks but my point is, if someone is mechanically averse, they may not enjoy it much.
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
Umm... that one is sold. 
I haven’t owned an SVX in a really long time said:In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
Umm... that one is sold.
I wasn't very clear but I was trying to answer your 'whats the going rate?' question with an example of a nice car that sold.
I don't know the final selling price of course but you can ask.
find one with a good engine?
hahaha
you are gonna be like Diogenes Seeking an Honest Man
may i recommend a LFX swap?
In reply to billstewartx :
It will be a car for a teen driver. No engine swaps.
Honestly, my approach would be to buy a cheap one that needs a motor a drop in a new Renesis. But that's not the approach my friend wants.
there really is not such thing as a "new" renesis
even the ones you buy from mazda are just used engines torn apart
and the best / in spec parts are assembled from many engines into a "in spec " engine .
and a TEEN driver? seriously?
may i recommend a DIESEL 240D benz from 1985? something that will barely go 75mph?
or perhaps a broken rotary that the TEEN will spend 5 years putting on the road,
where he might be able to handle the car at age 25
TEENS cannot even own that car in Australia
High-powered vehicle restrictions apply to P1 and P2 licenses in QLD. A high-powered vehicle is a car that has been manufactured on or after January 1st 2010 and has a power-to-weight ratio of more than 130kW/t (kilowatts per ton). If the car was made before that date, it's considered high-powered if it has 8 or more cylinders, has a turbocharged or supercharged engine that isn't diesel, has an engine power output of more than 210kW, or is a rotary engine with a capacity of 1146cc.
You cannot drive a high powered vehicle under the age of 25
https://www.autoguru.com.au/car-advice/articles/wading-through-p-plate-laws
In reply to billstewartx :
A 240D? You mean something with a nice big back seat so she can get pregnant easier?? How about you raise your kids your way, and I will let my friend raise her own kids?
The car she's looking for is an RX8. I have no problem with that.
It's a much better choice than the classic American metal she wanted to drive.
Parent's rule... "You can only have a 4 door car". Kid's answer..."Ok, how about an RX8". I applaud that kid!
An RX8 has most modern safety features. Airbags, side impact bars, ABS, crumple zone, modern engineering... PLUS she wants a stick shift.
We need more kids like that!
I haven’t owned an SVX in a really long time said:In reply to billstewartx :
How about you raise your kids your way, and I will let my friend raise her own kids?
Thats why they have laws about teen driving in Australia , because
Teens don't have good sense yet...
and some parents have E36 M3-For-Brains .
"Oh honey, you want a car that goes 146 MPH??? No problem! Let me BUY it for you..."
looks like Darwin at work... sorting out the gene pool again...
and Yes, my kid got a 240D in high school... and he is still alive, 15 years later...
and my uncle's teenage kid flew out out of a nissan 300zx doing way past the speed limit.. and died. And my uncle got to identify what was left of his kid. You know what someone looks like after sliding from 90MPH to zero on the asphalt ?
why when i type SH*T for brains... it turns it into E36 M3-For-Brains .?
In reply to billstewartx :
With all due respect, no one is gonna survive a crash at 75 mph in a 240D. They might in an RX8.
But much more importantly, I asked for help locating an RX8. I DID NOT ask for parenting advice.
Please stop.
I need help finding an RX8, and would appreciate any help you can give me on THAT subject.
A good way to get an idea of the actual market value is to look at completed auctions on eBay. Can't help with leads on any specific car.
In reply to billstewartx :
All that fuss, over a car that doesn't even qualify as fast nowadays? Jesus, man, it could barely keep up with my Dodge Caravan. I remember showing one my tail lights pretty strongly in my turbo Volvo wagon. And you don't even know the kids or parents from adam. For all you know the kid could already be in motorsports competition and have a racing license. Heck of a hill to kick up a fuss over. Drop it, dude. It's uncalled for.
Accident avoidance is a big part of accident survival, IMHO. Being able to stop or change direction quickly, especially at interstate speeds these days is important. I've only driven a stock RX-8 on an auto-x course and it handled pretty neutral with an understeer bias. I'd put my kid in an RX-8 before I'd let him to drive a new base model Jeep wrangler w/close to 280HP.
I really like how the RX8 drives and have done some research on these. $4k to $8k seems about the range I've seen for decent good driving cars. Start tracking them on FB marketplace. Save the cars you like and you can monitor if/when they sell and if the seller has lowered the price. The ones priced right will be sold in a few days. The cars priced too high will remain posted for weeks.
Ideally, buy a later car or one with paperwork from a warranty engine replacement. I've read anything with hot start issues usually equals low compression and eventually apex seal failure. I've also heard that people will switch to a stronger starter motor as a bandaid fix, so I suppose that's one thing to look out for. Some sources say a rotary engine requires a special tool to accurately test compression...but I've seen conflicting information on that as well.
Here's one in Central Florida I've been watching. It checks all the boxes, including the "not red" box. Reman engine w/lots of work done while the engine was out. It's a well written ad and under "needs" it lists: "Constant love and attention." My kind of guy. Unfortunately, it's yellow. The ad is marked as "pending" and it's been posted for sale for less than a week.
In reply to Hoondavan :
Pretty sure the special compression tool can tell the different compression between the rotors faces. On a piston engine you just have one spark plug hole per compression ring to measure. On a rotary, the single spark plug hole really measures the sealing capabilities of 3 different apex seals. So while yes, you'd get a compression reading with a regular tester, it wouldn't tell you if one Apex seal was bad and two were good. It would just read "good".
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Hoondavan :
Pretty sure the special compression tool can tell the different compression between the rotors faces. On a piston engine you just have one spark plug hole per compression ring to measure. On a rotary, the single spark plug hole really measures the sealing capabilities of 3 different apex seals. So while yes, you'd get a compression reading with a regular tester, it wouldn't tell you if one Apex seal was bad and two were good. It would just read "good".
Actually, you take the Schrader valve out of the tester and watch the needle bounce while cranking. That way it tells you how each individual seal set is working.
It'd very easy.
I have done it myself using a camera recording the gage or by running the gage up to the windshield and watching it while sitting in the driver's seat.
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
Well that certainly is a very simple way to achieve it!
I went and drove my RX-8 around for half an hour tonight to make sure I don't want to sell it (I don't). It was rainy and 45 degrees. It reminded me of this thread and the comments about a 16 year old driver. I am not sure I'd let my son daily an RX-8 when he turns 16 but I definitely wouldn't be afraid to let him drive one. My main hesitation being his school is only 2 miles from our house and the poor rotary would never reach operating temp.
Make sure to look for a DSC car for a 16 year old. The DSC is incredibly intrusive and really wont let you get in much trouble.
You make a good point. Both the ones I owned have/had DSC. I've been commuting in the rx8 the last few weeks with junk tires, a huge rear sway bar, and street-comfy shock settings which in my particular case mean it's diabolically loose. I have been intentionally abusing the DSC and it's actually REALLY GOOD. Yes, very intrusive with a hefty throttle cut if you get really sideways, but also very effective at saving the car and pointing it right where you wanted it to be. Great system for a daily drive and/or inexperienced teenager. Heck it's probably 'too good' and they should autocross with it turned off sometime to learn what a car actually does when it loses grip.
Just a general FYI for others, the DSC is fully defeatable with a (long) press of a button. 'People say' the ABS on non-DSC cars is notably better. But personally I have no complaints about track and autocross ABS performance on a DSC car with DSC turned off.
In reply to karplus2 :
Thanks for considering your car.
Good suggestion on the DSC
Only one rx8 on Atlanta Craigslist. 2011 automatic, and a parts one....... fyi
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