Wife's '06 RX-8 has had increasingly frustrating electrical issues. There is some sort of electrical system drain that we can not find the source of. It had been kept on a battery tender, but things have progressed to the point that she can't rely on it starting anymore. It's in the shop now with one last chance to maybe track down the source of the issue.
She's also tired of it taking forever to get worked on because there is only one mechanic at the local dealer qualified to work on it.
She's pretty certain it's time to sell it and move on. Find something lightly used with manual transmission (leaning Civic, Corolla, Mazda3, or Imprezza).
But how best to sell the RX-8? It's in solid shape aside from the major issue. I think 80k miles. A dealership probably won't give good price. She wouldn't want to sell it to an individual without them being fully aware of its issues.
It's kind of begging to be gutted and turned into a race car. What would be the best location(s) and method to sell this thing?
We are in Columbus, OH.
Auto or manual? I believe the Auto RX8s had lower output engines.
calteg
UltraDork
10/20/24 11:16 a.m.
Fastest route: Get a Carmax appraisal, find a competing dealer that does Carmax +$500 and dump it.
Otherwise you're likely selling it for scrap value.
New battery and a kill switch so you can easily cut the negative cable connection when it's parked?
Maybe would be worth posting it in some track car for sale type groups if you're on fb
I had the same issue when l with my 07 when I sold it.. I was still able to sell it on Facebook marketplace even disclosing it. Really the only issue I had with the car..
I had one of these connected to the battery for the last year or two before I sold it:
battery disconnect switch
Early RX-8 with 80,000 miles... oh my.
Sell it to someone who does not know a lot about RX-8's?
(you likely already tried this, but did you trying pulling fuses until the drain stopped?)
Bibs
New Reader
10/20/24 1:32 p.m.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but have you checked the microswitches that sense an open hood/door?
My 06 Mazda had a similar frustrating issue...the hood switch was corroded, so the car thinks the hood is open.
it keeps the ECU on, because it thinks the car is being serviced. It would drain the battery overnight.
I just removed the switch, and tied the wires together.
Bibs said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but have you checked the microswitches that sense an open hood/door?
Not a dumb question. *I* have not checked anything. Wife has dropped it off at the shop several times to try to get it diagnosed, and they say they've checked a bunch of the electronics, but I don't know what. I've not reviewed their work at all.
Sounds like the sort of car that would draw interest right here on this forum in the for sale section.
calteg said:
Fastest route: Get a Carmax appraisal, find a competing dealer that does Carmax +$500 and dump it.
This is kinda what I suspect. Otherwise that someone on GRM would be interested in it for ~$2k.
In reply to clutchsmoke :
Sunroof.
Pics here. We are a fun bunch that love challenges. I say someone here has spot for it. Rust?
Rx8s are known to draw down batteries with a quickness.
I put in a too small battery in my rx8 when I did my swap. It was fine for cranking, but would be completely dead after 2 days of sitting.
I put in a yellow top and now it's fine for 2 weeks or more.
Also, there is something up with using the fob to lock rx8s. If you do lock it with the fob it kills the battery MUCH quicker.
Wen I was chasing a drain on the battery, I found a good YouTube video for how to do it easily.
I'm having a hard time locating the video right now, but basically it allowed to check the circuits without pulling fuses. It did help me find that my disconnect (at the time) wire for the ac compressor had a big draw when the car was off due to it being connected to the wrong circuit!
Caprigrip said:
Pics here. We are a fun bunch that love challenges. I say someone here has spot for it. Rust?
Minimal rust and we've not found any structural. Lived most of its life in California. Moved to Ohio 10 years ago. She spent money of fancy undercoating when we arrived. I drive more than she does, and we've had a minivan to serve as the primary winter car all these years.
It's at the dealer shop now awaiting their attempt to diagnose the issue.
I'll take pictures once we get it back.
wvumtnbkr said:
Wen I was chasing a drain on the battery, I found a good YouTube video for how to do it easily.
If you can locate and share it, I'd appreciate it.
She always locks it by hand, never with the fob.
