When No One is Buying, the Cars are Cheap! Rotary Edition

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2)
04/08/2020 at 15:22 • Filed to: None

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The pandemic has many many downsides, but at least it has driven down the prices of cars for all us window internet shoppers. Of course, it is also a tremendously crappy time to have to sell a car to make ends meet, so my heart goes out to many of the private sellers here. But let’s just enjoy some of these amazing deals to take our minds off the present situation.

Mazda RX7s

1982 Project - $1,500

This guy clearly has no interest in this car other than getting it gone. It actually seems pretty good, with a straight body and clean interior, but the seller just doesn’t know the first thing about this gem, as is evident in his description:

Project car. What does that mean? It means it needs work. No I don’t know if it runs but the motor is there. That’s why it is listed as a project. You repair or replace whatever it needs. Sold as is where is with a BOS.FIRM, FIRM,Firm.

There used to be a blue RX7 project for sale near me that was a little more expensive but in much better condition, which I had planned on including until I couldn’t find the ad.

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Mazda RX8s - Name Your Price

2004 - $3,000 and 120k miles

This is being sold by a dealer unfortunately but it really looks clean all around. They blame the cheap price on “Corona Clearance,” so maybe they are just desperate to move a hard to sell car. That piece of trim in the passenger seat is worrying, though I’ve known dealer-bought cars to have non-matching pieces of trim in the trunk for no good reason.

EDIT: The apex seals are gone on this but I didn’t read the description. This is a CP.

Man that interior really reminds me of my brother’s old V6 Mazda Mazda6. The smell. The plastic. The crappy cheap interior as a whole. That was a fun car until the timing chain went on the interference engine.

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2009 - $4,200 and 100,000 miles

Despite the crappy photos this example is more promising. It’s a private seller who has driven it for two years and provides a list of things that have been fixed and a short list of things that need to be addressed.

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2011 - $6,900 and 80,000 Miles

This slightly lower mileage example makes you appreciate the ones listed above. This seller doesn’t know how to work a camera at all.

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2004 - $2,500 and 120,000 miles

This may be the cheapest RX8 here but I don’t think it is the worst. From what little we see of the car it appears to be in great condition for what-the-heck money.

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I may be dreaming of rotaries but I think my next car will either be a Cooper S or a Miata. I just couldn’t foot the bill if these went wrong, and the apex seals have got to be going on most of these. I am just surprised there are this many for sale right now.

DISCUSSION (22)

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 15:26

Let’s have a video meeting to discuss...

Zoom-Zoom!

Chariotoflove > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 15:37

That ‘04 the dealer probably got on trade in for $2k, or even a bit less, and is trying to flip it for $2.5 k. Easy profit. But if it’s the original engine, I’d worry.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Chariotoflove
04/08/2020 at 15:42

Yeah not all of those you would want to buy. The 2004 has enough room in the price for an extensive overhaul and the 2009 seems really good all around but a little more expensive. The 2004? Somewhat troubling.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
04/08/2020 at 15:44

From everything I’ve heard the RX8 chassis is simply incredible. The stiffest chassis I’ve driven to date was my brother’s old Mazda6 but that heavy lump of a V6 didn’t do any favors for the handling in retrospect, though it had plenty of power.

Much Zoom Much Want!

Chariotoflove > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 15:45

I mean, if you figure out whether the engine has been replaced, how the compression is, what the coils look like, and are willing to upgrade the oil pump, it could be well worth it. But you can’t trust the dealer’s inspection like you could for a piston engine. They almost certainly won’t know squat about these.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Chariotoflove
04/08/2020 at 15:46

The game plan would be as follows: Find a rotary specialist, bring it in for an inspection, drop $4k in repairs, ZOOOOOOOM ZOOOOOOM!

Of course this plan is not exactly based in my broke reality.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 16:08

Drive one first, but I’m with you. I’d been led to understand that it was incredible, responsive chassis but I’d go flog one first before you go all in. My mechanic, who should really dig the RX8, was sorta “meh”, though.

I figured that the lightest 300HP power plant you could find PLUS that chassis was an all-out winner.

Chariotoflove > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 16:12

Broke Reality is a good race horse name.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
04/08/2020 at 16:15

I like cars that are as quirky as I am ( slight exaggeration ) and the idea of a high revving engine powered by an angry Dorito fits the mold pretty well. However , I don’t have the time, money, or skills for a one, since a cheap RX8 is almost as bad as a cheap German car (I want a Mini still, so is that worse?).

One slight problem there is I can’t drive stick yet and most sellers wouldn’t want their car flogged. I don’t think a rotary is feasible with my current situation but maybe one day. . .

There are still some incredible chassis out there with less fickle engines and I value handling over outright power, so I still have plenty of options and plenty of time to figure it out.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Chariotoflove
04/08/2020 at 16:16

I laughed quite hard at that. So would “H opeless F antasy” or “A ngry Dorito.”

Chariotoflove > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 16:19

I like those. You cou ld go with Apex Seal, but everyone would mistake it for a marine reference. You’d spend all your press conferences answering the same question, and still no one would understand.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 16:23

VTEC in longitudinal form? S2000 engine...

I’m back to noodling about Hayabusa in such cases, too.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Chariotoflove
04/08/2020 at 16:23

It would be way cooler than the equines named “V-Tec Yo!” or “Noreplacementfordisplacement.”

Chariotoflove > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 16:26

Ugh. Those would go to the glue factory.

PyramidHat > Chariotoflove
04/08/2020 at 16:58

So what’s with the engines? I recall there was some sort of problems, but nothing of Porsche/IMS bearing magnitude...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Chariotoflove
04/08/2020 at 17:18

I think they aren't good enough even for that.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > PyramidHat
04/08/2020 at 17:18

Apex seals, as always.

Chariotoflove > PyramidHat
04/08/2020 at 17:38

The problem is that the weak point in these is the apex seals that maintain the seal between the rotors and the housing. They need to be lubricated well to stay good, and that’s why these engines mix a little oil into the fuel by design. If the seals go, you lose compression and need a new engine. I mean, you can rebuild the engine, but almost no one does that on their own. Forgive me if you knew this part already.

Mazda thought with the Renesis that they had been able to reduce the need for oil, and so they went lean on the first gen of the RX-8. Turns out that wasn’t such a good idea. So the first gen engines were more prone to the problem. Mazda factory warranted them after the fact, replacing engines that went within 80,000 miles. The later engines were better with more durable seals, but still. The owner at Rotary Performance near me says what he does is upgrade those early cars with a second oil pump, and that it pretty much fixes the problem with a new engine.

I’m just an owner who loved his ‘04 RX-8 over 13 years and two factory engines. The real Oppo master on these is AcursedX. Maybe if we say his name three times into a mirror, he’ll show up.

avalonian > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 22:21

Did these ever get turn key and drive reliable? Or were they just terrible all the time?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > avalonian
04/08/2020 at 22:31

I’m not an expert but they weren’t idiot proof like a modern piston engine. They required some finesse to use like some diesels , where you have to make sure to reach operating temperature first. They could be reliable although not dependable since there were more than a few complicated things that went wrong besides the apex seals.

In other words if an owner stayed on top of recalls and maintenance, refilled the oil at scheduled intervals, and wasn’t an idiot, they could be quite reliable. However, most owners and mechanics don't know how to use them.

avalonian > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 22:51

Fair, they look like cool commuters for cheap. But I don't want stress.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > avalonian
04/08/2020 at 23:03

The trouble is finding someone who knows them that is actually selling theirs. The black one seems to be the only one that fits the description.