Hey all,
First of all, this is my first post, but I'm happy to be part of such a good community. I'm about to type a ton of stuff, so I won't be surprised if nobody even reads this, but I think it's worth a shot to get some opinions.
Now that that's out of the way, I'm looking at buying this:
-2009 Grand Touring (6-speed) with 42k miles for $13998
-Additional $1000 for a 5 year, 100,000 odometer mile (so 58k more miles) extended service plan that will cover pretty much everything mechanical that is not normal maintenance or wear and tear (clutch, brake pads, etc) except for exhaust and cat.
The car has a clean Autocheck, no accidents reported, and was a fleet vehicle for the first ~30k miles or so before being owned by another owner until now.
I haven't test driven yet (going to do that this week), but I've been reading a ton on this forum, and the more I find out, the more worried I get. There's a 5 day, moneyback return policy, so if I buy it, I am going to take it to the Mazda dealership and get a compression test and return it if the engine isn't in good health. At the same time, I'll check on any TSBs and recalls, and I am also going to call Mazda North America and find out if this car is on its original engine or if it's gotten a reman engine.
I've read the entire "potential owners, start here" thread and more, and it seems like I could go crazy with everything about this car (dead engines, faulty clutch pedal assembly, diagnosing low mpg problems, redlining regularly to clear up carbon buildup, difference between SeriesI and SeriesII, etc.)
1) Carry oil in the trunk or have some on hand and frequently refill to just under full. Not too bad.
2) Buy my choice of premix and use it on fillups to help engine seal lubrication. Carry premix in trunk.
3) Make sure the ignition system is always up to par. Replace coils/plugs/wires frequently (minimum every 30k, probably will need to do this as soon as I purchase because I don't know the last time it was done).
4) Make sure I am on top of the state of the cooling system. Buy bluetooth OBD2 connector and run application like "Torque" to keep track of car vitals regularly, including water temperature, making sure it stays in normal range. Change the coolant soon after getting the car. Use Mazda's FL-22 coolant.
5) Make sure never to turn the car off cold, or you will flood the engine and not be able to start it again without attempting to "unflood" it.
6) I will have no idea about the fuel economy of this particular car. Being able to get regular mpg like 17-18 mixed is already bad enough as it is, I would definitely not enjoy finding out that I get 12-13 and have to troubleshoot all the ignition stuff and go down a rabbit hole I know nothing about.
If I were to buy a different used car, I would do MUCH less:
1) Buy it
2) Drive it and enjoy it
3) Get around to changing out the fluids at some point shortly thereafter (no huge rush but don't wait too long, will have to do this on the RX-8 as well).
4) Not worry NEARLY as much.
I've never owned a rotary before, and I am freaking out a little. I am hoping that when I actually see the car and test drive, it will make this significant tradeoff worth it. I definitely won't own the car outside of my extended service plan period due to reliability concerns, but that's not really relevant right now.
Am I going crazy for trying to account for how all of this will affect me before I even see/drive the car? :crazy: Should I just move on? I'm also considering other more traditional cars, with the other frontrunners being FR-S/BRZ, Focus ST, G35/G37.
Thanks!
First of all, this is my first post, but I'm happy to be part of such a good community. I'm about to type a ton of stuff, so I won't be surprised if nobody even reads this, but I think it's worth a shot to get some opinions.
Now that that's out of the way, I'm looking at buying this:
-2009 Grand Touring (6-speed) with 42k miles for $13998
-Additional $1000 for a 5 year, 100,000 odometer mile (so 58k more miles) extended service plan that will cover pretty much everything mechanical that is not normal maintenance or wear and tear (clutch, brake pads, etc) except for exhaust and cat.
The car has a clean Autocheck, no accidents reported, and was a fleet vehicle for the first ~30k miles or so before being owned by another owner until now.
I haven't test driven yet (going to do that this week), but I've been reading a ton on this forum, and the more I find out, the more worried I get. There's a 5 day, moneyback return policy, so if I buy it, I am going to take it to the Mazda dealership and get a compression test and return it if the engine isn't in good health. At the same time, I'll check on any TSBs and recalls, and I am also going to call Mazda North America and find out if this car is on its original engine or if it's gotten a reman engine.
I've read the entire "potential owners, start here" thread and more, and it seems like I could go crazy with everything about this car (dead engines, faulty clutch pedal assembly, diagnosing low mpg problems, redlining regularly to clear up carbon buildup, difference between SeriesI and SeriesII, etc.)
1) Carry oil in the trunk or have some on hand and frequently refill to just under full. Not too bad.
2) Buy my choice of premix and use it on fillups to help engine seal lubrication. Carry premix in trunk.
3) Make sure the ignition system is always up to par. Replace coils/plugs/wires frequently (minimum every 30k, probably will need to do this as soon as I purchase because I don't know the last time it was done).
4) Make sure I am on top of the state of the cooling system. Buy bluetooth OBD2 connector and run application like "Torque" to keep track of car vitals regularly, including water temperature, making sure it stays in normal range. Change the coolant soon after getting the car. Use Mazda's FL-22 coolant.
5) Make sure never to turn the car off cold, or you will flood the engine and not be able to start it again without attempting to "unflood" it.
6) I will have no idea about the fuel economy of this particular car. Being able to get regular mpg like 17-18 mixed is already bad enough as it is, I would definitely not enjoy finding out that I get 12-13 and have to troubleshoot all the ignition stuff and go down a rabbit hole I know nothing about.
If I were to buy a different used car, I would do MUCH less:
1) Buy it
2) Drive it and enjoy it
3) Get around to changing out the fluids at some point shortly thereafter (no huge rush but don't wait too long, will have to do this on the RX-8 as well).
4) Not worry NEARLY as much.
I've never owned a rotary before, and I am freaking out a little. I am hoping that when I actually see the car and test drive, it will make this significant tradeoff worth it. I definitely won't own the car outside of my extended service plan period due to reliability concerns, but that's not really relevant right now.
Am I going crazy for trying to account for how all of this will affect me before I even see/drive the car? :crazy: Should I just move on? I'm also considering other more traditional cars, with the other frontrunners being FR-S/BRZ, Focus ST, G35/G37.
Thanks!
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire