Help!!!!

[Nicole]

Hi folks, I'm Nicole and I have joined in order to get some educated advice about what to do with my RX8. A little backstory.....

My first car was an '81 RX7, and it was the automobile love of my life. It was reliable and lasted forever. I drove it until it just wouldn't drive anymore, many years.

Fast forward to 2014 - I'm a mother of 2 great girls, 20 & 18, and my 18 year old totaled my car (a dependable motherly Saturn Vue). I'm 44 now, and with my kids leaving the nest, I felt like maybe it was time to get the car I always wanted for myself - a beautiful black RX8. I assumed (yes, we all know what happens when we assume things) that the RX8 would be like my RX7, only better! Newer! More features! The backseat! I was relieved that one of my kids survived their first accident unscathed, and I thought it was a sign for me to move on with my independent life. And like I said, I thought it was the best of both worlds because not only is it gorgeous, but I thought, practical too, given my history with the RX7. Win-win.

Approximately 2 months after I purchased it, it began....not working. I took it to a local highly regarded garage, and after $700 of work (new battery, new starter, new wiring etc), it still didn't work. It would fire up beautifully, and then just not start after turning it off. The last time I drove it, it went dead on me while I was actually driving it. Like it just fell asleep. Nice.

I realized what you all already know I am sure, that rotary engines HAVE to be worked on by people that know rotaries. So I took it to the Mazda dealer, and was told it was severely flooded, hence the issues. They fixed that, and it drove great again. However, while it was there, I asked and paid for a compression check.

Low compression.

Here is what I would like to know: It would cost as much as I paid for the car to have a new Mazda engine installed at the dealer (or anywhere else for that matter), so that isn't an option. Do I (gulp) sell my beautiful dream car for parts/scrap it, or is it feasible to put a regular used engine in it? After doing research, I've found that many people have retrofitted RX8s with standard engines, and the cost would be far less. I'm worried, however, that it would open up a whole new host of problems, electrical systems not being compatible, etc.

I'm a single woman, and about the only thing I can do myself is change a tire. I'm afraid that even if I get a new engine for it, the RX8 is so high tech and finicky that I will always be faced with small problems that I can't fix myself. I sort of feel maybe this car belongs in the hands of a person that knows cars, rotary engines specifically, and can work on it themselves whenever something little goes wrong. It's been very discouraging to say the least, and it kind of broke my heart.

Help? LOL

[Nicole]

Beautiful shiny black giant paperweight.

[RICE RACING]

Fix the engine as sell it as a runner Nicole.
That way you will regain most money.

As a side note: ROTARIES have always equaled financial destruction, unless you can work on it yourself or boyfriend or are rich it is 99.9% going to end in tears. They are gold medal shit boxes.

[Nicole]

You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but what is a "runner"? And do you think I would make more money that way rather than selling it as is for parts? I don't really have 5 grand laying around to put in a new rotary engine.....lol It is a 2004 and while the rest of it in mint condition, I can't imagine it being worth more than 6 or 7 grand with a new engine.

[RICE RACING]

You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but what is a "runner"? And do you think I would make more money that way rather than selling it as is for parts? I don't really have 5 grand laying around to put in a new rotary engine.....lol It is a 2004 and while the rest of it in mint condition, I can't imagine it being worth more than 6 or 7 grand with a new engine.

'runner' means running engine.
there would be lots of people around who will rebuild your engine so it has good compression to allow you to sell the car.
get some quotes and go from there.

[Fendamonky]

Hi Nicole, welcome to the forum!!! It's good to have you here, though the situation that brought you is unfortunate...

I would def say try to have the engine rebuilt by a reputable person/shop, also have them go over everything as your car may have things wrong with it that are NOT apparent to the standard Mazda Tech (sadly most Mazda dealerships don't know fuck-all about rotaries). How many miles is on the car?

Where about in the country are you? Sometimes it is ABSOLUTELY worth it to drive (or tow) hundred(s) of miles for a good rotary shop.

Hopefully we can help you get your car situation figured out, and you're welcome to stick around for the punch and pie afterwards :rofl:

Cheers,

Levi

[Pete_89T2]

Hi Nicole, welcome to RCC!

A few more details on your RX8 might help get you clearer advice here - for starters, what year is it, and how many miles are on it? FYI, the earlier RX8s had a number of issues that Mazda corrected on the later models and by doing recalls & TSBs (Tech Service Bulletins). Also, if you have the service history on it, tell us which of the Mazda TSBs and/or recalls were done on it. Ditto on location - folks here can likely point you to a reputable rotary specialist that hopefully is a reasonable distance away.

Other than the fact that Mazda dealer found the engine has low compression, what else is going wrong with it now? Does it not start (when hot or cold)? Run poorly? (i.e., feels low on power/hesitates or otherwise runs like crap).

Pete

[Nicole]

For starters, thank you so much for all the feedback so far. As you can tell, I am so far out of my element here.

The car is a 2004, with approx 98K miles on it. I was sick when I realized I missed the extended warranty on the engine that was offered back in 2008 by one year (10 yrs 100K). Anyway, I don't know what recalls have been done on it, coincidentally I just received a recall notice for a potentially faulty airbag yesterday - guess I'll have that taken care of.

I had no idea the engine could be rebuilt - I thought my only options were to install a totally new engine or junk the whole thing. The car runs absolutely beautifully - when it runs. As of right now, it fires right up and drives like a dream, not sluggish, not anything. The problem is that sometimes, you can drive it down the road no problem and it just dies - while driving. Also, sometimes it just flat out won't start. I was told it can get flooded very easily, if it is started and turned off a lot within a short period of time (like when it was at the mechanic's, they probably turned it on, drove it into the garage, turned it off, turned it back on to check something, turned it off, etc etc). I do know that once the Mazda dealer dealt with the flooded engine (because at that point it wouldn't run at all), it drove great again. But the underlying problem remains, that something is making it die without warning (not exactly safe!) and something is keeping it from firing up randomly. But to answer the question about it's running state, it drives beautifully. I just assumed that since there was low compression on the engine it was inevitable the engine would have to go.

I live in Greenville SC, and currently it is at my brother's house about 3 hrs away down in Charleston SC.

Any idea how much it would cost to have a reputable rotary mechanic rebuild it? If it was just a few thousand than it would definitely be worth doing to sell. I just simply cannot sink 5k into it just to sell it for 6 (or whatever it would be worth).

Thanks again!

[Pete_89T2]

That's actually good news - the engine dying intermittently at random sounds spark/electrical related to me. Chances are it does NOT need a rebuild yet; get the electrical gremlins exorcised and it will run/last a long time, even with low compression.

I'm not too familiar with the RX8's, but I recall hearing somewhere on here that they are known to have issues with the coils/ignitors going bad, and I want to say there was a TSB/part # change to deal with that. A failing coil would cause your engine to die at random. Someone else more knowlegable about the RX8's can probably elaborate.

On the service history, you can either call Mazda's customer service # or stop at any Mazda dealer service dept with you VIN # to have them look up your car's service history. At least that would get you a record of any service that was done at Mazda dealerships, and tell you which of the recalls/TSBs were done on your car. If you still have the original coils after 11 years & 98K miles, it probably won't hurt (other than $) to just replace them and see if it solves your problem.

[Fendamonky]

I live in Greenville SC, and currently it is at my brother's house about 3 hrs away down in Charleston SC.

Hmm... djseven is in Nashville, TN. He can get a rebuild done on a budget, not sure how involved he is in doing rebuilds anymore though. Also, allrotor93 does a lot of FD RX-7 car flipping, he ALWAYS rebuilds the motors before selling the cars though, so he should def be able capable of rebuilding an rx-8 motor for ya, he's in Cary, NC.

I know both those guys are active over on the rx7club forum, though they may have accounts over here as well. I'll try to point them this direction for ya..

For starters, thank you so much for all the feedback so far. As you can tell, I am so far out of my element here.

It's all good. You made a good call by coming to a forum of enthusiasts instead of JUST giving the dealership money to replace parts instead of diagnosing the problems.

I had no idea the engine could be rebuilt - I thought my only options were to install a totally new engine or junk the whole thing. The car runs absolutely beautifully - when it runs. As of right now, it fires right up and drives like a dream, not sluggish, not anything. The problem is that sometimes, you can drive it down the road no problem and it just dies - while driving. Also, sometimes it just flat out won't start.

But the underlying problem remains, that something is making it die without warning (not exactly safe!) and something is keeping it from firing up randomly. But to answer the question about it's running state, it drives beautifully. I just assumed that since there was low compression on the engine it was inevitable the engine would have to go.

I don't own an rx-8, so I'm not completely familiar with a lot of the specific foibles of the 13B-MSP (the 13B rotary Multiple Side Port engine in your RX-8) and it's support systems. Honestly I bet you could get the car running fine without necessarily needing a rebuild. It sounds like you've got a decent motor but some of your support systems are getting wonky, or you've got a wiring issue :dunno:

Any idea how much it would cost to have a reputable rotary mechanic rebuild it? If it was just a few thousand than it would definitely be worth doing to sell. I just simply cannot sink 5k into it just to sell it for 6 (or whatever it would be worth).

Thanks again!

A full rebuild will typically run between $3k and $5k depending on what all needs replacing. The breakdown of those costs are usually $1,000 to remove and reinstall the engine, a soft seal kit from Mazda (all your O-rings and soft seals) is about $900, add more if you need new apex/side/corner seals. The remainder of the rebuilding cost will go towards labor, and the rebuild cost can go up if there is significant replacement/refurbishment of engine parts that are out of spec.

"Reman" or remanufactured engines (motors rebuilt by Mazda) can usually be had for significantly less than a new engine and are often just as good for the average commuter, you've just got to know where to ask for them.

I would suggest contacting Ray Crowe (703-490-5296) at Malloy Mazda (in Woodbridge, Va) for ANY Mazda OEM rx-8 parts that you're looking to buy/replace. His prices are SIGNIFICANTLY better than your local dealership and he's got shipping parts (even engines) down to a fine art. Hell, he used to ship me parts to England all the time when I was stationed out there...

Just some food for thought as a starter. Hopefully the RX-8 savvy guys will pop in to help you out (and/or correct me :smilielol5:). :)

[Nicole]

Well that is encouraging news! I forgot to mention, though, that I have already replaced the spark plugs, if that factors into any of this. They were not Mazda spark plugs, but when I took the car to the Mazda dealer I asked him to make sure they were good quality and if not, to replace them with Mazda plugs - I've been told that there is a marked difference. I was told the plugs were quality and did not need to be replaced. Also - not related to what we are talking about at the moment, the initial garage I took this too told me (after they ran out of ideas) that I needed a new catalytic convertor and was about to charge me $500 for one. That's when I took it to the dealer, they checked it, and told me it was totally fine.

So let me make sure I am getting this straight, it is possible this is some sort of electrical issue and it is still drivable for a while on low compression? I think I would still like to sell it for obvious reasons (I am not cut out for working on this car no matter how pretty it is!) but once the issue is addressed it would be ethical to sell it as is? It really does run beautifully. I fell in love with it when I test drove it. It is SCARY fast, and the pick up is amazing. I don't know if this is a standard feature on RX8s, but mine is automatic with a "paddle" to opt to drive it manually. Other than this issue this car looks brand new, inside and out.

[Nicole]

And again - you guys are so awesome! I am literally a damsel in distress here. lol

[JL1RX7]

Kevin Landers (Rotary Resurection) in Morristown Tennessee. He is the home of budget rebuilds. Stand up dude who will work with you on budget. But 2 to 3k would be about were it falls. Almost always the 8 destroys the housings. Finding good used one's is all but impossible.

First and foremost how old are the plugs and coils. If they are over 20k replace them. You can do this yourself and save some money. If you go OEM parts make sure they are the C model. Going O'Riley's/Advanced/Auto Zone will be cheaper and you can get a lifetime warranty on them depending on where you buy them. Plugs are the same way. Only one company makes them so NGK is the same whether OEM or not.

[Fendamonky]

Kevin Landers (Rotary Resurection) in Morristown Tennessee. He is the home of budget rebuilds. Stand up dude who will work with you on budget.

Shit, thanks Jack. I was mixing him and djseven up :lol:

[Nicole]

I can't believe I didn't think to include this pic - the "dealer" (crook) I bought this car from obviously either had it sitting somewhere for a while or got it from someone that had. Which explains why it looks new - but while it had been sitting, evidently rats made themselves at home inside and that would totally explain the electrical issues. I already paid $300 for misc wiring to be replaced, but that was at the garage that didn't really know what they were doing. I'm getting a strong feeling now I need a rotary expert to examine the wiring to diagnose. Take a look at this pic the garage snapped for me. I'm not a total idiot lol, this was not readily seen when I checked under the hood before purchasing. I was shocked when I saw the picture.

The icing on the cake was that when I contacted the jerk that sold it to me and showed him the picture, he insisted that must have happened in the 2 months AFTER I bought the car. What a JERK.

I hope you all can see this, I didn't know how to add this picture to the original thread.

[JL1RX7]

Sadly you are learning the hard way that rotaries are different. They require more TLC than other cars. Most Mazda dealers have no clue how to work on them either.

Air filter hasn't been replaced. Check you cabin air filter in the glove box and it will look the same.

Easy to do. Open glove box, on the left side is the arm holding it up, press it out of the detent. Then look for the white plastic at the top of the glove box area. Remove, knock out the crud and replace.

[Fendamonky]

You attached the picture correctly.

That's... lovely! :lol: (sarcasm obviously).

Yeah, you'll def want to get your car looked after. I am NOT an electrician (I avoid it because I KNOW I'm no good at it, lol) so I won't comment on wiring stuff.. I would def have it looked at by somebody that knows what they're doing and has a good attention to detail.

[RXtacy]

That's actually good news - the engine dying intermittently at random sounds spark/electrical related to me. Chances are it does NOT need a rebuild yet; get the electrical gremlins exorcised and it will run/last a long time, even with low compression.


You didn't mention it, but first thing I would do is verify the alternator is working properly. Sometimes we get lucky and it's the easy fix.


I'm not too familiar with the RX8's, but I recall hearing somewhere on here that they are known to have issues with the coils/ignitors going bad, and I want to say there was a TSB/part # change to deal with that. A failing coil would cause your engine to die at random. Someone else more knowlegable about the RX8's can probably elaborate.


The coils on the 8 are garbage. They seem to last ~40k miles if that. If that car has the original coils they DEFINITELY need to be replaced. I would also have someone verify that you got the correct spark plugs from the mechanic.

[Pete_89T2]

So let me make sure I am getting this straight, it is possible this is some sort of electrical issue and it is still drivable for a while on low compression?

Yup, the fact that you said when it does run it runs well proves that out ;) For any engine to run, you need 3 things - spark, fuel & ENOUGH compression to get the air/fuel mixture to go boom when the spark fires. You can have low compression, which isn't optimal, and means your car makes less power than it was designed to, but it still has enough compression to run, possibly for a lot of miles.

I think I would still like to sell it for obvious reasons (I am not cut out for working on this car no matter how pretty it is!) but once the issue is addressed it would be ethical to sell it as is? It really does run beautifully. I fell in love with it when I test drove it. It is SCARY fast, and the pick up is amazing. I don't know if this is a standard feature on RX8s, but mine is automatic with a "paddle" to opt to drive it manually. Other than this issue this car looks brand new, inside and out.

Personally, I think it's ethical to sell it as long as you disclose the issues up front to the buyer.

[Nicole]

First and foremost how old are the plugs and coils. [/QUOTE]

Not sure if you saw the comment, but I did have the plugs replaced. They were replaced by the initial garage I took it too, but I had the Mazda dealer verify the plugs were quality. I'm going to assume they were telling me the truth because they would have had an opportunity to sell me new Mazda plugs if they told me they sucked lol.

I don't know anything about coils. Except for, like, on a stove. :) I guess that is something I'll need a mechanic to look at.

[Nicole]

and btw - I had the air filter replaced pronto after seeing that picture. What a mess. I could strangle that guy. He knew I was a single mother and that I was spending the money I got from my recently totaled car. People can be such a-holes.

[t_g_farrell]

Hopefully the rodents didn't get past that filter and eat up a bunch of wiring. Based on
your descriptions of it running, it sounds like its mostly intact now. I would put money on
it that all you need is someone savvy about rx8s and wiring to go through the whole car
and make it sure its all working right plus any maintenance issues like coils, filters and
hoses. Dealers are not the folks to take it to. Another place to look at is Rotorsports up
here near Charlotte, NC in Kannapolis.

You can also try the rx8club.com which has a larger rx8 savvy audience.

[Nicole]

Charlotte is only a few hours away from me - that is doable. You would recommend them?

[JL1RX7]

http://www.rx7world.com/ Ernst is another one in Rock Hill. I have bought parts off of him over the years. Never had any issues with that.

[Nicole]

Rock hill might be even closer! I just want to make sure if I am going to take it a few hours away, I pick the best for the situation, which is sounding like a thorough inspection of all wiring hoses etc. Unfortunately, I don't trust driving it there in case it dies on the way, so I'll have to pay to have it towed. But it will be worth it if it turns out I can get this thing working again without replacing the engine. You all have given me so much hope! I know there aren't any guarantees, but your input is very encouraging. You guys rock!

[Pete_89T2]

^Before driving it anywhere, check the specifics of any towing coverage your insurance might provide. If you don't have coverage, or you have some minimal coverage (e.g. 10 miles worth or something), often you can purchase extra coverage, and cancel it later. Or buy separate AAA coverage that does the same. Bottom line is make sure you have enough towing coverage to get from point A to B in case the car craps out on the way to the shop you're going to bring it to.

Like the others have said, you'll want the shop to systematically check out the car's electrical systems & wiring and fix whatever is broken. You'll probably want them to replace the old coils given their age.

[Nicole]

Yes I am DEFINITELY not going to drive it. I've already looked into long distance towing since I had to get it down to my brother's, 3 hrs away. That time it worked out that my soon-to-be son-in-law rented a trailer and towed it down there with his truck, which was much cheaper than traditional towing. I'll figure something out. But this is all sounding like a good plan. I have so much more hope now. :)

[Nicole]

And I am really hoping the coils are a big part of the problem, as they are not something that has been mentioned, much less replaced. I'm guessing replacing the coils would be considerably cheaper than a new engine. LOL

[Nicole]

So I guess now - any and all input as to who to take it too. All suggestions welcome.

[JL1RX7]

Call around. See who can work on it with your schedule and your budget.

Not burst your bubble, but be prepared for a rebuild. Auto's with more the 50k on them are on borrowed time. Most do not get the coils/plugs changed soon enough, leading to carbon build up. Which leads to clogged cat, and blown motor soon after that.

Once the motor is warmed up running it higher in the RPM band will help keep the carbon from building up. But carbon build up in automatic rotaries has been on going issue for a long time.

2004 RX8's had a few recalls on them to help with that. Find out if they have been done or apply to your model. I know the current one on the airbag inflator is one to get done sooner than later.

[Nicole]

Will do. I have already resigned myself to the engine being a total write-off up until now, so anything better than that will be a pleasant surprise.

One other question - should the worst happen and it needs a costly rebuild or new engine, how much do you think I could get for the body and parts/engine core? And how would you suggest going about doing that? (if you were me - not knowing how to take a car apart or advertise individual components)

[JL1RX7]

Selling it as a roller (no motor) might get 2 or 3k. Taking each part off and selling them might be 4k. But that requires shipping etc for each part.

Totally brandy new would be 6k plus from the factory. Reusing as much as possible will cut that in half. After labour etc. Most guys warranty their rebuild for about year (same as factory)

So it comes down to you and what you want to spend. 3kish for a rebuilt motor that should last north of 100k with the right care. Or sell it and get something else.

I understand money is always an issue but selling it and buying another used car will just open up another can of worms with that car.

Sit down figure out what you can afford/budget. Then go from there.

[Nicole]

Thank you - exactly what I wanted to know. I was afraid I wouldn't get more than $1500 tops as is. If I do decide to sell it this way, any suggestions as to how? (other than plain ole craigslist?) Not really crazy about dealing with a bunch of random strange men....

[JL1RX7]

It's all about advertising. RX8club, here, fleabay, craigslist are all options. All with pro's and con's. So take it for what it is worth.

Me personally I would spend the money on rebuilding the motor. Learn about the care and feeding of a rotary. Then drive it like you stole it every day and enjoy.

[Nicole]

Then drive it like you stole it every day and enjoy.

:)

[Fendamonky]

Me personally I would spend the money on rebuilding the motor. Learn about the care and feeding of a rotary. Then drive it like you stole it every day and enjoy.

Counterproductive as it may sound, hammering on the engine (under the right conditions) is actually a good way to promote engine longevity.

Rotaries are happy to hit redline while out driving around (don't do it while sitting at idle), so the old saying "A redline a day, keeps the carbon away" goes! :rofl: The high rpm operation helps get rid of carbon buildup that can/will cause your seals to stick in place and eventually fail.

Another (slightly more advanced) option is to actually feed distilled water to your engine through a vacuum port to "steam clean" the engine internals. It requires a specific procedure and isn't that great for the cat (I think? I haven't had a cat in my rx-7 in YEARS :lol:) but it will def help with getting ride of stubborn carbon deposits.

[Nutsid]

Another thing that I've not seen said is to run good 2stroke oil in with your gas on every fill up. That will help clear off some of the carbon buildup (which causes your low compression) and save your housings if they aren't already beyond saving. I run 1 ounce of 2 cycle per 1 gallon of gas and just put it into the gas tank at the time of every fill up.

[GySgtFrank]

Thank you - exactly what I wanted to know. I was afraid I wouldn't get more than $1500 tops as is. If I do decide to sell it this way, any suggestions as to how? (other than plain ole craigslist?) Not really crazy about dealing with a bunch of random strange men....

... and you came here for advice? They don't come much stranger than this bunch, even the wimmenz are a bit "strange". Of course we also like rotaries, so go figure. :lol:

I have to agree that it sounds more like an electrical issue than a mechanical one. Especially since you had mice nesting in your air filter.

[Nicole]

... and you came here for advice? They don't come much stranger than this bunch, even the wimmenz are a bit "strange"

Hahaha.....seriously, I thank every single one of you that took the time to read and reply. I am truly grateful. I've learned (out of necessity - not by choice!) to handle about everything in my life by myself (woman's lib and all that lol) but I am so lost on cars. Well, cars, vacuum cleaners that stop working, dishwashers that stop working, dryers that stop working......)

Keep the opinions flowing if there's anyone with anything else to add. I'm going to print out this whole thread and start making calls. Still very interested in any and all referrals for who would be the closest and best expert mechanic to turn this thing over to for diagnosis. Money is BEYOND tight, but I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for, and I really thought I had already paid for an expensive local garage and then the Mazda dealer (you can't imagine the hourly rate). I'm not spending another penny on anyone that doesn't know exactly what they are talking about, even if they have to deliver me bad news. It's better to know, so that I can deal with it.

Thanks again guys!!!!!!!

[Nicole]

I was an early bloomer, and I bought this car myself before I was even old enough to get my license (I got my first job when I was 13, and graduated high school at 16). It was an 81 (I bought it in 86) and I literally grew up in that thing. After several years I ended up getting an 88 Turbo II, and loved it as well. It just seemed like a natural progression to go for the RX8 last year after I had paid my dues driving minivans and mom cars for the last 20 years.

I guess you can't go home again. Really sad this car hasn't worked out. I actually feel like crying when I talk about it. It was really symbolic for me, this car, after a terrible divorce years ago, single motherhood, and too many other things to get into.

But live and learn.

[Nicole]

One more thing - I see that this site has a classified section. Do you think it would be a good idea to put it out there to see if anyone would be interested in buying it as is? I could reference back to this thread to explain and be honest will the issues. As much as I'd love to find an easy fix, at this point I think I would take the first decent offer I could. And for someone that can work on the car personally, it would be a great deal since it is otherwise in perfect condition.

[JL1RX7]

You can always throw it up here. We don't get as much traffic as some of the other sites. That choice is up to you. Sounds like these cars are a life long passion. Might be better to fix it up and enjoy.

[Fendamonky]

... and you came here for advice? They don't come much stranger than this bunch, even the wimmenz are a bit "strange". Of course we also like rotaries, so go figure. :lol:

:rofl: Valid point you make there Gunny... :lol:

I guess you can't go home again. Really sad this car hasn't worked out. I actually feel like crying when I talk about it. It was really symbolic for me, this car, after a terrible divorce years ago, single motherhood, and too many other things to get into.

But live and learn.

Never say never... You could probably find a pretty decent condition FC (second gen) for a decent price.. The FD (3rd Gens) were pretty much the pinnacle when it comes to combined handling and power, but they're expensive (relative to an FC or RX-8) and also can be very fickle if something goes wonky with the turbo control solenoids.

You can always throw it up here. We don't get as much traffic as some of the other sites. That choice is up to you. Sounds like these cars are a life long passion. Might be better to fix it up and enjoy.

I'm with Jack (JL1RX7) on this one... Why fix the problem just to get rid of the car? A lot of the problems can be sorted with some good preventative maintenance.

[Nicole]

I would love nothing more than to keep it, really. It's just that I can't do any diagnostic or repair work on this thing myself, and we have established only a really good rotary specialist should ever touch it, so that would mean every time anything at all, no matter how minor, goes wrong, I'm stuck driving hours and hours away to have the thing looked at. I adore this thing, but I'm trying really hard to let my brain overrule my emotions here. (Women are capable of that I am learning! It's only taken me 44 years! lol). Just trying to do the responsible thing.

[JL1RX7]

Who are you kidding here? Not many of us do the adult thing well. We drive these things on the daily. That is not the smartest decision at all.

Horrible gas mileage and oil consumption alone don't make them good dailies. But those smiles you get when you punch the go peddle more than makes up for it.

Simple hand tools and a willingness to learn will get you all you need to keep your car going on the regular. Youtube is huge for showing you how to do it.

You raised kids that is much harder than changing brake pads.

Find out if you have a local rotary club. Most are willing to lend a hand for you if you are willing to learn.

[Nicole]

Well, I didn't want to get all dramatic here, but, there's some health problems. Some, pretty big ones. Part of the money issue (I stopped counting hospital stays three years ago), and definitely part of the "I can't keep up with this car" issue. Believe me, I know the feeling that comes from punching the go peddle and the smile it makes. Unfortunately, those kind of smiles aren't always in the cards for all of us.

It's not so much that I want to the the responsible thing, it's that I don't have much of a choice.

Seriously, thanks for all the encouragement, and advice. I will take it all into consideration. :)