Hey guys,
as some of you may know, I'm looking at buying my first 7. My question is: Assuming the body has minimal rust (no holes) and the interior is good, and the tranny is in good shape and the engine runs (but I have no idea for how much longer) BUT the brake pads are gone, the rotors may need replacing, and I need new tires... Is $1200 Canadian ($800 USD) too much money to spend on it?
Plz guys, I need some help fast, I'm going to look at it tomorrow...
Thanks...

 

Depends, what model is it , GXL, SE, GTU, TII.

 

oh yeah, 89-91 model year (prolly) with 182,000 kms (113,750 miles)... GX model, with a sunroof... and some moderately bad paint..

 

I would probably buy it. But thats just my opinion.

 

good deal. take it. i paid $6500 for my first, a '90 GX. Had 112,000kms when i bought it and was mint all over... on first appearance. after i took it to pass inspection the rockers were rotten entirely out. BAD SCENE. Cost me another $1300 in body work to have a shop cut the old ones off and put new mazda rockers on, plus paint...

if the car runs (get it compression tested) that price is a steal.

 

My 86 GXL was wasted in a collision two Januarys ago in Waterloo. The insurance company checked with a dealership, the red book (or is it black?) and a couple of other sources and placed the value at $3000 Cdn (they chose to write it off rather than fix it.) This was a NA car with no visible rust on the body (although the underside was a nightmare, but the adjuster never stuck his head under to find out) and 350,000kms.

If you want a good, more recent car, expect to pay more than that. If somebody wants less than $3000 for an 89-91 there is either something wrong with the car or the seller is a fool (or a relative .)

**Stick your head under the car and look for corrosion.** Especially look along where the kick panels meet the seam under the car. The drain holes in the bottoms of those kick panels love to clog and collect water and the whole thing will rot right out along that seam. I'm fighting this now with my 2nd 86 GXL, which used to be my parts car until the accident.

Also look in the rear wheel wells, just ahead of the axles. Is it rotted through? If so, then water has been getting dumped in through there and will have collected inside the car and will be rotting the flooring under the rear seats/storage bins.

Don't be too worried about the brakes. Unless they're seized all to hell, you can replace them yourself. Be careful taking out the bolts that hold the rotors on. They can be a bitch to unscrew and are prone to breaking off (speaking from personal experience here.)

And a simple way to save a lot of future misery is to watch for a white cloud when you first start the car. Try to sniff it if you can. If it's burning coolant, then the engine is about to die. Don't buy the car unless you wanna spend up to $1500 installing a replacement motor in a few weeks.

Hope this helps.

ttyl,
Amur_

 

Amur_ : do you mean rust to the back of the rear wheel well or to the front?

 

The front. The interior (seats/bins) is on the other side of that steel. Somebody in here had a pic up of extensive rotting in that section. I'll see if I can find it...

ttyl,
Amur_

 

ok, thanks man... doesn't look like there is any rust at the front of the rear wheel well...

 

sounds like a good deal.

 

buy it !

 

ya autocrash get it finally!!!!!!1

its an 89-91 man.
GET IT

no big deal about the breaks easily fixable.

Action

 

Have it checked for accident damage, as your first priority.

I bought an automatic '88 Series 4 for NZ$2,500 - about US$1200.

The engine went really well except for major hot-start problems, and the front suspension/chassis was bent quite badly.

This was major, it cost me NZ$1200 for a new subframe and chassis-bending, and after that it was OK but i never really felt it handled quite right.

The hot-start issues (leaky injectors) made driving the car a bit of a pain in the ***, though it was fine for going to/from work.

New injectors aren't cheap, and since it was an auto anyway i decided to get rid of this car.

I have since sold it and bought another Series 4 (this one an extremely straight '86 turbo with an engine that has only done 13.000kms for NZ$4,500 (US$2000), which i consider a great deal)

Its easy to lose control in these cars at high speed and do major damage hitting kerbs etc. that isn't immediately visible.

I consider the first RX a good purchase, as it introduced me to the both the fun and the irritation of owning a Series 4 without paying a lot.

I found the fun outweighs the difficulties - An RX-7 is not a car that looks after itself like my toyota corolla, but they are not for everyone, so i say go for it, but expect to spend at least what you paid for the car making it into a truly sweet ride.

 

check this guys site out:

http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy1.htm

edit: he's got some tips on what to look for in buying an rx7

 

From the info you posted it sounds like a really good deal. Get the engine compression tested at a mazda dealer. It costs 50can, but it will give you a really good idea of the condition of the engine. if he is asking 1200can, offer him 800 and go from there. i bet the guy just wants it gone. CHECK the whole car for rust, ontario is really bad for rusting out cars (damn road salt). 1200 is a really good price if the compression is half decent