$15,000:

Mazda RX 7 Coupe | eBay


$25,000:

Mazda RX 7 GSL | eBay

 

i like both, not sure about the $$ but both are nice cars.

i do have to think that the $25k car would do better with pictures that were in better

 

I like the second one, it looks just like my first 7, except mine caught on fire. Can you find some for people with no money, lol.

 

Before I even considered either of those car, I would go for this one:
Mazda RX 7 S | eBay

I agree the $25k car need better pictures. I would think it needs to be priced in the $15k range not $25k.

The $15k car looks to be an S model plus it has an aftermarket radio and wheels.

 

they both look great to me. the '83 reminds me of my old '83 (Misty, S) so that definitely tugs at my strings, but the '85 definitely seems pristine. i don't think i could justify either one because (1) they would have to be driven and (2) i have no faith in my ability to leave them stock.

with the '83, i'm thinking the least they could do is provide a full tank of gas though. yeah ... um ... that's the REAL reason i haven't dug into my wallet ... or my flanks.

 

How are crappy 30 YO tires a plus?

 

Your right, they are worthless if you plan on using them to drive around on. In fact, worse than that, you are wasting them for that purpose, plus inviting possibile damage to the car if you lose one while running down the road.

Agree with it or not, but a certin percentage of Rx-7's are increasingly becomming a little collectable. Things like the original sticker (how else can you document the engine is original) markings under the hood and yes, the original tires all add value when the emphsis shifts from using the car to collecting and perserving it as a hobby / investment. I see a lot of members here would rather use the car as it was always meant. Nothing wrong with that, it's what they know as normal. Would they feel the same way torwards a 32 Ford or 69 Camaro? Maybe not, but that's where our cars are slowly heading.

They will never be as valuable as a 69 Camaro, but will be valued for the same performance and originality factors as all collector vehicles. Right or wrong, I do see an increassingly number of ads like the ones posted, pushing the price enevlope. Right now, I think our cars are just begining to randomly knock on the collector car door. Letting the people inside that house know that we are out here. As other, already established vehicles continue to climb the price ladder, new collector hobbists look for an affordable way to join the party, plus the seasoned collector / investor is looking for the next, yet undiscovered opportunity to roll the dice on.

If you want a car to use as intended, there are plenty of solid, well seasoned and modified 1st gens out there. These are the cars to use and enjoy without worry. The low mile, original cars are the ones that people will want to perserve and protect. But before you scoff at that notion, remember the value of those cars will be what drives the values of all Rx-7's, even the basket cases.

 

There are a lot of 40+ year olds out there that either had one as a youth, desired one as a
youth, or the parents had one when they were teenagers. So these and other 70s/80s
Japenese tin will become collectable by virtue of the fact that when these folks get older they
will look for the cars of their youth.

I know when I was a teen, my best friends Dad had a 240Z and 260Z that we would sneak out
and run around in every once in a while. What a blast. Same friend also had a toyota wagon that
we constantly abused and flipped on its side for no real reason.

 

just to put the performance part in perspective, i bought a 1980 MGB earlier this year. i've had a couple of older MGB's, and i do tend to think of it as a 60's car, but it had such a long production run, it was sold up until the end of 1980, so if you were buying a sports car in say 1979, you had a choice, MGB, or Rx7.

the MGB is quite likable, it has a very simple clean line, that still looks good today, much like the Rx7*, it got an interior facelift in the mid 70's, and its always been scoffed at for not being traditional, but they did a good job with it, i actually like the late dash better than the early one. the MGB has proven itself to be quite durable, its actually hard to find one that needs an engine. there are lots of little things that do go wrong, and we have plenty of jokes about that (curiously, BMW's are worse, but its not funny). so its a nice looking car, and with the top down its a really nice place to be.

and then you go look at the Rx7. the Rx7 also has a clean simple line to it, the interior is a bit plain, but the first thing you notice is how much bigger it is. then you go for a drive. the Rx7 is like a rocket ship compared to the MG. curb weight is the same between the two, but the rotary has 30% more power, and its silent and smooth. and its not just power, the Rx7 doesn't list like a sinking ship in corners**, and it stops.

in short they didn't call the Rx7 a rotary rocket for nothing, compared to the MGB, it really is.

that being said, MG sold slightly fewer B's than Mazda sold 1st gens, and the values are actually fairly close. concours MGB's go for high teens, and my nice low mile car is about 4k, and a car in boxes is about $500-$2000


*i miss this about new cars, they are too complicated and fussy. look at a toyota, its just a bunch of crap tacked together.
** seriously, it feels like you're going to fall out of the MG it leans so much

 

There was a factory 12a turbo one one there a few times, I don't think that it sold. It was very clean. The last time I looked, it was up to around 10,000

 

Mmph, that 85 is nice. My first 7 was Tornado Silver with maroon interior, so that 85 is the one I really like. The 83 is super clean as well - no doubt about it! They'd be great to have in a collection for sure.