Near my city they are selling an '84 RX7 at $2800, it seems in good state, no visible rust, , is it worth it? i dont really know too much about this, im a novice i hte world of RX7's

 

First be honest with your self. Are you mechanical inclined. Most shops will not touch this car. It’s old and parts can be challenging at times. Point blank: if your lively hood depends on this car every day. Move on. If you are looking for a hobby that you can relax and unwind with, understanding that you will experience frustration that Mustang owners will never feel. Then yes, consider that car you are looking at. You will need to decide what is right for your situation

 

I agree with the above in regards to needing to be mechanically inclined to own the car and to prepare for parts being difficult.

With that said, if it runs and drives well, is straight and has little to no rust, then yes it does sound like a decent deal. Do you have any pictures or more details about the car you can share for reference?

 

If you are mech inclined, and know about pb blaster, and have a place where you can work on it, and you've already researched this site for rust prone areas (storage bins, wheel wells), and you went over the body with a magnet, and crawled underneath and checked for rust, then it is a great purchase.

As Richard Miller said , most garages won't touch something this exotic or this old. They will make outrageous quotes, or claim that the parts are not listed anywhere (NLA). I love to get job quotes after doing something like a brake job. With the amount of $$$ I saved, for the time I spent, I earned as much as a brain surgeon. Those pro mechanics assume that parts are rusted together, and will disintegrate when taken apart. And that areas of the car haven't been worked on since the car was manufactured.

Maybe you are like me, and think that a hot saturday night, is changing the oil. The thrill of breaking the apartment management's caveat against auto maintenance gives me thrill. And it all costs less than $20.

 

Price sounds good. Post pictures.

 

2800 sounds bout right. really would have to see it. having a DD is a must if never worked on a car before and starting out with an rx7, of any gen. unfortunately for us first gen'rs, parts can be a little hard to come by. if u get it, a build thread on it would be great. gl.

 

these are some photo the owner has posted.

 

love the weather stripping on the door....just shouts look at the floorboard by pulling the carpet back...and the hood misfit screams there's been major body work in the front from a wreck

 

The price sounds good actually, however it also suggests that their are issues present that may need addressing. As Dave asked, does it start / drive / run? Just like any car, you need to know what the issues are to to have any idea how much more work and money you may need to invest to get it roadworthy. Has it been on the road recently? If not, how long ago and what sidelined it?

 

Saw this car on FaceBook. Here is the description they posted. I would not touch this car for that price. Five gallon fuel cell - no way.

RX7 84 13B SIX PORT
HEADERS RB
OFLE RB
RAÑA RB
HOLLEY 650 CFM
BOMBA GAS HOLLEY
ZUL FUEL CELL 5 GAL
4 FRENOS DE DISCO CON POSI

 

Tell me that’s a 5 gallon fuel cell used as an auxiliary tank? Old school range extender.

 

Kansas REPU, does tht faded red truck still run?

 

Haven't driven it in 10 years but it's all still together sitting in my workshop. I need to get it back on the road.

 

That's so sad, but at least it is inside, and not rotting outside.

Tooling around town in that would be so cool, like you are Mr. Miyagi with his 1940's cars.

Let's see:
1> The Karate Kid was set in 1983. 1983 minus (1942 to 1951) = 32 to 41 year old Miyagi cars.

2> And it is 2020 now minus (1986 to 1975) = 34 to 45 year old KansasREPU cars.

Means, your cars are 2 to 4 years older than Mr. Miyagi's

 

Looks like the hood is open, if that's what you're referring to. Yeah that weatherstripping looks off too. Noticed the door panels are burgundy, wonder what happened to the original brown one.

Looks like it's been modified. If it runs and drives good and the body is solid (or very little rust) I'd go there with 2k and see if he'll take it.

 

Channel your inner Mike Brewer: Find a car for 2800, Talk it up to who ever will listen. Offer $500 for it and because the owner is on a international tv show Mike doesn’t get punched in the nose like I would if I lowballed someone like he does.

 

I usually don't seem them haggle beyond £1000 on Wheeler Dealers. It's all scripted anyhow, even on Pawn Stars or other History channel shows where they offer less than half the appraisal.

 

+1 its all done beforehand, they need to know where to put the cameras and lights and stuff

 

$2000 seems pretty fair in my opinion if it's running and driving with no major mechanical issues.

The body seems fine (hood looks like it's closed but unlatched, nothing obviously wrong with it, unless it doesn't close or the cable is broken....). There's no rust in the corners of the doors, which to me is a good sign. Not sure what's up with that extra door seal but definitely check over the rest of the body like others already suggested.

Also looks like it has a sunroof. Make sure to poke around in there, these cars really like to leak in that area if they've been sitting with the drains plugged up.

Mod list sounds interesting, might have been trying to make a cheap drag car if that fuel cell actually replaced the original tank.

Overall doesn't look too bad, but I probably wouldn't go higher than 2k.

 

1st gens are getting harder to find in decent condition, but unless you have a love affair with the style that alone does not make them expensive. If you never owned and worked on one ask around your buddies and see if any of them have experience with them, for the most part, except for the Rotary engine they are like other vehicles. They have an electrical system, suspension, brakes, trans etc etc. And just like other vehicles if you do not know how to do mechanical work you will have to pay someone, and that can get expensive Being 36 yrs old, parts are getting harder to find, both old and new. The junkyard parts cars are long gone. Most of them were crushed years ago especially when steel prices were up. There are guys like me that have parts cars, but not many and most of us keep our parts to keep our own projects on the road. If this body is rust free or with little rust, that is a plus. From the description it sounds it was run hard and put up wet. With the exception of major body work, think rust and bent panels, and paint, the engine is the most expensive part to have major repairs done. If you are interested after reading this so far, the best advice is to make sure the engine is healthy. With the holly carb and the other things being done to it the purpose was to go fast and that can take a toll on an old high mileage engine. Rebuilding an engine is more complex than putting a new set of rings and bearings like a standard engine. Apex seals and gasket etc sets are expensive, not including the labor to correctly install them. Test drive the car and after a drive where the engine got to operating temp, shut it off then try to start it. Once the engine gets to operating temperature it expands, the steel housings more than the rotors, this is the best time to test for low compression without a compression gauge. The engine will be hard starting or won't start at all could be other reasons but that usually the main one for hard starting, especially if the fuel metering is correct. As to what it is worth, that is up to you 2800 is too high for me, if everything runs out OK 15-2000 would be better, I would pay 1K for a nice vehicle, only because I have 11 of them and been playing with them for over 25 years.. Good luck with your decision and pay attention to the people on this forum, they have a lot of hands on experience and a wealth of knowledge.

 

RX-7 owners are weird. Others will babble endlessly about how great their cars are, and how they don't understand how someone could own anything other than their particular car model. I have an ancient aunt that owns a ford taurus. And at family gatherings she goes on and on about how great her car is, and how can anyone own consider owning anything else. Knew a guy that had a POS jeep scout. Same damn thing, yak yak about how great it was. And why would anyone own a car like "that", an old 2 seater japanese sports car? Lania, Audi, Camaro owners, same damn thing.