Paint looks factory although the drivers side door has been "refinished" whatever
that means. You can see the difference in the paint on it from the side shot
compared to the front fender.

This car has been ultra detailed, look at how shiny the door latch and door ajar
switch are. I don't think they were that shiny new! I agree the interior pics
have been photo chopped. You can't even see the pedals, yet you can see the
gas pedal from the rear shot thru the hatch. These are all reasons you have to
see the car in person before buying.

I would only buy a parts car on ebay without seeing it.

 

I like the way you think! What were we talking about again

 

Pretty much this, yeah. I wasn't 100% sure on the color being incorrect though it struck me as not well-coordinated with the rest of the car; What I noticed was:

1) for that mileage and age, the driver's seat simply looks too good. 86k miles worth of rump-rubbing will leave notable foam compression, even if the seat was covered.

2) the vinyl shows signs of having been recently fitted, in that there are diagonal wrinkles that you don't normally see on vinyl which has been repeatedly stretched and relaxed, heated and cooled, over a period of 20+ years. If the mileage was lower, you might see it, but 86k miles means at least 3000 operator hours (avg of 30mph) of somebody sitting in that seat. There should be SOME sign of that use, and there's not.

3) the factory cloth seat inserts are cross-stitched to a foam backing and a muslin underlayer, and they show more depth of 'pleating.' They also shouldn't show vertical wrinkles.

I didn't notice the photoshopping, but now that it's mentioned, it seems obvious - - you can't see anything through the lower opening of the steering wheel, regardless of angle. Adjusting the image contrast and intensity in a paint program reveals it to be a very unnatural dead black without any variation, even though you can see PAST the outside of the steering wheel with no trouble. Likewise the shift boot has been blacked out n one pic, but not in the other.

Cheesy.

 

sold $7400

thats the highest price Ive ever seen

 

I bought a Few Cars on Ebay.. The 1st car I bought was a '73 Rx2 that Needed more work & was not in the Condition the seller said it was in... Luckily I got it for CHEAP!That was a Big lesson Learned-Always See what your buying or have a inspector who is Trust worthy Go over the Car Before you Shell out Big Bucks-I have a soft spot for 1st gen Rx7's-But Im sorry to say But That car that was sold on ebay Isnt&may never be worth What it sold for. It just Reeks Shill Bidding-It isnt rare And Doesnt have Lowmiles-its obvious whoever Purchased it,Is not a Visitor to this Forum Or Know's about Mazda's..they will be kicking themselfs when they go to insure it &See what they are Really Worth-LOL

 

That's stupid. Here is one locally with less miles and in nicer shape for less money. And this ones a GSL with leather. http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/2144396323.html

 

Makes me wonder about the low mileage 83 i am picking up. It needs a coolant seal and I was thinking about doing a 13b swap. I want to preserve the originality of the car though and the value. I have a line on an old school 13b in a FB that I could swap in. It has the 13b-12a intake adapter plate and a lake cities intake. I was thinking about selling the intake to fund the swap and then sticking with the factory everything right down to the rats nest and factory AC. (except for the exhaust and air pump removal).

 

i sold my se for $7500...and it had 47800 on the clock.....

 

GSL-SE 13b 1st gen's will be always be worth more than a 12A car-Special Editions-Limited Editions-Anniversary Editions-Cars that are very Early models= fetch decent cash-Any 1st gen from a different country or with Right Hand Drive-ANY 1st gen Race car with pedigree-like a IMSA GTU car or a Rallye Car ..Peak High Interest in the States-also We got the Car's that were Converted by Specialty Companies-like the Pacific Avatar &Ultima,Mariah conversions-The List goes ON &ON-Im sure I missed certain model's But-Point in Fact-That RX7 that Sold on EBay-Would Have Never Sold on this Forum For that Kind of CASH-This is a Rotary Enthusiast Forum&most of Us-Get these 1st gen's for a Good price=Cheap usually-then wen Fix them up-Do all the requisite modifications And Enjoy them-Often we own more than ONE Rotary powered object-The Buyer of that car-WOULDNT have paid that much if they had the Knowledge of this Board.

 

Mmmm it went for more than i thought.

Im about to put ours on Ebay soon and was not expecting to get that much and i have WAY less miles. Im still on 22+ year old tires LOL.

 

I really don't get it.

I expected everybody in this thread to be happy that it went for such a high price. It means that the market is starting to recognize the value of these cars. I think my Fb is easily worth this much money and most of us have sunk ten of thousands of dollars in upkeep and modifications that will likely never be regained on selling in our lifetime.

 

i think its great that it sold for such an exceptionally high price! could be that the classic 7 market is gaining more interest.

 

All this sale really tells us is: a well presented car with lots of wet/glossy photos and an enthusiastic description can sell. The guys selling this were Pros and kudos to them for getting a Tall Dollar. My fairly regular ebay watch on decent FB sales (I tend to scrutinize SA mostly) would suggest this car's actual value is more in the $4-5K range at most. As others here have pointed out, Better RX7s are out these for less $$. So I salute their marketing prowess. Its what car dealers do. And typically you will find most ANY comparable car will cost 15-20% more sitting on a dealer's lot (or dealer's ebay "lot"). So there you have the mark-up difference between "wholesale/private and retail/dealer". I would guess 80% of dealer-sold RX7s are consignments: being sold thru a dealer by the current owner. Most dealers will NOT _buy_ a 30 year-old car unless they can do so VERY cheaply (like at auction or a trade-in). For one thing its a hassle for them to get financing (for a potential buyer) on such an old car. They are looong-ago off the Blue Book price List so Banks won't touch them, so a dealer won't tie up $$ investing in them. So people need to walk in with cash.

This sale was an anomaly. It does not mean suddenly all our Beloved cars are worth several thousand more. in fact the price flies in the face of a trend _downward_ in selling prices over the last year.

But its certainly a shot-over-the-bow for anyone thinking of selling ANY car. Clean it up, make it purdy, and wax eloquently about its virtues and you WILL make more $$ on her. And hope the buyer doesn't shop around the internet/Craig's List too much...

Stu Aull (sports-car salesman in previous life...)
80GS
Alaska

 

^ ah yeah, what he said. Very well put!

 

Look at the poor Starion insulted with a ford hood scoop on it's mullet

 

Did anyone also notice the plastic air cleaner tube is missing as well? I wouldn't ever buy a car on Ebay, but that's just me. I have thoroughly shined and cleaned some pretty average cars and got good prices for them, so it proves what you can do with that stuff.

 

I check ebay often just to see what used parts go up, and most of the time peek at 1st gens posted. This is DEF an anomaly. I don't see how it went over 5k. I bet it's back up within 2 weeks.

Looking at the winning bidder's history... Totally a scam bidder

 

interesting!

 

Unfortunately, I tend to see a lot of things that seem to sell, only show up again later due to non-payers. This price seems unusually high for the market at this time, but you never know. Could be an honest buy and I'd just congratulate the guy if he shows up around here. Even with the questions and "used car shine", it's a nice looking car. Hope the mechanicals are on par with the appearance.

 

i had a friend who was buying cheap civics detailing them, and reselling em for $2k more, it was like internet stocks for a while.

i think the most mechanically he had to do was an axle, $65...

 

Well, it's nice to know that I'm stupid.

Hi guys. I'm the buyer of this car.

Yes, I paid a premium. But I did my homework and I examined the car carefully. I have to tell you, this car is exceptional. I've been looking for a very clean example for over a year and I have seen more than a dozen cars in that period - some with lower miles. None of them came close to this car. The car is as clean underneath as it is on top. The paint is original - with the exception of one door - and is without so much as a single blemish. Many of these so-called "time capsules" disappoint in person. This car exceeds your expectations.

The interior is a 9.5 out of 10. The original owner put seat covers on the car the day he bought it and never drove without them. The carpet, dash, trim - it's all nearly perfect.

Under the hood is the same. The cleanest 30-yr old engine that I have ever seen.

The car is a one-owner car and fully documented from day one.

To answer a couple questions... the seats are original and have not been recovered. I have several photos of the car the day it was picked up and the seats match. I also have a receipt for a seam repair from the dealer on the original seat dated 1984 and you can see the repaired seam if you look very closely.

The rockers and the fog lights were dealer installed - I have the receipt.

I read this thread with interest and picked up some good info. I'm a pretty serious car guy with about a dozen cars - everything from muscle cars to exotics - but I haven't been into RX7's since they first came out. I'm looking forward to learning from the experts on these forums.

BTW... my favorite comment in this thread (compliments of Jhereg)

"Looking at the winning bidder's history... Totally a scam bidder"

Umm, no.

 

Nice end to this Story ..... Congats on getting a great Car

 

LiveFromNY, congrats on the purchase of this fine FB!! please keep us posted with pics and details of the car. would love to see pics of some of the original photos and paperwork. i think some of that stuff is neat to see! i'm still not convinced the seats are original as i have never seen an S2 with any color seat inserts other than black, brown, and maroon. again, welcome to the forum and congrats on your new RX-7!

 

Thanks.

I'll definitely keep posting as I bring her back to 100%. It's going to be perfect when I'm done.

I actually have seen these seats in an '82 before. But only once and that was many years ago. When I have a chance, I'll try to scan some of the documents. It's crazy what I have on this car. I'm assuming that the photo showing the previous owner was taken when he took delivery of the car. It shows the owner and what I assume to be the salesman shaking hands and holding the key in what looks to be a dealership parking lot. The driver's side door is open and you can clearly see the seats in the background. From the clothes and the haircuts, this photo is clearly circa 1982.

I guess we'll never know for sure but if they aren't factory, then they were done by the dealer before it was sold new. The seats are nearly perfect with no real signs of wear. But there are signs of aging and close inspection would tell you that they're 30 years old. The seat covers prevented any damage over the years but the patina of several decades is still visible.

 

Welcome and congrats on your car! Hope you don't think we're all just a bunch of gossip hungry busy bodies. There really is a ton of good information and knowledge that flows through here. Yes, post up some more pics and don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have. I'm still wondering what happened to the air cleaner snorkle. The rest of the car looked too perfect for it to just be gone.

Unmolested cars this nice are getting harder to find. You did good. And, It makes me happy to see someone (especially with your other interests) take an interest in these cars and invest real money in one. Thanks!

Maybe you should change your member name to "Scammer"