stankinator

Title pretty much says it all. I came here because I'm thinking of buying a first gen RX-7, and I'd like to call the owner tonight to ask about the car before I go out to look at it. What sorts things might I ask about on the phone, and what sorts of issues should I look out for on the car? Cars this old and with this sort of following tend to have common and well-known look-out-for-these issues.

At 80k miles selling for only $1000 I feel like something has to be wrong with the car that isn't seen in the photos or ad body.

Link to the ad

If there's another post with that information please link me to it. I read the rules about search and all but couldn't find such a post.

Thanks

Cameron38

iTrader: (2)

Could be a host of things wrong at 80k miles. Low Compression, Oil leaks, Oil burning, etc. Things you might not be able to tell without a mechanic looking at it. If you test drive it, the engine should rev freely and smoothly to the redline without any large amounts of smoke from the tailpipe. It should shift smoothly. Listen for "clunks" and "groans" which could indicate some expensive repairs.

Banzai

iTrader: (13)

A well tuned engine should start easily and idle smoothly at about 750-800RPM. Excessive amounts of smoke at start up or running probablly indicates a leaky engine seal(s). Good places to look for rust or coorosion are under the rear stowage bins (some disassembly req'd) and along the lower drip rail of the rear hatch glass (across the cars rear width). The best way to get an idea of the condition of the engine (rotor housings) is to do a compression check. You need a specific rotary compression gage to best check this. You'll have 3 pressure readings on both the front and rear housings and something like 110-125psi would be excellent, with below 80psi as needing rebuilt, possibly new housings. The car could have a host of small things wrong or broken, you'll just have thoroughly look it over. $1000 for an 80K mile FB is on the low side of current, normal asking prices.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Based on the add I suspect it has running issues. If it starts cold and runs without much white
smoke and it clears up after warming up, probably no big issues. If its hard to start after it warms up
it could be a number of things but probably solvable unless it spews a lot of white smoke that smells
like coolant. I suspect it sat for awhile and the owner did the tuneup to get it running to sell.

Even if it doesn't start, it could be something very simple and easy to fix. At that price it may be
worth it to tow it home and figure it out. Depending ... on the rest of the cars condition.

Exterior rust is an issue especially up north. Look at the rear wheels wells on the rear of each
fender to see if there is rust bubbles or holes. Look at the hatch seal and see if there is a lot of
rust around there. Look on the door bottoms for rust. Take a look at the gas tank and see if its
ok or looks rusty

Interior rust is also an issue. It has a moon roof, so expect some rust unless its always been
stored indoors (which I doubt). Also remove the bins behind the seats and look for rust on the
inner rear wheel wells. Just barely visible rust is ok, but if you see large bubbles or holes run.
Pull up the rear carpet and check out the spare wheel well for rust.

The interior seems nice so thats a plus.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Great tips here - above all, don't be afraid to WALK AWAY if something seems sideways. There are LOTS of RX7 still around for sale. $1000 "could" be only a down-payment on a world of $expense. Usually (!) a clean RX7 like this is more in the $2500-and-up range so be suspicious. Patience and ask lots of questions here…

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska