Heya, I've been a Subaru fan for a while, but I've always had my eye on an FD or FC. Well, I found something even neater, an FB. 1979, straight frame. It's been wrecked, and repainted. It apparently needs some parts, but nothing major (it runs, or so I've been told). The paint sucks, and the gasoline has LONG since seperated. They're asking $500 for it.

The intake manifold is intact, but the airbox is in the rear. The seats are in decent condition. Definatly could use new paint. It's currently, uh... How to put it... Dark white. :p It has MINOR body rust (due to cracked paint, nothing serious). I'm thinking about painting it shiney black.

One concern... The AC compressor is not bolted down, nor is there a belt apparent for it.

 

I'd spend a little more and get one that's been better cared for. If you can't drive it home, it's probably not worth $500.

 

Well, to be honest, this is the first RX 7 I've EVER seen for sale in this area. I'm sure it'll run, but it needs some work first. I'm looking for a project car, which is why I'm even thinking about buying it. Also, I have a friend with an older Maxima (1987) that recently had problems (timing belt failed after 162,000 miles). Since he's living here alone now, it would be nice if his car died that he could borrow one from me.

Anyway, this is Oregon, and minimum wage is $7.25 here right now. $500 is cheper here than it is in, say, Florida.

 

OK, if the gas has long since seperated then it is probably one of the many "ran when parked" cars and most likely doesn't run anymore.

$500 is WAY WAY high. It sounds like a $100 car to me. You can find a pretty nice first gen for five hundred bucks (ie no body damage and runs well) and a real nice one for a thousand.


These cars are lots of fun, but this one sounds like a basket case. Spend your money elseware.


The calssified section on this forum is a good place to find a kick *** deal on an enthusiast owned car that will be far less frustrating.



--Alex

 

yep. old school rocks! you get more props from people when you drive a classic cult sports car.

i know i do!

 

Well, it's been sitting on this guy's car lot for about 5-10 years, so yeah, it hasn't been turned over in a long while. I am planning on tearing the engine apart before actually trying to fire it up.

Anyway, the body is in good shape, and there is no such thing as a $100 car here. I've seen a few $50 vans, but they were 'clearance'. 1960's Mustangs are $1,000 here, where they are $500 in Seattle.

Classifieds are great... Too bad there aren't any members within 6 hours drive from me. :p Also, I need a CHEAP car, and $500 is pleanty cheap (I offered $350 for the car, it'll probably end up being more like $425 or so).

 

You're gonna get ripped off....... 5-10 years = will not run. a decent reduild kit alone costs $6-800


There is no way a wrecked '79 that doesn't run is worth anything near $425, no matter where you live, and a van is more valueble than a shitty old RX for most people. Try not to get cought up in how much you want the car and remember that 99.999999999 percent of people don't want it, and they are who set the market.

The guy who is selling it has two posibilitys, he's either gonna sell it to some sucker for way more than it's worth, or to a scrap yard for $50. Guess wich one he's hopeing for.


Be patient, or you'll be sorry


--Alex

 

Uh, it's not wrecked. There's no current damage. It's just been sitting for a while. The frame is all original and all straight, though.

Edit: As I said, there are no other RX 7's for sale here. This is really a chance that won't ever come by again here. I'm looking for a project car, not a daily driver, anyway. :p

 

Missunderstood you, sorry.



Still to expensive, and doesn't have a frame either.



I don't mean to put you off man, but pouncing on the first car you see is almost never a good idea (ask me how I Know) RX-7 are everyware, I'm sure if you looked around for a while you would find more in your area. ****, I live in a town of less than 2,000 people and there are two in this weeks paper.


--Alex

 

I've been thinking about buying a 1987 Toyota Celica from the same yard. It's complete, sans battery. It's a rare car, too, and they're asking $600 for it.

Oh, btw... Southern Oregon is one of the places in the world where there are 50,000 people living, and about 190,000 new and used cars, on about 400-500 lots. Oregon has no sales tax, so people from california come up to buy cars a lot. I work for Lithia motors, at a Saturn dealership. We tend to sell 'mid range' cars, usually from $10k-$20k. We wholesale anything that's high milage or is in really bad shape. Our cheapest car is $6,000, and it's a 1994 626 that's in horrid condition. There are a lot of cars here, and a lot of cars get sold/bought/traded in. Rare vehicles tend to vanish, quickly. They also are a lot more expensive than they should be. A 1996 camaro, for example. V6, needs MAJOR work, like needs body panels, new engine, new interior. Blue book says $1500-$1600 for it. It would sell for more like $4,000. This is from the same shady place that sold $50 vans (they advertised them as "Cheaper than a motel room! You could live in it!"). There are lots of cars in the paper for sale, and almost every single one is an Automatic. I refuse to own or drive an Automatic. Not to mention, after looking in the paper for 4 years, daily, there have been 3 RX 7's for sale. All of them wrecked, all of them automatics. Hell, I used Lithia's website to look up used RX 7's. Lithia has dealerships in 11 states. There was ONE used RX 7, which was out of state, and way more than $3k, which is more than I'm willing to spend on a project car. There are two types of cars that are never ever for sale here: Older Porsches and older Mazdas.

 

That is a rediculous statement.





http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...or=&cardist=68


http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r=&cardist=219



http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r=&cardist=267




--Alex

 

minimum wage in FL is 5.15 an hour. and sales tax.

 

Too much. I have seen a lot of 1 gens on Ebay in the Washington area. Don't know about Oregon. I would wait a while, something better will turn up. You will easily spend $2000 on that car getting it back up to snuff. I bought an 85 that had a strong engine, straight, no rust and good paint for about $1500 and have put another $800 in it and could spend another $1000 to get it into mint condition. It all depends on what you want to end up with in the end.

 

It sounds to me like youre just talking yourself into buying it no matter what we say anyway, so go for it. I personally think its a waste of money. Then again, I dont like SAs.

~T.J.

 

I know where a sweet SA is that just got a paint job and runs everyday. The guys asking for $1500 but I bet if I wanted it, I could get it for $1000.

But I don't, 'cause SA's have fuggly *** bumpers and rear lights and they'll never change and neither will I... so there !!!

 

If it's got no rust, I think you might appreciate it more once you get it back on the road, after you've tinkered with it every day for a few months...

Get it if it's just a project and you have another daily driver.

 

Don't hate. I have an SA and i'm going to make it look just as good or even better than FB's, so there!

 

But...seriously man...from the way you explain it...it's not worth it. I got my 80' about 2 weeks ago and I won't have it running, but it's a clean title, with only 2 owners, and all the stock machinery is in it. I have to work on it, yeah, but it's not as bad condition as yours. My car just looks eww because of the paint job, but it runs, n' stuff. Well...do what you want...just don't come back here with ''WTF, problems, HELP!" posts on the forum, cause you know what we'll say...


We told you so...

~Arshen

 

I dropped $250 on a car that was ragged, but ran.

Since I got it I've sunk $1000 into getting it past smog exam. (cat, carb tune, ignition components, filters, fluids, new cooling system (old, rotten, blew up) master cylinder.

Then $300 on a set of tires.

The motor just died. It was running exactly 3 days.

I'm at $1500 for a car that needs a motor, and will still have a thrashed interior, some body rot and need painted. All told, I'll drop $3000 on this before its a reliable daily driver... and that assumes no other major component breaks (which is unlikely, since the only one left is the gear box, and those are cheap.)

My $250 car was not a bargin.

Your $500 car is in worse shape than my $250 car.

Save up some more money, move your price point up, or add enough that you can afford to travel a little (north or south) to get something thats not a basket case.

You could take your $500, save up another $500, spend $250 to come down to CA, and have $750 to buy a much better car with... which would run and you could drive home. You just would have to plan a little, you couldn't have it today.

(I have ulterior motives for my car, so only a small fraction of my investment was in vain... unless you have a specific plan for the car, move on.)

Scott

 

Nicely said Scott. Listen to him, my friend. We're all buddies here and all of us have some kind of story. Take the damn advice! I dont' know how hard I can drive the nail, but if it hits you right in the tinker then, damn me if I'm wrong! Save up your money, just like Scott noted above and come down to CA. We have allll kinds of Rx7's. Hell...you might even find a GSL for 750....a RUNNING one at least. Jeesus, if you have the money and some extra time, just wait. You will be thanking yourself that you waiting another week or so, instead of kicking your self in the *** for being impatient and buying a...well...basket case.

Make the right decision...don't let the urge to buy a shitty car distract you...we all go through it, but be smart, save up, and get something decent. Good luck...

Oh yeah....and don't get

 

I do say, before you buy it, PLEASE at least take pictures and get DETAILED information to give to us. When I say pictures, I mean EVERYTHING. The interior, the engine bay, the taillights if you have ANY doubts.

Get every bit of information from the guy you can. Be reminded that our cars are rotaries, just in case you didn't know, or forgot.

 

hah david grimes is a funny guy... I'd say buy it for 300, I wouldn' t spend more than that on it.

and there are usually a few on ebay around your area for 3-500 in decent condition, better than what you described at least, but i haven't seen it so i don't know

 

I don't hate SA's. Not really. I would probably have one if they never made FB's ( and I'd damn sure never know the difference, huh ?). I do really dislike the FC's stock body, though but I'd still choose one of them over the same year Z car or more ricer stuff.

I have owned 2 Rx-7's and nothing else from Japan. I have had Mercedes (1) and now have my second BMW, had a Jetta, etc. So if it ain't got a rotory in it, it damn sure needs to have German heritage.

 

Didn't finish the thread, but most of us are into 7's have been into them for a while, as to say you may want to listen to us. Remember your paying $500 to get the car, what kind of money do you think with be need to get the car running and looking road worthy? I got my last 7, a '85 GS for $150, and the only problem with it was the carb was fucked (easy fix) a dent in the drivers door (where I assume the owner kicked it when he fucked the carb) and smelly (smoker) interior. Wait and find something better.

 

Be sure to check the rockers and the jack points for hidden rust. If you got rust there, you got problems.