Buying a 1985 RX-7 Hatchback....
 

I've heard terrible things about rotary power-cars. I am considering purchasing a 1985 RX7 hatchback with 135000 kms. I'm rather intrigued at the prospect of purchasing such a vehicle, but I'm a university student. Will this vehicle hold up or are rotary engines prone to break down and leak as I have been told? Are these vehicles fussy? What are the pros and cons of pruchasing such a vehicle? Come on people convince me to buy this vehicle!

Don't beleve anyone that says a rotary is unreliable. If taken care of properly, they will last just as long as any other engine. The car you posted a pic of is a GSL-SE. It has the first fuel injected 13b engine in it. The rest of the models had a carb 12a engine. The engine has about 135 hp in it. If it was well taken care of, as the paint suggests, then it should last you through university at the very least. How many miles does it have? Is the engine clean?

Fear not! yes the rotary engine does have some problems, especially the gsl se 13b fuel injected rotary that your about to buy. Im 17 I own the same car your thinking of buying, yes ive run into some problems, however if taken care of properly like previously stated they will last a good time. mine has over 200,000 miles and it still runs like new. Some things to look for when buying a rotary are: smoke (white mostly) if you see some blue smoke on start up its ok they burn oil, there suppose to, actually has to lol. If you see any white smoke the engine wont last long. Also BIGGY things to know:
Do NOT shut off your car untill the engine is warmed up, it will flood out and you'll have a hell of a time getting it started again. If your car does flood out (you'll know trust me) get under the hood and pull the little green clip off the most forward ignition coil then start the car (it'll die in a few secs) then hook the wire up and you'll be back in action! Considering it burns oil normally check your oil everytime you put gas in it.

nice a GLS-SE, great cars. and its in black mmmm o how i love black cars...

I don't know...
Will this be your daily driver? Are you able and willing to do some of your own work on the car?
I own the same car but I drive it in the summer only and do a lot of my own work (when needed). They can be troublesome to anyone not willing to learn the in's and out's of the car, especially as someone already stated, the FI can be a little tricky if it starts acting up. They need to be maintained like any car, however, break downs can be a problem if you're unable to do some work yourself (not alot of mech's around that will work on these cars). On the other hand, if you can turn a wrench and like to trouble shoot, these cars are a blast to drive, very sporty, and can be very dependable if taken car of (like any car) - just keep in mind you are a student, probably on a budget, and need a dependable car - and this aint no civic (thank God).

Don't get discouraged. The two biggest problems are flooding (if not properly warmed up like stated above) and an overheated engine. If you see white smoke at any time, just walk away. The engine is burning coolant because the seals a gone. This is due to overheating. This is the BIGGEST problem of them all. If this is the case, the engine will have to be rebuilt. It isn't worth the trouble if this is your first car and on a tight budget.

Buy it.

GSL-SE's are a rare breed and the best of the best (no dis intended to the 12a owners!). They were only made for two years.
I've owned an RX7 as long if not longer than anybody on the forum. Bought my first one new in 1982 and my second one new in 1984. The '84 is a GSL-SE and has been my "daily driver" for the last 19 years:eek:
I can count on ONE finger the number of times I had a major problem: the clutch went out after only 16 years - it must have been a lemon!
I consider the RX7 the most reliable car ever built. Of course that's just a PERSONAL OPINION...

Canada Huh?

Manntis, - looks like you found Pam's sister.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...postid=2383404

Hmmm, I guess an RX7 IS a hatchback, isn't it?

That's a nice-looking SE and the mileage (kilometerage?)
isn't as high as a lot of them. How much is the owner asking for it?

Damn that thing looks nice. Once you own it you're gonna wonder why you even questioned yourself about whether you wanted to buy one or not.

if u dont buy it.. youll be saying "holley carb why didnt i buy it!?"

all day

Funny that nobody mentionned rust. Check inside the rear wheel wells, as well as the storage bins. Also check under the rocker panels for rust especially near the rear suspension links. Where in Canada are you? A lot of places in quebec just buy scrap rusted cars, patch them up with bondo, fresh paint, and sell it ten times what they paid for it. Is that original paint? How much is the guy asking?

dang...this is such a depressing thread :(

i've turned off my car when it was warming up and never flooded...and i've driven my car after overheating and never a prob...these cars run as reliable as other cars...

i say buy it...its been maintained and you won't be sorry its an FI either...i've had 2 and neither have had major problems.

buy it.. cuz if you dont, someone will, and will be very happy. :D gotta love the SE's

Wow....a lot of replies thanks. To answer a few more questions, it has 135000 kms on it (using the correct metric system, convert it to miles if you must...). It was a summer vehicle for the fellow so rust isn't an issue. He claimed it needed a tune up because it was sitting for a few monthes, which tells me the fellow is anal about his car, which is a good thing. He wants to sell it because he has 3 kids and needs the money. He's selling it for 4000 Canadian, or roughly 200 american? lol joking more like 3,000 american. As he states :
"Original owner, standard. 13b engine,Fully loaded,new tires Yoko,all papers and maintance,all leather interior. Car requires, front left strut and tune-up. Must sell. "The main concern is that rotary engines have a ring which separates the engine from the trany. I've heard its prone to leak. I'm living in Winnipeg, Manitoba and its damn cold here...would this have any effect on the vehicle? As there is an 80 degree temperature change year round...from +40 celcius to up to -40 to -50 celcius. Would this vehicle hold up to such temperature extremes? (unfortunatly I see most of you fellas are from the south, where its warm).

Oh yeah and did I mention...the car is in Toronto. Thats 2 days drive from where I am just to look at the thing. And to be honest this car sounds like its a bit fussy...(not the one I'm looking at but just these cars in general). This thing has to start in cold weather, and take me to university and back everyday, for a total of roughly 1.5 hours driving time round trip. You guys know these cars...I just want to be sure before I buy it that it can handle my climate without major problems. Sounds like a sweet car.

Then get an old HONDA.

An old honda....I'd rather walk. ;)

yeah no doubt. My SE is parked for the winter, but its just a personal choice. Last year I drove it now and then in the winter, and it is one helluva forgiving car. Thats why they drift so well, and the handling is great. On a wide icy road, I fishtailed for 6 city blocks using the throttle only.. not touching the steering wheel whatsoever. :D Great fun... LSD slides you out under power, then comes back.. and so on. anyways, I wish mine had leather. The only 2 things I would do if I were you is check for bin rust, white smoke, and see what he all knows about the car. You are new, so you must learn a bit, but we can offer some tips from experience. I would buy it personally. Thats low kms :) - usually means good shape ... PS they are very reliable, mine has 290,000kms + and still has great compression.

do a search on the following to get a grasp of some common issues with these cars...

rust
smoke
idle
oil leak
coolant leak
winter
lsd

these are some problems and does not say that this car does or will have these problems. i got my car a few months ago and i have none of the problems listed above...

if driving it in the winters then i'd say powerwash the underside and wheel wells OFTEN to get the salt off...otherwise, its a good buy IMO...

it would also help if you have a garage...it'll help on the really cold days...

I'd buy it!

Shit, Toronto's only 5 hrs away... too bad I don't have the cash.

Two years ago I knew absolutely nothing about cars. Now I do all my own work on my 7 just by reading here at the forum and looking at the shop manual. I'm in College (Heritage College in Hull, Quebec... REALLY close to Ottawa Ontario) and this is IMHO one of the best cars for a student.

Except for one thing... Winter. Canadian winters make you want to put the car away. And that car's so damn nice I'd hate to see it winter-driven. If you have to, you have to, but oh well.

They're reliable cars, don't worry. You have to figure, the engines only have less than a dozen moving parts! Compared to a Piston engine with like 60 moving parts (valves, lifters, pistons, the list goes on), and you have much more breakability in a piston engine than a rotary.

It sounds like it's been taken care of, so you should be pretty good. The aforementioned flooding problem is not very prevelant on cars that have been taken care of, and is more found on cars with high milage or wear.

These cars are quick and fun to drive, and any tweaks or repairs can be made with a basic 100-piece Canadian-Tire toolkit. I know. I've taken one that was sitting for 5 solid years in one place and restored it with no more than that CT toolkit! Not alot of fancy-shmancy computer stuff, very straightforward to work on if you're willing to do it. Most mechanics wont' touch them because they *don't know about them*

The rumors of rotary engines being unreliable are from the '70s and earlier when the engines were just infants compared to the Piston engine's development time. They weren't *that* bad, but weren't yet up to snuff in some areas. And because people fear what they don't know, the american Piston mechanics made the little problems of rotary engines seem like huge problems. They were stupified by a japanese engine not using pistons. Unfortunately alot of those rumors have persisted to today.

The rotary engine in the 2004 Mazda Rx8 took "Engine of the Year" this year over and above ALL of the piston engines running for the award. That's gotta say something about it!

I say grab the car, get a shop manual, spend some time here, and enjoy the hell out of your car. Try and negotiate the price down abit.... 3g canadian would be okay if the car is really in as good condition as it seems. These cars beat the *ass* off Civics. Oh, and if you're in Ontario, don't worry about driveclean too much. The rumors of rotaries being hell for emissions is only (again) for the ignorant. They just have to be tuned up and make sure their cats and air pump are working, and DC is not a problem. Then again, it's a guy in Toronto, so he probably had to go through it anyway.

If you're outside Ontario, in a province that *doesn't* have driveclean, you can get an extra 25hp out of it by taking the cats off and replacing with an open exhaust system.

But yeah.... if I were you, I'd negotiate the price down, and bus to school in the winter... I do!

Jon

I live in Saskatchewan and bought both of my SEs in Vancouver - not only a farther drive, but through the Rockies.

They do run in cold weather bit I prefer to have a winter beater and save the RX-7 for summer