OK theres a red 85 RX7 in the local paper for $800 obo . I called the guy and he said the body is in good condition and that it only has a little little bit of rust and that the interior is in good shape also.......but the main seal on the engine is blown.

Ok what I want to know is if this car is worth looking at. Also how bad is a blown main seal on a rotary. Please let me know.

 

you're looking at an engine rebuild, but that's not so bad on a $800 ReX IF the body is actually as rust-free as he says...

 

Blown main WHAT seal. A front or rear main oil seal is nothing but a huge oil leak. An apex seal is an engine rebuild.

 

Thanks for the replies. So its not that bad? I have somebody that can repair pretty much any engine porblem it has for rock bottom price(seeing as he's my cousin), but what I want to know is if its a real major problem like a whole engine rebuild. thank again.

 

as Felix said it could be simple or it could be a rebuild...

 

$800..with a "blown seal" Mine was $500 with a bad accelerator pump. Next, the engine blew, then the carb was rebuilt, full exhaust installed, then the body work and finally the paint.

What I'm getting at is that you have to consider all the variables when you buy a used car, let alone an Rx-7.

Get the specifics on the "blown seal". An engine rebuilt can run you $1600 or more plus the cost of labor. You might want to think about passing this one up.

 

The guy wants $800 obo....I was thinking if the problem is really major Id offer the guy like $500 if the bodys in good condition, then I could try and find another engine. My cousin is a known rotor guy so If people have stuff they basicly go straight to him, so I could luck out and possibly find one for a good price. what do you guys think?.......I really dont want to pass it up cause "REASONABLY" priced first gen rx's are really getting rarer and rarer to see here in the north east. I think If body is really in good shape I might just get it and then wait till a engine pops up. Let me know what you think.

 

Sounds like you have a plan.

 

bring philips screwdriver & flashlight
gently remove driver's side storage bin
peer into hole at inside of unibody
orange = rust = slow death

 

Im bringing my cousin along with me when I go see it so what ever problems it has he'll spot them. Thanks for the replies

 

Just wanted to see if anybody else wanted to add there 2 cents cause Im going to see the car in a couple of hours.

 

My 2 cents is that you never get the money out of a car that you put in. Therefore, it's usually always preferable to buy one in good shape to start with, as someone else has already lost their money on it, and you're on the better side of the deal. However, if what you like is a project car, and you enjoy getting work done and don't necesarily care about if you're worse off than just buying a nice one, than why not.

Personally, my opinion is that these cars aren't as rare as all that, I would wait for one that is more like what you want to come around. If you want an RX-7, don't buy the first one you see, do some research, be patient, and find the one you really want. There's enough around that you should be able to find a nice one without a blown engine. Then again, if you like a project, go for it. It's up to you

 

Absolutely do what JEC-31 has suggested, even if the seller squawks when you start tearing into the car. For $500, all you are really buying is a body in really good shape. You must know if there is a rust problem and the bins are the place to look. Of course, check the areas behind the rear wheels and also pop the hatch. Check the area where the water is supposed to drain from the lip. Another bad area for rust. If you can hook up a battery, check to make sure the heater blower fan works, that the lights all work and the turn signals/hazards all work. If they don't, it could mean that someone had to work on the body and didn't hook up the grounds or re-attach the harness correctly. Another indicator of whether or not the body has been worked on. Good luck!