I’ve been looking for a GSL-SE for several years now. My first idea was to search for a low-mileage car (under 50k miles), the idea being that the lower the mileage, the longer the life of the car without having to do major mechanical work.

Of course, SE’s with less than 50k miles are few and far between. When I do find them, they’re usually 500 miles away from me (or more) and get snapped up quickly, before I get a chance to see them.

I’m now thinking that, since the 13B seems to be a generally reliable engine, that maybe I should consider a higher-mileage SE (e.g. 100 – 125k miles). They’re cheaper and more readily available than the low-mileage SEs that I see for sale. Also, you might expect that a higher-mileage car is more likely to have seen regular usage and maintenance. While the same could be said for a low-mileage car, there is always the possibility that it might have been sitting idle for too long. Usually sellers state this if it is the case, but you never know.

I’ve read as many of the posts that I can about bringing a dormant RX-7 back to life, but I don’t really have the garage space, time or knowledge to take on such a project. So I’m looking for an SE that’s ready to go.

Does anyone have any advice on things to watch out for with a higher-mileage SE?, other than some of the more obvious things, such as smoke from the exhaust at normal operating temperatures, coolant in the engine oil, etc., that may be specific to higher mileage SE cars; e.g. any suspension or steering issues? I haven’t seen any posts that address this type of specific question.

I’m not looking for a show car or an investment, or a car to pass down, untouched, to future generations. I just want a car to have fun with on sunny days.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

this isnt specific to GSL-SE's but you have to watch the fuel system. i had a huge problem with my fuel system being clogged up with rust. check the fuel tank first. chances are its the original tank and probably has lots of rust if not rusted thru. i had my tank refirbished but there are lots of threads on cleaning and recoating the tank. you might want to check the fuel lines also and get the injectors cleaned. good luck!

 

in my experience the gsl-se is the one of the best cars mazda has ever made. that being said its a car, and they are pushing 30...

most of the gsl-se specific stuff seems to be really bulletproof, its some of the generic little things that have troubles.

things like the weatherstripping (which is still available from mazda, and its cheap and easy to install), the Throttle position sensor and the BAC valve like attention, the oil cooler likes to crack the fitting, which is a mess, if an easy fix.

remember 125,000 miles is still only 5,000 a year....

 

Specific to the SE to look out for is worn,/leaking injectors and a bad pulsation dampener. Secondary would be inoperative/sticking aux ports. Other than those and the tps/bac, the usual problems will occur. The SE engine is a very good engine often lasting 200+k miles with regular oil changes.

 

I can attest to that. my GSL-SE went to 405k miles on the original motor. Low compression and leaky injectors finally did that poor keg in. Just got the new motor in and running.

 

Wow... 405K on the original motor. Must be some kind of record! Wonder what the highest mileage original motor record is for rotaries?

 

wow is right, I'd be happy with 150 to 200k. Anyway, everyone here is right, I have an SE with almost 110k on it daily driven, and knock on concrete, i have not had any real major problems, just be prepared for certain things that may need replacement, normal wear items such as clutches and the like should be readily available at your local auto parts stores. things like spark plugs and other vital engine parts should be purchased from specialists with specific knowledge of rotaries. I got screwed by NAPA, they gave me highway plugs for the trailing side for a secong gen, they lasted less than a year and finally fouled out, and I didn't think that it was the ignition side so i got a $308 fuel pump that didn't solve the problem. Two months later I'm on Mazdatrix( one of the best places for stock or performance parts) looking on the ignition page and find that i have the completely wrong plugs so i ordered the city plugs and i'm gettin 12 to 18mpg combined driving. As for the suspension you probably will need some work done it is a car that is 25+ years old, mdy rear control arm bushings are now making noise but the rest of the suspension is still good and i regularly take highway on ramps at 45 to 55mph woth the tightest of lines. i also had a cracked fitting on the oil cooler so $550 into that it is well worth it, if your looking for a reliable, fun to drive vehicle, these are the cars, don't let the numbers or the little things take away the appeal of these cars every penny is worth it to enjoy, i love every time i turn the key because i am driving my dream car everyday. Good luck with the hunt, and be patient, you'll find "THE ONE".

 

My injectors are leaking right now. I'm gonna send a pair of to get rebuilt next week. but other than that, rust is my main worry right now...

 

Yeah I have a GSL-SE with 147K on it and the thing looks/runs like it's brand new.

 

405 is impressive! ive seen 420 though.... we actually had one local GSL-SE got almost 300k, and since it was all freeway, it was on the original clutch, trans, etc etc basically everything. it died in a wreck.

 

Thanks to all for the info that you’ve provided. I found an ‘84 GSL-SE to look at that has 125k miles on it, new brake pads, rotors, calipers and a new gas tank that sounds like it might be what I’m looking for. I’ll try to put what I’ve heard here to good use when I go look at it. Thanks again!

 

My car now has 115k miles on it. I bought it with 105k. I've had no issues beside the clutch going out. Very reliable car.

 

Just a quick update on my search for a GSL-SE: I looked at one with 126k miles, another with 107k miles. Both had some significant freeplay in the steering, although not as bad as other cars I've read about in other posts on this forum.

Engines seemed to be running strong, clutches in good shape, possibly a cracked oil cooler on the car with 107k miles.

Shifting from 3rd to 4th in the car with 107k miles felt a bit sloppy – couldn’t easily find 4th gear. Bodies were in fair condition, interiors fair. I’ll keep looking!

 

keep us posted. the SE engine is the longest lasting RX-7 engine ever built. its going to have leaks at the oil cooler bungs at some point, thats just part of the price of admission for SE ownership, but its and easy fix. freeplay in the steering is very common with our recirculating ball steering units so don't fret there. the sloppy shifting could be due to worn synchros or at the very least, a needed trans oil change.

 

Howdy. I'm from Toronto and I spent a couple years trying to find the "perfect" 1st gen RX-7. I finally realized that it's impossible to find this car in mint condition, especially in Canada where our weather is pretty harsh on cars. I ended up getting an '84 GSL-SE last summer with 260,000 KM with a body/interior in decent, but not great condition. I've put another 10k KM on it since I bought and it's been running great... especially in the summer with the roof open!

Bottom line is that these are great cars and last a long time, but don't spend too much time looking for the "perfect" vehicle, because you ain't going to find it!

Cheers,
Dean

 

^^^ +1

as old as these cars are, it is hard to find one in mint condition. i wouldnt worry too much about finding the perfect one. half the fun is fixing it. mine is a money pit but it is my pride and joy. i enjoy wrenching on it every weekend. its my escape if you know what i mean...

when its all said and done you can be proud that you did it on your own. at least thats how i see it.

 

Just keep looking and searching around. Most of the mechanical stuff on these cars is pretty simplistic, and there is such a wealth of information online via here, and other sources, you can pretty much have any question answered or diagnosed.

If you have some space, pretty decent knowledge, and a basic set of tools, you should be able to maintain the car. The biggest thing to deal with, depending on where you are located, is rust, and wear.

I got lucky and scored my GSL-SE with 130k on it for $200. So far it has only cost me a fuel pump, starter, and battery. Sure it isn't overly pretty, and has some rust spots, but it was still cheap and will be fun.

 

If it's been in a winter the upper rear trailing arm mounts like to rust off.
Corrosion on the fuel pump electrical connection (causing no fuel). Similar on the fuel sender unit.
Oil leaks, being the hoses or the afore mentioned oil cooler. The oil cooler can be welded closed and re-tapped - I did this fix on one of mine. The issue is that one end or the other of the short oil line is always trying to be unscrewed, source of perpetual leaks.
The aux ports stick, but you can clean them, or replace the shaft with a flexible model from a 2nd gen, they are less prone to sticking.

 

125K is reasonable. If all is well maintained it'll get to 200K.

 

It's hard to believe but the low-milage one's are out there. 2 years ago a clubmember of the dutch rx-7 club found one in Belgium with 13.000 km or lets say about 8500 miles on it. It was a 79 SA.

And yes, it was from an old lady, and the 7 was nearby perfect....but i think that's a once in a lifetime oppurtunity.

Low milage doesn't always mean that the engine or teh rest is good. I rather buy a 7 witch is rust-free and high milage then a bad one with low miles.

 

^i agree completely. Or even no rust/perfect exterior with no motor and decent interior over awful exterior perfect motor/interior.