maybe Ray will step in, He drives his like 100miles round trip each day to work.

 

whats the mileage on the one you're checking out now?

 

Let me give it a go,

1-Look around first before buying, there's always a good deal going on,
2-look for a good body,(if engine is blow you can prob buy it for about 300$)
3-You can prob get the engine rebuilt for about 1000$
4-New Shocks and springs about 350$
5-New SS brake lines and new Fuel and Brake lines about 300$
6-New Rubber 150$
7-Cleaning things (IE, fuel injectors, cleaning the whole engine bay ~100$)
8-Labor for someone else to do things for you if you don't know how to do it 600$
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total -------------------------------------------------------------- ~ 2800$

Conlusion:

Even if the car barely runs but you have a good body, you still won't be spending all that much to fix it up. In my example above that is almost like worst case senario (And if you do find one with a good stong engine but bad body, instead of adding that 1000$ towards an engine rebuild you could use it towards a new paint job and body fix up). That said you'd still have plenty of money left to do what ever you want to it (maybe decide to streetport it, buying new exhaust, audio, new rims ...whatever you're into). I just personally think that 4500 to spend on a 1st gen is alot of money. Alot of us have prob bought quite a few1st gens for less thank a thousand.

 

Thank you all for your responses. I'm going to be looking for an Rx7 after my graduation in June, I've decided.

 

Also note that the first gen will be the cheapest to uphold. With second gens, you're going to have a shitload of electrical problems.

If you've ever heard that rotaries poop out early, don't listen. Mine's strong at 200K (more like 220!)

 

i have an '85 SE with 286k ORIGINAL miles on it and it still has full compression and runs like a top!! If you can find one I'd say go for it!! They are damn sexy cars that will serve you long and well if properly maintained.

 

Saw one recently that has almost 300k miles on it (a member of the forum, I think). I don't know how much the guy is going to offer, but checking Kelley's Blue book and asking a mechanic, its probably worth (if its in good condition) around $1600.

Now, I've heard that the miracle of the rotary engines are their longevity, but is 300k too much to purchase? Remember, I'm looking for something reliable.

 

300K on the body? depends upon when the engine was rebuilt, either way at that price you could get one of the Upper level rebuilders to freshen it up for about 2K if the motor is not blown, and then it would last you a long time.

kenn

 

It doesn't sound like the engine has been rebuilt at all, and it sounds like its still in good condition.

 

A 1st gen RX-7 is no more or less reliable than your average 20 to 25 year old vehicle. The benefit that I have found is that they are fairly easy to work on and parts are pretty plentiful if you don't mind mail-order. They certainly seem to hold up better body-wise than their contemporary Toyota and Nissan competitors. At the end of the day though, you really can't buy any old vehicle and NOT expect to work on it, or fix things as they break.

I can honestly say though that bang for buck, the 1st gen RX-7 really can't be beat, and with a minimum of extra investment, you can have a light, fast and great handling car.

 

Would you say, then, that the first gen is NOT practical for student, who is simply trying to commute in style?

 

the first gen is NOT practical for student, who is simply trying to commute in style

 

This maybe off topic but, 10mpg ? My 7 gets 22 mpg when were driving rough and 25 normally. You may have meant 10mpg in a sarcastic way but i hope you arent serious!

Btw Bjford I have a 1985 Rx7 GSL black exterior red interior and it is my first car. If you can drive a standard then no problem with it. They are sporty and, have good handling and ok gas mileage. You will get some looks driving around in one. If you want a Turbo 7 get a 2nd Gen

 

All things considered, get you a junk yard car with a toasted motor, and solid body.
This list if you live in a emissions required state:
Junk yard Car: $300 I know where a 1985 GSL is.
Atkins Rebuilt Engine: $2000
New Exhaust: $150
Emissions Equipment: $Cheap ask a forum member who lives emissions free.
Mechanic Labor: $400
Brakes: $30
3 n 1 Clutch Kit:$190
Total: 3070
Now you get at least 100,000 problem free miles, and one happy 7 owner.
A 1st gen is dirt cheap to find in wrecking yards, or even locally. If the odometer has more than 150,000 miles and the motor is original you might consider saving time, and having the motor swapped out.

 

I'd say that ANY 20 to 25 year old car would be impractical for an owner who doesn't want to do any work to the car. I'm a student and my '79 is my DD, but when it breaks, I do the work myself whenever possible. It wouldn't be feasible otherwise.

 

Yeah I see your point. I had a lot of people telling me that Rx7s lasted forever-- like BMWs. I wouldn't want a car that I would be having to fix up all the time. I need reliability. I'm going to be taking a full (16 unit) load and working up to 30 hours this fall, so I don't know if it would make sense.

 

I just bought my first RX about a week ago, its an '85 GSL-SE and i love it, its taking me some time to get used to, but its a fun car. And any car that has 203k on the motor, and still starts every time without smoke or a problem, is all right by me. Oh, and the 1000 dollar tag wasnt too shabby either

 

I bought my 83 in 02 for 1500 w/ 190k miles on it and it still runs real strong w/ no probs and 210k miles on it and I love the car. I would say it is reliable it has proven to be more reliable then my celica or jeep, it is like the little car is always there for me.

 

I've owned my 85 GSL-SE for a couple of months now. I use it to commute to work with (approximately 20 miles both ways) and the car has shown to be a pretty decent ride so far. I get anywhere from 25-27 mpg, the car shifts well, runs well and has decent power.

I have restored several cars (see sig) so you absolutely need to know that any car has the potential for a catastrophic failure, which gets worse as the car gets older.

In general these cars seem to hold up much better than a comperable 79-85 vintage car from other companies. I have driven similar year Toyotas and Hondas and it definately compares favorably to any of them. I would take the 85 RX7 over a mid 90's American econobox box any day.

 

OK Matthew, I'll bite. Yep if you do the routine maintenance a 1st generation RX-7 is just about the sweetest, most reliable and cost effective commute mobile you can find. I have three GSLs, a recently purchased 84 (86,000 miles) to back up my daily commuter (84 with 142,000 miles) and an 85 parts car that was running real strong with 172,000 miles before I dented it's front end in. Here's some photos and descriptions of life with the 1st gen:

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/479957

Figure it this way, my 2002 Mazda Protege 5 cost $17,000 new for a car that I generally don't have to think about working on. I got my last two GSLs on ebay, $1,600 and $1,545, respectively (for the mathematically inclined, that's more than ten times less money).

Now I do need to do some maintenance, maybe one weekend a month I've got to fidget with something or another, but routine maintenance is easy and educational (you should know this stuff if you drive a car anyway, not that anybody does anymore) and even the major jobs (brakes, clutch, body work) can be done with a little time and patience by a novice like me.

And of course the bonus is that with each new job, I'm less of a novice and there is more money in my pocket. For my 550 miles a week, there is no better car, especially if you are on a budget. You just can't spend quite as much time chasing girls.

Ray