hey im looking at picking up this rx-7 first gen.. and im not sure what to check for when im buying it.. the guy said is has 55,xxx miles on it...so im kinda worried about rollback. but what kind of things should i check for when im test driving and when im looking underthe hood. its 1000 dollars..clean body.. just wondering what i should look for a listen for.

thanxs,
derek

 

take out the storage bins in the back and see how much rusty is behind the wheel wells you can lower him down if there is depending on if it is not to serious

 

also look under the car, see if there is any leakage there, maybe start it up and see if it smokes. could talk down.

 

how do you take out the storage bins.. and i can't look for leakage beacause its always moved... but im going to drive it over to my friends house when im test driving it and were going to test it out lol..rev the eninge up to see if it smokes and what not lol....

 

Now dont get stupid testing it out. I mean its not yours yet so dont rag it like it is!! Now Im not trying to come down on ya like the man or nothing! Im just saying, dont get to crazy!

 

The bins are held in with phillips screws.

 

when buying an rx, make sure nothing stupid has been done to it...
find out how much oil its using
make sure if it still has the cats that the air pump is installed (if its not, the cats are solid carbon blocks by now)
how does it idle? bad idle means bad carb or bad vac leak or bad seals
how does it smoke? a little oil smoke when you fire it cold is no worries, a little oil smoking while it warms up and the side seals are gettin thin, smoking all night long is a sign of a rebuild candidate.

if it doesnt have disc brakes on the back, it doesnt have an LSD - that sucks...
theres soo much more but rust and stuff is all standard issue car shopping. if the car has been sitting a while you may not be interested.... all the good bits tend to sieze up (OMP coming to mind)

 

Car inspection and Bin removal tips:
The outer frame of the bin has several phillips screws. Remove those, then slowly pull the bin out just enough to get your hand in the lower gap to the underside of the bin. You must collapse the bin inward partially, it is only a stiff molded fabric, to make it fit out of the frame opening easily. ON GSL-SE models be aware that the bins have a light and a switch, and the wires must be disconnected prior to pulling it completely out. There are connectors in the wire harness near the light and switch which can be disconnected. Then jimmy the bin out through the frame opening.

The inner fenderwell area is what to inspect. On my '84, one side appeared to be surface rust only, but mild poking proved it to be ALL the way through. Repairs are always possible, but price NEGOTIATIONS are in order IF ANY rust is found at this area.

Poking at a rust area on a car that is not yours yet may not be wise, so if you do see rust, ask the owner to probe the rust and prove the integrity of the suspect area(s). BOTH SIDES !

From lessons learned, the hard way,
Captain Murph

 

I don't believe you need to be worried about rollback, my odometer is sitting at 206k, and I think they go all the way up to 999k before rolling, or seizing, not sure which. I don't know about the other models though, I have an 85 SE.

 

Spend the $100 to get a mazda dealer or rotary specialty shop with a proper rotary engine compression tester (special tool) to determine compression/health of the motor. otherwise, normal used-car stuff applies. Unless _really_ thrashed RX7s are pretty hardy cars and actually little goes wrong unless abused. Also bear in mind there are lots (1/2 million sold in US!) of good RX7 are ound, so be fussy and patient!
good luck and check in with pix when you score your new ride
Stu Aull
80 GS
(bought off ebay!)
Alaska