Okay, well heres some pictures, I really need some help!!!
 

Well i wanna buy this 84 GSLSE and it goin for 1600 bucks american and the guys just sent me some pictures and I'm not sure what to do. It has low miles but there is some surface rust bubbling(only surface) and some rips in the leather.I'll show you guys the pictures, tell me what you think.This would be my first RX-7 ever.I will have some time to save up and spend some money on it. here's the specs, and is that a 13B in there or not?And how much labour am I going to need to put into it to get it to half decent, or is it there already?

1984 GSLSE
100,000 k
all standard options
Headers (racing beat I believe)
short throw shifter
posi rear end
15 inch rims
new fuel pump, thermostat, alternator
tell me what you think by the pictures (they kinda suck but hey, he lives 700 miles from here, it makes it alot easier)
and for 1600 bucks?paint and body are obvious ones, but that i dont mind doing.

some more

more

oh yeah GSL-SE!! try to get the price down a notch or two and get that baby :fingersx:

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ooohhh..that does not appear to be a 13b residing in the engine bay
maybe rushing in to buy it is not a good idea
you need to see what was done engine wise
and get that price down quite a bit :MissileSm

thats not a GSL-SE!!!!!!! -SE's are fuel injected, thats carbed!! still, for 1600 id buy it real quick

2 things, it's a 12A and I would be concerned about the rust on the right rear rocker. Insist that he pull the bins out show pics of the interior of those and pics of the rear inner wheel wells with the tires removed. 1600 is too much since it has a 12A and looks like he may be a street racer with the mods, so the engine may be questionable. Also ask for compression #'s.

Well it's got SE wheels. Which means either its a real SE with a 12A swapped in (most likely), or a GSL with an SE suspension dropped in it (less likely but very possible). My biggest concern would be the rocker box rust (first pic). Could be a sign of major structural rust. My GSL has this. When I got it it looked like that, and when I poked into it I found major rust in that area, which is a very important structural part of the car and very difficult to fix (no I havent fixed it on mine). Otherwise it looks ok from the pics. Try to drive the price down a bit. Its not a pristine example, nor an authentic SE without a 13B.

EDIT: trochiod beat me to it! And if you can get him to do it, get pics of the area behind the bins like he said. Although I doubt he'll do it.

Ok well i e-mailed him already about the lack of 13B engine and also how i was leary about the rust, i asked him for as much info as he could provide

I believe the GSL-SE wheels are 14" instead of the 15" that was listed in the first post.

Do a vin check, is the suspension upgraded, this car is suspect especially as the owner doesn't seem to know what it is.

Way too much for a 12a with rust....

i agree. too much. i bet there is rust underneath those storage bins

when someone says they have posi rear end, it usually means the
facotry limited slip that comes on the gsl and the gsl-se

shouldn't we be able to tell if it is an -se from the v.i.n?

either way, what makes an -se is the engine, and this is clearly a 12a, non-se

not worth $1600 imo

I would run away from that car.The price is way too high for a rusted,and questionable model car.

I paid $2000 for a mint 79 one owner GS with 76K miles on it back in October,and I think I got a steal on it at that price.It had sat unused for 5 years,but there is not rust anywhere,and will be running soon.If this were a true -SE,and not rusted I would say jump on it at that price,but there are too many things wrong with that car to warrent that price.Keep looking there are better cars for better deals out there.Start with a better chassis,and go from there.Electrical,brakes,tranny,and motor stuff is easy to fix,body work isn't.

I have a friend local(southeastern Massachusetts)that has a 85 late production GSl-SE that is far better shape.He just today called me,and wants to sell it.He never should have bought it in the first place.It has a few issues,but nothing major.The body is in good shape,and it is loaded with leather,power steering,bronze glass,body colored mirrors,and such.It is a nice car that just needs a little TLC to be great.The 5th,and 6th port actuators are siezed up because they were not hooked up to the air pump,and the power steering is a bit noisy,but not bad.There are a few other things,but again they are not too bad.He is looking for $2500 or best offer for it.It is Maroon with the maroon interior,and has a set of snow tires on it now.let me know if you are interested.He may be putting it in the for sale section in the next few days anyway.

Chris

Don't get too attached or too excited to buy any one car. Keep shopping around and keep your options open. It will take time, but it's worth it in the end. Also, I would never buy a car without at least seeing it in person first. Pictures can be decieving. Even better, have it checked out by a mechanic who knows rotories and can do a compression check.

I'd turn away from this particular car, personally. From the looks of that first picture, it's got great potential for alot more than just surface rust. Even the inside of the wheel wells are rusty. It also looks like there's rust under the paint along a good part of the doorjam. I wonder what the other side looks like. The appearent motor swap would also keep me away from that particular car.