Pics of 85 gsl-se- might buy
 

here aresome pics of the car I am thinking about getting... i could not find the thread I started earlier....

any suggestions ...... what do you think?

Se
 

Well since i own 2 se's a 84 and 85 i am pretty biased in my opinion. What's the mileage? How much are they asking for her? rx7doctor

a few more... sorry bout the night pics... the dude selling the car was cool enought to come over to let me test drive it even though it was getting late.. I had already lookid it over in the day...but did not get pics then...

mileage is about 220,000 and price is firm $900.00. The guy selling it is a good guy and has tons of records of stuff replaced....

i cheched the wheel well inside the storage bin and a tad of surface rust as in the pic... but nothing serious rust wise anywhere I could see... also pulled the spare tire out and checked there. There is a dent on the body line in the pic that will be tough to fix...at least for me...... Felt like it ran good .... reverse was tricky...did not grind , but did not slip in either..kinda had to find a sweet spot .

i LOVE that interior, i wish so badly mine was grey/black...

Thoughts
 

Has the motor been rebuilt, the tranny or diff? at that mileage alot of things can and will go wrong. Has a compression test been done on her? Like i said i have 2
SE's. My 84 has 185k on the odometer. The motor has approx 140k, the trans which will be going into my 85 has 92k on a complete rebuild. the diff has 145k on it. my 85 that i recently accuired has 118k on it. But the front countershaft bearing is growling like they all did until they get rebuilt with the updated bearing.
Hell i would sell you my 84 if you weren't (is that a word)/? so far away with zero rust and only 1 dent in the right fender. rx7doctor

Not sure about the motor or tranny as far as a rebuild..... I would say no. The known mechanical problems is a leaking front o-ring, the a/c did not stay cold long after a new dryer and flush with new coolant....and the power steering pump was replaced and then the shaft was stripped and the pulley is just dangling there now.....so no ps.

With that said there is new kyb shocks, alternator, distr, plugs and wires, brakes all the way round.....

What do you all think....... a good restore project or let it pass?

ohhh and no cpmpression test..... I am not sure how to do that for this car.... I did read it was different for rotors... I will go research that now.....

lose the louvers and youre set!

It is a gamble. If you buy the car and it only runs for a month you got screwed, if it runs for a couple years you got your moneys worth. Of course I am speaking of a major malfunction.

It's not a gamble, the cost of that car plus repairs is less than a new car by far.

Ok, not a new car, compare the cost of a car with a few years on it and then look at the cost of the 7 with repairs. The 7 still wins.

If you're hoping to pick up an old car and just drive away, it isn't going to happen.

If you're looking for something that you can tinker around on and expect to be replacing parts over the next few years than that's the car you want.

I want a fun car to drive that I can ground up restore ... I have no intention of getting my money back. My 2 choices I am down to are a first gen rx7 (I have always wanted one) and a first gen AWD DSM Eagle Talon or eclipse( I owned a FWD and as far as speed it was sweet. )

My biggest issue is if I get a DSM then I have tons of local help rebuilding and tuning the engine..... and when I ask people about rotary engines they just get this blank stare......or worse. With little engine experience it would be a huge....and maybe great learning experience to rebuild a rotary..... if it is even possible for me to do it. The things to think about for me are the DSM hp is stock 195 with turbo and easy mods take around 300 hp. Not really looking to race (those days are over), but have never been in a zippy rx7 and have a few concerns about making it quick. The AWD DSM is fun to drive, but I dont like the car looks as well as the rx7, and the DSM's are getting common around here...... and I kinda wanted something different......... so there it is ..... my delima.

buy it, drive it till she blows. Put in a Turbo 2 engine and never worry about power again.. . Seriously though the rx7 is classic, the dsm .. is. . i dunno. i'm not a big fan of dsms. Looks like a nice se though seem slike a soudns buy from the description and pics and such.
Dom

My 4 door family car tears the sh*t outa my SE, but the SE, even in it's rought shape, has way more soul than the Chrysler will ever have...

Back when I bought my fist 7 every one around here drove Mustangs or Camaros/Z28s/Firebirds/whatevers. That's why I got a 7. I would have considered a 280 but Nissan dealerships at the time were closing too often.

Than the 83 was totalled so I went back to the dealership but all they had were 2nd gens. I was forced into an 88 TII 2+2 which was quite a lot of fun to drive but in the end, even after a wife and 3 kids, a mortgage, working at Chrysler, I picked up an '85 SE. I gave up a ton of ponies and some handling and a sunroof that is a pain to remove and replace to go to a car that comes out way ahead in the 'je ne sais quois'.

In the end you have to make up your own mind and live with it. But we can all see that the dark side is calling you... :)

When I stated "major malfunction" I was refering to something along the lines of blowing the engine and not general repairs. If you spend $900 on a car you only get to drive for a couple weeks and then have to spend $1000+ for another engine, you could have gotten a nicer 7 to begin with for $1900. I mean this just as a general statement and why I said a gamble.

But isn't that the same with all personal sales?

The only place you'll get a warranty is through a car dealerhip and then the price is no longer under a thousand.

I once priced out a used 7 at a used car dealership with an extended third party warranty. The car was about $5000 and the warranty $1500 for one year. At todays prices I can buy another 7 in rougher shape just for parts and come out ahead.

Sure it's a shame to buy a car and later discover that it's a lemon when you think you're getting a great deal. But if you realize that the car is quite old and will need repairs soon than you can budget for it and set your expectations accordingly.

I think that is the problem with a lot of used car sales is that buyers set their expectations to high...

i gave up an 88 TII for my 84 GSL lol... for the 15 minutes that i did get to drive the 84 before that motor just up and shat itself, it was a better handler than my 88 TII, that is the only reason i kept it... i like the looks of the FC infinately more, like the turbo motor infinately more, but the most important part imo was the handling... not to mention my 84 GSL was 300 bux with no motor in absolutely mint shape and only 140k on the clock.... hopefully i can get the SE engine i put in it running soon, but i think i need a new starter now:( ultimately it will be a turbo'd 6 port tho

If you're still debating over whether to get a Talon or an RX-7 and budget is an issue, I would say you should consider the differences in the engines more than anything.

Obviously I'm going to be biased since I'm an RX-7 owner, but in my opinion you just can't beat a rotary engine for overall enjoyment. They are small and light, so you benefit in handling. A well maintained 12a rotary will have a longer life than almost any piston engine, and when it comes to rebuilds, they are as easy as it gets. Just look at it this way: To have a 4-cylinder professionally rebuilt will run you 3.5-4K, where a rebuilt 13b rotary will be under 2K.

You seem to be worried about lack of knowledge in rotary mechanics, but you should remember that a rotary engine only has 3 moving parts. If you have a good knowledge of piston engines, you won't have any trouble finding your way around a rotary. Any information that you can't find in your Haynes manual you can get from this forum.

I have driven few cars that handle better and are more fun to drive than an RX-7, and I've definitely never found a car that's as easy to modify. The only big drawbacks are that they are so bitchy to drive in the winter that you'll need a different car for the cold months, and they don't get too good of gas mileage. Oh, and once you go RX-7, you'll never come back. So be ready to say good bye to piston engines :D

I took a gamble a few years ago, bought a beat up SE for $750, but it sure ran good on the test drive. Guess what? A year later I swapped that engine into my current chassis, after my "CHEESY, www.MazdaRecycling.com, $1900!! POS" rebuilt crapped out on me after ONLY 18000 miles. $750 was a great deal for me!

moral of the story, see my quotation. Don't buy sh!t from them.

Buying tip
 

If you are really interested in buying any vehicle. If you do not have the mecahnical ability to determine the overall condition. I recommend the following.
Find someone that does what is called a Pre-Purchase inspection. In your case pay the mazda dealership or if there is a good rotary shop in your area to do a
Compression test using the mazda tester. Then have them do a complete safety check of everything. Pressure testing the coolant system looking for possible leaks from the radiator, water pump, etc.
Have them inspect for vehicle damage to the body and frame. Have them extensively test drive it for tracking, driveability issues, etc.
While researching it, use the Vin check section and someone run the Vin for yoou to get a history.
It's better to pay alittle money now than to find out later that the car is going to fall apart on you. rx7doctor