Hi there,
I've bought myself a 79 rx-7 for only $250 Aust, and it seems to be in decent condition to my untrained eye!
its got panel damage to the left front guard, both doors are rooted, the rear bumper is dented and there is some rust at the base of the boot lid. Apart from that the car appears to be relatively rust free. The carbie is spewing out oil and there is a fair bit of smoke coming out of the exhaust on start up (is this normal?) and the interior is mostly there, but the middle console has been broken when the car was stolen recently!
Basically, do you guys think it is worth my while to put a bit of money and effort into the car to get it looking decent and running sweet? I've already bought a couple of doors with a little bit of rust (not as much as the doors that are on the car) which i will fix up and put on.
It needs a new steering wheel, damn good service, carbie overhaul, respray, etc.
Hopefully i'm not wasting my money!
Cheers
Goudgey

 

There are others that can answer the question much better than I can, but I can tell you that I got my first rex about a month ago for about $200 worth of wedding photos I did for a friends daughter. The wheel wells were rusted thru, ran like crap, but I got it home. Basically, the car had been ignored for years (sounds like yours). So far, I've put about $1000 in the thing, mostly $50-$100 at a time, for tune up & change all fluids (I did myself), now in the shop for brakes, carb rebuild, oil leak fix, electrical problem, and AC recharge. That will put me into spending the $1000 mentioned above. Then, I'll get estimates for body work & paint. I'm already looking into an air dam & spoiler. Is the car 'technically' worth it? Hell no! Is it worth it to me for the fun of owning a unique car I've always wanted? Absolutely! It's also fun watching my son & his 15 year old friends admiring it and begging for rides. So, it's really subjective as to whether is worth it to you or not. Good Luck!

 

Look at it this way. The value of the car in very good running condition with minimal body damage(if any) and paint in average condition (no repaint needed) is worth maybe 2200-2500. (US$). Look at the whole car, make a list of the things that have to be done (ie brakes, master cylinder, tune up, front end work, tires etc...) put a price next to each of those tasks , add it up and you will see where you will be as to how much money you will have into it. If you are at $2200.00 and up, I might not go forward with it and keep the car for a parts car and find a better condition 79 Rx7. Trust me, it can add up fast....you end up getting nickel and dimed and before you know it..your at $2200.00 easy....but if you "love " this car, heck, who cares. How many miles on the car? consider that too...150,000 miles + ?????, if so, you will start having to replace an awlful lot of stuff ( shocks/ struts etc....) Good luck on your decision..hope this helped you.....cjf

 

In general, the incremental value added to a car that needs fixing up is less than the cost of the parts and labor that goes into it. In other words, if you are going to spend the money, it is generally more cost effective to buy a better car to begin with. For the rex, this can be verified by looking at the pathetic value of decent condition used ones on the market. The exception to this would be if you do essentially all of the labor and have access to cheap parts, such as a junkyard. Also, one needs to add in the value of their own labor.

pmartin

 

Honestly don't waste your time, just buy one that someone has already dumped money into, I spend like 2k last summer, 40 hours a week for 8 weeks of labor and like a quart of blood to fix mine up, now I can't even get 1400 for it. People are telling me its worth 700!?! just great

Save the one you bought for parts and just go look for someone who has taken care of their car, one that needs no bodywork or paint and one that has a fresh street ported engine, you will save so much money.

Because when the day comes when you realize that a new mini van can keep up with your car you are going to be one unhappy man and want to sell it.

Someday I plan of making a bridgeport gsl-se because i like the look and feel of the car but not the speed and cost of fixing vs value

 

My advice is if you want to "fix up" a FB/SA then you NEED to get a rust free car no if's and's or but's about it. I bought a 83 that had the storage bin rust (the first place to rust) and I wish I haden't even after fixing it. WHY you ask? The cars are unibody that are put together with spotwelders, when they start to rust it weakens the body and the structure of the entire body. It's very hard to tune a suspention when the body flexes. Also it's always nice to have a rust free car that you can actually take bolts off with out the aid of a tortch

Cam

 

Thanks for the advice guys, but I'm tending to think that it could be a cost effective way of getting a 7 for little money. early 7's dont seem to be that cheap here compared to the US, so finding a good one for not much would be quite hard. I'm not looking to create a perfect car, just something that runs okay, looks decent from a distance, with a stripped out interior to give it that "competition" feel!
I've got a couple of pics that I can email anyone who is interested. I'd be keen to get some feedback.
please email me at mgoudge@sarahgroup.com.au
Cheers
Goudgey

 

Wouldn't you rather build this car to cruise the highways down there?

 

I had a '79 RX7 basically given to me that was in fine condition, but not running. After replacing battery and alternator, it ran, but smoked on startup. The smoking is due to oil seal degradation with age, allowing oil to pass into the combustion chamber when its idle. This will only get worse and it's very embarrasing, so you will need a rebuilt engine. (You can't do this yourself, no matter how handy you are.) A rebuilt engine runs minimum $1,500 if you buy it and put it in yourself. I basically started as you did, but now have about $8,000 in it (and now on my third engine due to failures of the stationary gear on one, and bearings on the other). It's a constant struggle to keep on the road - but when it's running sweet, nothing beats the fun.

 

you can rebuild your own engine quite easily actually... all you need to do is buy the seals, pull the block apart, measure housing clearances, etc, put in new stuff, get housings lapped possibly, and put it all back together.... 20 or so hours of work later and you've got a rebuilt, clean, possibly painted, perfectly running, 0 mile engine...

Not that big of a deal.

Jeff

 

Dump the car. Too much work. Even an RX7 with a good body and alot done can cost you thousands over the next few years. Everything is 23 years old on that car and will fall apart or break. Go find an RX7 that has been taken care of and buy it for 2-3 grand. You'll save yourself thousands that way.

 

Find a car in better condition to start with! I picked up my 85 for $800 not running. It was very clean, no rust, no tears. A little ATF got it going, but then add in new struts, springs, brakes, and a year later a street port rebuild and it's not so cheap anymore. My latest car cost $75 and after getting it cleaned up it's too nice to use as a parts car, had a glass sunroof too.

 

turn it into a rally machine.

 

I agree with jeremy... jack it up wth some hockey pucks or something, and put big mudders on it, and rally it... it'd be great fun.

Here's what it could look like:

Cool, eh?
Jeff

 

Rallying it is a definate possibility, but I've already got a Datsun 510 that I rally.
If I had to buy a car for $2-3000 then I definately wouldnt be able to afford it cos the rally car costs too much to run, but seeing as I got it for $250 then its not going to set me back too much. Anyway, its all just for a bit of fun and if I didnt get this one then I'd probably never be in the position to get a 7 at all.
I'm thinking its better to have a bit of cheap fun with this than to miss out on what you guys have!
I know its not a rotary but here is a link to pic of rally car if anyone is interested.
http://users.senet.com.au/~rowanb/sa...dunda/e_05.jpg

 

your car?

 

The rallycar comes from Norway!
It's a Mazda factory GR B Rally car, they only made 5-6 of them..
Its got a factory 13B PP and all..
I got some more info and pictures on my site.

//Magnus

 

buahahaha, thats a good one....

back on track...
I suppose if you just plan on fixing the things that NEED to be fixed it shoulden't be a bad car for ya. I'd watch out though, these cars have a tendancy to drain your pockets when you aren't looking. Don't ask me how I know that

 

79's are getting pretty rare, Id say if you like it then go for it. Parts are VERY available down there, along with the prices you get charged, everything is a 1/3 cheaper

 

Hey bookscrb, you say your car smokes when you start it...it suppose to smoke a little when started!!!if it does not , then I wonder what is wrong with it or what kind of oil you have in there....remember, you have a rotary(I am not trying to be smart by the way)...I love these people who try and sell the car and say there car does not burn oil nor does it smoke. IT IS SUPPOSE TO. Anyway , have a good one.....cjf

 

well ... i'd say keep it.
get it running mechanically sound first, then if you don't like it, you can always scrap it and not have to worry about having spent money tp get the body right. however, if you like (and you sound like you already do) then do the body when you can ....

will it suck you dry? probably!
but buying a more expensive car is no guarantee that it wouldn't suck you dry, too.

at least, that's the way i see it ...