I would really like to have a 1st gen. Rx7 just have a couple of questions about them.
What are some problems to look for when buying them?
Reliability of a stock 12a?

I am a senior in high school, looking to buy a reliable college car to drive from minnesota to indiana. I found a 79 rx7 with 181 thousand miles on the body and 5 thousand on a brand new 12a with electronic igition instead of the points system. Would this be a good college car, would i have any problems with suspension or anything else with 181k on the body?
Thanks

 

Buy a honda instead. Once you're out of college, then get a rotary.

 

A stock 12a is very reliable. Its when you start modding this and modding that, when it gets you in trouble. I have about 177k on my body and the suspension is worn, but not shot.

But if you are going to be making that trip alot you might want to get a piston car as it will get a lil better MPG.

 

rx7s are not the best coice for you in this case, but if you insist on geting an rx7. the 12a engines last quite some time regularly

 

I have driven 50,000 miles in the past 8 months without one break down, you must do regular maintenance including fuel filter, plugs, oil changes and visually inspect the usual problem areas, I would definately by another 12a as a daily driver, I have one.

I get 23 mpg with basic bods including RB exhaust, Mikuni carb and best of all the 2GCDFIS, (search it) this made a huge difference. I also use Amsoil in the engine, trans and diff. I drive about 1000 miles a week in mine.

 

I have 3 1st gens, all with original engines, varying in mileage from 80k to 130k to 150k, and I would drive anywhere in any of them. I KNOW what requires attention on them (cooling system and oil, especially premix) so I'm prepared, and I have useful spares for them (water pump, ignitors, oil filters, heater hoses, sparkplugs, etc.) . But if you have a USED 7 you want to drive it for several months to ascertain it's problems and True State.

If the 7 is over 100k miles I advise the following:

-replace radiator (cheap at $150)
-replace heater hose that runs under the beehive.
-thoroughly flush cooling system and refill with coolant
-install OEM radiator cap
-install OEM thermostat
-inspect and refurb brakes.
-drain transmission and refill with Redline MTF
-drain and refill differential with Redline LSD lube
-replace oil filter and have a couple spares in the bins
-replace clutch hydraulic flexihouse that runs along firewall from MC to SC
-replace ignition wires with almost-any new wires.
-put a couple J109 ignitors in the glove compartment. get them at the junkyard or on eBay for about $20 each. Add a couple blister packs of dielectric grease from the autostore checkout counter.
-you can get a good set of combination wrenches at Kragens for $15
-you can get a cheap set of sockets at K-Mart for $11. Add a 13/16 deepwall socket for sparkplugs. $8 at Sears.
-keep a couple quarts of 2-cycle oil or MMO in the boot for premixing: 8 oz. per fillup.

 

Properly maintained 12As have been known to go over 300k before a rebuild. Maintinance is the key. 3k oil and filter changes and a well kept cooling system. A single overheating incident will kill the engine quickly. Not knowing what the previous owner has done for maintinance, do the full 60k service interval.

Properly tuned and driven sanely, mpg will yield mid 20s+ highway, upper teens in town.

Reliability is entirely up to the owner, and unfortunately, how it was treated by previous owners. With the recent rebuild, the car could easily last though College, it's up to you and how you treat it.

 

FB's are not good winter cars, is all I have to say

 

I had an 83 when I was in school I lived in FLA and went to college in CT. I can't tell you how many trips it made back and forth. It was ok in the snow for me considering I never drove in snow before.

 

It doesn't matter in vegas. lol

 

I'll take my '84 rex over any other vehicle in my stable ('01 Neon, '78 Nova).

Decent MPG, goes wherever I ask without a whine. Drove 8,000 over the summer, no complaints.

Kev

 

Very well said.
As for the MPG numbers listed, I get that kind of numbers consistantly, and I have a street ported engine.

 

It matters up here in Vegas' little sister, 6 feet of snow = Rx stays in the garage.

 

I bought a 82 GS with 150k miles and it had been sitting for 2 years. new tires and battery, and it has been a champ. It makes the 86 mi trip from school to home and me and friend go out and play over the week end. (he has the faster car, but its a 2002 or 3 rsx i only paid 600 bucks for mine.)

I have redone the whole front, brakes and suspension. Back end still needs to be done, and it smells like gas some times, but i get 21 mpg. I have been driving it all summer and still am.

But it hard to start when cold... but i thought that was just something with the dirty carb. But school is not out yet, so we will see if this is better then my blazer.

 

Ya, but your in reno. It doesn't snow in vegas and the last it did it was like a year ago and it was like an inch.

 

Okay so its about half say i should and the other half say no. i probably will not mod the car at all just drive it in its stock form. I now have a 96 monte carlo w/131k and would like to have a manual transmission and a rotary engine.

The car is a original owner car and as never been driven in the rain or in the winter. So i think he has taken care of it. The things that scares me is am i going to have to replace the suspension or any other major components with 181K on the body?

 

I'm going to college at the moment and I own a 12a fb. I would not recommend it, I bought my car as a project car (live at home) and it serves me well as a project car but not much more. When it's 17 degrees and there's 4 inches of snow on the ground I ask to use the Passat or take the bus.

 

i start school next fall and im buying an all stock 84 GSL next friday to use as a DD. im currently driving a 94 accord, but the accord has 200k and the rx7 has 4k on a rebuild and is in great shape. i know im giving up a lot when going from the honda to the wankel, but its worth it to me. the thing ill miss the most is the extra room. i look at it like this:

rx7 good points:
i can easily aquire parts needed cheaply
i can do anywork thats needed, other than a rebuild
its easier to do maintenance
maintenace is cheaper
insurance is cheaper
its way cooler

rx7 bad points:
not as much room
not as good MPG
ride isnt as comfortable

honda good:

greater MPG
more room
more comfortable ride
probably easier to drive in cold weather(starting)
im cool cause i drive a honda

honda bad:
maintenance is harder to do
maintenace is more expensive
insurance is more expensive
if something big goes wrong itll cost a lot more to fix
cost a lot more to buy, even when it has over 150K miles
its not a wankel

it all comes down to what you want personally. i thought about it for a long time if i wanted another honda or a rx7. i couldnt find a honda with less than 100K miles for less than $5k. i found a good daily driver rx7 for half that. i also wont have to travel a long distance for school. ill end up living about 75 miles away from home after i finish my first two years, but thats not a long ways away and i wont have to drive much during school. plus ill probably get a moped to cruise around campus on

a stock, or even slightly modified, rx7 should be relatively reliable. just stay up to date with regular maintenance and down redline every time you shift.

 

I've said this before but it's worth repeating:

The good news is that a 1979 to 1985 RX7 is every bit as reliable as a 1979 to 1985 Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.

The bad news is that a 1979 to 1985 RX7 is every bit as unreliable as a 1979 to 1985 Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.

These cars are old. Things are going to go south on occasion. But certainly no more so than on other Japanese cars of similar vintage, and certainly not as often as with say, a 5 to 10-year-old Grand Am, Cavalier, Intrepid, Contour or Saturn.

But be careful because there is a lot of rusted-out junk that some people would have you pay over 2k for when in reality it's not worth two hundred. Nothing like paying for champagne but receiving **** to ruin your whole semester.

Ideally you'll find a stock unmolested 1st gen that has had not only a quality rebuilt engine intalled recently but has no rust anywhere (RX7s hide their rust very well, and said hidden rust is usually structurally compromising and beyond economic repair.) and has also received regular maintenance. Newer shocks, struts, tires, brakes and cooling system hoses are also desireable and would suggest the car has been well taken care of. Same goes for a clean engine bay and decent uphoulstry.

It's better to pay a little more for one that someone else has restored or properly maintained than to look for a bargain only to find that it costs three times as much to bring up to snuff.

Also, not all engine rebuilds are created equal. This 79 you're considering could be a good bet, but only if the rebuild has new rather than used rotor housings, and only if the rebuilder didn't cut any corners by re-using thrust washers, bearings, accessory drive chain and irons that were worn beyond limits. All seals should have been new. You'd be amazed at how many "reputable" rebuilders cut these particular corners. The engine won't last anywhere near as long as a new engine would, but it would last 25 to 30,000 miles--- long enough for the rebuilder's warranty to expire.

Finally, if this 79 is in very good condition it will be sure to appreciate in value sooner rather than later. They are already classics and are becoming more sought after and harder to find in decent shape. And they're way more fun to drive than a stinking Honda.

 

Here in Minnesota I see no worries of winter car issues. The only is is if it will start. Our Road clearing is so good that you could run on summer tires if there wasn't the 'glassing' issue on soft rubber.

Go ahead do it. Get a set of snow tires for the rear at least just to be safe.

 

Aviatior you said that these cars hide there rust really well. Are there some common rust spots that 1st gen rx7's have? He said there is a same amount of rust rear wheel well and thats it. Could there be other rust that you cant see but is there?

Another Question, I am going to go test drive the car next week. Are there some dead give aways thats shows it has not been taken care of or what should i look for when buying a 1st gen?

The rx7 is actually on carsoup if you would want to look at it. You have to go ito carsoup the click minnesota, twin cities metro then put in the address
http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.a...DealerGroupID=

 

Wow, that's not bad. I'd say take it.

 

wheel well rust = VERY BAD. definately check the car over for rust since its coming from up north. stick your head into the wheel wells. if the rust looks severe, walk away. also, if you could look under the interior carpet and hatch carpet for rust. get on the ground and look at the bottom of the car, near the drain holes. these are your main trouble areas.

 

Don't forget to remove the bins and look for rust there. A little is expected, but I have seen them where you could see the tires, from the inside.

 

If you can drive a RWD car well they work just fine the only limiting factor I found was deep snow, the shape of the car drives the snow under the car and lifts it up, not so funny.....otherwise I drove my winter 7 all last year without a hitch other than more rust accumilating on an already rusty shell. I didn't lose control once, never got stuck and had more fun than 10,000 Hondas in the slick.

I did use 2 rear snow tires and she is an GSL with LSD. Mind you it is flat here and I usually drive at 60 mph on open roads, but those ditches look bloody big in winter.....lol

Remeber that FWD is only good until you loose traction, whereas RWD still leaves you options to avoid an object.