i'm seventeen, have liitle money, and want an rx-7.
i'm looking at an 85 gsl with 150k miles, bad a/c and power steering, some rust around the bottom, and a leaky/loud replacement exhaust. also, the car has been sitting for the last 10 months or so and the rearend is pretty rusty looking. i have to decide between this and an 86 chrysler fifth avenue thats been in our family for about ten years for 200$. the guy wants 600$ for the rx-7 but i was thinking of offering 450$. the biggest issue is getting it worked on as far as who could do it and how much it would cost. any advice would be great.

 

get the car and do the work yourself. most shops wont' touch em b/c of the engine in them. save a lot of money and would understand the car a lot better if you did the work yourself. it's all a learning process and we are here to help ya. take a few pics of the car and post em. we give ya some insight then cuz it's hard to say if it's a good or bad buy if we don't see the car.

 

Yeah man... As long as you don't mind tinkering with stuff (with help) it's a great car to own...

But it'll cost you a lot of money if you plan on always having it worked on for you.

That said, if it's in good condition (let's see those pics!) you should definitely pick it up, hehe

 

Get a phillips screwdriver and pull the storage bins out to check for rust. They're right behind the seats. If there's a lot of rust there (and I'd bet my overweight beagle on it!) then there will be more reason for the guy to drop his price.
Works every time 'cause most people don't know to look there.
Good Luck, let us know what you decide!

 

Last year I bought a cherry 85GSL in San Francisco, with 49k actual miles, for $1700. The clutch was slipping so I replaced it.

The GSL is a luxury car with good handling, leather seats, and a smooth suspension. It has LSD which is nice for snow and loose gravel.

However, it is 200 lbs heavier than my 83 GS, and I have Tokico blues in the 83, so I drive the 83 for swift cornering and generally faster driving, while using the 85 for comfort. The 83 is noticeably spritelier around winding roads than the GSL.

B

 

Wow, is it really a 200lb difference? I thought the only thing the gsl added was lsd and a couple of luxury options (leather, etc). Does all that really mean 200lbs?

 

my gsl doesn't have leather

 

any idea how much a new or used power steering pump would be? my dad is making me fix that. i'm pretty sure i'm going to get it. also, any rotary owners in the dayton ohio area on this forum?

 

Leather is an option on the GSL, but standard on the GSL limited edition (12A, not to be confused with the GSL-SE which has a FI 13B). The car he's considering is a limited edition because they were the only ones that came with power steering. I own one, it's reliable as hell, and has no rust since it's originally from California.
But this car for sale sounds suspect. All the money saved on purchase price is meaningless if you wind up with something that needs gobs of repairs and as a result ends up costing you three times the purchase price within the first three months. Bad rust behind storage bins is expensive to fix and dangerous if you ignore it. If you want a 7 for under $1000 that's reliable and in sound (if not perfect) condition you'll need to shop around, but they are out there. If you find the right one you'll be glad you didn't settle for the Chrysler!

 

Power steering pumps for these cars are more expensive than they're worth--- well over $1000. Most guys just run them without fixing them. Only problem is during parking maneuvers, when you need rippling biceps to turn the wheel.
This particular power steering unit was designed to reduce power assist as speed increased so that above city driving speeds it went back to standard steering.Other than that they exhibit the same vague steering characteristics as non-power-assisted 1st gen steering boxes. (it's a crappy recirculating ball-type unit that should never have been placed in a sports car).
One group of people on this site is about to begin marketing a retrofitted rack & pinion steering system from the VW golf (very good system, btw) for around $300 +or -. Apparently it's fits the 7 nicely with no adverse side-effects.

 

i went back today, planning to buy it. everything was looking good until i checked behind the bins. rust was peeling off in layers on the top corner of the wheel well. then i went to the hatch to check the spare tire and there was water sitting in the well about three inches deep. i showed the guy and he got embarrassed and said he might not sell it in the condition its in because he didnt know about it and didnt want to sell me a piece. now i'm thinking i'll wait till i find another one or have more money for a nice one. what do you think?

 

Run, don't walk, away from this one. It's ok to get emotionally attached to one of these cars--- as long as you do it AFTER you've purchased it, not before.
Keep looking, you'll find the right one eventually and you'll be glad you waited for it.

 

tell him you will take it for $25

 

check e bay

 

That's kind of perplexing. The car had been sitting, which is a bad thing. The bad AC and power steering are things that you know about right now. And the rust! Just make sure nothing else is wrong with it. Take it to a mechanic before you buy it. So many things could be wrong with it that you would never dream of, and them it will cost you big$$$$$$$$$