First off, i love rotaries. hands down, no question, my favorite engine. ever since i rode in my buddies in high school, back in 1997, ive been in love. there is nothing like it. well, i went to buy my 2005 mazda 6 a few months back and they had an rx-8 there. it had triple the miles and a little dinged up, but i was so close to buying it. i have since test drove 3 different rx-8's just to hear the wankel.


So, im thumbing through the paper yesterday and i come across an ad for a 1985 rx-7 for $500 OBO. well, i decide that everything happens for a reason, since i have been obbsessing over wankels for years, i go for a look...

the engine is in fine condition. runs great, starts fine, idles fine. the driveshaft needs to be replaced and the suspension part that keeps the front right tire from "wobbling" needs replaced. other than that, its in decent shape.

i am sooooo tempted to buy it.. i would offer $400 since i know the repairs it would need, but i could aquire a rotorary engine for $400!!! oh my god. i just need the expertise of all you rx-7 owners to let me know if i'm gonna regret this.

besides all this, my GF is 5' tall, and she would look really dang cute driving this thing around..

 

check under the bins/in the rear wheel wells for rust. Check the seat pans for rust. Post pics/mods/model before you buy. Test drive it and take it WOT to redline a few times. The guy that I bought my car from was PISSED when I did this, but when I went back the next day to buy the car (had to get a Money Order), he was like "wow, thanks for cleaning out the engine, it doesn't smoke anymore". It had sat for ~6 months and just idled 2-3 times a week for ~15 minutes at a time.

 

damn, go for it dood!

and yea the engine's worth more than the car, lol.

 

thanks for the advice. ill look for those things when i check it out this afternoon. im gonna drive it some also, but that suspension piece will keep my front going to fast.

also, i have seen all over the web that this car is very reliable, so from you rx-y owners... is it?

and this one has a carb on the top of the engine, does that mean its the 12 series engine? and not the 13? or is there another way to tell?

 

by the way, i just looked up on the Idaho DMV, and the plates ROTARY is available. itll go well with my plates oin my mazda 6 that say IMFASTR..

 

Stock (ish) first generation RX7's are the most reliable rotary powered cars ever made.


Just make sure it isn't rusty. You don't want to deal with that ****.

 

most reliable.. i love it. well, it looks like i am more and more commited to buying this thing. i mean, hell, after the suspension work.. shes good to go

 

Dooo it!! You know you want to...

Get a wankel...

Do it. Do it. DO IT! Do it.

 

damnit.. i keep running all the pros and cons in my head.. but the big one is, i cant really miss for only $400! my goal is to have an rx7 from each generation.

 

Buy it. The only problem with wanting one of each gen, is starting with a 1st gen. It will have you so content that you may forget there others that followed....................

 

hahaha. nicely said. ill keep that in mind. but theres is this image in my mind.. 3 rx-7's lined up in a row, and all of them mine. oh man..

on a mre serious note, im gonna go check it out again today and who knows.. its looking likely.

my folks have never been in a rotary car, so i'd take this one to vist them in colorado (i live in idaho) when i go for thanksgiving. thatll show my dad why i lust over the rotary so much

 

If all you've driven is RX8's you're going to find the first gen very slow.

Very slow.

You can make 'em faster. Just be prepared for some serious slowness.

--Slow

 

true. itll be slow compared to my mazda 6 as well. but... i have always been a handling guy. im not so concerned with 0-60 times or anything. my 6 handles extremely well, and from what i hear, this car does too. so thats a big plus for me.

 

well said^^. there fun but there about as fast as any civic, maxima, ect...

mine beat a v6 stang, lol.

 

even more so than the 0-60 time is the sweet sweet song of the rotary as it revs. heck, ill just sit in my driveay and listen to it. so beautiful. my plan for the short term, if i buy this, is to get it road worthy, then my GF can drive it while i get it more and mroe restored.

haha, this is cause she's not allowed to drive my mazda 6 i let he drive it once, and i am amazed the clutch didnt just jump out and run off

 

Like alex 7 said, they are slow but they feel like your going fast. Its like a bigger go kart with a rotary. Do what you want and if you buy it good for you, but just check everything over like said above. Good luck.

 

thanks for all the thoughts and ideas guys. the more i think about it, the more im sold. i cant wait to get my hands on it. itll be great to have 2 mazdas in my garage! im only 25 years old and ill have a new mazda 6 and a rotary!! yahoo!!

 

I have drove a few RX-8's so far and I will tell you they are NOT FAST by any means, quick yes, fast no. But they handle really well which is what counts.

 

agreed. its the handling that does it for me. thats why i like my 6 so much. and like i said, supplement that with a rotary and im all set. cant wait to get it fixed up and see my GF driving around in it

 

An 8 will inialate a stock FB in a drag race.

That was my only point.

 

someday, i know ill own an 8. but for now, i want to start small. for $400, i dont mind modding it and trying new things and even beating it up some.

 

okay, so i drove it today.

the suspension sure needs work, but its very driveable. the engine revs fine, but at about 1500 to 3000, it seems to sputter a little. i dont know if its cuase it old, but it doesnt cause a loss of power, just sounds odd. other than that, it was a hoot to drive. felt jst like a go kart, and shifted really well, and just wanted to keep revving. it was a blast to drive.

 

Like I always try to explain to people who complain about how slow my car is... you can always make a car faster, better handling, and more unique, but not every car can be as fun of a car as others. That is what I love about first gen rx7's. They are just so fun to drive even in stock form.

 

well, i came across a 1986 rx-7 that is listed in the paper. it says it needs new oil seals. im assuming that i should ignore this ad.

anyway, once my girl found out im getting an rx-7 for her to drive, she instisted that i get her info on the Wanekl and the rx-7/ man, this girl is a keeper!

 

well, scratch that idea. i ran into a 1986 rx-7.. with,... get this... a rebuilt engine! it only has 40K on the rebuilt engine. Im gonna go look at it tonight, but its already a done deal.