Inattab is doing a great job putting time and effort into compiling data for newcomers to read. This brings them up to a certain level of education quickly so that they may begin asking more specific questions that many of us can still learn from.
Because I'm lucky enough to have some time on my hands throughout the day, I'm helping as much as I can- mostly because I've been bitching about the lack of a FAQ page for a while.
So alot of my initiative comes from just not wanting to be a hypocrite. Take the help regardless.

I've purchased four Rx-7s - not knowing anything about what to watch out for on the first two, and just being lucky enough to find mint condition cars. But I know you guys have alot of experience with certain troublespots. For example, and I'm very sorry I don't remember who it was, but someone had a great post about the common rust areas and what causes them.

Let's build a kick-*** thread on the subject for the FAQ page that Bob has been working so hard on. He can edit this post out, and it'll just be a collection of experienced accounts of what to watch out for when buying a first gen. Pick your specific troublespot, and puke out everything you know about it.

I'll do mine on the carby relative to starting issues since it's all I really know about.

 

I am not an expert on any specific subject, but I would say that when buying an RX-7, look at the things that do not work. I am on my third RX-7. It is getting harder and more expensive to find parts for these things.

Aside from rust and bad body work, this is what I would suggest to look for.

-power window motors operating
-headlight motors
-rotting exhaust $$$
-window/sunroof seals leaking
-guage accuracy (I blew my 79 12a the day I bought the car because my temp guage was not working properly)
-Color and amount of smoke out of exhaust, and if it stops blowing smoke after 30 sec or so.
-Check the coolant for signs of oil
-Check the oil level and color
-Missing/wrecked trim pieces

I had an 85 GSL-SE where everything worked that I sold for $2000 CDN, 5 years age . My current GSL will be hard to get that way on a budget. The little things add up.

 

When I buy and RX-7, you got see what you want out of it. I spent $250 on a car just because it had a glass sunroof, sold the rest or whatever I can salvage and made my money back and practically got a free glass sunroof. I have owned, sold, traded, stripped over 275 RX-7s, but who's counting !!!*LOL*

Trouble spots:
Look under front grill and check bumper supports, chances are they are a little tweaked because somebody had a collision before.

Underneath headlight assembly- I have found rust
Underneath battery tray - rust
Under doors - rust
Inner quarterpanel pockets.
Lift up or unscrew a storage bin, they tend to rust there also.
Check carpet to see if it is wet, chances are there is a drain plug off or has hidden rust somehere or a hole in the floorboard.

Look at swaybars, struts, control arms (especially if one side of the car is leaning lower than the other) rear control arms etc.

These are just some of the body stuff, I will post more later.

Thanks all.
Jerry

 

*275* ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
I'm sure I would have my dream car if I got to sort through that many.

 

I am close to it, but having a wife, three kids, house, two car notes, etc, etc, it is hard. But they are close.

 

Wow, I feel like such a lightweight with only 5. Also look for rust up above the tailights (on the inside of the car), and the lip where the rear hatch closes.

And on 83-85 12A cars, look for the oil cooler leakage. Look in the area below the filter/cooler assembly for caked oil and check the hoses for swelling, spongyness.

Hey, I have an idea. How bout a thread for the FAQ that just deals with body issues with pics of common rust areas? And meak a seperate one for mechanical issues? Whaddya think Bob?

 

Truely mint cars are difficult to find. Some cars that even look good on the outside may have a sorted history. Likely you're not holding out for the perfect car, but rather one that is good enough. The body IMO is what separtates the projects from the parts. So, when looking for a project car, the first thing I'd do is look for evidence of accidents, then rust:
- slightly different color of body panels
- paint that looks newer
- inconsistant gaps between panels
- tap around for areas that sound muffled (ie look for bondo under the paint)
-look at the bumper supports and the frame areas near them
-look for rust in the places the others have said

When test driving, look for drive train issues (symptoms):
-worn syncros (difficulty getting in a particular gear)
-worn tranny bearings (excessive noise in any or all gears)
-rear end wear (whining above 25mph, only under load; rubbing or scraping noises)
-wheel bearings (rubbing noise that may change depending on direction you turn)
-Check to see how well and smooth the LSD works if it has one

Add up the little things. These are what will really bite you in the end, like 80 project said. Missing or broken trim, Interior stuff in general, weather stripping, HVAC, wheels, tires, brake pads and rotors, exhaust, etc. could end up costing more to replace than what most spent on entire cars. Thats why there are so many on this forum that own multiple cars: its easier and cheaper to buy a car for several hard-to-find parts than to find/buy new ones.