What to Look for when buying a RX7
 

Im currently looking to buy a fb RX7. Ive never owned an rx7 before, ive only had my 91 toyota camry and its about as different from a rotory powerd 7 as you can get.

There are a few rx7's near me, all in the 80-120K mile range, and i think most of them are GSL's.

Basically, what are things to look for when buying a rx7? I need a car that i can drive and have it be reliable, but I dont mind working on the car. What are the trouble areas, things to look out for, that sort of thing?

also, lastly, anyone have a rx7 they want to sell me? im in the north carolina/south carolina area, and willing to travel a bit for a good one. Max price is around $3000.

Rust!, extremely important to find a car wth little or no rust

Just like any other car, make sure it drives well. No stalling or hesitating. Before buying it ask for a test drive, and punch it to get it up to freeway speeds. Also ask the person to do a cold start, to see if the choke, and carb are all functioning

Check all the weather stripping on the car, and check for leaks to the interior.

Make sure the clutch is smooth and locks into place, with no slippage.

When you get into the car, test all the switches/knobs/buttons, etc... make sure everythign works.

For testing the engine/compression/ etc... i'll hand you off to the rest of the fellow forum members.

-Matt

p.s. Welcome to the Club :bigthumb:

check the coolant, oil, make sure there isnt stuff in there that shouldnt be. fire it up first thing in the day, dont let the owner warm it up for you. see if it blows smoke.. white smoke is bad, but a little black smoke isnt bad, even smelling the exhaust you can tell if its burning coolant or oil. most of the time these things just run rich as hell on coldstarts which will create a bit of a smoke cloud if they havent been run in awhile.

remove the hatch bins behind the rear seats or look in the rear fender walls for rust. some is acceptable if the price is cheap, but you dont want a lot since rust is the cancer of any vehicle..... the rust will eventually make its way to the strut towers then you're looking at a lot of fab work to have the car structurally sound. also make sure all the hazard lights, defroster, stereo work, better to find something functional now than have to re-wire a bunch of shit later on. ive gone through this and its not fun.... haha

g'luck

Thanks, i live in the south so rust really isnt an issue.

Ive been reading the forum for the past day or two, and i hear a lot about backfiring and the smell of a rotory engine...whats that all about? Like i said, im a complete noob when it comes to rotories, ive torn my little toyota apart and put it back together 100 times, but ive never even riden in a rotory powered car before, i just like what ive seen so far.

I figured i'll throw some more stuff out there

Read the FAQ---- good info (here's a quick summary about the models)

Between 1979-85 All GSL's, GS, S, and LS (79), have the carborated 12A engine
105HP @ 6000 RPM / 101 lbs.tq. @ 4000

In 1984 and 85 Mazda came out with the GSL-SE, or Special Edition: these have the Fuel Injected 13B engine, a bit larger then the 12A
135 HP @ 6000 RPM / 135 lbs.tq. @ 2700
These vehicles also had wider tires, better brakes, upgraded suspension, and LSD (Limited Slip Differential)

You'll have fun once you drive it... that's how i fell inlove with them..

Ok, oil is extremely important for a rotary engine. Oil is actually injected into the rotor housing to lube the parts, so you are burning both gas and oil, hence the smell.

Rotarys always tend to backfire... why.. i couldn't tell you, but it's normal.. hell you can make it shoot flames too.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine.htm
This will explain the mechanics of a rotary engine.

Yea, im really excited about this. Ive been driving my boring old camry for 3 years now, ive replaced the engine, tranny, interior, painted it, installed a kick ass stereo and im still sick of it.

What type of performance does the 1st gen rx7 offer? 0-60 and quarter times. my camry runs about 15sec....0-60mph, so anything is an upgrade.

I saw a rx7 in autotrader and once i started reading about them, i think im in love.

1/4 mile 12A about 17-18 seconds (yes sadly it's slow, compared to newer cars, but if you have the money and the time you can push it to 14-15 sec)
0-60 about 8-10 depending on weight, and how well you drive (stock)

13B (Stock)
1/4mile 16-17 seconds
0-60 7-8 seconds

The upgrades are only limited to your wallet

here's some mod websites

www.racingbeat.com
www.rotorhead.ca
www.mazdatrix.com

Yes i know exactly where your coming from, just read my sig and you'll see why

edit: http://www.rx7.org/public/1st-gen.html
Some excellent technical info about all the first gens, changes, etc... (stock)