I am looking at an 88 convertible with 130k on it . Not in great shape. Interior ragged, top leaks, owner says there's bubbles in coolant. Head gasket? dings, dents etc. I know nothing about a rotary engine but am a fair mechanic with a good shop. Guy wants 800.00 for the car. I need advice. I'm not expecting perfect in this price range. I want to fix what it needs to be a sometime ride . Thanks .

 

$800 sounds like way too much for that.

The rotary's equivalent of a head gasket are the internal coolant seals. If those go, the engine has to be torn down completely to replace them. However, what exactly does 'bubbles in the coolant' mean? Is there just air trapped in the system? If so, that can be easily bled out.

Try this to test the coolant seals:
from this thread: https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/champagne-test-coolant-seal-803178/

 

I bought my 88 convertible in similar condition to what you describe, but with no cooling system issues. It also had a koyo radiator, borla catback exhaust, and 4 brand new uninstalled tires. I paid $500 for that car. $800 is not a good deal at all. You wouldn't even be able to part it out and get your money back on it at that price.

 

less than 500. maybe 300 because of the coolant bubbles.

 

head gasket? lol

 

Thanks for all the helpful comments .

 

Some times free is too much. It depends on what you want to make the car into. If you want a nice car, find a nicer car, one that doesn't need a rebuild.

Top=$500 DIY
Rebuild=$800 (do it yourself) to $4000 (turnkey)
Paint+ body =As much as you want to spend

Expect $500-1000 on misc. electronics, interior parts etc just to get it fully functional. Maybe more.

I bought a 90 vert 5 years ago with bad top, upholstery, faded paint, missing exhaust and lots of little problems. I paid $1000 for the car and thought I got a deal. I have done EVERYTHING myself, interior, body, paint, suspension, electrical, cooling, clutch, clutch hydraulics, brakes. I traded, bought stuff on ebay, bought used stuff from other forum members and generally did everything to minimize cost without putting crap into the car. Fortunately, I didn't have to touch the engine, it was in fine shape. I have around $4000 total in the car today. It is now really nice. Everything works and I could proudly drive it anywhere in the country.

I wish I had spend a little more time waiting for the right car to come along. I would have spend less money and had a nicer car. When you are new to the Rex it is hard to know what a good deal really looks like. Listen to the advice.

Good Luck and welcome to the Evil Board!

 

If the motor is good the car is worth it. top
$400 new carpet $150 just depends how much time and money you want to invest.

 

Based on the limited description, I would say that car should sell for $300-500. I paid $1,000 for my 88 convertible, and it is in much better shape. As stated by jackhild59, sometimes free is too much. I would expect to sink a minimum of $4,000 into that car to get it into decent shape, while you could probably just buy a better one for $3,000 to $3,500.

An engine rebuild is about $1,200, and that is assuming that the hard parts are OK. Here is a typical rebuild kit list:
http://www.atkinsrotary.com/index.php?pag=5
You can price other parts at the link below. For example, if your rotors are shot, there is another $1,200-1,400 added to your rebuild pricing. One of your rotor housings bad?... add another $600. You can blow through well over $4,000 for an engine rebuld if you use a lot of new parts. Your shop may be able to order parts for cheaper, so you can just run the part number and see what you get. Mazdatrix usually moves the prefix to the end. Example: Mazdatrix 11-B100-N3Y6 = Mazda N3Y6-11-B100.
http://www.mazdatrix.com

Both of the above links offer engine rebuild videos, as well as this one:
http://www.rotaryaviation.com/overhaul_video.htm

I just bought a new complete Robbins top for $664. I upgraded to the 1989 style with the rainguards. They offer various colors, but I like the original black color.
http://www.cartopsplus.com/index.php...ow&ref=MAZ2931

 

Are you installing that top yourself or having it installed? And have you installed an FC top of any other brand? I'm curious to find out if you can compare the fit and finish of the Robbins top with any other brands.

The Robbins top has a great reputation for quality, but most of the tops self-installed around here are other brands because of price and availability. If you have experiences to compare, that would be priceless.

-Jack

 

i paid 500 for my vert and its sweet . find one you like and loooowbaaaal . thats what i did.

 

i paid 700 for my 89 vert with 91 parts car(no engine/tranny). vert ran for 26k miles before the motor locked up. and almost all vert tops leak

 

I am having a local shop install it on Monday. Their estimate was about $400 for the labor, and they think it will be finished the next day. I considered installing it myself, but after looking at it I decided against it because I am not a seamstress, nor am I very good with 3M adhesive. I have never installed a convertible top, and I probably never will because I would come out ahead by working overtime and just paying the pros to do it for me. The material is very nice, and I would expect it to last longer than the cheapie brands.

A little bit of water seeping through the window when driving in heavy rain isn't such a big deal. The problem is when the flex points of the rear portion of the top tear and water gushes inside the body of the car and rusts out the area in front of the rear wheel well.

 

I changed out the top on my car, and I will never, ever, ever do it again. I'm fine with mechanical things, I can pretty much do anything else on my car, but changing out the top? No effin' way, too much of a pain in the ***. I'd much rather pay someone $400 to do it than do it myself.

 

+100


Same with me, way to tedious.

 

What's tedious to one person is just a matter of detail to another. To me it was details.

Hmmm... I would do one per weekend for $400-cash.

Anyone watching this thread, hit me up!

 

I am very curious about the fit and function of that Robbins top in that exact area. Nearly every 'Vert top I have seen has problems at that point. I noticed stress at the seam on my top. It looked as if sooner or later the seam would either separate or the fabric would tear. So on my top I began a routine of opening the top about a foot, exiting the car and untucking the fabric where it would bind behind trailing edge of the 'roll bar'. Once untucked, I then lower the top normally. The top looks great. I have always wondered if this was a limitation of my non-factory aabestco top. But then again, nearly every factory top fails in exacly the same place.

Watch that spot and post up some details if you don't mind.

-Jack

 

i paid $600 for 2 rx7s one was a vert other hatch.. the hatch was parts the from is smashed.. but has interrior, my vert need a side window and new top.. other wise i the lil missing interior peices like an ashtray the other car has so yeah ur getting ripped off if u pay 800 i got 2 for 600..talk about a deal!!

 

where can I get a new carpet for $150?

 

http://www.auto-interior.com/Mazda10...7AodlTtmpg#RX7

I had my top installed by a shop. I got ripped off so freakin bad. I paid $1100, and I brought them a top to install. They made me a new headliner, since the old one was shot. They did a good job on the headliner, but the installation of the top was awful. I even brought them all new seals too, and the damn thing still leaks. I took it back numerous times and all I got was, "oh, it just needs to stretch out in the sun". That was the ONLY time I've ever taken my car to get anything done to it. Lesson learned, I'm the only one who works on my car.

Hell, even warranty work on my Cx-7 pisses me off. Threw an EGR insufficient flow code, so I scanned it (see if it was an evap leak, or a loose gas cap) and took it to the dealer. I get a phone call a few hours later. Oh yeah, you need a new EGR valve. Mazda's going to pay for it, but they won't cover the fuel system flush. ?????? I spent an hour schooling the service advisor on the operation of EGR systems, then asked him why his tech wanted to sell me stuff my car doesn't need.

Moral of the story, you gotta be careful, everyone's trying to screw you. That car sounds like it's worth more in scrap.

 

where would this "passenger compartment" carpet end if it also fits a hardtop?

 

Well, having never owned or been in a hardtop, I couldn't tell you. I'd imagine if it were too long, you'd just cut it, right?

 

Damn, $1100? That is pretty bad, I paid 500 for the top and 400 for installation, so total was an even $1k. Carpet was $300 (done by same shop, not molded).

 

I can almost guarantee that any legitimate shop that installs a top for $400 would probably not do another one for that price

 

Really? I went to a spot in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. I recommend them, they installed it same day, of course opening to closing time which was like 9-10 hrs... I don't work for them, but they do a good job on auto interiors.

A&D Auto Upholstery
(718) 438-4145
1366 60th St, Brooklyn NY 11219

There's also a place out in Hicksville LI. Haven't been to them, but they seem to do a good job based on their website

AutoMat Auto Interiors & Tops
http://www.autointeriors.biz/
69 Hazel St. Hicksville, NY 11801
(516) 938-7373