Maphead

I'm going to look at an 88 RX-7 today. It's in really great condition and has 110,000 km's on it.

I'd just like to know, is an RX-7 an unwise choice for my first car? My knowledge of cars is limited, and obviously more so with rotary engines. I've been driving an old beater truck but ever since my buddy got a Supra I've been craving a little more.

Is the rotary engine going to be a nightmare for me? There's a Mazda dealership close by and I know of a shop owner that drives an RX-7 but I imagine it's gonna cost me to get any work done on it.

I intend to have the car inspected and have a compression test done before I even consider buying it. I want this car, but I'm nota rich man, and need something that's going to run reliably.

Any advice/suggestions is much appreciated.

DC350

Good thinking about the compressions. Do not take your car to the mazda dealer ship. They claim to know so much when truely they know so little. I am on an 87 RX-7 for my first car. But i tend to think i know quite a bit about my car. This forum is the most helpful place on earth when it comes to RX-7's. As well as, Welcome to the forum. first, make sure to take considerable care of this car. I have seen a quote on this forum before "rx7's are like girls, give them a little TLC and they'll glady put out" :p Make sure to keep changing your fluids, spark plugs and belts. One of the biggest fears i have is over heating the car. I keep an eye on the cluster quite a bit. Other then that your in good hands. Hope i didn't forget to much.

Evan

P.S. use good gas and have fun.

Taranis

It's not unwise to buy if you've had it thoroughly checked out first by a well-known rotary expert. Also, make sure the current owner has plenty of documentation on what's been done to the car.

BEWARE Mazda Dealerships! That can't be overstated!

Look for signs of cracked/broken interior pieces. These are very brittle and easy to break. They're also expensive to replace, even from a junkyard.

BTW, you didn't mention if it's a turbo or n/a. N/A's are known for their reliability. Turbo's CAN be made reliable, but they're much more finicky when it comes to proper tuning.

-JB

Maphead

Thanks for the replies. It's an N/A, I was looking at a turbo but I didn't want the added price, both initial and maintanance/repair of the turbo.

The interior is mint and I'll be sure to check that everything electrical is working. The car is actually at a Toyota dealership, which leads me to believe that it wouldn't be there unless it was in good running condition, they would have just sold it to some used lot otherwise.

Anyways, I'm going down in a few minutes, I'll report back when I get home.

Maphead

Oh, you say avoid the Mazda dealerships, do you mean even for the inspection and compression test?

I was under the impression that you could only get the compression test done by Mazda.

Ryde _Or_Die

A Mazda dealership should be able to give you a good compression test readout but don't let them give you their "opinions" of what condition the car could be in or whats wrong. You take it to the dealer just to get checked out and they will prolly end up telling you you need a rebuild. Thats their answer to everything.

Fingers

My 7 was (and i guess still is) my first car (that i have driven legally). I'm 18 right now. The only nightmareish problem i had was with my water seals.... for which i needed a rebuild costing $2050 CDN with new apex seals, gaskets, an end housing, and a clutch (nice deal, eh?). Other than that, its the greatest car I've ever driven and owned (I've owned a CRX, a Probe, and an Intrepid... all examples of expensive logs of fecis).

gotorx7

If you tend towards the "sensible" side of things (very likely seeing that you actually asked some people for advice) then a N/A would be a nice first car.

My only reservation is that first cars do tend to get beaten on a fair bit - and it would be a shame to do that to a 7

Cheers,
Dave

Maphead

Everything looked really good but there was one thing that had my friend a little worried, there was a small amount of white stuff on the oil cap, what would that indicate?

DC350

well, the previous owner must have like it so much that he.....lol, that was too good. It could be a little bit of grease. Or water and oil when they mix together they form "sludge" sometimes white....But it was on the oil cap? I like my joke earier..omg hahaha

Maphead

Hehe.

Seriously though, you think it's anything to worry about? It's a single owner car, and from the stack of papers and the condition I'd say he really babied it.

No7Yet

I'm gonna chime in here...

An 88 N/A Rx-7 is a great first car. In fact, that's what I'll be buying my g/f for her first car.

Take the car to Mazda for a compression test. Often, one can work out a deal with the seller to split the cost of the test. It should run about $100. Any results less than 7.0, and you should probably pass. Don't listen to the Mazda dorks if they try and give you any advice; just nod your head and say "I'll call you in a few days."

The rotary engine is DEAD simple. No timing belts, no valve adjustments, no distributer caps/rotors to change; just change the fluids and GO! The engines LOVE to be revved, so be sure to take it to redline often. While some do, I can't recommend revving past redline; it's hell on the apex seal springs. Get the car comp tested, and the go down the "every car on the planet" checklist - in reality, the compression test is the only "rotary-specific" thing you'll worry about.

If the car looks good, drives good, makes good power, has good compression, and has a good price, it's probably a good car Enjoy the hell out of it. Any more questions (e.g. "Why doesn't my clock stay on all the time" or "Why do my wipers only work on the slow setting") should be directed here - it's probably something common.

Oh, one more thing - be prepared to get your hands dirty! These cars are easy to work on, but very expensive to have worked on. I've found most 2nd-genners to be DIYers, and you'll need to be, too, if you want to get the most out of the car. If you're not, you'll get frustrated very quickly with repair bills for simple stuff that you could have fixed yourself for a $5 part - get it?

Good luck and happy rotoring!
Brandon

gvink

I'd spend the $15 or so for a carfax report, which can give you a pretty good idea if the mileage is accurate, any title problems etc. I'm not sure if Carfax has information on Canadian cars, but you can find out just by plugging the VIN into the Web site (before you pay the $15).

That mileage is not impossibly low for that year of a car, but it's still suspiciously low. Unfortunately, odometer fraud is widespread, and it's very easy to substitute one speedometer with a lower odometer reading for another, and the current owner may not even know about it.

I've used Carfax twice -- one time it let me know that a speedo had been switched on a Porsche and about 60 k miles had "disappeared." another time it let me know about a salvage title that had mysteriously turned back into a normal title many owners later. (Oh, and it confirmed that my one-owner '87 GXL had only 88k miles on it when I bought it last year!)

site is http://www.carfax.com/

I highly recommend it.

Maphead

Ok, There was white residue on the oil cap and oil in the coolant, which on a standard engine would indicate a blown head gasket, right. What does this mean on a Rotary engine, and what is involved in fixing it and what's it going to cost?