I have always liked the RX7's and i stumbled upon a 1987 turbo at a police auction. I know it will be cheap but i dont know the condition of it untill i take it home. What i was thinking is if the car is a total POS then i could just get a $1000 RX7 and fix it up. Im just wondering if you think if i can get the car for less than $500 it will be worth it? What would worst case senario be and what would it cost? i justt need some background info before i jump in with both feet.

I did do some searching and found a new engine will run around $2,200

 

You have no way of looking at it before the auction? Even just a once over?
If the interior or the engine is in good shape it's worth the $500.

Worst case scenerio: There is no engine or interior. Cost to fix: 1-10K, depending on how you wanted to fix it, the cheapest way is to buy another one.

It's really your gamble!

 

you can give it a once over, but no drive or anything. So you dont really know how good the engine is or not.

but last time i was there not a single car went over $400 so it was a over estimate. and i dont think many ppl there are looking for a old RX7 like i will be.

 

Its worth $400 if its in good shape, if the engine runs, thats another HUGE plus

 

It comes down to this, you can always part it out. You'll make your money back most likely even if the car is ****. I'd say it's worth the risk.

 

thank you, that is what i wanted to hear.

 

if its a turbo II you can get a JDM engine for under 1000. if its straight and has interior its worth at least 1000 even if it dont run. you could put a jdm in it and sell it for more then you put into it.

 

where can i get a JDM engine for under 1000? or any turbo RX7 engine for under $1000??

 

http://www.fc3s.org/engines/used_j_spec_engines.html

However, in your case, it is better to just rebuild what you have rather than chance pot luck with a J-Spec with no warranty. Also, the J-Spec engines are not 100% compatible, which is probably not something you should deal with until you have more knowledge and mechanical ability with these cars.

The worst case scenario is if the car has dangerous hidden problems, such as missing or worn suspension or steering components, jury-rigged parts that could fail and cause the car to crash, or hidden mold that could pose a health hazard. Other than that, I agree with the others in that you could probably sell any good parts if an inspection by a professional determines that the car is not worth fixing up.

 

Unfortunately, if you can't check the engine, you cannot check most of the other expensive items. However, Aaron's website has a good general checklist:
http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy1.htm