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Buying my first t2.....need help

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Old 04-25-06, 01:56 PM
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Buying my first t2.....need help

ok,i usually know what to do when it come to buying na rx7's..but thares a guy in my area selling one for 1700 and its only got 120k on it....id say thast a damn good steal!


well heres the problems....

hasent started in a year
and when he last started it it was puffing white smoke!
and bad brakes(who REALLLY NEEDS BRAKES??)j/k



but ya whast should i look out for?i know nothing about turbo'd cars

and for the white smoke,i was reading that it could possibly be a coolant seal(and i can tell by smelling the exhaust fumes..if its sweet smelling its coolant)

but is thare any common problems or anything i should look out for?? i know (As i said) NOTHIN about turbos...how much should they boost at idle so on and so fourth



thanx in advance


oh ya and if its a coolant seal,how long can i ride it like that?
Old 04-25-06, 02:57 PM
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what you should do is look in the FAQ's. theres a few links in there that sends you to a few pretty nice sites that teaches you what to look for when buying a used TII or N/a FC. theres also a few things on the smoke.
Old 04-25-06, 03:48 PM
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well white smoke means blown coolant seals...........you can still drive it depending on how bad the seals are but you will eventually need to tear the whole motor apart to replace the seals......some ppl choose to rebuild the whole motor while it's apart.
Old 04-25-06, 04:46 PM
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Moderator note: Title fixed- couldn't stand the "nuying"
Old 04-25-06, 04:49 PM
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lol, hey mark, are you the one who deleted that "ebay killed my car" thread?
Old 04-25-06, 04:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Tournapart
lol, hey mark, are you the one who deleted that "ebay killed my car" thread?
Don't know... one of the admins or another 2nd gen technical section moderator.

When a thread gets reported it gets reported to all the admins and moderators for that section. As soon as the thread orgininator started insulting and cursing at people it pretty much killed the thread.
Old 04-25-06, 05:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Madrx7racer
lol.....i remember being your age and I know that no matter what we say You'll still want THAT car and you WILL get THAT car.........before you fork over any cash though make sure you do and ask the following.

1. call the man and ask him when it is possible to see the car while it's cold ( either very early in the morning or later in the evening.) so you can see if the coolant seals are intact.....

things to do once you get there:

MAKE SURE THE CAR IS COLD AND HAS NOT BEEN TURNED ON IN AT LEAST 3 hours.
turn it on and go to the back of the car to check for white smoke

If the car is smoking WALK AWAY..........or if you really want it offer him A LOT LESS CASH

while it is warming up pop the hood and open the radiator cap (nothing should explode cuz the car is not warmed up yet) and make sure that there are NO BUBBLES IN THE COOLANT and that it is topped off or at least semi full.

check brake fluid, PS fluid, look for rust and oil. after you do all this the car should be semi warm ....make sure the car is fully warned up......Turn it off, pull the oil dipstick and check for oil level.....it should be full but it's ok if it's missing a little bit of oil......also check to seee how dirty the oil is: TOO CLEAN and the owner is hiding something with a new oil change......TOO Dirty means not enough maintenance......the oil should be a nice dark color but not too dirty.

ask to go for a test drive
accelerate normally and go through the gears.....ask the owner (if he is in the car with you) for permission to redline....IF HE IS NOT THERE DO NOT REDLINE IT......go back and have him bring the car to redline (check for the dreaded and annoying 3500 RPM hesitation and any other problems)

also bring the car up to around 30-40 mph on a nice stretch of road and brake hard (BUT NOT HARD ENOUGH TO LOCK THE BRAKES) lightly hold the steering wheel and sheck to see if the car is going one direction or another (means that it might need brakes or uneven wear)

go back and forth and make sure the steering is nice and tight and that the wheel doesn't wobble. Check all the lights, WIPER BLADES (these tend to fail a lot and could be used to haggle for a lower price) make sure the top is not ripped and that it still works 100%


once you are back at his place pop the hood and listen ( DO NOT OPEN THE RADIATOR CAP)for any gurgling by the radiator, smell for oil that might be burning, hear the idle and give the car one last look over and decide.......

if anyone has any more tips please post......
here
Old 04-25-06, 07:32 PM
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Here's some sites....

http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy2.htm

http://www.rx7.voodoobox.net/infofaq/bguide/bguide.html

Hope those help. Good luck.
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