Hi I'm new to the club but have been a long time rotary fan. I'm pretty young tho so I'm still pretty new to this stuff. I'm hopefully picking up the rx-7 today but b4 I do I'd like to know if there are any things I should worry about when buying this car. Like just maintaince or other such things. what things I need to look out for and what kinda of problems come up with this car. I hear that the electrical things in the car aren' t that great, and repairs aren't cheap. any pointers will be great thx!

eLo

 

I would do a compression check unless you get
a hell of a deal

 

look at these forums. Just surf through it. Everything thing you see here, you can expect to happen to your car. Maybe not everything but you should at least know what your getting into.

 

ok thx

I'm getting an '87 gx for $800 cdn so I think its a bargin... but I havent exactly seen the car yet so hopefully everything is in good working order...
I'm actually reading one of those links posted about buying a used rx7 so thx for the info

eLo

 

as long as its not rusted your golden...

 

Of course, the engine could be bad, transmission needs a rebuild, new brakes, U-joints, bearings, fuel tank, bad interior, cracked windows, bad diff, hidden body damage, bad clutch, cracked flywheel, etc. etc. etc.

Take a look at http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/buy1.htm

 

Hey Aaron, are you going to update your website to include that funny 'snail shell' looking thing you installed in your car?

 

"Of course, the engine could be bad, transmission needs a rebuild, new brakes, U-joints, bearings, fuel tank, bad interior, cracked windows, bad diff, hidden body damage, bad clutch, cracked flywheel, etc. etc. etc."

im assuming hes getting a helluva deal..... a good deal and no rust. id be happy with that combination, even if it had a couple of the problems listed above. at least youd know the car isnt gonna turn into a pretzel the first time you step on the gas

and itd be a perfect excuse to upgrade the car.... IMHO

 

welp I bought it!

I dunno if it was the best deal on earth but it wasnt bad. I talked it down to $500 cdn but there are many things that I need to fix. :\ the rust isnt bad.. and neither is the int. Most of the ext is pretty good except for the front fender has be rusted thru so I'll be picking a new one up if I can find one in thejunk yards! the engine needs a new coil pack I think. its flooding and burning excess gas. it has new plugs so thats good.. the belts look like they are in good condition but the pulleys need to be replaced... the tires on the rear are smooth like a babies bottom so they need to be replaced... brakes might need to as well... the under part of the car isnt bad and one shock is gone so thats going to need replacing... anyone know how much this will probably cost me? oh and the stick is freaking messed.. it wiggles around like in circles... :\ weird... will get that replaced as well... but for $500 I guess it aint that bad! haha... I'm assuming I'm looking at like over 1g's worth of repairs. any tips from guys up here in Toronto?


btw whats the diff. between a gx and a gxl?

eLo

 

well if the rust is minor/repairable on the body then u got a good deal. in my opinion anyway.

 

sweet. pics when you can get them.

 

Here's a tip: don't call it a "rex". Why? Hang out on a CRX forum. All of their cars can be called "rex" as well. Or go to a WRX forum. They call their cars by "rex" as well. Stick with "7" when you're talking to somebody that know a bit about cars and call it by "FC" when talking to other 7 owners. Lo and behold, there is no more confusion as to what you are speaking of. What do you call it if you are speaking to somebody that doesn't know about cars? Beats me. Unless it's a chick, I don't talk to non-car people much.

::rant mode - off::

Congrats on the buy. $500cdn? Wow! Sounds like you could've bought it for a few cases of beer or anything, as long as you took it away. The money you saved on the purchase will definitely need to go to maintenance. Having a new toy break down on you soon after you get it is a huge bummer. Trust me.

 

All rust is bad. Remember that what you can see is only about 20% of the problem.

Buy a new fender at Mazda, it'll be pretty cheap. Most of the ones at the junkyards are already rusted and/or dented. Be aware that when you remove the outer fender, you will find an enormous rust hole where the inner fender meets the floor pan and firewall.



Doubtful. The ignition coils are the only damn reliable electric part on the whole car.

Leaky injectors and/or low compression.

Pullys need to be replaced? Why?

From what you've said, it's going to cost you at least $2000 just to get the car to a point where it can be saftied.

Shifter bushings. See the FAQ at http://www.mazdatrix.com


You get what you pay for. Check out the Canadian Forum for Toronto/Kitchener/London people and everyone in-between.