marcus neish

i'm a newb here, but i did search a bit. we had an '87 se about 10 yrs ago and i loved it. around here there is a black '88 gtu m/t with 98k miles. they're asking 2k for it. paint is relatively shiny and looks original because of the factory(-looking) pinstripes. interior is very good, not perfect. factory spoiler has a 2" crack. sunroof does not appear to be leaking by looking at the seats. tokico illuminas around. exhaust looks aftermarket but tastefull. this being a sunday, i could not talk to anyone or drive it. i plan to do this this week. this price seems unusually low. is this true? when i go, what problem spots should i look for? sorry if you get a lot of these.

thanks.

bingoboy

factory pinstripes...i don't think there were factory pinstripes, but i could be wrong. as for the leaky sunroof, when it leaks water can leak into the roof as opposed to into the car directly. if the sunroonf is rust free and the seal is still there you should be relatively ok on that. tokico illuminas all the way around, i would venture to say that maybe there are other modifications done as well since these are not simple oem replacement shocks. you definately want to drive it before buying, but in good condition an 88 GTU with 98k miles would be a very nice find for $2k. they may just want to get rid of it, in which case lucky you. as for what to look for, check out this site. it's got lots of details to help you out. http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy1.htm

marcus neish

thanks, and i think they did have 2 small pinstripes per side, as many mazdas did in that era, including 3 of ours. and the sunroof is very rust-free with the seal intact. thanks for the link.

Rxmfn7

iTrader: (4)

Price really isnt all that low, N/As usually dont pull that much money. Check out the blue book value of it in your area ( www.kbb.com ) Also, 88 GTU is one of (if not the #1 ) best N/A models made. No BS luxury crap, just all the good stuff. Limited slip rear end, bigger brakes, sport suspension, etc..

rowtareh?

iTrader: (1)

Not a shabby price at all. Look into doing a compression test also. Will let you know how much longer the engine will last. N/A's last long if taken car of. You can never be too careful though.

Is this going to be a daily driver? Good luck.

marcus neish

technically it will be a daily driver, since in good weather seasons i'll want to drive it every day, but i have a reliable snow car as well, so no big deal. also, i've never had a car compression tested, should any mechanic be able to do this?

lacycw

You'll most likely have to get a mazda mechanic to do it. They have a digital compression gauge made just for rotaries that tells the compresion on all 3 rotor faces. If you search, you should be able to find how to read it using a traditional compression gauge, I know I've seen it places before.

Also, some 2nd gens definately did come from the factory with pin stripes.

- Cooper Lacy

Zer0 Cylinder

icemark is probably gonna correct me, but i think all s4 gxl's came with pinstripes

]v[akaveli

got a pic of the pinstripe? i have an 88gtu as well, or are u talking about the sticker on the side that says GTU that has a line in it?

marcus neish

i'll try to remember to get one, all i know is our '87 rx7 had them, our '88 mx6 had them, my gf's '90 626 has them, and this '88 gtu has them. they exist. i suppose they are actually stickers, but they are around a millimeter wide and run the length of the car, no letters, just pinstripes. and don't highjack my thread! lol.

]v[akaveli

i love my 88gtu .... if u get it u'll be very satisfied dude

Kai

My old '88 GXL (brilliant black) had factory pinstripes... red and white IIRC. I bought a fender to put on it from a brilliant black '89 GTU that had two silver/white pinstripes slightly lower then the '88 position.

I assumed they were both factory jobs at least.

bingoboy

o.O brilliant black 89 GTU here with no pinstripes...i am wracking my brain...i don't recall any S5s with pinstripes. sadly most of my experience is limited to S5 cars. i am thinking though, that the one guy i know with an S4 may have pinstripes on his car. i'm gonna have to go check now or it's going to drive me nuts

pmr2000

I always found pinstripes to be something a dealer did, was a big thing in the 80's.

marcus neish

ok, back to my potential car. 2 things. 1-i searched and could not find how to test compression with a normal meter or whatever, is there a quick and easy explanation? and 2-i forgot to mention, this car has tinted windows. not a bad job, but i'd rather do without. is this possible to undo?

Rxmfn7

iTrader: (4)

1)You should be able to peel the tint off, or scrape it off with a razor blade.

2) http://fc3spro.com/TECH/FAQ/compress.html

theonlygreat

use a blow dryer and a razor for the tint. warm it up with the blow dryer, start it a little with the razor and pull while keeping it warm. it will probably leave sticky glue on there, but it comes off easily with normal blue window cleanser. took me about 1.5 hours to do my doors and hatch.

marcus neish

drove it today, slowest car i have ever driven, sadly. it had trouble staying at 60mph up hills in 3rd gear. sounded like a lawnmower. smoked a bit on startup, not too much. after a couple minutes it didn't smoke at all. engine stalled repeatedly when the clutch was depressed after holding a speed for a while. he said it didn't burn much oil, for what that's worth. i asked about compression numbers, he said he had a mechanic look it over to see what was wrong with it and the mechanic "did a lot of tests" and decided it was just spark plugs. this is a dealer btw. no compression numbers though. bushings (?) in the shift linkage were completely gone, which i understand is an easy fix. going into gear was still pretty notchy. oil pressure was reading well off the guage, like pointing at the oil can symbol itself. water temp stayed at 1/3 the whole time. handleing was wonderful of course, brakes were good.

so, i'm not sure what to think. it didn't smoke when running, which it would do if it needed a rebuild wouldn't it? BUT it is much much slower than i would have guessed fouled plugs alone would cause. it would be a dream come true if it was just plugs. just a thought: could i buy new plugs, throw them in the car, and if it still ran poorly just sell them to one of you for like 2/3 price? lemme know what you think. thanks.

Rxmfn7

iTrader: (4)

Sounds pretty shaky.. Id shy away from that one. It could be something simple, but then again it could be something that would require alot of work and money. At least the temp stayed where it should. Idle problems are fairly common on these cars. Throttle position sensors always seem to like to get out of adjustment, and the slightlest vacuum leak can cause a lot of problems. The high oil pressure and extreme lack of power would worry me. I would not buy the car without some solid compression numbers. If you are serious, insist they do the test, or let you take it somewhere to have it done.

harley71105

DUDE...I have two 88's. A SE with automatic and the GTU five speed. The GTU is really tight and solid compared to the SE...SE has 14" wheels and GTU has 15". Also, the GTU is about 20 more horsepower than other 13B's in other models and the original seats are more contoured...I was walking out of a blockbuster video store on night about 2 1/2 years ago and saw this car...turns out it belonged to a Surgeon, he bought it new had about the same miles and it was mine for
$2250 about a month later....I would have paid $4,000 grand for it...thats not even a good down pmt on any good new car and I will probably keep it ten years....I love it....use good sense when inspecting or take along a trusted friend who knows cars....Good Luck

marcus neish

that's what i was afraid of. i'd hate walking away if i didn't KNOW FOR SURE that is was something big. is it even possible it could be plugs?

Rxmfn7

iTrader: (4)

Its entirely possible if they are in terrible shape, but if it was something so simple you'd think the dealership would just spend the $20 and change them so the car ran right. Just seems kind of fishy to me.

And harley71105 , the 88GTU has no more HP than any other S4 N/A, then engine and drivetrain are identical.