Hey Guys,

So I am currently looking to buy my first RX7. However, due to my location there aren't many great options available compared to the USA / CA.
I recently found one which looks to be in alright condition, but due to the distance. I am unable to quickly come by just for a viewing and have a mediator look at it.
However, as the mediator isn't familiar with rotaries, he too isn't 100% sure on what to look for regarding the engine.

I have noticed a few things, and would like some opinions on whether it would still be worth getting the car or not.

So first of all, no compression test was done to determine the current state of the engine. (I have no clue what the PSI is and we have not taken out any spark plugs to listen).
The car has been driving around and has passed an MOT last year and I didn't notice any issues (I was watching live with the mediator via videochat).
However, due to the poor audio quality of the videochat, I wasn't able to listen for any concerns like a broken apex seal.
Besides that, the owner that's currently selling the car also hasn't owned the car for more than a full year.
Exhaust fumes also seemed to be looking fine, as I did not see any white / dark colored smoke. (It started off white, but I suspect this is fine since its winter and relatively cold there).

According to the seller, the previous owner maintained the car himself. And has allegedly done a rebuild. However, I have no confirmation on this and I also don't know at what mileage this was done.
The car seems to show ~111000 miles on the odometer.
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When the owner was driving the car around, I also never really noticed the RPM to reach anything above 5K. (This might just be due to where he drove, but I didn't have a clear view on this).
The car also seemed to start within ~2 seconds, but I believe this to be a cold start and not a hot start. No hot start was shown to me after the car has been driven around and got up to temp.
The car was also never revved while in neutral, so I also can't confirm if both or only one rotor is working.
After the car had driven and was left to idle, I did notice some slight erratic movements, mainly that it seemed to jump between ~650 and 900RPM. (Which I believe to be in neutral).
Temperature of the car also seemed to be 1/4 - 1/3 on the gauge and has never overheated to the knowledge of the owner.


Although the rest of the car isn't in an amazing state, its certainly not terrible either.
However, due to the many unknowns and question marks, I am quite afraid to purchase one that would soon or immediately need a rebuild / new engine.
The price of the car is great if this isn't required, but if it is it might be better to look for one in better condition with more documents.

 

welcome to the board.

it sounds like you possibly answered your own question here.

ultimately, i think the question is: what is the situation? is this strictly a toy/project or is it transportation?

there are no guarantees, so even if you find a nicer car with records, it may still land you in a position where you'll need to replace an engine sooner than later. however, if it's a toy it's better because you're not also trying to rebuild/repair/restore a car as well.

an argument for this car is it's running, and you've identified it as a deal. so, really, if you do have to replace the engine soon, you're in for less overall coin.

if this is for transportation, then i would have to say pass on this ... and maybe just pass on an Rx-7 altogether until you are in a position where you won't DEPEND on it. they are reliable (i know the Internet says otherwise), but at the end of the day, it's a 39-year old 80s car with an unknown history. it's not very confidence inspiring in 2025.

those are my thoughts on it.