2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.
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Old 07-21-04, 11:13 PM
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you know if your willing to travel, i know there are other 7s out there that are cheaper... but you might have to travel a bit... maybe as far as nj or so... but really isnt that bad if you want it. I mean you could get a running decent 7 for cheaper, say 2-3k and then just get a rebuild and get all the seals and such replaced for the amount the GTUs is selling for... but hey, its up to you. just my 2 cents
Old 07-22-04, 12:34 AM
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Originally Posted by fc3sdrifting
hmmmmmm. a lot of your assumptions dont really apply. first my name on the boards really is just a name. i take damn good care of anything i own that i love. and about the irresponsible thing, a friend of mine only lets me drive his car and thats without him in the car, and not just around the block, but a good 20 minute trip through heavy traffic. and its a 5 spd mustang. he trusts me because he knows i respect his **** and dont drive like a fool.

about the money thing, my parents will help me out. i just needed a job and some money to put down for it. about the reliability thing, if it breaks, i know a rotary mechanic i can take it to, and i always have rides if i need them cause thats how i get around now.

the reason i was pushing towards the gtu-s even though the price is too high is because i need a car very soon and i have been looking for a long time, im about to start school in a couple weeks.

i really wouldnt be satisfied with settling for teh camry when i could have an rx7. even if i cant drive it for a month strait i'd still be happier.

about not having knowledge of cars or whatever you said since this is my first car, well ive been obssessed about cars my whole life and been researching and **** forever. i know a lot just by reading and watching. yeah i havnt actually used my hands and worked on a car yet, but that doesnt meen i dont have the potential. i rebuilt a pontoon boat, got the 20 year old engine running again and even had to make some homemade parts that were missing. got all the electrical **** working again too. and thats just buy figuring it out myself. i didnt have a manual or anyone showing me what to do. sure its different than a rotary engine or even a car engine at that, but that doesnt mean i cant step it up and work on the rotary.

.................................................. .................................................. ...............................

now heres where im at now...

i went to talk to the owner of the gsl-se today, i can see the car from my house. she is the original owner and was actually about to buy an rx8. 98,000 on it, garage kept, clean as hell on the outside. seems like she had a little knowledge on the rotary so thats good.

the only bad thing is that her nephew just turned 15 and was looking for a car and was thinking about buying it. but she or her brother thought it would be too fast for his first car so thats good. and i dont know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but she said she drove it a month ago to get the brakes worked on and some other stuff because she thought she would be selling it. i was actually hoping the engine wouldnt start and she could sell it to me dirt cheap and i could just get it rebuilt and mabey help out with the rebuild so i can get some more knowledge. im going back over there later this week cause she wants to look up what they price at and stuff and shes driving it somewhere to try to get an oil leak fixed. but then again, hopefully its locked up from sitting for a month and she will just settle on selling it for cheap.

the other thing i was thinking of is that if it doesnt run then i could buy it from her, and make sorta of a trade for the gtu-s, and buy it for $2500 or something. hes selling an se right now for $2500 and i doubt its as good condition as this one is unless the engines make the difference.

You must have missed my statement at the end. I do not know you and thus stated, all of it could be true or none of it could be true. I wrote before each thing that this is what someone who DID NOT know you might be lead to believe. Apologies if you thought it was a personal attack.

Your initial post was in efforts to get forum-members to convince your father to help you get this car. How can I or another person in good conscious, administer advice to your father to get a car that is going to be potentially unreliable, inefficient (in almost every regard, fuel consumption, travel, and cargo space), and most importantly unsafe for an amateur motorist. Myself, honestly speaking, cannot advise someone's parent to buy, or aid in the purchase of something that falls into these categories.

--Fritz
Old 07-22-04, 01:04 AM
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HEY DAD!



DO NOT BUY YOUR KID THIS CAR! or he too will be a broke *** bitch just like me, and i got both my cars for under 3k total. and yes they were in working condition.


Ok seriously, it's simple as this. Dude, wait until you have a good job, after highschool, when you've learned some much needed expirence behind the wheel, and are less apt to do stupid things with cars, and suck it up now and get a camry, save yourself some trouble(and money) and have genrally a little more reliable of a car where it isn't hard as hell to find sombody to work on your engine.

that's my take on it. and yes i've been wanting one of these beautiful 7's since i was 15. i got one when i was 18 and also got a ticket for going 101 a few weeks later. granted i could afford a 3000 dollar ticket but the judge dropped the wreckless driving charge for me because i sincerely apologized. had i gotten a crappy *** pinto or something i would have been 300 dollars richer back then.

BUT on the other hand i learned a few lessons from that escipade.


Another point would be this, a GTUs is pimp, don't get me wrong, but to you, it's the same thing as a base model i'm assuming. hell it's only badging after you make everything better yourself right? so wait a little while, look around and find a good conditioned 7 that is selling for less than 3k. that's easy to do. just have a little paitence and look everywhere you can think of for them.

They're worth the wait.
just like sex and marriage.

(haha bad analogy)
Old 07-22-04, 01:51 AM
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gotta hate those 3000 dollar tickets
Old 07-22-04, 01:56 AM
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shiznit, i meant a 300 dollar ticket. my bad, typing and me don't mix well sometimes.
Old 07-22-04, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Fritz_X
You must have missed my statement at the end. I do not know you and thus stated, all of it could be true or none of it could be true. I wrote before each thing that this is what someone who DID NOT know you might be lead to believe. Apologies if you thought it was a personal attack.

Your initial post was in efforts to get forum-members to convince your father to help you get this car. How can I or another person in good conscious, administer advice to your father to get a car that is going to be potentially unreliable, inefficient (in almost every regard, fuel consumption, travel, and cargo space), and most importantly unsafe for an amateur motorist. Myself, honestly speaking, cannot advise someone's parent to buy, or aid in the purchase of something that falls into these categories.

--Fritz
i know you stated that. i just wanted to clear it up. i guess i came to the wrong place for advice then...it being potentially unreliable is not a big deal, as i already said i can get around quite easily now without my own car. if it has to sit for a month as i save up for repairs then thats just fine. cargo space is not a big deal either. only thing i do see as a problem is gas milage but what should i expect? it being unsafe for me is definitly not a factor as i said before that my friend lets only me drive his 5spd mustang and without him in the car, so obviously if i can handle rwd with 195hp i can handle an rx7.

and noone said anything about the gsl-se i mentioned because it definitly looks like thats what ill be gettin.
Old 07-22-04, 02:42 PM
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Gas mileage largely depends on how it's driven. With a full tuneup, new o2 sensor, new plugs, etc, people are seeing 30mpg highway, 20+ city. I get about 20-22 mixed city & highway (mostly city highway driving), but I need a new o2 sensor & new plug wires (or, more accurately, just need to get around to installing them).

If you drive it hard, expect 12-15mpg. I redline mine once or twice a day, but generally drive it fairly gently the rest of the time.

-=Russ=-
Old 07-22-04, 03:02 PM
  #83  
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Well, I say you should just go ahead and get the FB. It sounds like you have the time and motivation to kep the car working, and you will still be ok if the car isn't running. Also, it sounds like you are responsible enough to drive a RWD car safely. As long as you are ok with teh fact that you might not have a car for several weeks and it will prob eat up your time and money, then go ahead and get it. I'm sure you'll love it.
Old 07-22-04, 03:35 PM
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i say get it and hang around the boards as often as possible REASONS: you sound like you have a little bit of knoweledge of rear wheel drive cars, do not get frustrated with it as she will make you pay if you cuss her, try it and see if you don't believe me you will never want a piston sports car again,possibly no piston car period, when joining the ranks of a rotary nut,your car will consume you $ friends sparetime etc whether fb fc fd get an honest mechanic to check it out for any possible issues first and get a good job b/c you will want to fix her and $$$ you will need have fun with your choice i have had a camry decently quick shimmied springs in tranny wheels tint etc but it does not compare to my fc!!!!!!
Old 07-22-04, 06:35 PM
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Talking thats a high price....

got mine for 1000$, new engine, new clutch, new exhaust, put on tires + minor interior trim fix ups, planning on droping in a turbo, all for a total of 2,000$ and it runs like new.
Old 07-22-04, 06:42 PM
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Talking

I had a GSL-SE for the last 3 years and I loved it. BUT, it was a toy/weekend car and not a daily driver. Still, if you take good care of it, change all belts, hoses, and fluids immediately, it's likely to be quite reliable. I invite you to spend some time on the 1st gen forum (that's where I grew up!) and LEARN. The biggest issue with first gens is RUST. Look very carefully under the rear wheel wells and check there. Then, take out the cargo boxes behind the seats. YOu'll need a phillips screwdriver. Once those bins are out, pull the insulation material away and examine closely the wheel well area. If you see a small amount of rust, that's basically ok, and quite normal. But, if you've got holes there, you're in for structural problems that only cutting and replacing metal can fix. Water gets in between the metals 'sandwiched' together in that area, most people don't know it's there. 2nd gens are much less likely to have rust problems.
Feel free to PM or email me, I'd be happy to give you what I know about 1st gens.
Good Luck!
Old 07-22-04, 10:18 PM
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Originally Posted by mwpayne
I had a GSL-SE for the last 3 years and I loved it. BUT, it was a toy/weekend car and not a daily driver. Still, if you take good care of it, change all belts, hoses, and fluids immediately, it's likely to be quite reliable. I invite you to spend some time on the 1st gen forum (that's where I grew up!) and LEARN. The biggest issue with first gens is RUST. Look very carefully under the rear wheel wells and check there. Then, take out the cargo boxes behind the seats. YOu'll need a phillips screwdriver. Once those bins are out, pull the insulation material away and examine closely the wheel well area. If you see a small amount of rust, that's basically ok, and quite normal. But, if you've got holes there, you're in for structural problems that only cutting and replacing metal can fix. Water gets in between the metals 'sandwiched' together in that area, most people don't know it's there. 2nd gens are much less likely to have rust problems.
Feel free to PM or email me, I'd be happy to give you what I know about 1st gens.
Good Luck!
thanks for all the help. how big of a problem is rust? i dont think i need to go and take all the crap out to look under the bins before i buy it, but ill look under the wheel wells and see if theres a lot of rust and try to get the price lower. but um, cant you just cut some metal and sorta weld it over the holes?

im sure the day i get it ill go to the first gen forum and ask a lot of questions. im also gonna take it to the guy i was gonna buy the gtu-s from and have him take a look at it since hes a rotary mechanic.

one more question i should have asked earlier...if the car has sat for a little over a month, do you think it will start right up? it is also a female driver so i doubt shes really ever redlined it. im asking because ill either get it for really cheap if it doesnt start right up, or thats a good thing if it does start up because it would mean it might be in really good shape. i really just have to go back over there and drive it and stuff and get a price on it.
Old 07-22-04, 10:56 PM
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rust is evil... truly evil...
Old 07-23-04, 07:09 AM
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i wouldnt recommened an rx7 as a first car but if you ARE planning to autocross at least that will teach how to drive it properly in a closed course where you wont hit another car. still the camrys good cause if you wreck it you didnt kill your FC, and 95% of people screw up their first car somehow(mine was a Kia so i didnt really care).
Old 07-23-04, 07:34 AM
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Like I said, the biggest issue with 1st gens is rust. I strongly advise you to take those bins out and look, it only takes 5 minutes. If there's rust (90% chance of YES), then you can use that to get the price down. Believe me, the owner will be surprised. Now, if the car was always garage kept and rarely driven in the rain, maybe rust will be minimal. But don't be lazy...LOOK! If you're too lazy to do what we advise you to do, you probably aren't an RX7 kind of guy..they WILL need some tinkering from time to time.
Then, go to the 1st gen forum and use the SEARCH feature. Look for 'rust'.
If the rust is through the metal, it can be cut out and replaced. I had a body shop
fix mine for around $150.
Old 07-23-04, 07:53 AM
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Originally Posted by fc3sdrifting
it is also a female driver so i doubt shes really ever redlined it.
Dude, that is a pretty poor assumption to make. I know several females who redline their cars on a regular basis.... and I come from a family where motorsports is in the blood. Used to love the look on people's faces when they asked about the pile of trophy's on the mantle.

"Are all those your dad's trophies?"
"No those are mostly my Mom's"

At 60 my mother has finally slowed down a little. She bought her first car with an automatic becuase she has some serious joint problems. But before that she had a 2002 WRX wagon, a 1993 Accord Wagon EX with a 5 speed (try finding one of those, there were less than a handful made), a 1987 Acura Integra 5 door. My mother drove the crap out of all of those cars, and she has truely scared me at times (recently when I've known how to drive) including an incident where she pulled at least a G on a tight onramp in the Accord.

Back to the matter at hand... the GSL-SE.

I would assume that since she is thinking of buying a RX-8 and she owns the best of the 1st Generations, (and bought it new) that she knows something about them, even if she isn't mechanically inclined. Go back and talk to her, and instead of trying to play it down or play dumb, talk to her about the car and ask her some more questions. She may not know what the car is worth to one of us (98K miles and garage kept is a dream car) but if she does have an idea, she may feel better about selling you the car, or giving you a better deal if she knows that you are going to care for it and you aren't just some kid looking at it because it looks hot and fast.
I'm not inclined to believe that anyone who's owned a RX-7 for 20 years is totally ignorant of it. Just because she seems ignorant of it mechanically doesn't mean that she hasn't been taught a thing or two by it in that time.

My advice, don't try to downplay the condition of the car, instead, up-play your willingness to get it running well (if it doesn't run well or has other issues) and if it doesn't compliment her on keeping the car in such good condition. She has an emotional attachment to the car or else she wouldn't have kept it for 20 years. Show her that you are worthy of "adopting" it... and I think you will find that she will respond much better and you might get the deal that you want.

One last thought, if she's a woman who's owned a car for 20 years, then she's had in her lifetime, men looking down on her from the perspective of being a car owner and giving her the "she's just a dumb woman" approach. This approach totally pissed my mother off, and if you try this approach with her, she will recogize it and will resent it. That's why I wouldn't try to snow her on the car or it's condition. A lot of women play dumb just to test people.

My 2 cents.
Old 07-23-04, 10:27 AM
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i got my GXL for 1,900 with 121K miles and it runs like New very few problems some minor wheel bearing noise and few small electrical problems i fixed. 5K? look hard online you will find a GOOD DEAL if you buy from a dealer they Bump it up alot
Old 07-23-04, 10:51 AM
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On the topic of women & sports cars: Unless there's a good reason to believe otherwise, it's probably a fair bet that the engine hasn't been redlined on a regular basis.

Yes, there are exceptions. HOWEVER, the bulk of female drivers I know tend to treat a car as an appliance, and are annoyed at having to do anything to it (gas, oil, etc). Look at what Volvo's female engineers came up with - it would drive most of us nuts.

</rant>

Sorry, my car was owned by a female driver for quite a while, and was obviously never taken much above 4000 RPM. Seized 6th ports, shitload of carbon inside.

It does sound like this particular car was owned by someone who knows about it though. I really would suggest the approach of talking to her as a RX-7 owner, and not try to lowball her. She'll most likely be much more willing to sell it to a "good home" who will take care of it. I know for me, with computers, I'd rather give a computer to someone I know will make use of it & take care of it than sell it to someone I don't know.

-=Russ=-
Old 07-23-04, 11:07 AM
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i have only spent $800, and I have to RX-7's....not becuase there cheap, but because I love my 7's, but the base is a project car and the other car is its organ donor.....don't expect to not need parts, I immediately pulled my engine to rebuild it....but thats me
Old 07-23-04, 03:07 PM
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u should just look around, i paied 1000$ for my 89 gtu stright body no rust. and great compression,the only problem iv had was flooding and that was only once. and im 17 also u can find them for a better price.
Old 07-23-04, 03:21 PM
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girls do redline there rx7's and anyone woman owning one for 20 years knows her car!!! i redline mine at least 5x a use, but i also do all wrenching on her as well! ask her q's about her rx and genuinely listen, not only will you be able to learn more about the car but you will also have first hand knowledge of that particular car! rx7 are a unique vehicle and any woman owning one is a person you would want to find more info on look in archives, i am blonde at autox in april and had 3rd fastest car at autox and that was my first one! do not downplay all woman drivers, just ones who don't know what oil or coolant is! i paid $500. for my 86 needs some work, but more are out there if she doesn't want it to go to a teenager my $.02 candi ps i do all maintenance to husbands car as well there are a few girls who do enjoy wrenching maybe she used to do work herself, but doesn't have time??
Old 07-23-04, 03:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Sideways7
I agree, a powerful RWD sports car is a very bad choice for a first car. My first car was an '89 Mustang GT, and I totalled it and nearly killed myself. I know this is an extreme example, but it shows what can happen when an inexperienced driver has too much car.
do you blame spelling errors on your pencil? I bought my TII at age 15 and have never had any close calls, tickets, or accidents. These cars are not that hard to maintain. The only real major thing that I have had to do for my TII was a transmission rebuild (changed the clutch while the tranny was out). Other things were relatively cheap and minor like a brake master cyllinder and starter.

$5,000 is too much for a first car I think. I would find an S4 either TII or NA (go with the best deal, not the best engine ).
Old 07-23-04, 04:11 PM
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theres a real nice GTUs for sale on the forums here for around $4,000 it has a fresh rebuild with a mild streetport, its sounding real nice, pics here http://www.cardomain.com/id/gunmetalgtus , and you can PM the owner PHATFC3S
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