I'm considering getting an 88' RX7 GXL, but was wondering how often they normally act up?

 

Define acting up...

Are you asking if or how often it breaks down stranding you?

or needs minor things that need replacing because the car is 15 years old?

 

Mine runs fine, still runs fine after a big *** truck hit me and sent me into a curb messing up my camber and toe in. I can't do above 55mph until I get it fixed ....
-r0gu3

 

Has it ever broken down on you? How often to the little things break?

 

Whenever I tinker with something.... something else breaks.

 

Never broken down or made me walk.

last little thing I fixed/replaced was broken windshield defrost vent. Plastic is just old.

replaced the oil filter plate o rings before that, didn't disable the car, just leaked a little oil. Maybe $8 in parts and a half hour to fix that. So maybe an hour or so a month fixing little crap like that stuff.

 

The only time I had problems was when I first got the car. That was just little stuff that the prev. owner kinda fixed temp. just to sell it. But about $100 and about a total of maybe 2 hrs, all better, haven't had a problem since.

kleach

 

Never.

 

Something only goes wrong when i mess with it. Otherwise it never breakdown, but have u ever seen Gone in Sixty Seconds? U know how in the end the Gt 500 acts up on him when he is beating on it, my car does the same thing when i push it a lot

 

Both my 7s gave me trouble right after I bought them but that was neglect by the previous owners. The motors are very reliable if you don't go crazy with them as in redlining it every time you shift. Oh yeah, these 2nd gens come with the infamous electrical problems which the 1st gens don't seem to have.

 

Besides the occasional electrical disagreements, my fiancee had very little trouble with his '88 GXL. He didn't care for the fact that the interior tended to crack and fall apart sometimes, but otherwise, it was a great car. The engine was strong, pulled hard, and responded wonderfully to mods.

As long as you find one that was regularly maintained, you should be in good shape.

 

Drive it

if you love it wont let you down!

every car has some bugs, its the feeling it gives you that makes you love it

for all the cars I have owned, 11+ years old its the easiest to maintain

 

Keep in mind that $1000 exhaust systems, several hundred dollars for fuel sytem and other repairs can empty your wallet quickly. Sure you can take the cheap route on some things like tires and other wear-and-tear items, but you're stuck paying full fare for just about anything engine-related.

Find out as much as you can about previous maint. and repairs and really go over the car with a finetooth comb. You want to make sure that engine lasts you for a while, so pay attention to any kind of fluid leaks and their source. Get a compression check if possible.

Unless it's already been done, include the cost of a upper-engine vacuum hose and fuel line replacement in your purchase price. Not a big issue if you do it yourself, bt could be expensive to have a mechanic do it, if you can find one that you trust. Either way, its inevitable due to the high heat in the engine bay.

A complete exhaust system can set you back $600+, again because you need high-quality components to cope with the high heat. The rest of the car is fairly generic and actually easy to maintain and work on.

I'm told frequent oil changes are the key to long engine life, and I plan to follow that advice. Hope that helps.

 

I've never had a rotary vehicle leave my stranded. Close...but never. The n/a 2nd gens are realy great rotary intro level cars. Its harder than heck to get them to blow up, (just the opposite if you don't know what you're doing with a turbo car.), get decent fuel milage, and in general are very reliable. However, there are some cases where the cars have been neglected for so many years, they are just junk in general. If you do buy a 2nd gen, spend a couple extra $$, and buy something that is a little nicer/maitaned well. You'll be much happier with the car in the long run. CJ

 

Once. Blown heater hose. Had the car towed to my house and replaced the hose.

 

Bought an 88 vert in November at 124k on the odo

Since then I have had:

1 bad starter (I had an extra 85 FB starter laying around )
1 bad brake master cylinder, pedal dropped all the way to the floor slowly as red lights ($130!!)
1 broken radio surround, just freaking cracked when i got warmer driving down the road ($70!!)
oil filter pedestal leak (2 o rings, .25cents each)
shifter bushings (free from my buddy at mazda had them in his tool box! )
and now my add coolant buzzer/light is driving me nuts, I think I may have a small leak somewhere

Oh by the way its got 128k on it now

 

exactly what Bambam7 said. Any time I try to upgrade a part or fix something minor (usually replacement oe parts) something completely unrelated has puppies and needs attention.

 

i got 91 n/a with about 72 k miles about 2 years ago it almost 118 and i havent spent so much on it... new clutch(my neighboor had a never before used clutch disc) 50 bucks plus i gave him 100 to do the job.. thats 150... soon after that the clutch master cylinder.. 50 bucks... maybe 2 sets of new plugs....regular oil changes..i still have the same oil cooler line leaking ever since i bought it... maybe like 350 bucks.. in all of that..never left me stranded... doesnt flood.. never had any internal problems...the past owner must've mantained it pretty good...

 

91n/a also. Had problems most others had. Front wheel bearing, power windows switch, wiper switch relays, oil filter pedestal o rings, heater hose below oil filter, sticky sunroof, notchy shifting. Stranded only when that heater hose broke, but replaced that same day.

 

I got my 88 GX about a month ago. Had 110k on it, one owner who happened to work for Mazda so the car is in really good shape. Only problems, electrical of course. Wipers only work on one setting and clock only stays on 50% of the time.

The sunroof sticks, but that's just because I cleaned the rails and haven't re-greased them. What should I use to lube em?

Also, I have notchy shifting aswell. Is there a remedy? I'm going to be picking up a short throw soon, hoping that'll cure it.

 

White Lithium grease

 

MIKE-P-28 already helped you out on the sunroof, so this Mike will try and help out with this stuff. The wiper switch has relays that can be replaced, there's some posts in the archive about it. And a fix for the clock also requires some soldering. Check out this link http://home.rmci.net/panther/rx7clock.htm
And changing the shifter bushings and putting in some Redline fluid in the tranny should help the shifting out. A search should provide you with the exact fluid and the big differences it's made for people. Check out http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/shiftbsh.htm
for a writeup on the bushings. Good luck!

 

Great, thanks guys.

 

i have permanent problems, but none engine related, mostly suspension/steering....and some diff/wheels noise now too...

 

I would just keep in mind that buying ANY used car is bound to have some problems. Just use your best judgment and dont travel too far for a few weeks!