I am going to go look at a 1991 RX-7 Convterible on Sunday. While I have owned a Mazda before (my first vehicle was a 1984 PU Truck), this is the first rotorary engine.

What should I look for (smell for, etc.) when I go see the vehicle on Sunday?

What should I expect to do to the vehicle if I do purchase it. It will be my second car and stay in my garage on the cold and rainy days. (But hey, in Texas there are a lot of warm days to drive it on year round).

Any advice for a newbie is welcome.

PS The 91 I'm looking at is Black on Black on Black with 90K miles and the owner is asking 6K for it but is very negotiable from our conversation on the phone.

 

Ok... first, it isn't unusual to see smoke at startup. Don't let that (by itself) drive you away from an otherwise decent car.

Things to look for: Take off the filler cap on the thermostat housing and look for bubbles in the coolant. If it blows bubbles, that's very bad.

Look for the same things as any other used car... how does it drive? Shift? (a "sloppy" shifter is cheap and easy to fix, but can be a negotiating point...) does everything work? Do the wipers work on all settings? (common failure, not too difficult to fix but not exactly cake either...) Does the power top function? Is the top in good shape? (replacement is EXPENSIVE!) Does it start ok and idle smoothly at about 750 RPM after it is warmed up? IF it has ABS, is there evidence of leaking around the ABS unit? (firewall on the passenger side... if it leaks, it will cause the paint to blister and bubble there when the fluid leaks down... difficult and EXPENSIVE to fix- you have to replace that unit and it ain't cheap!)

 

The 89-91's didn't have the fancy-schmancy 2 cap setup. There's only one cap - on the radiator.

 

I guess I failed to mention that the one thing I don't like about this car is that it is an automatic.

Thanks for the info,

 

bigt,

Hey welcome to the forum.

Just picked up an 89 and I like it. This is my 2nd rx7 and I may eventually upgrade this to a turbo II rx7 convertible.

Things to look for - make sure it accelerates well, shift good, idles well, and doesn't run rough.

If you think it's a great deal, I HIGHLY recommed getting your local mazda dealership to pull the compression numbers on the engine. This is to verify the previous owner took car of the engine (ie changed the oil, kept it tuned up, etc..).

You should expect the wiper swtich to only work in 1 postion. It's a do-it-yourself fix and not a big woop.

Other than this make sure the tops in good shape (doesn't leak), pull the hardtop off and see if it's in good shape, ask them if they have the snap-on boot and hardtop bag (the hardtop goes in the trunk and the bag keep it from being scratched).

Any more questions email me - vaughnc@earthlink.net

89 rx7 convertible
92 rx7 turbo II

 

Thanks for the info Vaughn,

I don't think that the wiper switch (as long as they come on) will bother me. This is not going to be my daily driver and hopefully will not see much of the rain at all. I will keep all of those things in mind as I look at it.

Thanks again,

 

Pull up the carpets behind the seats as well as the jack area in the trunk, and check for water. Those seem to be the most common spots for water to collect if the seals or top are leaking.

Other things to look for would be the oil cooler in the front, look for leaks.

Gas in the oil, indicates flooding issues.

Bent rims. The BBS rims that come standard on the 'verts bend real easy, and its common to have a curb ding that will make it difficult to balance the wheels correctly/perfectly.

 

wouldn't have thought of checking in the trunk spare for leaks, thanks for the info.

 

Okay, I went and saw / drove the car that I mentioned at the beginning of this thread. Here is what I observed.

He had told me about a "small" dent in the drivers side rear quarter panel. When I got there I found out he had actually backed into a tree and dented the rear quarter panel (right past the tail light) to a point where it couldn't be knocked out -- badly creased and starting to rust.

When I started the car I noticed two things:
There was a lot of exhaust coming out (white). He said it was because it hadn't been started in a few days.

It seemed to want to idle at about 4500 RPM's until I tapped the gas pedal (like he requested) and then it calmed down to about 1200 RPM's.

The drivers seat (leather) was worn to where the color was gone, but rest of the interior was in good shape for 11 years old (a little dirty but in good shape).

The top was in great shape and it functioned like it was suppose to and he had all the accessories.

Paint was in decent shape, but I did notice several dings on the trunk (about 6) and the hood (about 3) that clearly looked like signs of hail damage, but he denied that he knew of a hail storm it went through.

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts about if the car is worth buying and how much I should offer. He is asking $6K but is "very negotiable" Cleary I wouldn't give him $6K, but want your ideas.

Other details on the car
1991 RX-7 Convertible
90,200 Miles
Non-Turbo
3 Owners (original owner, current owner's dad, current owner)
VIN Number (JM1FC3528M0901989) (Which I haven't run yet, no carfax account)

 

slides hip to the left and "bump"

 

that's a tricky one. Without seeing how bad the damage is first hand, the price is hard to determine. And the smoke is probably not a problem if it stops after the car warms up. If you go back; rev the car to like 4000 rpms for about 30 seconds, and see if it smokes; if so don't buy it. If it doesn't smoke take it to mazda a get a compression check ($65 could save you thousands). I paid 7k for a showroom condition vert with 70k on the dash. So you will just have to use good judgement. Do some thinking and maybe check around to see if any other verts are out there for you to compare it to. Your situation is kinda "ify".

 

personally i wouldn't pay 6K for it if clearly has body damage. the verts always seem to be a little more pricey. but ****, i'd sell you my immaculate 1991 coupe for that price perfect leather, shiny body, hehe

usually when a 2nd gen rex is left in neutral and started, it revs up to around 3K...then with a tap of the gas it drops down again (to around 1400 or so) and then finally to 750 or around there. this start up is normal but can be alleviated by just starting the car in gear...and it should only jump up to around 1500. thats what i do anyway

so did the car accelerate ok? and hesitation? if you can talk him down in price and the car fits your duties,go for it

 

The car shifted perfectly and accelerated well (I guess, my first time driving one). The smoke at startup quit within 5 seconds of the engine running. My brother went with me and happened to be standing behind the car when I started it

I am awaiting an answer to a similiar email that I sent to a friend that works at the body shop that his dad owns. If I help him with the repairs, most of the time he won't charge me for any labor, just materials.

 

very sweet. Just be sure to get the compression test as I mentioned in the email.