I am looking to buy a 1991 NA automatic rx7 need to know some things, specifically the cost of maintaining one. What are some typical symptoms of a car of this type with 150k miles? Also what is the price that comes with said problems?
Thanks

 

Need to know where the search function is? At the top right hand corner between new posts and quick links and of course the stickies at the top of second gen section, aaroncake.net, fc3spro.com. Anything you want to know has already been covered more than likely. Welcome to the money pit, but not as bad as the 3rd gen guys.

 

There is no way to provide an accurate response to your question.

Your experience and costs are totally dependent on how the car has been maintained by previous owners.

A car that has been cared for will present no unusual expenses in terms of regular maintenance (oil is oil and doesn't care whether it flows in a Civic or a Porsche) and the standard replacement parts (filters, plugs, brake pads and the like) are reasonably priced (a Mazda oil filter is around $5) and readily available.

The body doesn't seem to have any "designed in" failure points and the interior is typical of higher end Japanese cars of it's vintage.

The engine is both the pride and downfall of the RX.
Extremely simple in theory, it is laden with the usual EPA mandated emissions and relatively complex mechanical/electronic subsystems.
Poor understanding of the engine has lead to years of poorly applied/cheaply executed "modifications"- some for performance, some for reliability.
In general, the closer to absolute stock the better when purchasing the RX.
That leaves you the option of what to do with the car.

Outside of rather poor fuel economy, the RX is fine as a daily driver- at least as good as any other 20 year old car.

You'll probably love it.

 

Unless your tranny was replaced recently, plan on doing so. The auto's don't hold up well.

 

i had to replace my tranny and mine only had 57k on the clock, it leaked like crazy and gear searched above 30 mph.. lol

it is now a 5speed held up with 1/4 in metal adaptors, styled like v8killer's but lightly modified by me, my new brackets are being made at this time, 5/8 metal, possible chamfer on one of the top edges to clear tunnel. total cost to make this bracket... not sure yet, the first one is free from my buddy, i just had to hand him my papers in measurments and ****.

do a 5 speed swap, took me a few days with many problems (not the cars fault, just didnt have all the parts. had to wait for pilot bearing etc...), but if you dont run into anything it should take two days.

 

http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy1.htm

 

Yeah, get a manual.

The car isn't made for an automatic; it makes it slow. The rotary loves to rev, rev, rev...and an auto doesn't let it do that.

--Alex

 

Replace the oil, belts, plugs and leads
Get the transmission checked and serviced
Flush the coolant system and check for hose leaks
Clean the battery terminals and the crank angle sensor.
Check the exhaust and drainage areas for rust (esp. behind front wheels and bottom of door)

only grannies are slow in an RX7...

 

Get a 5-speed. Only takes an hour to get the hang of it. I had an auto 94 saturn that i traded straight up for a manual 92 civic hatch back in the day. I had the guy drop it off at my house b4 i even knew how to drive it. (I had my grandfather test drive it to make sure it didnt grind, etc...)

5-SPEED!! Automatics are like having training wheels.

 

At 150KM a rotary is in the twilight zone. RX7's are not for people who like automatics over stick-shifts. These are cars that must be driven with a lot of shifting to keep the revs in the power band. Driven properly they are very rewarding. Parts are amazingly easy to find. Unless you can maintain your own car, or live in a large metropolitan area, finding knowledeable service can be a problem.

 

yea auto 91s suck sawp it meng

 

I've had an auto '90 and an '88 5-speed and while I'll agree that the stick version is 100% more fun to drive, the auto in these cars is really not as bad as some people make it out to be. If you're going to commute in heavy traffic and you like to eat Filet-O-Fish sandwiches while you drive, the auto can be a bonus.

I put about 130,000 miles on the transmission in the auto. The first 89,000 miles were on the stock motor and the next 40,000 or so on a street ported rebuild with absolutely no transmission problems; I did regular fluid changes which surely helped. I guess at 150,000K if you don't know the history, the tranny could be a potential trouble spot.

I'd look closely at the frame rails and floorboards under the driver and passengers' footwell areas since this is where my '90 rusted out, though if "SF" is San Francisco, you may not have too much to worry about. My car lived most of its life in the rust belt.