Hey,

I am new to the purchasing/owning arena of RX7's. I've always loved FC's and FD's, and since I am in the market for a car I've been looking at FC's. FD's are just too much for me right now.

Anyway, I found an '89 Black RX-7 GTU for $2800 here in Washington.

Info on the car (According to current owner):
New (or rebuilt) 13B Engine and same for tranny. Was done by a dealership for the owner preceding the current owner. Unforunately the current owner doesn't have the paperwork, but said he had contacted the dealer when he purchased it and they confirmed. (This makes me worried without the paperwork... but I'm fairly trusting).

New or Recent Work:
New Wires & Plugs, Air Filter, Fuel filter. Complete fluids change.

Larger downpipe, and new magnaflow muffler w/ 2" pipe and bigger driveline...

Current owner states he only uses premium fuel.

6 infinity speakers & Sony Deck.

Car currently has 170k miles. But unsure of mileage on newer engine/tranny.

Title is clean, and I've checked carfax on it. Interior in good condition, only one slight rip on drivers seat at the left shoulder (as seen in one of the following pictures).

Here are some pictures he sent:

http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/share....tate=RETRIEVED


Looking for suggestions, opinions, etc. Thanks for your time.

 

i just currently bought an 89 GXL with a newer engine, with the few idling problems for 1700. i thought it was a great buy and still do considering the shape it was in and the few things i had to fix.

now everything sounds really good with this car, specially for a rebuild with the price its in. but before you even consider it i would think you'd have to go for a test drive. make sure it idles correctly, seems to drive right, take it up to higher rpms (but not too high, sometimes they get pissed) to make sure everything seems good on it. if it all checks out then i would say grab that while you can cuz it sounds like a great deal to me!

 

If it's in really good condition, go for it... check under the body for rust and such. The prettier the engine bay and underbody look, the better.

Make sure everything is stock and not messed with, except for well-done mods.

The owner is clearly an idiot though, seeing as how he uses premium in a car that runs much better with regular.

Check the idle, listen to the engine, smell the exhaust... check for annoying noises during the test drive.

Ideally you'll want to jack it up and check the wheel bearings, etc...

Check for normal FC problems like a headlight switch or wiper switch that doesn't work right, a clock that don't work, etc. Extra brownie points for rebuilt ones.

 

Look up Aaroncakes guide to buying an RX7- Pretty detailed on what to look for...either then that, car looks str8

 

Take a close look at that front end. In the pictures you posted, you can see the driver's side of the bumper has been pushed up from where it is supposed to be sitting. Also the slats in the opening below the front bumper are gone... were they removed intentionally or knocked out in an accident? Do the headlights go up and down smoothly, or were they jammed in place by the front end collision...

I'd say $2800 isn't a bad price if the seller can document his claim that the engine was recently rebuilt, and assuming the front end damage is minor. If a Mazda dealership did the engine work as the seller claims, you can check this out yourself by calling them with the VIN.

You can always offer less.

 

Better condition than mine&with more mods, and my 89 GTU cost me $4,000 so I say good find.

Love it like a fussy baby!

 

Thanks for all the info so far. I haven't been able to look at it personally since the car is about 150miles away. I might be meeting up with him thursday to look at and drive the car.

I noticed that about the front bumper too, but couldn't tell if it was just angle and shadowing since you can see a certain building in that bumper (possibly throwing off the front bumper look a little...). It's something I'll definitely check out.

I doubt I'll get a chance to jack it up... I'm trying to get ahold of the dealership he mentioned that the previous owner went to for the rebuilds/replacement engine/tranny. If I get that I'll make sure to call and ask. I also wanted to check with mazda to see if the auto seatbelts recall has been done on it. I was told to check for that.

Carfax reports no accidents or anything else... so if it was in an accident it wasn't recorded anywhere at the time of the accident or during repair.

I'll make sure to check on the headlight/switch issue. I got ahold of that link on "how to buy an FC" that you mentioned and it seems to be pretty helpful.

But if the car is in as good shape as it seems (especially engine/tranny/etc). How's the price? I've already talked him down to that. I tried $2600, but he wouldn't go.

Thanks for the info. Would love to hear more opinions.

Thanks

 

That's because you paid too much.

 

I think it's too much.
http://www.kbb.com/
Punch all the info in there and see what number pops up.
I doubt it'll be $2,800.
I think it's too much to be paying for a base model.

Also, if there is no paperwork, assume it's bullshit.


-Ted

 

I wouldn't say its worth it. From the pictures it doesn't like like its in very good condition. Motor is "possibly" rebuilt.

Much better deals out there. I would still check it out.

 

if you really want this car, i would say do a compression test on the rotors to see the numbers, if its high then it was rebuilt, but if its low, he's bullshitting.

 

Man, the front end looks sorta crooked on the passengers side. I'd have him take some better pictures of the front end for you.

 

lol the front end IS hella crooked, it's definately hit something

and 2800 is a bit much

 

That front end looks seriously torqued - small dent on the rear below the spoiler too, but that's not structural. And the purple window tinting ain't real cool. I'd be cautious about this car

 

The pictures aren't the clearest on my computer, but I'm now noticing that it looks like the car has an S4 front bumper because I think you can make out the telltale groove in the bodyside molding, plus the grille opening looks more like an S4. At the very least, he's got S4 amber turn signal lenses on there, plus it looks like the passenger side mirror is also from an S4. All this is further evidence this car has been in an accident. Also, this is stuff you'll need to replace if you want to make it look like an S5 again.

 

All considering, there's a lot of things you have to suck up if you want to drive home in an RX-7...

Just make sure you pay an appropriate price considering the condition.

 

Thanks for the inputs! I sent the owner a huge list of new questions. Since he is quite a distance away its hard to just go look at the car and run all the necessary checks immediately. So I'm just hounding him with questions.

I addressed all the issues everyone brought up, asked for a a few other things, and questioned some other stuff too. I'll get back to the boards when the answers come.

Maybe he'll get scared off thinking I know too much about those cars if I am asking the questions I did. But if its what he says it is, and actually is in good shape... we'll see. I also asked about the possible S4 FC front end on his S5...

Thanks for the help. Any more opinions or help would be great. Or pointing me toward a great car ^_^ That is relatively close to me (Bellingham,WA). Thanks

 

If you still want the car but feel the price is unreasonable given the car's problems, offer the seller what you think it's worth and don't budge. There is a chance he'll call you in a few weeks or months when the car hasn't sold and take your offer.