Shield

iTrader: (2)

Hello all!
I'm 35. Married with 2 kids (daughter Christine was just born 5 days ago!) In 1993 I bought an '86 red RX-7 with 171k and drove it until the car needed the engine replaced (overheated). In 1995 I bought another red 86 with 71k on the clock and drove it about 6 months until it too, overheated. Both cards had the dreaded "O ring" problem.

Well, I don't know if it's an early mid-life crisis or what, but today I bought a 3rd RX-7! This one is a 1988 red convertible with 58k miles. I'm flying into Chicago Monday to drive it home, which is about 7 hours back.

I made the mistake of test driving a couple of RX-7's just to "revisit my youth" and fell in love all over again.

Anyway, this forum seems fantastic, and I will let you guys know what happens. It's scary to purchase a car without having driven it first, but I've been told (and seen) the compression test on the rotors has passed and the carfax is clean. It was only $3200 bucks, right?

Anyone know what type of wheels and exhaust is on this thing?

Here's a link to my "new" car!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/88-MA...65%3A13|39%3A1

beefhole

iTrader: (29)

58k Miles... you should be FINE. Good for you! From the link, $3200 looks like a great price. I bet it will run great and get you home no problem. A Great cruiser too considering you're going to have a 7 hour drive home. Drop the top and have at it.

Shield

iTrader: (2)

My plan is to leave the top down the entire way back! I'd have preferred a car to have been completely original (wheels, exhaust, stereo) but I think it looks ok with those wheels. Looks like the calipers have been painted.

Would you:
Ditch the wheels and grab some original BBS 15"'s?

I feel like a kid again. My main car is a 2004 Lexus LS430, which is smooth as silk, quiet, pretty fast (0-60 5.9 per Lexus - V8) but something about driving that bumpy, low to the ground, noisy Wankel engined 2 seater just does it for me! I think it helps that I'll never be asked to pick up the kids in the new car!

Did I mention I test drove a black 88 convertible today and was grinning ear to ear? Unfortunately it needed a clutch and a power steering pump. I never even knew these convertibles were targa topped as well..

Does anyone know if the 88 should have speakers in the headrests? I don't know if that was an option in 88...

Shawn

arghx

iTrader: (3)

I can't tell from that angle, but the exhaust looks like my old set of dual Apex'i N1's. They can be pretty loud depending on whether you have a header or not. I believe the '88s have headrest speakers but they often fail.

the convertible will be slow as **** though. you will feel like you are driving an Enzo when you get into your Lex.

the speedometer may be noticeably off with that wheel and tire combo.

Shield

iTrader: (2)

I love this site - we can say things like **** and ****! Brilliant! Yes, the convertible is noticeably slower than the hardtop, but it's a weekend cruiser anyway. Had I wanted speed though I'd have pulled out about 3x the amount and bought a 93 RX. The way I look at it, the car has depreciated about as much as it's going to get - I could futz around with it for a couple a years and probably still get my money back. Thanks for the heads up on the exhaust - I hate loud farter pipes especially on a slow vehicle - I'll be ditching them and putting factory back on...
Shawn

need RX7

iTrader: (4)

Have you thought about a Racing Beat system? They look almost factory and are pretty quiet while cruising, but they sound great when you really open it up. Only downside is the price

Congrats on the new car btw, looks like someone took really good care of it.

openrx

enjoy the ride!

headrest speakers were part of the 'premium package' which was ~ a 2200$ upgrade.

included in the P package were leather seats and wheel, 3 way stereo, 6 speakers, key/door lock illumination, tilt steering and cruise control.

that unit has the base/cloth seats (which appear in great shape) WITHOUT speakers or tilt or the upgraded stereo.

notice on the center console, coin slots instead of speaker controls, so it's not wired for them.

also the stereo appears aftermarket, but with speakers mounted low behind the seats, that may be better than the headrest speakers.

i see the cruise control stalk and a leather wheel so later in 88 they must have included these bits on all of them.

the factory air filter/box is gone replace by a open gauze filter in the engine bay, not a good idea, since it will suck HOT air.

the air intake is still there but not conected to anything.

while the paint looks tired, a careful polishing can bring it back, but don't over do it, the paint is thin on the 88s.

i see a little rust on the top studs which may be nothing, but check UNDER the trunk seal/gasket for rust and under the top where it attaches to the body.

the mini spare tire SHOULD be behind the seats under the fascia. make sure you have one for the drive home.

i'd carry a couple of quarts of oil and a jug of water/coolant too, just in case.

while many parts are still available they are pricey,

you might be shocked by the price of the oem exhaust, which will go UP if that isn't a 'cat back' system.

but hey it's only money...

henry

HAILERS2

You asked the question "am I nuts?". The answer is ..heck yes. Your out of your ever loving noodle to buy a car that you've never driven before, and going to drive it all that far back home.

Remember this. The guy selling it to you is a "Used car sales man". I don't care if this is the only car he ever sold in his life, he's a Used Car Salesman".........humor

Go48

iTrader: (7)

Not to rain on your parade or anything, but do you know when the photos were taken? I bought a car last year off a fellow on the forum and the pics he had posted were not current. The car was not nearly in the condition shown on the posted pics. Had he posted current pics I doubt that I would have sent him a $500 deposit and paid what I did for the car.

Unfortunately, I didn't discover that until I had driven 8 hours to pick up the car. I bought the car anyway since that model/year car was difficult to find. Fortunately, I had a trailer to haul it home. I certainly wouldn't have tried to drive it 8 hours on Interstate highways.

Perhaps you will be more fortunate. Good luck!!

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

You are correct about the convertible option package, but the car advertised HAS crusise control so it must have had that package when new.

Many things change in 20+ years, good luck with the drive home.

I do like the BBS wheels, but finding them may cost more than thery're worth.

arghx

iTrader: (3)

i looked at the pics again. it has some shitty autozone pedals, you should ditch those. the lack of leather is a good thing in the sense that cloth holds up a lot better over time. I think you should pick up the Racing Beat exhaust as well. it's hard to find an original exhaust that isn't rusted and messed up, with ugly tips on the back etc

Shield

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the suggestions - you guys really know your stuff. One thing I'm not sure I understand is the "paint looks tired" comment. To me tired means worn out / faded - I don't think the paint looks faded at all - I think it's actually pretty nice for a 21 year old car. Sure, there are parts that need addressed with the dings and scratches, but I certainly wouldn't call the paint "tired". The other two red 86's I had, even when the cars were 7 and 9 years old respectively, looked much more faded and orange - of course they had 100k more miles too. I think this unit has been garaged quite a bit.

I will get rid of the aftermarket air intake nonsense - good catch. I will certainly keep an eye on the temp gauge and check the oil about every 100-200 miles as well. Hopefully all will be ok with this car - it's strange as my primary vehicle I could hop it right now and drive 3000 miles on way and not even THINK about checking any fluids except for the gas. Of course it's only 5 years old...

Shield

iTrader: (2)

I noticed those stupid pedals too. Are the factory ones readily available, and easily replaced? Can't imagine it's not that tough to fix.

What's the overall consensus on the wheels/tires? Tread looks ok - not sure if I like those wheels, but I don't hate them. Tires look low profile - do you guys think those are 17"'s?

Shield

iTrader: (2)

That's an interesting note, and one I actually did some investigative work on before I bought the car. Apparently the last true owner was trying to sell the car before they sold it to the dealer, as I found the following ebay auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=160333232541

That auction was from May 8th, so at worst the pictures are 2 months old.

Shield

iTrader: (2)

It's confusing to me. I test drove an 88 black vert yesterday. It HAD tilt steering, but NO CRUISE! I didn't even turn on the radio as it was the factory AM/FM/Cassette (yuck) and since the clutch was shot I didn't seriously think about buying it.

I couldn't believe it didn't have cruise though. So bizarre!

Shield

iTrader: (2)

Now that's something I've been trying to get more information about, as I looked at another black convertible that had what appeared to be JL subs behind the seats.

Note this picture:



from this car:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-...65%3A10|39%3A1

Are the speakers behind the seats normal in these cars?

Shawn

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

As tilt was part of the package on the '88, maybe someone changed the steering column.

Shield

iTrader: (2)

LOL well I guess you're right! I fly out tomorrow and will be back very late Monday night / early Tuesday with the car. Unless there's a major problem. I'll either be back on here cussing about what junk this car was or how I had a great time coming home. I will say that the 2 1986 cars I had, while they kept overheating, would at least still run for a while. So if I don't post again on here until like Wednesday or later then something went horribly wrong.

Shield

iTrader: (2)

I'm buying some as we speak, my friend. I think the pedals bug me the most already!

Shield

iTrader: (2)

Does anyone know if this is close to the original exhaust muffler?

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPage...r+-+Quiet+Flow

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

welcome back to rotary ownership!! looks like a solid car for the money. i'd get rid of those wheels and put the oem wheels onit and ditch those silly pedal covers. where's worthington?

the muffler that napa offers is an oem design..but the bad thing is that they're not built to take the heat of a rotary and will fail prematurely when compared to am oem one (which will last close to 20 years) or a nice aftermarket from www.racingbeat.com.

openrx

agreed 20 years can include a lot of changes...

but the door inserts are cloth, like the seats, so someone would have needed to swap seats, door panels and center consoles

which is a lot of effort to undo leather.

also FINDING the cloth/cloth bits would be a challenge since so few of these came withOUT the premium package, unless it came from a coupe.

the presence/absense of key light and tilt wheel will help with the puzzle.

this is a later production 88 and i think the option packages changed later in the year.

let's assume it really does have cruise, the buyer can confirm this on the trip home.

but just because the stalk is there doesn't mean cruise is present.

for example the dash on ALL of these cars has an "AC" button but they didn't all come from the factory with AC under the hood...

this allowed the dealers to install 'factory air', plug into the wiring and make a little cash on the upgrade.

while the auction lists 'cruise control' it also says this is a front wheel drive car with side impact protection...

i happen to like the BBS wheels on this model, they look great and work well with the factory suspension...

but along with the price and challenge of finding a set, there are NOT very many firm/fast tire options now in 205/60-15.

by tired i only meant the gloss/shine was gone, it isn't overly worn or faded at all and may look fantastic after a good cleaning and wax/sealant.

i think all but 1 or 2 color options included clearcoat which greatly limits fading, it's just that the pigment layer is pretty thin on these so go gently...

mazda does still have touch up paint for the 80s paint codes too.

i don't think those are factory speaker behind the seats, at least not with the premium package mentioned earlier.

but when you unscrew the **** on that cover (to check the spare) it should be easier to determine.

unless there are surprises hidden somewhere, it looks like a very good example of a low mileage, well cared for open air rotary...

cheers
henry

Shield

iTrader: (2)

Worthington is north of Columbus - I'm about 10 minutes north of the OSU campus. I need to see how loud and annoying the exhaust is before I replace it. I like cars that are fast to be quiet, and cars that aren't (like this one) to be even quieter. Who knows - maybe it'll just be fun to drive as is. Looks like the Autozone foot pedals are cheap to get back to stock. Cheapest set of 4 original BBS rims I've found on ebay after a preliminary search is $275, without tires.

I just can't wait until tomorrow - I never got laid like I did when I drove my old Rx-7! Of course things have changed and I'm a faithful husband with kids - but it's nice to go down memory lane. I may NEVER put the top up after tomorrow and only drive it on sunny days.

First thing I want to get sorted is the minor paint blemishes, then buy the Eclipse to Ipod control. If the exhaust is really obnoxious then it'll go too. But I'm more concerned initially with overheating, good clutch, and air conditioning. And the motor.

arghx

iTrader: (3)

you won't notice a bit of difference in terms of performance between a loud aftermarket exhaust and a quieter one like the one Racing Beat makes. It's not a fast car, and a louder (compared to other aftermarket) exhaust won't make it faster, but you know that.

When you get the car home you need to check the condition of the rear heater hose, located under the oil filter pedestal. they are very prone to failure.

2slow4stock

iTrader: (18)

^^ Very prone.