OK here is the situation, Should I buy it, or not? Here is the info I have now:

Bad:

1986 Rx-7
Minor rust around the fenders; includes new ones with sale.
It over heated and warped the gasket.
5 hours away
119,000mi

Good:
All rotors and pads brand new, not even 500 miles
New oil pump
Limited edition

Ok, he is asking 500, that’s kind of pushing my budget now. Is it worth getting it and working on it over the winter? Any advice would be splendid along with some tips/ or past experience! I’m newer to this, but I hope with your help, you guys will point me in the right direction.

 

ok so... does the car run? and the only thing that is wrong with it is the warped gasket according to the seller?

and by limited edition do you mean 10th AE?

 

that list of repairs sounds like BS

who replaces an oil pump in a car but also manages to over heat that car


how did you find this and who's selling it?

 

Car allegedly “STARTS AND RUNS UNTIL THE ANTIFREEZE STARTS TO GO INTO THE OVERFLOW BOTTLE” as I was told by the owner and it was a project car if that answers your question.

 

Anyone got some feed back for me? I’m looking for opinions should I go for it????

 

If $500 is "pushing your budget" then a RX7 is not for you...especially a non-running unit.

 

+ eleventy billion

Save up and get one that has less issues.

"STARTS AND RUNS UNTIL THE ANTIFREEZE STARTS TO GO INTO THE OVERFLOW BOTTLE"

Does that sound like a blown coolant seal to anyone else? If so, I'd pass unless you want to rebuild the motor.

 

Definitely.

To the OP: What that translates to is a mandatory rebuild. You will at, at the least, have to replace all the soft seals. If you get in there and find something else wrong, you could easily have to spend about a grand. So.... no... probably not in your budget atm.

And TRUST ME! You don't want to not fix a potential problem when you have the motor apart. A few hundred bucks and a new motor later, I regret it.

 

500 bucks was pushing my limit because I don’t want to spend any more then 450max on some thing that doesn’t run. Thanks for the advice ill pass on the car then. What site do you recommend for buying mods from?

 

racing beat
mazdatrix
corksport

try the vendors section as well.

 

opinions, 87 non turbo 5k on rebuilt small rust on moom roof, and a rip on pass set? how much you think is worth?

 

That's worth about $250 or so, depending on the components.

There was no Limited Edition US model in 1986, so it probably just has aftermarket Limited Edition stickers. You may want to clarify that with the seller, as it may be a Sport model, which may be worth the $500 if the original spoiler and aero pieces are intact.

Overheated rotary engine = toast. Plan on a minimum of $2,000 for a rebuild, probably more like $3,000-3,500 due to the normally reusable parts that are most likely ruined.

If everything else is stock, you will probably also need to replace the entire exhaust system, front wheel bearings, shocks/struts, springs, suspension bushings, driveshaft, clutch & pressure plate, alternator, brake lines, and all of the coolant hoses. The brake calipers will probably also require a rebuild if they were not rebuilt when the rotors and pads were replaced. Sorry, these cars are 20 years old, and not everything works like it once did, despite the excellent engineering.

You may be able to get that car for a couple hundred bucks if it doesn't sell soon.

Just about any FC RX-7 is going to have problems. It just depends on what you want. For comparison, a new RX-7 sold for about $12,000 back in 1986, which is about $23,000 in 2008 inflation-corrected dollars. Therefore, if you can fully restore a $500 RX-7 for less than $22,500, you have done well.

 

Owner said the compression was perfect when he had it checked(toasted now) . Also he states he has over $2000 is parts. Possible part car now.... Still agree?

 

You haven't mentioned your mechanical aptitude or your workspace capabilities, so it's hard to say.
In my experience...
-If you buy a "project car", even with fairly good knowledge of that car's particular quirks, take your best time/money estimate and double it to arrive at a reasonable completion figure.

-If the car is a runner, I'd much prefer one that needed mechanical work instead of bodywork.
"Minor" rust has a way of being much worse than it appears and unless it's confined to an easily replaceable panel (front fender, etc.) can lead to extensive structural work.

Be careful of cars that are not complete- for instance, the interior is in boxes.
First, it's hard to see what you might be missing and since you aren't disassembling it, it's much harder to see how it goes together. Also, those "few missing pieces" are probably the ones that are impossible to find (that's why the seller doesn't have them).

Finally, IMO the absolute worst problems are going to be electrical.
Beware the seller installed stereo or alarm that "just needs a few wires hooked up" to work. Prior to my 91 NA, all my cars were early seventies or older sports cars which had electrical systems even a layman could understand.
The second gen RX's were the beginning of the era where the Japanese decided "Hey!, these computer things are really cool...let's use 'em for EVERYTHING!", so even something as simple as the turn signals became solid state.
The potential for screwing things up increased exponentially.

And finally...
I'm not familiar with your state's emissions requirements but I'd make the seller prove it'll pass (this is actually a law here in Denver).
RX7 were marginal even when new and after 15 or so years, getting one to pass can be expensive and time consuming.

Good luck.

 

Thinking about buying it to strip it. I read what you said; I should have a good portion of the day to work on it on the weekend. Think it is still worth it?

 

Strip it to what end?
For fun?
A learning experience?
To sell for parts?

 

Not rip everything out just for learning. I have been looking for a Rx-7 that has a strong pulling engien but need some TLC, exterrior work i would love to keep to a minnium but that wont always happen. This car seemed like the perfect canidate. Great interrior and exterrior. Seamed to be good for a interrior swap.Also about working conditions, finally cleaned out half of my two car garage. There is plenty of room inside, but then under the deck i enclosed it into a car port too.

 

moom roof

But if this 87 runs and drives good and only a little bit of rust id say 1000 would be a pretty good price for it, even 1500 would'nt be bad. (whats a pass set???)

 

 

LOL.Thanks for pointing that out, I meant to say moon roof. Passenger seat, I just abbreviated it thats all.

 

If it's an authentic 'moon roof', that bad boy is worth $500 alone.

However if it's a 'sun roof', that's nothing special at all.

 

Sorry to bring that up but, with the authentic moon roof being said, I believe it is a sport model. Ill check on the moon roof, ill send an email right away to find out.

 

just buy it and part it out....i have 3 friends with rx7's and i got 1 1/2 (2 parts cars....one mint body,one mint engine)

 

That’s what I been waiting for lol. So if it turns out to be a moon roof/ sports model I might buy. What do you mean by engine mint condition?

 

The Sport model had a black plastic rear spoiler and matching black plastic aero pieces near the wheel wells. The moon roofs were aftermarket items, but regardless they are rather rare nowadays and a lot of people like them. Most people who would want the performance-oriented Sport model would not want a sunroof/moonroof because it is a liability to performance/racing.

He means that most people on internet forums have absolutely no idea what mint condition means, lol.