LITESPEED

I see alot of posts dealing with how to fix this and that. How to do this modification and such. Should someone who has very little experience in the automotive scene buy a used RX-7? Will this car break down often and cost me dearly since I don't work on it? I'm considering buying a '88 GXL 2+2 with 80k miles on it. Driven by a women for all but 1 year when her daughter drove it at college. The only mechanical problem they say it has is the 3800 hesitation deal. Other than that everything is ok.
Just don't want to buy a used car and have to pay a fortune to keep it going.

Thanks,
Greg

tesla042

The n/a's (such as that gxl) can be rather reliable, *IF* they are taken care of. That means, REGULAR oil changes, radiator flushes, etc.. Many go well past 200k miles if they're properly maintained.

You should get a compression test done on the engine. A mazda dealership should be able to do this for you. If the numbers turn out good, that means the engine internally is in good condition, and you shouldn't have too much to worry about.

-Tesla

vaughnc

LITESPEED,

Yeah the non-turbo's can be very reliable. As with any rotary car you should get a compression test on the engine. That lets you know if the previous owner changed the oil like they should and how good the interals are doing.

You might want to have your local rotary experet mechanic check it out as well.

I think you'd like the gxl as it is the luxury model and makes a great daily driver. Are you new to rotarys and rx-7s? If so your definitly in for a treat. This is one of the most followed sports cars around and definilty has a strong userbase & lots of aftermarket companies.

A few pics for you:

vaughnc

LITESPEED

I owned an 86 base model years ago and loved it. I only got rid of it because I needed a truck. I really love rotary engines. They if I remember correctly are smooth as silk! Thanks for the pics. By the way I like the rear spoiler on the silver model. Whose spoiler is that?

vaughnc

The spoiler was standard on the 87-89 GTU / GTU-S, 87-92 Turbo II, and 89-92 GXLs I believe. The 86-88 GXLs, 88-92 SEs, and 87 Sport had it available as an option. There is in fact 3-4 different type of OEM mazda spoilers.

I believe both Areo A and Areo B packages included that one and a slight larger one. The 86-88 years also had a flat-long spoiler simlar to the mitsubishi eclipses which I like the look of.

All of these can be found from most rx7 salvage yards(www.mazdasalvage.com), ebay, mazdatrix, from most mazda dealerships, mazdatrix, and several other rx7 websites.

BTW - the Areo B package had beefier side skirts, front lip, rear spoiler, and possibly the bumper as well compared to the Areo A package. The Areo B package can still be purchased through mazda and I believe mazdatrix and several other rx-7 websites sell it as well.

I think mitsubishi made the Areo A package and mazdaspeed made the B package.

LITESPEED

on the silver one?

tesla042

those are the stock wheels, actually.. for 89-90, i believe..

-Tesla