so i'm thinking about buying an RX-7 from a guy at work. got a few questions for you experts out there... first, the car is in excellent shape, and very well cared for. however, it only gets driven a couple hundred miles a year. i've heard that can be especially bad for rotarys, any truth to that? also, i need a good asking price for it. he's not really sure he wants to sell it, and wasn't sure about what he'd want, either. oh, and just how bad, really, is the logicon unit and it's replacement cost? what does it all control?

details:
it's an 87, non-turbo in great shape.
has a few aftermarket goodies on it (don't know exactly - been a year since i've seen it!)
nice stereo; i don't really care about that though.
pretty sure the apex seal has been replaced
not sure how many miles, but bet on 100k.
how much should i offer? KBB value lists it around $2800.

thanks!!

 

Well, turbo rotaries die at about 120k to 150k miles. See if the engine HAS been rebuilt, and GET RECEIPTS!!!!!! KBB is always off. For an 87, $2500 at most, unless the engine has been rebuilt recently. The logicaon controlls the heater/air conditioning. It is the unit in the dash that you set the temp with. About $150 in parts, and probally like 2 hours of work in the driveway. I have no a/c or heater in mine, so no biggie for me!!

 

I have bought working Logicons on Ebay for as little as $10+ shipping.

I doubt the apex seals have been changed unless the whole motor has been rebuilt, which typically would be pre-mature at 100K miles unless he really thrashed the hell out of it and didn't take care of it (which it does not sound like in this case).

If it is a 87 Sport, hop on it. They were the fastest NA next to a 89-90 GTUs.

Depending on condition I'd offer $2000 to start with and if it really is as good as it appears then up to $2500/$2600.

Get a compression test first though.

 

Oh, I am a MORON!! I thought you said Turbo. Heh. Anyway, good call on the eBay. IF the engine has only 100k, it can last till 200,000+ miles. My 91 has 101,000 miles, and it still kicks ***. I still think $2800 is a little high, but you make the call!! I also agree with Mark, the apex seals are rarely cjanged without a full rebuild, (there is no point) so see what has been done, and like I said, get receipts for the work...

 

thanks so far! i'll talk with the guy today at work. he's completely trustworthy, plus i know he'll have receipts anyway. i'm thinking real hard about this - i test drove alot of 2nd gens before i bought my vw 4 years ago (every one was juuust out of my price range) and now would be the time for me to actually get one. any more info/insight, LMK!

 

Don't forget to ask him if it burns oil. If he says no he's either lying or the car has been run low on oil a lot. Rotaries are designed to burn oil. I believe its about 1 quart per 2500 miles.

 

I really liked mine. It was a little lowon the power scale but that was ok for a daily driver.

-Get a bonez high flow cat and a N1 single exhaust and you'll see a good noticable power incress mine was about $725 from rotary performance. Bolts right on.
-Also pop the thremostat out and go to the auto parts stor adn find a 180 degree thermostat that looks the same, there are like 4 or 5 differnt types total for all the cars out there. The 160 degree is too cold for a rotary unless its texas, arizona, nevada, saudi arabi in the summer.
-K&N air filter..... enought said right there.
-OIL and spark plug changes VERY VERY VERY regularly.
-I cut open 3 holes on the trailing edge of my intake cover using a 2" hole saw for my drill.
-If you really wan to add some more power then remove the secondary throble body plates and the 5th and 6th port sleeves, but only remove the sleeves if they are frozen and not working.
-weight reduction..... your choice lots of options.

Im sure im forgetting lots of things here but there are a lot of regulars that have good reliable information. Like RETed and rx7_ragtop.they helped me a lot and Im sure they will again on my next project.

Good luck

 

ok, here's more info:

it's an 86, not 87
93,000 miles
owned for 11 years! driven very sparingly the last 5-6yrs.
3 sets of wheels & all aftermarket items included (stereo too)
I told him I was thinking between 2500 - 3000; he's gonna add up his papers and decide what it's worth.
wish me luck!