Gixxer

I went to check out an '88 10th anniversary TII last night. It has 126000k's (79000 Miles) on it and the owner says he has all the bills from the original owner. This is the first turbo rx that i have driven - we went for a good long test drive - in the city and the highway too. When i started the car the engine was ice cold (started right up) there were no hiccups that i noticed at all - as the engine warmed up the power became stronger. The boost was strong on the highway and i could hear the blow off valve working. The car was quick.

The only problems that i could see (in the dark) were that the tires were bald (he has winter tires too - not on rims though), the paint was very dull and flaking off in a few spots and there was a little bit of surface rust on the drivers door and rear fenders. The brakes didn’t seem too strong either, but the leather seats were in pretty good condition. I could tell the clutch was not new but it still grabbed. When i stomped on it at slower speeds the back end would dive a little.

Here are my questions:

1. Are these cars difficult to get to pass the emissions test?

2. I noticed that the rear end dove at little when accelerating – is this common? (I know this is a common problem on the 2 – 300ZX's that I have owned)

3. Is 126000K’s (79000 Miles)a lot for the rotary engine – how many K’s can you typically get? (I want to check all his bills – he says it has had 5K oil changes)

4. If the engine blows I would like to rebuild it myself – are the turbo and non turbo rotors and housings and other internal engine parts the same? Which model and year engine parts could I use from the scrap yard in the 88 TII? And basically how much are the parts for a rebuild going to cost?

5. The car should have a repaint, how much are we looking at for a decent paint job?

I know it will need fresh paint, brake work, and new tires, but I think the engine is solid…
I am thinking of going to take another look in the day light this weekend – what are some other things I should look into in the day light, should I do a compression test?

He is asking for $5500 uncertified and not emissions tested.
What do you guys think I should offer him based on all the things that I described above?????



Thanks for you help

Jason

tesla042

Instead of rebuilding it, you may want to consider a j-spec swap.. Potentially cheaper and easier...



There was a post just a while ago about paint jobs.. Depending on how much of the prep work you do yourself, you're looking at ~200$ for a crappy job, and ~1k$ for a good job.. US dollars..

-Tesla

ianbell

This isn't the car behind Fairview Mall in Kitchener is it? If it is I looked at it about two weeks ago and the body is a lot worse than you think - see my post on the Canadian thread about 2 weeks back.
Ian

Gixxer

Yes thats the car, its too bad that it has that much rust, i was
hoping that it was just some surface rust and just needed a
simple repaint.
I am new to the RX-7s - (i have had 2 - 300zx's)So did that seem to be a solid car engine wise though?

I'm just wondering so i will know what to look for!

Thanks for pointing out your previous post though - I guess i will
continue the search too...

Icemark

answers:

1. Yes and no, depends on how moded it is.

2. yes slighty it is common for all cars to dip some towards the rear when accellerating. If it is dipping more than an inch or two the springs or shocks may be worn.

3. 79k miles or 80k miles, that is not very many miles unless the engine has been moded. Typical for stock motors with regular oil changes is 120-150K miles. If it has been abused maybe 100k miles. A compression check on the car should tell you what the motor is like.

4. Very little is the same between an NA and a T2 motor. You would need another 86-88 T2 motor or buy the parts.

5 Depends on what you want. Anywhere from $500 USD to $5000 USD is typical.

vaughnc

Gixxer,

How much rust are we talking about? So far it's sounding like a great deal and the "macco special" could get the paint looking good again.

If it passes compression, I'd think you'd be REALLY!!!! satisfied with this car. With 300-450+HP potential, you'd have a blast.

Are these cars difficult to get to pass the emissions test?
- not too bad. Getting the 60K Mile service (tuneup) should resolve any emmission problems.

2. I noticed that the rear end dove at little when accelerating – is this common? (I know this is a common problem on the 2 – 300ZX's that I have owned)
- worn shocks or springs. No biggie

3. Is 126000K’s (79000 Miles)a lot for the rotary engine – how many K’s can you typically get? (I want to check all his bills – he says it has had 5K oil changes)
- Typically 130-170K miles on a non-abused engine. GET THAT COMPRESSION TEST done by Mazda. Be sure they tell you how they do the test specifically for a rotary engine car vs a normal car.

4. If the engine blows I would like to rebuild it myself – are the turbo and non turbo rotors and housings and other internal engine parts the same? Which model and year engine parts could I use from the scrap yard in the 88 TII? And basically how much are the parts for a rebuild going to cost?
- Stay with pulling parts from a turbo car. The 10th AE TII falls in the 86-88 years, so those are the years to pull from. I'd avoid 89-92 years as the parts are slightly different. Rebuilds are normally $1000-$3000 US depending on if you do it, J-spec vs not, etc..

5. The car should have a repaint, how much are we looking at for a decent paint job?
- well Macco is pretty cheap. If you sanded it yourself and had them do it, pretty cheap.

If it passes a qualified mazda compression test, then give him $5500. If it doesn't, then ask him to knock some $$$ off of the price.

Did you get a chance to check out this post yet?

https://www.rx7club.com/vforums/show...light=personal