well, before I hand over the goods, what should I look for? I am buying this car on the internet. The seller swears on a stack of bibles that the car is straight, no problems, good motor, no overheating, perfect compression. Is there any visual cues that can set me off that I should be looking for? IF anybody could be there too, that'd be great.

Don

 

http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobinette/

 

http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/

 

Step 2, go to Third Gen archives and read up.

Your location just says Akron, I assume that you live in Ohio?

 

Run a check through CarFax, can't hurt. You might find if it has ever been wrecked. Also, you'll get a better sense of how many owners it has had.

http://www.carfax.com/

 

I would try to get it compression checked at least before I agreed to pay for the car. "Swearing on a stack of bibles" isn't going to do you much good if you need a new engine in a couple of days/weeks/months. Good luck with the purchase and I hope it goes well.

 

I would find a RX-7/Rotary specialist to look it over for you. I recently bought a 93' touring, and i did not have it checked out. I think it has a leak somewhere, but not sure. It's not bad, but again, it's just one of those things.

Anybody with a related article on leaks, give me some pointers. thanks

 

Is the car coming from dayton/centerville area? If it is, I am/was interested in buying it I hope it's not the same one! Have fun with it! (even if it is)

 

no, its from Tennessee. We will be meeting halfway in Charleston, WV. There are four MAzda dealers in the area. Should I schedule an appointment with them to have the look over the car? Or are they not considered 7 specialists? Are there even any in that area? If there is anybody in the area that can help me out, I would be so grateful. Thnx for all those links, considering exactly same link that came up gabazillion times when i used the SEARCH BUTTON. =) I ran the car through carfax, its straight as far as I know. *sigh*.. thnx for the help and putting up with a newbie. I am doing my best to learn and read as much as I can.

Don

 

MazDuh dealerships are definately NOT considered experts. Stay as far away from them with your car as possible unless you're just wanting your fuel filter changed. Ask around on the forum for specialists in the Charleston, WV area (post in the Regional section of the forum). Better yet, ask around on the regional section for a specialist near where the owner lives and have him take it to the recommended specialist and get it tested BEFORE you agree to buy the car. Make satisfactory results on the compression test a contingency for finalizing the purchase of the car. The seller may require you to pay for the compression test and that will run you around $100 roughly. Better to spend the $100 to find out if the engine is on it's way to needing a replacement than being surprised and unprepared. If the engine compression is bad I'd pass on the car since you're wanting to drive it home. If you still wanted this car specifically, then I'd negotiate the price down to cover a new engine purchase and have the car shipped to you or a shop to swap the engine.