Hello,
I am looking at buying a 93 rx7 touring. I have done alot of searches and reading and i have found a lot of info on what to look for. So after doing research and looking through a ton of cars i think i have found a pretty decent one. It seems to meet a lot of the criteria that i read i just wanted your opinions to make sure he has a set up that is decent.

Here is the ad:
This is the '93 RX-7 Vintage Red Touring Edition with the Rotory Engine and Twin Sequential Turbos. The Stereo is the Original Bose AccustiWave. The 3rd Generation RX-7 is one of the most unique cars ever made. I have had this baby for 7 1/2 years and loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, the kids are in college and it's time to sell it. The interior is in pretty good condition including the leather seats. Modifications are as follows: Mazda Remanufactured Motor (1,500m), '99 J-Spec Turbos (25,000m), New Toyo Proxy T1R Tires (1,500m), New ACT Clutch (1,000m), 3" Down Pipe, 3" Racing Beat Hi Flo Cat, 3" Racing Beat Dual Tip Catback, Profec-B Boost Controller, Pillar Mount Boost and Temp Guages, Pettit Stage 3 ECU, Pettit Cold Air Intake, Pettit 2x Intercooler, Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump, Cusco Strut Tower Brace, Silicone Hoses, 2x Radiator, Fan Switch Mod, Wolf Custom Fit Indoor Car Cover


The chasis has 103k on it but as the ad states the motor was just rebuilt, as for the shop i have never heard any good or bad comments about our local mazda dealership and rotaries.
It seems he has aknowledged the fact that putting that exhaust and intake and all that is gonna need more fuel, and he already has the temp gauge, boost guage, and the fan switch mod done so i assume he knows what he is talking about.

I used to have an fc but it was a piece of junk that i just let sit around so this will be my first rotary that i will actually take care of. The car is in very good shape, and he is asking 13,500. So is this a decent start for a rx7? i will probably be driving the car daily for about a month or two until i find a beater.

Thanks for any input,
Dustin

 

It sounds like a good deal. You should get a beater first though. Don't expect to be able to drive it daily in Ohio during the winter.

 

Do a carfax on it, check it out throughly including boost pattern. Interior parts are very expensive to replace if busted/missing. Check the operation of everything. Listen for clunks in the rear ( bushings ).

13.5 would be 2k too high for me, but each his own.


Later

 

were are you located in ohio. just curious

 

im in oxford which is about an hour north of cincy, hour south of dayton, thanks for the advice, can you check the boost pattern with the boost guage or do i need a special tool? I might have just lined up a beater too so i should be good on that end of it.

 

It says it has a boost gauge on the pillar. If not then - Run a vac hose from intake nipple to inside of car. Hook boost gauge onto it. Test drive.


Later

 

okay cool, are the trannys on rx7s pretty tough or do you think this one might be a little beat up with 100,000 miles on it

 

100k on the tranny is just about wen u start having problems with the grinding first gear..also go to the car start it, but make sure its been sitting...it shud idle up high for a few moments, thats a factory setting for cold starts, wen idle drops see how it sits...then, drive the car..make sure the boost pattern is correct, after your dun driving shut the car off...wait a few moments then try and start it again..this is big, a lot of 7's were on recall for a fault ground that wouldnt allow the car to start after having been driven for a period of time..other then that i always take my cars to a lift...

 

any difference between stock 93 tranny and jdm 93 tranny. You can find the jdm ones all over but the stock ones are a little harder. Thanks for the tip on the recall, i'll make sure to do that.

 

yes, the gearing is different. i have one in my car and everyone thinks that i drive on the highway in 4th when i am really driving in 5th. you get used to it after a while.

 

Do you like it better than the stock one?

 

Don't worry about the tranny as long as it's in good shape. When (if) you get the car change the tranny oil and diff oil along with a bunch of other maintenance.

JDM trannys have a different 5th gear. All other gears are the same, although I think very late model JDM trannys have less beefy synchros on 1st and 3rd gear.

Dave

 

ok thanks, ive been reading alot about what to do when you first buy your rx7. changing all your fluids, changing all the vacuum lines, belts, all that good stuff just to make sure its running okay.

 

Why do you say your FC was "a piece of junk"? An RX-7 is a RX-7 regardless of the year if you ask me. I would not hesitate to take any gen 7 weather it be 1st, 2nd or 3rd all RX-7 are badass I don't consider any of them "junk". Just my two cents.

 

Well i bought my FC off of a kid who took it to a body shop to be painted, they skim coated it with bondo but didnt do a very good job sanding it, it was really wavy, then he proceeded to let it sit out side and the rear quarters were just big rust holes that were packed with bondo, then he wrecked into a telephone pole and twisted the front end up pretty good, it would run but not very good at all, and when i brought it home i took out the carpet at there were several rust holes in the floor pan that you could stick your fist through without even coming close to touching the sides. Oh and he blew one of the oil cooler lines and so he split a garden hose and wrapped it around and tightened it with zip ties, it still leaked and he still drove it and it barely had any oil in it when i got it. I saw it and was still really excited because it was an rx-7 and my parents tried to talk me out of it because i was only 16 at the time and i ended up buying it and drove it for about three months every day after fixing the oil cooler line and other small things, then i just decided to pull the motor one weekend so i did and then i started tearing the whole car apart and realized how much money it was going to take to fix this thing to decent and ended up selling it to some guy.

 

Some cars have more potential than others. That would have been a lot to fix for a DD. It could have been a good dusty project car though. You could have called it Rusty. If you aren't broke now you will be with a FD. good luck with buying a 7.

Peace

 

I have to agree with SpideyFan, the FD RX-7 is a relatively expensive sportscar to own. Combine that with parts that are more exclusive and you will have relatively longer wait times with higher maintanence costs. You will definitely need multiple jobs if you're still in school to properly care for this car.

 

Amen to that. In fact, given the state of the market, I'd go even lower.

Original poster, the way I read you, you haven't seen this car yet. You'd be unwise to buy without fully inspecting and driving the car.

First of all, 103k miles is an old, well used car. Second, a rebuilt engine is a crapshoot. There are many posters here who **** and moan about the short life of their rebuilt engine. Third, the seller says his leather seats are "pretty good."
HA! Not at 103k miles they aren't. Odds are there are rips and worn spots in the driver's side upper bolster. If you want your car looking good, factor in a seat recovering or new seats into your purchase.

But most of all, go and look at and drive this car. And if you don't feel competent to evaluate the health of a twin turbocharged rotary engine, get someone who does. A less than knowledgeable purchase on your part could lead to a $4,000+ engine replacement, or a car that sit immobile in your driveway.

 

thanks for the advice, you are right i have not seen the car yet, i just found the ad while i was sitting in the airport on my way to florida. Im gone until next saturday but i plan on looking and driving the car when i get back. I only have one job and im part time but i make pretty good money because i still live at home and have no bills, and my dad works for an insurance company so that is free car insurance. Ive already done some research on seat recovering. Rx7store sells the covers and there is a local upholstery shop that does really good work for pretty cheap. And as for the price it is actually priced at 15k but when i called he said 13,500. It has been on the market for at least six months and he told me he is very flexible on that price he needs to get it gone to pay for his kids college. I was gonna offer 11 and see what happens from there. And as for the cost of ownership, i understand that they are expensive to maintain and you may have some wait time for parts, however i got another car to drive worst case scenario, i am pretty much just buying this car to drive in nice weather and to have some fun in

 

Honestly, the price isnt far off if the body is straight. If the engine and body of a fd are in good shape then the rest of the stuff is all minor. It has a lot of nice mods to go along with a fresh reman(though the reman can be a gamble most are really nice). Doesnt look like too bad of a deal, the market is soft, but you dont see too many clean running fds selling for less than $12k.

 

Well from the pics i have seen it looks very clean, no rust, no wrecks, good paint. Interior is not missing anything but drivers seat is probably worn but that is not too expensive of a fix. The only ones i have seen under 12k are ones that have 100,000 miles on original motor, no rebuilds. With the mods he has done what do you think the rwhp would be?

 

A pettit ECU car with fool exhaust on 12lbs as long as the sequential system is actually working correctly will almost always put down between 310-330rwhp. It is a great ECU for someone happy with that power level.

Everyone has their own opinion on what cars are worth, I have more experience than most(likely all on this forum) when it comes to buying/selling fds. If the motor is good and body is good I would go in offering that guy $12k and see what happens.

 

Cool thanks for the advice, i have set up a meeting with him to go view it the day after i get back from florida, i'll keep you guys updated and take a bunch of pics and info from drivin it.

 

When I bought my 7, I missed some things I wish I caught. I took my car to the body shop this weekend and they were able to tell that the car got into a minor fender bender almost immediately.

Check for repainting on the car, ANYWHERE. Nothing is insignificant. Every repainted spot has to have a story behind it.
The inside of my drivers side door, had been painted over. It was hard to notice so I didnt care. Apparently, this was done to cover the bondo that was used instead of using the seal to properly seal the door.

Check the gaps between all the exterior parts of the FD. They should be fairly even. The gap going from my front bumper to the actual chassis was very flush and it looked like it crumped slightly. I didn't think much of it. Later on when I installed new head lights, we discovered that the head light covers were broken (they were repaired) and when we put them back on, they wouldn't stay flush with the hood. We also noticed that the motor for one of the headlights kept moving up and down when you popped them up and down. Something wasnt fitting right. This was all confirmed at the body shop as well.

Checking car fax wont tell you everything and in lots of cases, previous owners will miss things to. Not all of us are body shop professionals. If I didnt take the car to the body shop, I would have missed ALOT.

 

Take a friend or family member with you. You need someone who is not part of the transaction to look at the car through impartial eyes. Preferably not a friend, as they generally will be as goggled eyed as you.