ArchangelX

This car is in absolute showroom condition...the paint is less than 2 years old with no orange peel, and no visible scratches or defects.

The interior is IMMACULATE..and when I say immaculate I mean it. It looks better than some of the cars I've seen of the showroom floor.

Plus..it's completly stock, has never been modified for racing, and has an extremely impressive stereo system installed already.

The engine bay is SPOTLESS...everything looks like it's brand new...

The turbos were replaced at 60k...

I test drove it, though...and here's the problem.

The car felt SLUGGISH..very sluggish. My Celica GT-S feels more alive than this car did. The owner said that the catalytic converters were shot, and that was what was holding the car back.

Plus...the entire car felt slightly...welps..kinda rickety...like it wasn't too sure of itself.

My question is...is this normal for a 1993 RX-7 R1? Do the RX-7s have a kinda...I don't know what the word is..but boatish feel? (remember, I'm coming from a 2,500 lb car).

What are your opinions?

Chronos

hahah, 2500 lbs to 2780lbs, yeah, that's a HUGE difference!!!

ArchangelX

Welps...it's not really that BIG of a difference, right...was that sarcasm?

I'm just trying to get some good info guys...I've already did the required searches about the maintenance and expected troubles..but I'm worried about the way the car FELT.

It felt..welps..sorta old...lol...kinda the way an old cadillac feels..soft and comfy..but rickety.

Is that a bad thing?

r0t0r-rooter

you never mentioned how many miles were on the car. There are too many things that can be holding that car back other than clogged cat/pre-cat (although that CAN be pretty common). It'd be in your best interest to get the car professionally checked out for things like boost, compression, etc.
also, 300lbs is only moderately noticeable (like having 1 extra passenger, full tank of gas, a backpack), but not if you are comparing a celica to an rx-7
just my 1 1/2 cents
-jerry

*oh yeah, try test-driving other rx-7's to compare

ArchangelX

90,000 miles...hell..here's the info...

JUDGE SAYS SELL!!! 1993 Mazda RX-7 Twin Turbo 255hP 5sp. This vehicle is in mint condition. 2 Year old paint job. 2 Month Old $3500 Infinity sound system and Kenwood MP3 Z919 cd player. 2 12in Inifinity subs are hidden in a fibderglass box where the spare tire used to reside. This RX-7 has not been performance modified. $900 CompuStar Remote Start and 2-way pager Alarm (1 mile range, it'll page you when alarm is sounded or motion sensor is set off). HID look headlights and sidelight conversion.



What'cha think?

skunks

3.5k???? if so, hell yes buy!

13brv3

As long as the price is reasonable, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it, especially from the condition you described. You can expect that the car needs some work on relatively minor things like vacuum hoses and exhaust, but these things are fixable, and it will be pleny lively when it's right.

As for the suspension feel, I'd bet that's also a fairly minor problem. Heck, a bad alignment due to worn bushings would be all it takes to screw up the feel of a tight suspension like the FD has. Also, there is a matter of definition of what "good" is. Responsive to some, would be twitchy to others.

Good luck,

manatecu

iTrader: (6)

With a 90K car it will need a new suspension ~1000. As far as the sluggish feel this could be many things> Does it still have a precat. You said it was stock so I assume it does. With 90K on a precat there is a good chance that the cat has eroded and is clogging the main cat. Most people replace the precat with a downpipe and the main cat with a high flow cat ~600 with labor. To gauge the engine you really need both a boost gauge and a compression test. Buy a gauge and hook it up to the manifold you should see about 20in/hg. If you see ~10 or less you could have an engine problem. Anothe way to guage if the engine is good is if you are sitting in neutral mash the accelerator does it blast up in the RPM's or very sluggishly go up (slowly). If it goes up slowly you have a seal problem. Mine probably goes from 0 to 9000 rpms in one second. A problematic car will take 3-5 seconds. Lastly I would run that boost gauge inside the car. When you accelerate at Wide open throttle you should see a 10-8-10 pattern. If you don't you probabily have a hose problem ~500.

Hope that helps.

Chris

johnchabin

iTrader: (2)

It's been repainted. Make sure it hasn't been in a wreck.

radkins

If it has clogged cats you will not see a 10-8-10 boost pattern.

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

It's not an R1. R1s didn't come in silver.

Sluggish. Could be the cats, but more typically the second turbo isn't working. Usually not an expensive fix but can be tedious to fix IF you do it yourself.

Move that front plate, it'll kill airflow to the radiator and IC. I had a project car with a plate in front of the rad opening, I moved it to the proper spot and probably picked up 20hp.

Move the stupid fog/driving lights. The one on the right side is OK I guess (no oil cooler there on the non-R models) but if the other one is in the opposite hole it is killing airflow to the oil cooler. RX7s need all the cooling airflow they can get.

It is probably a silver base model.

Jeff

ArchangelX

Welps..he said it had been repainted...so I'm not sure about the original color.

The car really is in well kept condition.

Question: How loud is a rotary?

This one has a slight ticking sound...is that normal?

ArchangelX

Thanks for the help by the way guys....I appreciate it. I'm going to go test drive another RX-7 today...just to compare.

bajaman

Well......you DO need to test drive a couple of other cars to see how they compare.
That car shouldn't be too bad, really.
I looked at a lot of FDs before I bought mine, I passed on all the thrashed and trashed ones. But they were usually cosmetically AND mechanically poor.
I too wonder about what is up with this car....is it in a bankruptcy or something? Very few people put a $3500 sound system in (2 months old?) and then sell a vehicle.
Something smells here.
A healthy FD will ASTOUND you with its power, I mean it will blow you away, unless you are used to powerful cars. And it will impress you immediately with its laser-sharp handling and responsiveness. These cars react almost to your THOUGHT!

ArchangelX

He said that he wants to get a 2003 Mustang Cobra. :p

Can't blame him on that one..if the Mustang looked like the RX-7, I'd be all over it.

But since it looks like crap..heh..too bad.

ArchangelX

Oh..and I'm also considering buying the RX-7...and having Cork in Portland, Oregon toss an entirely new engine into the car, with upgrades...

A helluva lot cheaper than a 39,000 Supra TT (which is what I'm trying to buy right now).

RX7withNitrous

How much do they want for the car?

ArchangelX

16,000-17000k...

I just got back from test driving another 93 that had 60k.

This sucker was MAD powerful...and handled very well.

I actually pushed it past 4,500 this time..and really felt the power.

I also accidentally did a 3,400 launch around a tight corner....

After this test drive..I came to these conclusions:

1)The RX-7 DOES feel noticeably heavier than my Celica...I guess 300 lbs does actually matter(the first one had a 100lb speaker setup in it).

The car feels..welll...tight..compact..but yet rather wieldy and when you're taking turns..you can definetly feel the weight of the car...but yet it takes those same turns rather well.

I think it's mostly my timidness about driving the car itself. I've never driven a high horsepower RWD car before.

2) The car is absolutely beautiful in stock form....the interior is GORGEOUS, and well done..and for a 1993 era automobile..it looks and competes with even todays new age interiors. It's fantastic in build quality and construction.

This is what I'm planning:

Buy the RX-7 for 16,000.

Immediately setup an appointment with Cork Sport in Portland, OR.

Get my engine rebuilt by Pineapple for the 5yr/60k plan with porting and polishing...

Redo the suspension.

It's not much of a plan..but I assume the RX-7 can be made into quite a beast right with the proper upgrades?

How does that sound, guys?

ArchangelX

?

rx7beginner

Seem about right...20k total for a fresh "R1" (? after motor) I really think is worth because of the new paint job and the 3.5k system. But i'm sure you can find a silver FD with a blown motor for lesser than 10k. If it was me I rather pick the 2nd option. GL with yurs.

ArchangelX

Well...check this..I just did some figuring as far as finances goes...

I went to my credit union this morning and asked for another 43,000 loan..only with looser stipulations for the 1998 Supra TT I've been trying to buy.

Well, I just found out that I have an A++ credit rating with a pretty damn good debt to income ratio. I also posed the question if I only bought a 16 to 17,000 car...and this sounded SO promising...

A 17,000 dollar loan at 60 months at 4.9% interest rate (that's what my Harborstone FCU is offering me) would cost me $320 dollars a month. If I did 72 months it would only cost me $273 a month...plus..I could make a HUGE payoff at the beginning of the loan..probably about $6,000 dollars up front. Or I could just take a smaller loan and pay that up front.

That brings me down from my $500 dollary Celica payment (I pay 100 bucks extra) by $180 or $227 if I do the 72.

I also found out my insurance would also go DOWN by $90 dollars from my 2000 Celica GT-S with a 1993 RX-7 TT. A Supra TT would cause my insurance to go up from the Celica GT-S by $80 dollars plus I'd have a 700 to 750 dollar monthly payment.

Now...that would be a HUGE amount of money I'm saving..plus I'd have a beautiful, exotic, sports car with great potential.

Reliability would be a factor....for sure, with the RX-7. But with a rebuilt engine and tranny, along with all of the reliability mods taken care of....this car would be pretty damn badass?

I can't believe I've totally changed course in just two days...

I think it's because of all the hell that I've realized I've gone through for the Supra, the huge price tag I'll have to pay, the increase in insurance, plus the realization that the RX-7 looks a helluva lot better to my own eyes as far as the exterior and interior goes.

I just did a Carfax on the VIN.

NO PROBLEMS..and it received the $5,000 CARFAX Clean Title History Guarantee, so that's a PLUS. No accidents...so that means that new paintjob it just received was purely for cosmetic reasons.

The paint job looks immaculate..I can't wait to see it in fully spot on bright light...I had a flashlight with me at the time...and I looked at the paint REALLY closely

nagaremonoX

Hmmm. you`re complaining about the difference in weight between your Celica and the RX-7, but you`re also going for a Supra? Have you driven one before? They`re a good 800 lbs heavier than your celica (about 3500 lbs for a TT) and believe me, you can feel that weight (my brother used to have one).

azndisgrace

you should really do the reliability mods before anything... especially getting a streetported engine

ArchangelX

Ya...I've ridden in one...and took the Supra for a VERY slow test drive (under 60 with a slight romp) but I never got to push it around. So although the weight was there, I couldn't feel it in the corners.

My Subaru WRX is pretty dang heavy, and to be honest, the RX-7 feels a helluva lot more planted than it does.

As for the reliability mods, that will be part of the build up plan, you don't think I'd just throw a brand new rebuilt engine in without making sure it doesn't blow up after the day I got it...

I'm reading as much info as I can about the car...I've already spent the past three hours reading every post I could find about "rebuilds".

Whew...too much info.

I'm totally serious about this car. I've just decided that I'm going to say SCREW the Supra and go with the RX-7 simply because the RX-7 is a cheaper monthly payment, looks twice as good (supra is still badass with a kit), and my insurance will go down while still having a 13 sec sports car in my garage.

As far as tuners go, how great is Cork Sport and Pineapple?

From my reading..they seem to be pretty kick *** shops...

ArchangelX

One other thing...

I did a Carfax ...and it came out completly clean with the $5000 dollar guarantee thingamabob.

So it hasn't been wrecked...