I have been looking to buy an FD for quite some time. All the while i have been waiting for this one to be finishied with the rebuild. Its a 1994 RX7, about 114k miles with a brand new motor, new engine harness, peditt DP, greddy exhaust, new OEM clutch, rebuilt tranny, and a new paint job. He just got it up an running and i went to look at it yesterday. When i got there the car was cold an when he started it i stood behind it it had a little puff of black smoke but nothing terrible, idle was smooth. We went for a short drive and it felt pretty good. It did however start to smoke a little bit so we came back to the shop. It had just a little smoke coming up from above the exhaust manifold. (Not out of the exhaust manifold itself) I think he might have spilled some oil that was burning off or maybe something serious was wrong. Either way the car isnt finished just yet and i wanted some opinions on the car. I think he wants about 11k for it. Its coming with stock rims the front left tire had a flat so he just had that wheel on it in the meantime. No compression #'s yet...
Here are some pics to keep you guys happy

 

The intake has a dent in it.

 

good call, it didnt before he put it on the car though. I saw it before, i dont know how that happened.

 

Its just a filter and some plastic piece, no big deal... looks ok to me, course I cant really say without driving it. I would however, get a new filter and cover for it and fix that hole in the drivers seat.

 

car looks great!!

11k for an FD with a fresh rebuild and new paint?

sounds good to me

just make sure you get paperwork on who/where did the rebuild..so that maybe covers warranty etc etc..

 

From the front view of the car it appears as though the undertray may be missing. Make sure that's on the car. New paint and new motor are good things, but the interior seems to have been ridden pretty hard. Check the inside of the pipe that connects the crossover pipe to the intercooler. If it's soaked with oil the turbos may be getting tired. For a couple of grand more I think you could do considerably better, but that's just my opinion.

 

undertray is missing..

i'd have that exhaust replaced and the intake

also the bose is ripped out...

whats the deal with mismatching wheels?

 

Like i said that one wheel is just a stand-in for the moment.
I noticed that the undertray was missing too thats why i got that pic.
The interior is a little rough i will admit, not too wild about that. Curtis James and the guy he employs built the engine. He seemed pretty confident in the engine. He said he would warrenty it for a year so that makes me feel good.

 

Good call on the turbos, i still have yet to check the condition of those seeing as how the car just got up and running. Before i got real serious about buying i would do a compression test with him and try and get her on the dyno to make sure she puts out
What should a new engine with those mods lay down to the wheels about?

 

It looks like it needs a lot of TLC. New tires, tie-wrap job, the A/C line in the front bumper looks jacked up. Stock AST, and a missing fuse box top. It looks like you'll need do all the reliability mods.

Not a bad price for new paint and motor. Needs a couple a grand and you'll be set.

 

Seem to be quite a few odds and ends missing or broken. No hood insulation,
no grill bars, and other things. That FDs been beaten, but that doesn't mean you
can't bring it back into shape. Hope some flex add was used on the front end. Check under trim and seals to see if it was a mask job or a quality repaint. I think the cars
in Arlington. PM me and let me know if this guy knows his stuff.

 

Knowing what I know now I would hold out for something better, but that's me.

 

And make sure it passes Texas emissions before buying. If your looking to get it pristine you'll put at least 3-4k into it and lots of time.

 

11k seems like a pretty fair price. I would go with 10k cash when its done and take her home.

I dont know what some of you guys are talking about the car looks beat and thrashed. Its missing the smallest crap that really isnt very important. I would put a AST on it and call it day. I will agree the car does need attention but I would considor it minor. I drive my car without everything that car is missing with the exception of the ast. I wouldnt call plastic peices that can be installed in about two hours a lot of TLC either.

 

Fallacy. It could merely be oil from the PCV system which is normal for ANY FD driven with aplomb.

Crispy

 

Looks like a reasonable deal. Like others have said, I would make him get a new state inspection sticker unless the one on it has at least 8mos or so left.

Mike

 

I think "SOAKED" is the key word I used to advise him. Granted, all FDs to have a thin film of oil in the pipe from the PCV, but if it's 'dripping' you could be seeing the early signs of a problem.

 

ive been looking for a decent rx7 around cali, but most are hard to find in good condition. I've bought several cars that needed" "TLC", i'd just keep waiting for the right one.