spike9mm9

hey, i am now seriously starting to look at purchasing an rx7 now, and i think i found one, but it seems to be too good to be true. its a 94 FD 5 spd with few modifications like 3"down piping, shocks, and springs. they claim it has 40k original miles. this is what worries me. what are the factors that usually contribute to the need of a rebuild? i know it is usually done at 60k-100k miles, but what about time? does it require a rebuild, for example purposes only, like every 5 years or so? assuming this car was taken care of well, should i expect the normal life expectency of like 60k-100k miles out of this FD? also, anyone have any ideas or opinoins of warranties given out by Heritage? they claim to cover the engine for the life of the car and will pay for any repair fees and such for the life of the vehicle as long as it is under my ownership. does that sound fishy to you guys? i still have to call them and check it out, but it just seems to good to be true. cheap engine swap or rebuild for life for only $700 which is the cost of the warranty. well, thanks a whole bunch for your guys' time and opinions and i will really appreciate any input you guys can give me.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Get ALL the fine print and details of the warranty...because they can be real shady, like it covers the entire engine, and specifies all these parts like pistons, cams, etc...but does NOT include "rotors" or "rotor housings" or anything of that sort.

The result is, hey, you bought a warranty, you have the fine print, you didn't bother to realize whether the warranty covered the type of engine in your car or not. So, pretty much, you're left high and dry.

Another thing is, find out how much the deductible is. That's definitely important. In general, the lower the deductible, the higher the premium for the warranty.

Also, find out if the service can ONLY be performed at a specific location, or others as well. Why? Because frankly speaking, there are only a handful of shops you should (and when you learn more about FDs, you would) want to let touch your car.

So basically, don't take things at face value. You get what you pay for. I payed practically $2K for my warranty back in the day, for 3 years or 36K miles, and it spelled out EVERY single part that was covered, and what specifically was not covered. So no games there.

Oh and last thing, when you're checking the fine print, look to see if they have a clause about them not covering twin turbo vehicles, or if they specifically don't cover RX7s or other "high performance vehicles," because for the vast majority of warranties, not only are RX7s uneligieable due to age, but also due to them being twin turbo high performance vehicles, which basically guarantees that they'll be replacing an engine soon enough, so they just won't cover them.

Good luck w/ the car. Hope it all works for the best.

Sickass7

that whole warrant thing sounds kinda suspicious, and unless you find someone who smokes a lot of crack you won't find a rebuilt FD engine for 700 bucks. If that were the case I'd buy three of them to have on hand. mileage and age won't cause engine failure. Abuse, improper tuning, heat and other factors will lead to the need for a rebuild. my first engine lasted until 125,000 miles. They'd be out of their mind to put a warranty on an FD engine, or have some serious loop holes. BTW how much are they wanting for this '94?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Does the car check out well w.r.t. engine compression, coolant bubble test, boost pattern, and the other critical stuff?

spike9mm9

they want 12,995. this is the auto trader ad. i just called the dealer today and everything i know is what i wrote. also, they agreed to having the car checked out by a third party mechanic of my choice, but that isn't really saying much though.... they claim it has clean title, but carfax shows 4 previous owners. haven't seen the vehicle myself, i will do that this thurs. also, this is the website of the insurance company Heritage . i checked out their website a little more, and the little part about having it serviced at the selling dealer sounds kind of fishy to me. i will also call the heritage company tomorrow and find out a bit more. also, unfortunately the BBB couldn't say anything at this point about heritage. however, nvm, i am finding a lot of **** against them at http://www.ripoffreport.com . searching for heritage brings up a lot of reports that are making me uneasy. well i will go take a look, test drive it, and maybe just buy it without the warranty. quick question, does anyone know how often oil changes have to be done according to the manual? is it 5k? any input would be really appreciated.
thanks

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Do oil changes more frequently, say 2-3k.

And I would have no trouble buying without the warranty, assuming the car passes all important tests. Don't skip them or you will regret it.

pugg57

man... i dunno... the warranty DEFINTELY sound shady. the car on the other hand... 40k miles with 4 owners? it would sound to me at least like something is wrong with it that it only had that many miles with 4 people driving it... think about it, 10k and dump, 10k and dump... etc. i dunno man, MAKE sure you get that thing past every test you can possibly do and have a rotary specialist. you may be getting into more than you think you are. who knows.

one last thing... black wheels? that makes me think one of those owners was a little yo-boy man. be afraid, be very afraid.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Yea I agree w/ the 40K for 4 owners being VERY very low. I smell odometer rollback...

Simply said, I know you're probably all hyped up this low mileage and good priced 7...but in all honesty, I follow the saying, "When there is doubt, there is none." Ie, walk away. Walk away, and don't look back.

There are better cars w/ solid service history, no shady companies involved, etc. There's nothing pinning you down on buying ONLY this car. And for me, taking a chance on a 7 is a HUGE mistake. Well taken care of 7s are expensive enough as it is to maintain...

bigmack000

if they dont have the service history to back up the low milage i would walk away. i already made my mistake and iam paying for it now . dont want you to get some thing like i got.
joel

PVerdieck

It could easily be 4 owners with 40K mileage. My 94 R2 had two owners with 7.5K miles.

Some people in the snowbelt decide not to expose sportscars to salted roads and snow and ice. Some people buy these things as weekend toys. Someone may have bought it and them realized it was too much for them.

The best way, I would think, would be to see how nice the interior is, and how squeeky it sounds over bumps, etc. At 40K, the bushings should still be good.

PVerdieck

I hate this stupidity where we can't delete our double posts.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

I'd look at it this way - if the car is in good shape, and the mileage is correct, that's a HELLUVA deal. I wouldn't put a lot of faith into a warranty company - put that money that you would spend on a warranty away and put a little extra in the pot every month, and you'd quickly have enough for a new motor. But, take care of the car, make sure some of the reliability mods have been done (coolant temp gauge, aluminum AST, downpipe, etc.) and enjoy the car.

Dale

pugg57

i never said it wasn't possible, i was just saying that i would be a little leary. but then, i don't know ANYTHING about this car's histroy. i was just implying that it makes me wonder why it was 10k and out for 4 people already.

academytim

For what it's worth...I had a heritage warranty on my car the first 2.5 years I owned it. The previous owner had purchased it and I had it transfered for $50 bucks. Didn't have any problem with them when I developed on oil leak. Dealer replaced a **** ton of o-rings and installed a brand new oil pan free of charge.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

I gotta disagree w/ you there.

Is it POSSIBLE? Yes. But EASILY? Hell no. That implies that it's very likely, and readily found/available. Surely, that's not the case w/ these cars. That's why this would be a gem if this was the case, but *most likely*, it's not.

Or maybe I'm just a pessamist haha