No Tread

Hello all. New member, first post here. Just wanted to say & provide a link to an RX-7 I just won off of eBay.

About a month back I sold my '98 Corvette C5 & was looking for a new vehicle, then yesterday night, I found this car on eBay, spur of the moment. Looked sweet, nice mileage, have always been a big 7 fan. Here is this link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Looked it over, everything looked good, so I called it a night & waited for morning. Woke up, bid on it, won it. After I won it, I did a Carfax just incase(yeah a little late, but whatever). So, went to see the VIN # & noticed something under the VIN number.

Anyways, I am apparently a retard. First, look at the main one-sentence description of the car. Now, look above the VIN # in the general description area. Notice the problem? Title/main description says '93, but... under the general desription, the year says '94...! Crap. So I carfaxed it. It also say it's a '94 there too. Well, wtf? Is this a scam, everything seemed legit, but that mistake. Also, I noticed he said the car has the touring package on it, which is consistent w/ a '93, but in '94 it's called a PEG. Another small contradiction.

Opinions? Anything to worry with? Or should I be happy that this is a '94 instead of a '93? Oh, & the carfax looked good. The last event that has been recorded for this car was in 8/1/99. Also, to note, the first thing recorded on the car was 5/16/95 w/ only 10 miles on the odometer, when it was first titled. This information actually makes the car seem like a '95, when I think about it(or maybe it just sat on a lot for a while).

Well, what's the verdict guys. Am I just thinking too much or should I have my bs-sheild up? Anyways, this should soon be my first 7, if everything goes as planned. Also, hey everyone, once again. Sorry, for the long first post.

compuskills

I would be worried about the fact that he has zero feedback.

clayne

Slightly strange, but I don't think things are too hugely out of whack. However the last section that says "has sat for a while and needs some work." is what you should be concerned about.

Unholy FD3S

i dont think the plates even match up.

jic

iTrader: (1)

he probably just made a mistake in the ebay category section and put 93 instead of 94.
and the PEG is probly just a small mixup from the owner.
i thought i had a touring the whole time but i had no bose system and a rear windshield wiper.
then i found out it was a PEG(popular eequipment package)
no biggie..just hope the motor is still running fine since 14k is a price for a fd with a good healthy motor

sevensix

iTrader: (1)

montego blue paint and tan interior.. most enviable color combination lol. love ethat part of the ad

No Tread

compuskills: That did originally bother me, but I said f'-it & threw my hands up & went for it anyways.

clayne: That part also worried me a bit. But after thinking it through, I figured he must be talking about your regular maintenance(aside from the tires). Let's hope I'm right...

fdrf: Dude, I can't even tell. Everything looks all blurry on my computer(w/ the plates that is). The car has had two owners & those pictures are obviously from different locations.

jic: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. As for the motor, it better be good!!! I wanted this Fd instead of other higher-mileage ones bc I don't want to have to worry about mechanical issues. I want it done safely & reliably-right the first time. I want this thing to be babied. There will be WW3 if I get this car & it doesn't run properly...

sevensix: Ha ha. No kiddin', this may be my new Fd, but that is def. bs. Give me anything cym/anything, anyday over this.

Thanks so far guys. Quite a bit of different opinions here too. Anyone else?

coolvette

if i were you,i would inspect this car before i would send a deposit.did you speak with the seller yet?14k for a fd with such low mileage almost seems too good to be true.be carefull on this one.ebay seems like scam central lately.

Dan Stevenson

Post in the regional forums and see if there is anyone near Amesbury, MA to take a look at the car. I have won a car on ebay that had a clean carfax, but we suspected something was wrong with it. I ended up not buying the car, so it is possible to get out of the deal.

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Go to see the car. Look at it, drive it, and make your decision.

Upgrayedd

iTrader: (1)

IMO your solution would be to NOT buy cars off eBay.... BUT, if you decide to buy a car off eBay then make sure it's close enough for you to look at it so you don't have to WORRY about all those little things and you can significantly reduce the risk of a scam

A3ON7

the best thing for u to do is go down and take a look and test drive the car urself to make sure that it's real. that's what i do if i'm u.

Kento

, plus don't pay anything until you do...

rynberg

Sorry to sound like an ***...but I think your picture is next to the word "gullible" in the dictionary.

Spending 14k on a car sight unseen from a person with zero feedback, with the ad stating the car has sat a while and needs work, and expecting everything to be "fine" is, to put it bluntly, damn silly.

14k should get you an FD in a pretty reasonable condition in most of the country (Cali excluded).

JConn2299

That's exactly what happened. I can tell you from personal experience that in the spring and summer of '95 there were many unsold '94 models sitting on dealers' lots.

There are things to worry about this car however. Buying any car sight unseen is at best a roll of the dice. You don't know what horror stories and expensive problems could be awaiting you. In this case, the low mileage is no assurance of reliability. That car sat for long periods of time. The seller claims it was never driven in winter.

My biggest concern would be a car sitting with uncirculated and unchanged coolant. The coolant seals are one of the biggest vulnerabilities of this car. When they leak, your engine is gone. Replacement / reman units cost in the $4,000-$5,000 range. Was the coolant changed every 2-3 years? Was the car started up and run for a half hour every two weeks while it sat for those long periods over 11 years? I doubt it.

What about the fuel filter? It's another vulnerability. Has it sat for long periods of time with old gasoline in it? I would bet it's probably never been changed in the life of the car (given what a pain in the *** it is to change.) At least with the fuel filter you can change it as soon as you get the car.

You wouldn't be the first e-bayer to back out of winning bid. (Anybody watch that Kathy Griffen show? When she auctioned a weekend at her house on e-bay the top 5 bidders all backed out of the deal. Some shmuck who was #6 ended up taking it.) I'm with the other posters. Go see it before you lay down any money.
I'd rather get a red letter dis on e-bay than a $5,000 repair bill.

JConn2299

Oh, yeah....probably 11 year old brake fluid too. The brake "problem" could be seized calipers. Another big expense.

I say wear your e-bay dis as a red badge of courage.

israel

iTrader: (3)

well, good luck to you, but 'needs work' is a blank check for pretty much any possible mechanical problem. i hope it works out well for ya.

RX7UP

If this is legit... You got your self a bargin!

Good luck!

seanbrowning

The part about "needs some work" implies that its too much to list. But a 17k original miles '94 for 14k+5k repairs = 19k, which is still a deal imo.

No Tread

Thanks guys, & all I can say, is 'we'll just have to see'. I have seen him numerous questions that I want filled out & sent back w/ pictures in full. If I am wrong, then yes, I am gullible & probley dumb, but if I am right, then I got lucky. The bigger the risk, the better the rewards. Silly cliche, but whatever. The only thing that concerns me would be the car sitting for so long w/o being ran. I am ignorant to rotaries to an extent & didn't realize the problems of the car sitting & leaks & such. Also, I wish I could see the vehicle, but I live in Ga, the car is from Ma. So, yeah... Perphaps, I am gullible, & place to much trust/faith in others, but I'm still sending two middle fingers out to rynberg, as I don't think your reply helped my situation any. Anyhow, thanks again guys for your opinions. I would've posted here overnight showing the vehicle & asking questions before hand, but I was afraid someone else might see it & get trigger-happy & bid on it. Oh well, my loss or my gain, I'll let yall know...

JConn2299

I would just add that you shouldn't be seduced by looks. It doesn't always represent the true condition of a car. Many of us fall for this one. Emotion overrules judgment. It's like getting hooked on some girl who turns out to be a whack job.

You could take a brand new car, put it in your garage for 11 years, and that car would not be in pristine shape. The paint may look perfect, and the interior may smell brand new, but meanwhile the fluids in the car would have deteriorated and likely have caused damage.

In the case of this car you've got the concerns of use and maintenance. Did a previouis owner get heavy on the boost before the car was fully warmed up? Were the fluids changed frequently enough even though the miles are low?
A vehicle that is sidelined for weeks or months because of engine or brake problems is sure to take the shine off that "new car feeling."

One other thing to consider.......is there a rotary engine specialist in your area you can turn to if you run into trouble?