Need help on buying 1993 FD
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FOR SALE
Joined: Jun 2002
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From: Central Florida
Need help on buying 1993 FD
Ok guys, I know this has probabily been posted a thousand times, but i need some help on this particular car.
ITs a 1993 Rx7, that sounds like a touring model. Its got 54k miles on the motor. Me and my dad (im 18) are going to look at it thursday. Im gonna do a compression test to be sure its not gonna blow up on the way home. Firstoff, in reading the posts on this board, how can you tell if the coolant seals are good?? And when i get the car, If i do buy the car, add a new radiator, better coolant ratio, boost guage, AF guage, and emilinate (or should i replace?) the AST?
and then the price, he thinks its fair, but i want to be sure, the KBB value is 13945, and its got a few aftermarket things added to it, and he is asking 15500 for it. Please give me your imput, and any good ways to determin that the motors and turbos are good.
ITs a 1993 Rx7, that sounds like a touring model. Its got 54k miles on the motor. Me and my dad (im 18) are going to look at it thursday. Im gonna do a compression test to be sure its not gonna blow up on the way home. Firstoff, in reading the posts on this board, how can you tell if the coolant seals are good?? And when i get the car, If i do buy the car, add a new radiator, better coolant ratio, boost guage, AF guage, and emilinate (or should i replace?) the AST?
and then the price, he thinks its fair, but i want to be sure, the KBB value is 13945, and its got a few aftermarket things added to it, and he is asking 15500 for it. Please give me your imput, and any good ways to determin that the motors and turbos are good.
what the poor bastard college student said and you being 18 (no offense) but will you be able to MAINTAIN the car as it properly should be ? these can get very expensive sometimes...not trying to be an *** but its always good to see both sides of it...
Red Mist
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: UCLA
that too, but you missed "him and his dad" are going to check it out... i know a LOT of people with rich parents who would just pay for the ish and be like, ok, there you go son! and then be on their own way
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: FL-->NJ/NYC again!
Sounds like it could be a good deal if the exterior/interior are in good shape and it has good compression. Make sure the turbos are boosting properly (10-8-10 psi) and check for signs of an accident. Also, pony up 20 bucks and run a carfax report. What kind of mods does it have?
Thread Starter
FOR SALE
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 738
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From: Central Florida
Ok, well thanks guys for establishing that im a younger FD fan. Shoulda left out that 18 yo part... well anyway, just so you know im not getting it because its fast, its sexy as anything, and theres only two in my city, Ive read web page after webpage, printed about 30 pages of info on the cars, used about half my highlighter read the first 15 pages on this (3rd gen) forum, and decided that im gonna go for it, if that car doesnt fit the criteria, i have 8 more in my area so im not gonna jump on the first one. And guys, since we have determined that im just a "poor highschool student" with a father, could we please answer my questions if ive got the right idea on making it "bulletproof" as quoted on BOTH of the sites on the STICKY on this forum. Thanks,
any additional ways to help the motor stay cool (in central florida might i add) would be greatly appreciated.
any additional ways to help the motor stay cool (in central florida might i add) would be greatly appreciated.
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From: elkview
One way to check the for coolant seal damage is to look in the add coolant tank and see if there is any black residue that looks like oil. Also take off the radiator cap while it is cold to see if any oil is floating on top. Make sure u see the car do a cold start! u will be able to tell alot about the motor and turbos that way.
Rotary Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,025
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From: Huntington Beach, CA, USA
Just so you don't get paranoid, you may see some little black grains on the coolant dipstick, which I always seem to have. I'm pretty sure its little bits of coolant hose that flake off and then float to the top and get all concentrated right at the fill neck. I'm not positive if thats what it is but I've had my FD for 2 years now and its never used a drop of coolant, but everytime I check there's always a few black specs of rubber clinging to the dipstick. Compression check pretty much says it all when it comes to engine internals. You can't really tell how good the coolant seals are until there's a noticeable problem, but ask the seller if he ever has to add coolant and if you can observe the car at cold startup. It shouldn't smoke (a little bit of blue smoke is ok but nothing else) on startup and it should never use significant amounts of coolant.
Last edited by Nathan Kwok; Jun 12, 2002 at 02:56 AM.
Something I picked up during my research (still don't have my FD yet either)
When you go to look at the car, show up early, so the seller doesn't have time to warm up the car, that way you can make sure you are starting up a cold car.
Here's some info I got from another FD owner:
When you go to look at the car, show up early, so the seller doesn't have time to warm up the car, that way you can make sure you are starting up a cold car.
Here's some info I got from another FD owner:
I would take a screwdriver and pull one of the front blinkers. (oval light below headlight). It is a single screw and the lens pulls right out. This is an easy way to see if the nosecone has been repainted, whether there are layers of paint and whether it was properly painted (if it was). Many body shops don't even pull that lens and mask around it. PLUS, I have seen several Rx7 that have sat in storage for extended periods of time that have mouse/rat damage to the wiring harness right at that lens.
For some reason, mice like to get in the nosecone. I believe they like to eat the styrofoam that makes up the bumpers. I have seen 3 cars with the wiring harness GONE in that area.
Also, pull the covers for the jack and tools. There is styrofoam and insulation in there. If it is a mess, run your arm down in the wheelwell, then there have been rodents munching on the car.
Also, you can pull the IC pipe and then start the car. Of course the turbos will be working overtime trying to pressurize the entire earth's atmosphere, but if you can stand under the hood and have some slowly rev the engine to 3500-4500 RPM (nothing abusive) and see the quality of the air coming from the turbos. If it spits a huge amount of oil, or if there is definite smoke then the turbo seals are shot and they are sending a huge amount of oil into the combustion chambers.
Bring a 10mm wrench and jackstands and take the undertray off. (not a hard thing to do, but you will get annoyed and get dirty)
It is worth the effort and tells a bunch about the car.
For some reason, mice like to get in the nosecone. I believe they like to eat the styrofoam that makes up the bumpers. I have seen 3 cars with the wiring harness GONE in that area.
Also, pull the covers for the jack and tools. There is styrofoam and insulation in there. If it is a mess, run your arm down in the wheelwell, then there have been rodents munching on the car.
Also, you can pull the IC pipe and then start the car. Of course the turbos will be working overtime trying to pressurize the entire earth's atmosphere, but if you can stand under the hood and have some slowly rev the engine to 3500-4500 RPM (nothing abusive) and see the quality of the air coming from the turbos. If it spits a huge amount of oil, or if there is definite smoke then the turbo seals are shot and they are sending a huge amount of oil into the combustion chambers.
Bring a 10mm wrench and jackstands and take the undertray off. (not a hard thing to do, but you will get annoyed and get dirty)
It is worth the effort and tells a bunch about the car.
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