abe

I'm looking to purchase an FD and ran across one with about 85k miles but only 10k or so on a new engine. What kinds of things should I look for.

Here is the info that was posted.

1994 RX7 PEG Red w black leather. 85,000 miles w 8000 on new mazda rebuild engine. paint and body in very nice condition. photos avail. SSR Integrals A2 wheels. 17X8.5 front, 17x9 rear. Yoko AVS Sport tires 235x45 zr 17 front (half tread), 275x45 zr 17 rear need replacement. EBC (green) brakepads stainless steel downpipe, main cat, Trust Extreme Power II catback. efini Y-pipe, polished Greddy intercooler tubing, Greddy Elbow. K&N airfilters (2). autometer A-piller mounted boost gauge. 10-8-10. engine runs really cool as power steering, airpump and A-C removed for airflow. all removed accessories accompany car on sale so buyer is free to reinstall. billet aluminum pulley kit slows alternator as well as enabling accessory removal. PEG includes moon roof, Bose, leather etc. other mods are Wade Lantham's hose simplification w silicone hoses, a non-heated upper manifold and double throttle elimination. new oil injection lines, clutch disc, transmission freshening at time of engine installation. car cover and bra included. car garaged and not driven in winter. long time mazda racer howard coleman did most of the installation and tuning. car show beautifully, runs very cold and is bullet proof mechanically.

Thanks for any advice you might have!

Edit: I've read the normal FAQs on buying... just wondered if there were other things on higher mileage that I should look for... thanks.

rewill

Bose and Moonroof = Touring model. Not that it matters much, but thought you should know. Otherwise, check to see what he means by main cat - If he's running a downpipe, high flow cat or midpipe, and a catback without an upgraded ECU, you could be replacing that engine in another 8k.

Eric

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

abe,

Actually, it really shouldn't matter how many miles are on the car or the engine. You need to look for the same things no matter what.

Import Convert

I've spoken with Howard Coleman before. He knows what he is doing for sure. If it was well taken care of (it sounds like it was) I would trust it.

abe

Another request:

Being that I don't know much about mods, can somebody explain what the mods mentioned above are and how "big" of a modification it is?

Thanks in advance!

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Ok, here's your list:

For performance mods, it seems to have:

Downpipe
Trust Extreme Power II catback

These two will give you some power, as it will free up some backpressure from the exhaust. How much? Well, every FD is different, so say 10-15rwhp for the downpipe and 10-15rwhp for the catback.

The K&N airfilters, if this was the cheap intake mod, you can get an extra 10-15rwhp with that.

The pulley kit is suppose to free up 5-10hp for the engine. Usually that's flywheel side, so you aren't looking at much added power to the wheels, but every little bit helps!

The Efini Y-Pipe, although really isn't a performance mod, sometimes does alllow better air flow and can cause some increase in boost.

Sounds like they've removed the cooling hoses to the throttle body and also removed the double throttle control. No big deal, just less things to worry about.

The rest of it really isn't for performance, but just good things to have. Sounds like someone really put some good work into the car.

yy4u

Ask about the following:

Is there a 5th gear synchro problem
Is passenger inside door handle broken
What is the vacuum pressure at idle - should be around 15in.
Get a compression check done on the engine.-a brand new one had 9.0 on all sides of the rotor(i think, someone correct me if i'm wrong), anything above 8.5 is good i think
Look under the car and make sure there aren't any oil leaks, broken sway bar mounts (commmon) or any frame damage or rust
When test drive, listen for clunking, often the rubber bushings in the suspension give out and need to be replaced.
Ask if the fuel filter has been replace and if the fluids (tranny, diff, etc.) have been changed
Another sign of wear and tear is glove box, check and see how well it closes, cars that have been abused often won't close quite right
-Rob