N. Ortolano

Hi everyone.

I just picked up a 1985 RX-7 yesterday. My second Mazda, but first rotary. I also have an MX5 with close to 200k on the clock.

Anyway, the old girl's got 99k on her, and was apparently owned from new by one family. Got a good price, and a ton of service records, etc.

I've been trying to find as much info as I can on these cars, and I hear a lot of mixed reviews. I've done the majority of my own repair and maintenance on my other cars, and I also drive a lot. I just sold my 2002 WRX Wagon with about 121k on it.

The car feels great, all the gauges read where they should, the gearshift feels nice, and cosmetically, it's a 9-out-of-10.

One of the things I'm curious about is the apex seals, which I've heard need to be replaced around 80k. How true is that? Also, there is a bit of oil on the motor, so I'm sure it's leaking somewhere, but I haven't had a chance to get underneath it yet. I'm going to change the fluids this weekend.

I have no intentions on modifying the car, just looking after it and keeping it original. I would like to get as many worry-free miles out of it as possible, so what's the best route to consider? I've been trying to price rebuild kits, as well as rebuilt 12a rotaries, just to see what my options are. As I said, the car seems to run well, but I'd rather start fresh than find myself in a situation later on. I don't think there are any rotary-specific shops around here, so I'll probably have to rely on the Internet and this forum for most of my research.

Sorry if I sound clueless, but thanks in advance!