Hi my name is Josh. I am from Nashville TN. I currently drive a 03 toyota tundra. I am looking to get help from you guys on buying a 2nd gen rx7 for a fun little car. I am a recent graduate with a mechanical engineering degree so I find the rotary motor fascinating and sad that mazda has decided to quit producing it.

 

for those interested here is the link to the car that I am looking at currently. I know that they have it listed wrong and it should be a GXL and its also a manual but other than that it looks nice to me.

Used 1988 Mazda RX-7 For Sale | Knoxville TN

 

Good luck with the search...I'm a Civil, so the rotary is lost by me...

'94 R2

 

yea i have been looking for awhile and finally started to get serious since my truck is starting to have some serious issues that are going to cost me an arm and a leg to fix. So I want a fun alternative and I have always loved high revving motors so in turn I love the rotarys.

 

The first Murfreesboro Hot Rod Club cruise in of the year is this Saturday from 5-9pm (and every other Saturday till October).

Woody's Bar-B-Q
352 W Northfield Boulevard
Heritage Square
Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37129

 

That is a cool 2nd Gen, but for that price you could find one better I'd say, it seems to high for the condition of the car, just my opinion though.

 

From the voice of experience, a car that's clean and in good shape physically while being slightly weak mechanically is much more beneficial to a new owner. Bodywork and interior parts for our cars in good condition can be difficult to find for a fair price, but everyone and their cousin has a garage full of engine parts, especially for 86-88 N/A cars

One thing I noticed is that it has the window de-fogger vents. This is a VERY good sign as they are often broken and/or missing. And at $20 each new, it gets annoying quick.

Overall, it's a good place to start, but I'd negotiate with them on price as its mileage is in the gray area of being healthy or needing a rebuild. A compression test will tell all regarding this, but $3000 would be a good final offer for it, while saving the rest for what I like to call the First Mods list, some of the essential reliability upgrades which will pay for themselves almost immediately. The main things are from age and being marginal from the factory, such as the exhaust (age, they rust out) and alternator (a basic stereo can put it into overload). With the right attitude, you can make it amazing.

 

Thanks for the advice. Everyone but you has told me to bypass it. I am still on the fence and willing to go and look at it just unsure of what all to ask. I read the thing about buying an rx7 that some guy wrote. I don't want to spend all day at a dealership that is 2 hours from where I live in the first place. Also, where would be a good place to take it to get the compression checked on it since I know the rotary's don't really follow the same rules as a piston test.

 

To be completely honest, expecting a degree of previous owner ineptitude is a sign that you're not jumping in blind. For the uninitiated, a rotary is somewhat of a sink-or-swim deal in that the car absolutely demands that you give it the correct parts and not try to cut corners. In other words, overkill is a GOOD thing

As for a compression test, I don't know of any reputable persons offhand in the area other than Rotary Resurrection but he's in Morristown and wouldn't exactly be practical. It's not exactly difficult to do a compression test on a Rotary, just needs the following procedure:

Rotary Resurrection home of the budget rebuild.

The only thing I can add to it is that if the readings during the first test (individual rotor faces) are 1 high and 2 low, it has a blown apex seal. 2 high and 1 low is a blown side seal, both of which require a complete rebuild to correct. This information is courtesy of Banzai-Racing.

If you're unsure of what to ask, I'd suggest reading the Second Gen FAQ to help acclimate yourself. Beyond that, asking a mod/admin or seasoned owner nearby to go with you would be a wise idea. If I were closer, I'd go with you. But unfortunately, my 20B is down due to disturbingly weak compression on the middle rotor now

 

thanks again for all the advice ryosuke

I am going to email them again and see if they will tell me any more info.