Hello! It seems no one really lurks in the actual intro section nor does it seem that I'll meet many local folks there. So I figured an intro in the NE section migth work better. My name is Marc and I live in Levittown, PA not far from Philly. I've been an RX7 fan since before Fast and the Furriest came out. My first car was a 1993 Geo Prizm, then a 1998 Mazda Protege, then a 1995 Mazda MX-6, then a POS Saturn. I haven't owned a car since 2005 and want to buy an RX-7 to have fun with on the weekends.

I work roughly 10-12 hours a day as a financial advisor. I am also a huge tech/computer geek and love X-Box 360. Eagles (Football) fan. Diehard Sci-Fi junkie (Star anything especially gate rules). Lastly, I love music, just about anything but polka and am a particular fan of grunge rock.

I have a couple questions. I'm looking at a 1993 Mazda RX-7 to buy. The fella I'm talking to seems to be a respectable person and I'm taking his statements as truth. I'm hoping to get some people’s opinions on the price/car before offering to outright buy it. I live in Pennsylvania and the car is in Michigan so I want to be sure I'm getting the best deal possible before buying a plane ticket or driving out.

Stats
• The car has 120,000 miles roughly.
• Oil/Filter change every 3k
• Spark Plugs every year
• Coolant every other year
• Air filter every year
• Fuel filter every 20k
• Turbos were rebuilt around 83k
• Vacuum hoses were sealed with silicone
• Water hoses were replaced 3 years ago.
• Still original engine and no seals have been replaced in the last 10 years
• Clutch was replaced with an ACT Street clutch about 30k ago

Modifications (I'm not crazy about it not being stock, but that don't seem to intense)
• Free flow exhaust (Has the stock equipment still which I might ask to have put back one)
• Racing beat muffler
• Intake pipes were replaced with metal ones
• Intercooler was replaced with an all metal one
• Pettit chip was added for a boost increase


The interior looks to be in good condition aside from some wear on the drivers side speaker and the steering wheel and the body of the car looks good with normal w/t.

I offered him $9000 cash for the car.

Any thoughts?? I specifically asked about the engine, seals, clutch. The engine has never been overhauled so I'm anticipating some expense there to get it into good working order.

With any luck I should own this car by the end of the month.

Thanks a bunch for reading.

 

Hi Marc,

unless you want a headache i would stay away from this car. 120k on the stock engine means it is going to need a rebuild very soon. for a first time owner that is probably a bad thing unless you are willing to drop some extra cash to have someone do the work.

 

I agree, the engine has lasted an amazing amount of time. There is no doubt that if this is still the original engine that the car has been well taken care of. But the sad truth is that it may not last much longer. If the car is a rarer one it may be worth it, but I'd expect to have to write another $5k check in your near future (+the hassle).

If you are still interested in the car make sure you have him do a compression test and tell you how much vacuum the car is pulling at idle.

Also, what do you mean by free flowing exhaust? did he put a mid-pipe on it? If so ask if the waste-gate was ported. If it was not, or he has no idea what you are talking about, I'd probably pass on this one dependent on how long he has been running the mid-pipe.

GL

 

Regarding the exhaust he ran a down/mid pipe and out out the cat. Pulled out the EGR/Air Pump. I've already baked in redoing the exhaust as he started out wanting $9900. I pointed out that the engine was overdue for an overhaul/rebuild and offered $9000. I'm not planning on using this as a daily driver so I'm anticipating a need to fix up the engine at some point in the next year. However, it seems most fo the other rx7s that I was looking at wanted $13k+ with a rebuild engine that had 20k+ miles on it already so $9k seemed to be a reletivly good deal.

Thoughts?

Regarding compression tests, what would/should you expect from a 120k engine?

 

$9k is a good deal for a pristine car. If (and only if) you don't mind spending the money and time to get a rebuild done for it. No one else can tell you what your time and money is worth to you. For me, this car would only be worth it if it was a rarer model like a cym or a 94-95 R2.

And as to the "I wont drive it much comment" I can only point you to this thread where the guy bought it on 5/5/10 and blew it on 5/8/10. He happens to be from PA too.

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/fearing-worst-902701/

Sorry I am not familiar enough with compression test numbers to give you guesses but you may be able to find some data on the forum. Although this is one of very few FDs that have 120k on the clock on one engine. I'd take it to a rotary shop before buying it to make sure he isn't BSing you, sometimes they can tell if it is a rebuild. Is he the original owner? he may not even know its been replaced

 

Ok, now i'm getting a little scared... I anticipated a rebuild within a year or so with 120k miles... However, now I'm starting to have second thoughts. I just e-mailed him to ask if he had run any compression tests and service history for the trans.

He says he has owned the car for 10 years and that he hasn't seen a new motor. Taking it to a rotory shop isn't to doable as he lives in Michigan and I am not familiar with any reputable places not do I have much time once I pick it up.

 

I didn't mean to scare you too much, just show you the reality of these things. Don't let your passion and desire for a FD trump your common sense.

Yes, 9K for a great car could be a good deal. But, then again it could not. If you are prepared and willing to deal with the worst. You will be happy either way. If not, keep looking there are many other vehicles out there to choose from. Sure you wont be paying 9k, but you wont be inheriting 9k problems either.

For me, there is nothing worse then a seller that cannot validate his car with documentation.

(btw, the link I sent you was also to illustrate how modifications can kill an otherwise fine car in a hurry. He had 25k on that rebuild and most likely killed it because of lack of knowledge of the running condition of the car and new car excitement. If you buy this car, take it to a reputable shop immediately, tell them what you know about it, and have them give the car a thorough going over.)

 

Understood. I havn't owned a car since 2005 and don't actually need one now so even if the motor did blow it wouldn't be the end of my world. I was looking at one of the local shops that says it does rotory rebuilds and porting and figured I'd probably pay to have that done regardless which is why I wasn't to concerned.

120k is suprising from what I can tell so my primary concern is that I will make it home on the drive back.

I've been asking questions about dialing back the current boost which has been runnign for a few years at 14.

 

Well I am now officially an owner of an RX-7! Flew into Grand Rapids yesterday and sealed the deal. Driving back to philly in chunks over the weekend. If anyone is reading this from the Philly/Trenton/Central Jersey area please let me know. I'm quite interested in finding additional enthusiasts around my area.

I will post pics as soon as I'm home

 

On a side note. I had a rotory mechanic from the Grand Rapids area look over the car. I'm walking away with a small list of things that need to be done but overall its not bad and most things can be done over time except for tie rods which need to be done as soon as I get back.

 

Congrats on the purchase. I am not to far frome Philly.

 

Congrats on the purchase. Good luck with it and most important, enjoy it!!

I'm about 45min to an hour north west of Philly.

 

Congratulations, and let us know how everything goes.

 

Perhaps we should try to get a meet together? I'm over in Levittown right near Trenton, NJ. Moved here about 5 years ago. Does anyone know of any regular meets in the general area? I've seen a red FD a couple times in my area including today but I keep getting stuck at lights and can't catch up to him.

 

im right in levittown also...there is 2 red ones around here. mine is the one with black wheels. there is also one in goldenridge with chrome wheels. what section do you live in?

 

if you need any work done i would contact GoodfellaFD3S on here. they do great work and are very honest people!!

 

I'm over in Indian Creek. I don't rememebr the wheel type could have been yours and the other for all I know. Good to hear there are a couple around. Maybe we can get together locally or something. There are tons of places to meet up around here.

I'm looking at redoign the suspension and rear seals soon but I think I can get that done in my garage. The motor mounts however are a bit beyond my level. Does your friend have an actual shop?

I'm going to shoot you a PM with my contact info.

 

Forget how many miles are on the car and just read the results as is.
Using a rotary tester...

130-Factory
120-Excellent
110-Very good
100-ok
90-meh
80-Bad

Get the test done to get a general idea of the health of the engine. If it is tired, I wouldn't put money into modding it until after a rebuild.

I second the IRP notion. Ihor and Rich are great guys. They are the only ones that touch my car. KDR is also a good shop. They are in PA. Never sent my car there but I know some people who are very happy with their work.

Come to the Carlisi bbq if you want to meet people. Its awesome.

 

Where is this Carlisi BBQ? Is there a thread for it? Where is NJ are ya? I may be driving to East Brunswick/Spotswood area tonight.