RX_Alex

Well finally i found a 1993 rx7 with 103k and apparently the owner said the engineWas rebuilt when it hit 87k miles but that was from the previous owner and doesn’t not have any paper work showing this was done. These are the pros and cons of the car:

Pros:
Engine and turbos have been rebuilt and are in good condition.
Apex'i electronic boost controller
Innovate Motorsports LED wideband o2 sensor/gauge
Apex'i PowerFC ECM tuned by Steve Kan
Boost gauge
Datalogit tuning hardware/software
Dual intake
3" exhaust front to back, comes with converter bypass pipe

Cons:
Paint (clearcoat) destroyed by california sunshine.
Needs tires.
Oil pan seeps oil.
Needs right rear upper control arm bushing.
Headlight covers are broken.

He is willing to let the car go for 5 grand is this a good buy or not? He also told me that it smokes a little when it starts but it goes away. I just wanted to get an opinion from rotary owners to see if there’s a red flag waving or not

mar3

iTrader: (8)

To me, 5K for an 87K FD sounds like you're not getting the whole story on that car...it's one of those "too good to be true" moments...but let's see what the 3rdgen guru's have got to say. I'm a 1stgen guy, myself.

Mario III

twinsinside

iTrader: (34)

An FD with all those listed extras is worth much more than 5k. Smells fishy to me.

Sounds like either the owner has no idea what the car is worth, is in desperate need of cash, or is trying to pull a fast one.

The fact that all of that stuff you have listed is supposed to be on there tells me the owner knows (or should know) the car. How long has he had it?

Paint and tires are simple cosmetic issues that can be fixed when you have the money, oil seepage from the oil pan is a common problem with FDs, bushings on a 15-16 year old car are no surprise and broken headlight covers can be solved with $100 or less.

I'd start with the basics. Read the 3rd gen FAQ's. Get a compression test done on the engine. It is the ONLY way to be sure that the engine is healthy. If the car was tuned ask for dyno print outs (that could be faked though). If you're not familiar with FD's take it to a rotary specialist if there's one near you and have the car evaluated. Since the car has a boost gauge do you get a strong 10-8-10 boost on the turbos?

You mentioned the car smokes when you start it. What color is the smoke? Black or blue smoke is not good, some white smoke is normal after startup due to burning off condensation, but if it persists after the car has warmed up it could be an indication of bad coolant seals. Bad coolant seals can necessitate an engine rebuild depending on how bad it is.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Got a link to the ad?

twinsinside had some good input. Read his post and read the Buyer's Guide in the 3rd gen FAQ.

RX_Alex

well at first he was selling it for 10 and as time went on he lowered it to 7500 but i offered him 5 and said yea because he said its either the car or the house so in a way that makes sense. Due to struggling with money.
About the smoke its white when it turns on only and goes away thats what i was told because im over in El Paso TX and the car is in Austin. So i asked him a lot of questions about the car which is why i know this.
I know you guys say to get a compression test but i dont know anyone over in Austin that could help me with that. so what do you guys think?

Oh yeah and the car was tuned by Steve Kan...

RTRx7

iTrader: (2)

I've seen rollers for more than that. Buy it.

fckid45

i mean i jus met a guy today at my work that got an fd with a blown motor for 3 grand! i could not believe it. go and drive it see what its running like and compression test it. then go from there. jus dont jump into it cause that is very cheap from what i have seen for fd prices

KKMpunkrock2011

iTrader: (5)

I believe rotary performance is the closest professional shop, but there could be others, but they're in garland.

go drive it, get it compression tested (which isn't that hard to do yourself) and read the FA to to see what you should do.

5 grand seems a little fishy, I think it's too good to be true, but people have had luck before.

RX_Alex

yea but the car is out of town so i cant take to a rotary specialist because i dont know the area and i dont know anyone from their...
and like said before he was trying to sell it for 10 but sense he really needs the money and all i have is 5, i offered that and said yea... it wasnt the price he was originally asking.....
how could i check the compression my self? without having to take it somewere because if i do go and get it i dont know anyone that would help me do this

vipcivic

I think for $5,000 its worth it even if you have to put some money into it, they run good as long as you take care of the motor

bobson_0

FD's are amazing cars.
It would be worth it even if you had some small problems like you mentioned above. If you think you need a new engine I would get a better price.
That is definitely a good price if engine and trans is good.

RX_Alex

ok so lets say i do get it would it stress out the engine a lot if i drive it on the highway for over 9 to 10 hrs to get home from where the car is located? can the rotary hack that much road time?
because im thinking about flying up their and driving it home cuzi dont have anything to tow over here thats why

Mazda RX-7 EFINI TYPE

Once the engine is in good working order, and you're not beating the crap out of the car, I don't see why that would be a problem. Just be sure to check all your fluids before hitting the road. After taking a test drive I'm sure you'll know whether it'll go the distance or not. Make sure you take a good test drive though, get a little hwy run & what not, make sure there are no cooling problems or anything. Just my 2 cents.

KKMpunkrock2011

iTrader: (5)

just check all your fluids before taking her on a road trip, I've taken mine on 8 hour trips before without a problem. Go check out the southwest section and see if anyone in the area is willing to help. I'm sure someone is.

For 5 grand, the car is worth it even with a blown motor IMO.

RX_Alex

so how could i check the compression my self? could i test it out while im drivin it or something?

RTRx7

iTrader: (2)

You're going to need to rent a compression tester from your local auto parts store. Remove the lower spark plug and twist in the compression needle. remove the egi fuse and have someone crank the car while you hold the pressure release valve on the tester. Repeat this for both sides and you should get three even pulses of 90-100 for a good engine. A little less could be alright for a while but it will need a rebuild soon.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

It sounds like a possible good deal. I'd value that car around 8k.

The problems are not signs of major issues and can be fixed with a high success rate by a DIY mechanic.

I would search this forum for how-tos on the DIY compression test. Or you could make an appointment with a Mazda dealer local to there and have them do it. I dont' trust Mazda dealers for much on an FD but compression tests are pretty safe territory.

Also do some searching on coolant seal tests. There are a variety of things to look for, but generally it involves inspecting for exhaust gas in the coolant or coolant in the combustion chamber. If the car passes coolant seals and compression test you have a good deal.

David