Sorry for the long post and also if its in the wrong section


Alright there is abit of history along with this. I've always wanted a car I could put money into for upgrades, (like suspension and turbo, exhaust, intake what have you). My dad showed up at home with a '92 Mazda Miata which he promptly supercharged and lowered etc... Now I've always been a rally fan and what not, but I've come to realize that I just like driving fast on windy roads and pushing the car and my own driving ability. So I got a Ford Focus hoping that I could all of that mentioned above. But I grabbed and Automatic SES and with the odd wheel size it eats through tires amazingly quick (16 55R) no-one carries those in stock I have to order them all the time.

(Now where the 7 comes in) I was driving down the road and looked over at a small (I'm talking selling maybe 15 cars on the lot) dealership. I pulled in one day to ask about it and the price is 4 grand and I found out it was a 1985 GSL SE. I went a day when the dealership was closed to get a closer look without being heckled and noticed that the interior is immaculate, the exterior is the same way no dings or scratches, but the roof is a little faded (i can live with that). But the tires are dry rotting and I went a little later and opened the car door and the weather stripping needs to be replaced. looking at it closer I saw that the left side of the front bumper stuck out close to an inch further then the right side of it did. I didn't ask to start the car or take it for a test drive yet, I believe the car to 90,000 or a little over 100,000 miles on it. I'm very interested in trading in my Focus for the car but was wondering a couple things about it.


My dad made mention about the seals in the engine maybe going bad, where should I take it and about how much would it cost to replace those (is it something I can go to a buddies house with an engine crane and do?)

Does the front bumper sound fishy of a front end accident what should I look for if I pop the hood that would indicate that?

About how long would an '85 GSL SE engine/trans last with 90-100 thousand miles on it already?


TLDR:: Found cheap GSL SE interior is amazingly great, Exterior is awesome looking, Front bumper doesn't quite line up, its got 90-100 thousand miles, should I trade my Focus?

 

I hate to say this, but I really wouldn't...the GSL-SE's are a tricky beast since the 13B engine and its EFI system were Mazda's first stab at that idea in an RX-7...you know what they say about "first models" coming from a car company...


Mario III

 

Alright well after reading what Mario had to say and talking to my g/f we decided that after she gets her license her mother is going to buy her a car. We figured she is either going to pursue an Audi station wagon or get the Rx7 if she gets the Audi then the focus is going to be traded. But either way I figure as long as we have one good vehicle that is good.

I'm an electrician by trade, but I love coming home and having something to tinker around in and lately I just haven't been all that happy and cheerful and I think its because I'm getting bored being at home.

But thank you Mario for that information, the most I can do for right now anyway is do my research on the GSL-SE's and figure from there. But I still would like people to answer the questions I have.

Thank you all for any help.

 

First of all, the parts for a decent rebuild are expensive. Check AtkinsRotary.com to get an idea of rebuild component pricing. Since you would need to completely tear down the engine it makes sense to replace all seals. That is, apex, coolant, oil and so on. And, since you are apparently new to rotaries, you would need to do some research on how to rebuild one of these engines. There are some good DVDs out there that will help. One option would be to have someone else rebuild the engine. That will cost something like $1.5K and up. The actual cost depending on whether or not the main engine components can be reused. You could also purchase a short block from Mazda. Not sure what the going price for that is, but I'm sure it is well over $2K.

Look for paint overspray and bent supports or other bent internal members. May just have been a minor fender bender.

Impossible to say without current information on engine compression and vacuum readings, and cooling system condition. Or whether or not the engine has been rebuilt or replaced--and by whom. Assuming this is the original engine and that it received proper maintenance and it was not abused, you may get another 50K-100K out of it before requiring a rebuild.

Only you can answer that. Just keep in mind that these cars in general require a little more TLC than a Focus. They tend to flood if you shut the engine down before warming it up. So you don't want to back it out of the garage, for instance, and immediately shut it down. [I know that seems like a minor issue, but it can become a PITA and if it does flood, that is definitely a PITA.] Also, these engines are designed to consume oil and so that must be checked regularly. And figure in the cost in time and money to replace things like vacuum lines, coolant hoses, and probably other worn out components. After all, this is a 24-25 year-old car.

 

Alright I just looked at the car and the dealer wasn't there but the door was unlocked. I looked under the front bumper and saw overspray on the radiator and the horn. I couldn't open thr hood but looked under and there appears to be a huge engine skidplate under

Sorry I posted that last one from my blackberry in wendy's. It also says Targa7 on it (right behind the driver and passenger windows)