I'm new to fcs and ive been looking for one recently. i went to see an FC today and it's not too bad. I did notice that there was some oil under the car...it looked like a type of leak; however the owner said there were no leaks and he had just added some oil before i got there. anyway, when i started it up and the idle settled, it sat at 1500 rpm. i asked him about it and he said his friends set it like that. i know it's suppose to be around 700-800. i read that this may be a way to cover up some other issue so i dont know what to do. i just need some advice on what he could be hiding or what could be wrong or something. there seems to be no rust. its a 1988 RX7 GXL....basically, is this car a good investment or are there going to be problems. the body trim on the outside is coming off, there is a dent in the left rear quarter pannel, there is some negative camber on the right rear wheel for some reason, the shifter bushing is bad, and there is no headunit and like 2 missing trim buttons from the center console. he's asking $2000 but i went to see it today and he said hell take $1500 b/c he wants to get rid of it asap. i just need an rx7 guru to guide me. should i walk away, or offer him a lower price...mabey like $1K? what else should i look for, what should i ask him? any advice is welcome, thanks! (link below to his craigslist ad)

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/1447664429.html

 

A typical oil leak will be from the oil cooler lines. A new set can be had for $140 from www.corksport.com, or locally rebuild by a hydraulic shop.

Cold idle speed is 1500 RPM, and once fully warm it will be 750 +- 50 RPM. It's normal.

Both rear wheels will have some camber in stock form.

 

wow thanks, that cleared up a lot! what do you think the car is worth?

 

The car appears to have some S5 body parts, but is missing the FTP lenses. I'd be very, very cautious about the story of the idle. If it never falls to 750RPM and his "friends" really did set it at 1500 RPM, what else did he let his "friends" do?

I can't see much from the small image of the engine bay but it looks to me like there are problems. A poorly setup intake, possibly a poorly setup e-fan, etc.

Make sure to read the how to buy guides in the FAQ. I think $1K or less is reasonable for a car in clearly questionable condition.

It won't be a good investment regardless, as cars rarely are.

 

thanks for the advice, ill ask him about the idle and throw him an offer of ~$900. im not afraid to walk away...and those "how to buy" sections are 100% awesome, they were a lot of help.

 

i walked away, thanks for all the advice..it made the difference.