I posted this in the /ccg/ but got no real help. So I want to ask /o/ in genreal.
I found an rx7 for 1.8k. It's five hours away. I have a friend who is good with cars checking it out. 1983, 120k kms on the odo. It's at a dealer. Manual, five speed. I'm certain it's a 12A engine, since that's the stock configuration, and it looks stock.
The Alternator looks new, I know it was driven onto the lot eight months ago. There appear to be no leaks. The passenger side rear quarter panel has some rot, but there's no rot on the chassis. Just surface rust.
I know it was resprayed, and it was originally silver. And it has a sunroof. But there's no apparent rot around the glass.
Either the car sat in a garage for a long time, or someone haircut the odometer.
I spent the last few days researching the fuck out of Rotary engines, but I keep getting very obviously biased people. Either for or against it.
So far it seems that if I stay on top of maintenance, it could be a great car. But if I neglect it, it simply won't work out.
Tomorrow the dealer is opening up again, and my friend will be taking it for a test drive, or to see if it runs. I do like working on stuff, but I don't know if a dorito is a good engine to really get my hands dirty. So far I've just been fixing motorcycles, and those are simple.
Should I do it?
What am I getting into?
>>14128725
You pretty much got it, if neglected that car will eat your wallet a few times over. If you treat it well you'll definitely enjoy it. Biggest keys to success with these cars is
1. Upgrade cooling system: Bigger radiator, make sure the cooling is always good. Hugely important
2. Premix: premix 2 stroke oil into the gas anytime you fill up, just put .50oz per gallon. If it needs to be inspected, don't premix or you'll fail emissions.
Those cars are classics and honestly you would be able to resale it for a profit later down the line, if I were in your shoes I would buy the piss out of it
They're pretty indestructible as long as you aren't an idiot, the 3mm seals in the 12A are STRONG. Where are you located?
>>14128725
So you want something worse than a 1988 civic? Has less torque when you need it the most
>>14128788
But it's rwd
>>14128788
I can live with it.
>>14128790
Because this, and pop up headlights, and it sounds like a turbine/hair dryer.
>>14128782
I'm in Ontario. I read about the turbo RX7 having problems in general, but this will probably be NA and also carbureted. Which is fine, since I've worked on carbs before. Some bikes still have carbs in 2001.
>>14128750
So the cooling system and the premix were touched on before. I'll probably work on both of those. Premixing is easy, since I'll just keep 2 stroke oil on me wherever I go.
A better cooling system shouldn't be hard either. There's lots of room in the engine bay, because the thing's a 1.1 liter engine.
And yes, resale is a possible thing. I live in a more urban area than it's currently at. So I could sell it to a fuccboi racer for cheap.
I just want a fun, old, Japanese car. And this is the first good prospect I've seen in my travelling range.
>>14128809
The turbo RX7 can have problems...
The Nikki carbs are pretty great, if jetted properly they can make more power than a Weber
>>14128821
I like the idea of giving the RX7 a little more pep. The 100hp 12A is definitely not the best power plant. Apparently friends of mine know a person who races RX7s, so he may have a spare 13B. That would be nice to have, but I'm not gonna cry if I have the 12A for a long time. 100 stock horses should be enough, and if I upgrade the cooling system, and tune the carb properly, I could definitely live with that. It's a pretty light car.
If your gonna put in the time and money to keep the maintenance schedule up to date then it will reward you greatly. If your used to bikes then you should be good on that end. I'd go for it.
>>14128891
If you need more than 100hp to go fast, you're doing it wrong.
>>14129913
This is very true.
>>14129886
Worst comes, if I can't afford it and the bike, I park one until I can afford both.
My financial situation isn't the best. So before I buy it, I'll probably look up how much I can spend annually on these things.
>>14128891
12a housings aren't made new anymore, so eventually I think you will have a 13b. Those 12a's are pretty tough though, so it may actually be a while.
>>14131322
It's surprising to hear that something is durable on the RX7. My family at every turn is also telling me to not buy the car.
Again, I know tomorrow if this is all that it claims to be. And I probably have a while to make my final decision.
That's a good price; if it cranks, get it.
I've got an '81 and it's the most fun car I've driven. Doesn't care at all how hard it's thrashed. It's got 202k miles and is probably in worse condition than the one you've found, but shows no signs of stopping.
As everyone's said, service the cooling system, but a larger radiator probably isn't necessary. I don't know how hot it can get in Canada, but I'm doing fine with the stock radiator in Georgia. Just change the water pump, t-stat, and hoses (all really easy, but mine has the rat's nest removed, so ymmv). If the engine is in good shape, maybe splurge for Idemitsu premix oil, but otherwise, use whatever. Just make sure you premix; it's important.
The 12A is really a good engine. Simple and, I've found, reliable, but pricey if you ever have to rebuild it. Everything else on the car is pretty cheap and it's all easy to work on. You won't win any races with 100hp and a laughable amount of torque, but you won't have any problem blasting through traffic. Rev the piss out of it!
>>14131396
Tough relative to a 13b-rew or the renesis, yep.
>>14131396
Would it be possible to compression test it?
I know this may sound laughable now, but the 80s sports cars are going to come into their own in the next decade as investment vehicles.
Sure, just a regular RX7 is never going to be megabux, but that doesn't mean it won't become collectible. Back in the day these were pretty nifty in racing during the early 80s, so it's wise to remember that.
The valuations of the muscle cars are dependent on the wealth of the boomer generation, first and foremost. Make of that what you will.
If you can find one cheap, in good shape, service records and most importantly ORIGINAL, you'd be silly to pass it up.
It's a good find. Most FB's around me are ~$5000
Just don't mistake it thinking it's a shitbox you can neglect and skim by on maintenance. Premixing is probably a good idea.
Also browse rx7club for questions about the car, they're better sources for information than fucking /o/.
Alright op. Just found this thread but i own pretty much the same car as youre looking at, same color as pictured too. I have learned just about all the shit you will need to know in the beginning.
Best easy way to know the engine is good is by doing a compression test. Special testers need to be used to get an accurate reading of the compression on all 3 faces of a rotor. But in a pinch a regular compression gauge will do, there are videos that show you how to get a reading.
Compression test is absolutely the best way to know what you're getting into and a very good bargaining tool with the dealership. Slightly low compression can often be just a stuck spring, but dont tell the dealer that
Your friend knowing mechanics is good, but some shit is very rotary specific and would simply be looked over by most people. For example often the oil fill tube will get a chocolate froth or nasty rust lining the inside. This looks awful, and is in conventional engines, but the oil often gets aerated in a rotary which will cause this, its not actually a problem.
Making sure the omp is working is also important as most people dont know to premix and this extends the longevity of the engine.
You didn't mention what year the car is but 79-85 all had 12a option, however the series 3 84-85 had a fuel injected 13b on the gsl-se trim level. Both of these engines are extremely reliable and will run for 100's of thousands of miles without a problem. Once your slap a turbo on them is when problem arise.
Common spots for rust:
the channel corners that the rear hatch rubber seal sits on.
Front bottom of the rear wheel inner fender liner. like right where the bottom seatbelt mount is. These are usually pretty big and can be seen by looking at the inner fender from the outside.
Most everything else stays rust free. But if you have fender cancer make sure the inner fender isn't rotten. Its been repaired on my car and i live in the south where we get no snow.
>>14132478
I credit my car with making me a much better mechanic. It was my daily for a few months, but it wasn't great for it so i got an suv daily.
I now own two fbs because i like them so much. They are great cars to learn driving skills on and wrenching skills.
Its an old car, it will have problem, and it will break down. Luckily they are very simple and can be quickly, easily, and cheaply fixed
Best way to get more performance out of them is to drop in a higher final drive. I went from a 3.8 to a 3.99 on my street 7 and its a lot more fun. EASILY break traction if launched at anything above 2k.
ask me any questions you have. Buy the car if you can afford to put another 200$ in it at any time when repairs are needed.
>>14132478
>>14132514
These
>>14128725
Wait for a GSL-SE to show up for sale
>>14128725
>tfw no rx7 for sale and don't have the money to keep one
Have fun OP
>>14131508
My heart says yes. But my logic is saying "this might not be the best idea."
Apparently my buddy didn't go to test the car today. He got busy. He's doing this as a favor to me, so he can get it done whenever.
>>14131633
I know this is going to happen. It happened with the 50s, 60s and 70s cars. It's going to happen with desirable 80s cars, and Japanese cars are going to be right in the middle of it. Having made some of the best cars of the 80s.
>>14132014
I think if I purchase the car, I'll definitely give rx7club more attention. I wanted less biased opinions, and that's why I asked /o/. All the information I was getting before was black and white. The car was the best or the worst.
>>14132478
The car I'm looking at was resprayed black, but originally silver.
Should've mentioned that in the OP.
I don't think my friend has a compression gauge. But it's not like they're impossible to find.
The year I'm getting is 1983, and I did mention it. So it does have the 12A. I could possibly get a 13B from a friend-of-a-friend who races RX7s. But I'd be fine with the 12A. I wouldn't want to turbo it for a long time, definitely.
And thanks for pointing out the rust spots. I'll ask for photos of those areas.
>>14132514
As it stands, I have no "daily" or "winter" car. I've just got the bike, and I work in the city. So I just bus in the winter.
Honestly though, I know I want to own an old car. I want to own many different models of cars. An RX7 is definitely up there. But it's not my dream car. That would be the elusive Datsun 240Z, or a 70s Celica, or a 70s Skyline. Or the 80s Supras, or the Celicas.
You get the picture. There are so many models of car I love, that I would jump at the chance to own. And maybe the RX7 could be my foot in the door.
>>14133116
Canada.
>>14134273
Money could be tight here. I may have to sell the bike to have the car. Or not insure the bike. I might also have to bump up my wages by switching jobs. There are things I could do to afford it.
>>14128725
>So far I've just been fixing motorcycles, and those are simple
know how a carb works? youll be fine.
Begin the rotary revolution
>>14128725
I bought a blue 1981 last october with 72k mi on the clock. It was stored in a garage for about a decade, the guy told me. I paid $2.1k. It ran rough when I bought it, but a new set of plugs and a carb rebuild kit (<$100) fixed that right up. Its developed the common dowel pin oil leak, which requires a top up of less than a quart every 3000 mi (after removing the oil metering pump and premixing the gas instead). Currently its also got a coolant leak, but I can still drive very long distances (>100 mi) without having to top it off. I've had to replace some other parts, like the drive shaft u-joints and a steering bushing.
I've driven it daily while working in the pizza delivery business for over a year now, put over 12k miles on it. It can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but if you baby it, it will love you back. It's so much fun to drive, and it's really fucking cool. Don't expect it to be a walk in the park, but don't fear the retards who have never owned one before that will tell you the apex seals will blow. I tested the compression before I bought it and again about a month ago, and it read the same as it did a year before. Change the oil regularly, premix, and drive it a lot and it should last a long time.
>>14138260
also would like to point out that I daily drove it through the winter. As its a carbureted rotary, it's slow to start below freezing, but it has never failed to start on me, and after it's warmed up it drives like it always does.
Also, ALWAYS warm it up before driving it hard (obviously), but also make sure that you warm it all the way up before turning it back off. Apparently they don't like being turned off while still cold. I've done it a handful of times without problems, but I've read that you can flood the engine or have other problems if you don't let it get up to operating temperature.
