Sinyamakuza

Hey Guys, I'm thinking about buying this 1978 Rx7, I just wanted your opinion on if it's worth it or not, For my first car nonetheless.

The car is not in that great condition, I'll attach the picture.. The body is in an okay condition, both the doors have the same rust problem shown, the engine is fine and running (12a Rotary) but all the wheels do need replacing. The price is about 1000AUD, Not registered either. That's about 835 US dollars. Any suggestions? Should I fix it up, or move on to a different car completely? I've heard a lot of bad news about the rotary engines on the 1978 models, but this one is working. I fell inlove with the sound it made and wanted a few other opinions if it's worth replacing the tires, doing some wiring, repairing a few rust problems, and finally getting it registered.

aznpoopy

it's going to need time and money

if you're willing to put it in go for it

if you're going to jump ship halfway, avoid it and save your money

Sgt.Stinkfist

iTrader: (6)

check the upper trailing arm body mounts in the back, if theyre rusted out your gonna have your hands full (best way to check is to pull the storage bins/rear seats out and look at the mounts from inside the car.) 800 USD isnt bad for an ok condition running 1st gen. that car looks a lot better than my 79 (my first rotary, and also technically a 78, but all early US SA22's were sold as 79) when i bought it.
a couple questions for you. how many miles on the motor/chassis? are the wheels damaged or do the tires just need to be replaced? and do you plan on just driving it, or do you intend to modify it?

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

the car wont have the bins as mentioned. you'll have to reach inside of the wheel well and feel and look for rust. you'll also want to inspect the control rod mounts for rust or bending. depending on what the car needs, you could spend quite a bit of money othe car to get it road worth. welcome to the club! be sure to check out teh faq page her ein the first gen section and read trochoid's signature, as he has links to the fsm you'll need to diagnose and repair the car.

LokiRx7.1

iTrader: (1)

Anyone know whats up with the mirrors? They look like they are off of an old GM truck...

Dont believe what you hear about rotaries. Its mostly b.s. N/A rotaries are as reliable as anything, say for example, more reliable than a Toyota. Some may dispute that fact but I have owned several Rotaries with over 200,000 miles, My FC has 212,000 and runs like a top. Just keep oil in it, and they do fine.

Where you start to run into reliability problems you are usually talking about big ports, and turbos. And even they can be reliable if they are taken care of and built properly. Its all in how you treat it.

Hope I helped you a little, the engine in your '78 mechanically is identical to my '81's engine. So if anyone is telling you that '78's specifically have problems, they dont have a clue.

My opinion, Go for it!!

Sinyamakuza

Me again, I was thinking about this last night, I really do love the car, it is pretty cheap for a limited edition RX7, first gen.. But, I haven't checked out much of the rust problems, I'll probably get more pictures today, or tommorow. I wouldn't be considering the car if he didn't show me the engine. He says if I were to buy it, I would need to change the oil, change the fuel, and replace the tires, for the engine. So it's in great condition, the body not so much.. New paneling and rust repairs basically.

I really do want this car, I don't mind putting in an extra grand or two to get it into top shape. I'll get more pictures soon and repost this anyway. The wheels and rims need replacing, I think, everything else is fine.

I'm not sure how many miles it has, I'll check with that, and I do plan on driving it as is, after getting it road safe, of course. I don't plan on modifying it anytime soon, as I just now got my license, and wanted this car to educate myself on a few things, but down the road I would plan on doing a couple of things to it. By the way, I have little idea of what you're all telling me to inspect, I will do this if I actually know what to look for :P Oh, and I'm not sure what are up with the mirrors, as I've seen completely different style on other Rx7's, they're bullet style mirrors, or something along the lines. I'll get some pictures soon. Thanks for your help guys, I'm one step closer to my decision. :P

Sinyamakuza

Here are some other pictures.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Hi Sin
Those 80 "SA" models are pretty rare in Australia, so it would be a bit of a standout at a rotary meet. Don't know where you are in OZ but there is a very fanatical following of All Things Rotary down under so you should be able to find lots of help. With any car that old that has either sat around incorrectly stored, or just driven hard, there will be a lot of basic stuff that will need replacing. I'm referring to mechanical bits mostly, like ALL fluids, belts, filters - perishable stuff like that. Those all need to be done just so you know where you are with the car. Vitally important is
1) immediate oil change, with filter: most here use Castrol GTX
2) coolant flush including pulling and having the rad chemically ducked and flushed. New rad cap and thermostat AND HOSES would be very smart.
3) fuel filter!
Rotaries are VERY fussy about a proper cooling system!! Expecially if you are in mid-Northern OZ (like Sydney). Again, depending where you live in OZ, heat/sun can inflict a lot of damage to rubber stuff, particularly weatherstripping, etc. Fortunately, most of this stuff is interchangeable with later (to 85) RX7s. Biggest diff is some interior trim items and exterior bumpers and taillights, which look fine on your car. Those mirrors can be replaced with later RX7 ones or ebay sells them all the time.
If you are new to rotaries the ONE THING you must understand is: rotaries BURN OIL as part of the combustion process! You MUST check oil consumption WEEKLY until you understand just how much YOUR rotary burns. Healthy engines will burn a quart of oil every 400-1200miles (yea that is quite a variation!). Run it low: kiss the engine GOOD BYE!!!!
Lots of great advice on this list: DO check the Archive section for lots of great info-
welcome!
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

.::evil inside::.

ey mate, looks pretty good for a series 1 rx7. Those doors are completely rooted though, you will want to just replace them if you can find some up in the NT.

7aull, the series 1 rx7's arent too uncommon here in australia. 79 and 80 model rx7's are readily available, just not very desirable due to their more dated aesthetics. You dont see many 78 models though, if you do they are usually jap import models.

As for your rear end, they are never rusted in australia, not unless the car has been living in a creek or someone has severely mistreated it. The rust you need to look for is around the rear hatch where the water will sit if the drainage holes get blocked (which they do without fail).

Rotary support isnt so fantastic up in the northern territory unfortunately, not as good as the other states anyway. All the rotary happenings are along the east coast, SA and then followed by Perth. Whats wrong with those wheels though? they look fine to me, they just need the tyres replaced. Unless they're severely buckled or something?

Its a pretty good buy, running for $1k especially considering the skyrocketing prices of 1st gen rx7's in Australia at the moment, although the series 1 prices dont go up as much as the series 2/3 prices which is understandable given desirability.

oh, and those mirrors are off an rx2/rx3 etc..