I just bought this car in mid Febuary after seeing it here for sale in Camp Lejune, NC and now my psychie is way down about it.

This was the post for the car:

"This Mazda RX7 GS has 72,000 miles and still runs like new. The engine has been meticulously maintained. All necessary maintenance for the engine has always been completed. The engine runs strong and has absolutely no leaks. The car has not been modified. It has absolutely no dents or rust and has not been repainted. Everything works; all of the gauges, clock, electric antenna, original cassette tape player, pop up lights, back glass defroster, and all running lights. The only problems with car are minor: the struts for the back hatchback no longer hold up the hatchback, the driver’s side window cranks hard and will need to be looked at (sometimes the glass needs a little assistance to go up all the way), and there is some very, very minor fading on the sunroof, but otherwise the paint is the original paint and is in excellent condition. It is a 5 speed manual trans. with a recent replace of clutch slave cylinder and shifts easily. The interior is almost like new; no tears, stains, or cracks in the dash. The upper portion of the interior door panels have shrunk up, but is worth having repaired or replaced to make this a beautiful interior throughout. The asking price is $4200.

Serious individuals can PM for more pictures, additional information you may need, or to submit an offer.

The car is located at Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina


Owned by a non-smoker who is very particular about the Rx-7's condition.

You can be confident in this Rx-7 as there are no disappointments."

Well, I accept responsibility for overpaying for the car and can only say I wanted the Grey w/grey interior combo and the fact that when I arrived to look at the car, it was raining and made it more difficult to access the exterior/paint. What was susposed to be only minor fading turned out to be moderate fading on the hood, top, and back hatch. As far as the panels, yea, it has about 10 plus small dents located throughout the car that I found after washing and waxing it. Well I have accepted that, Im a dumbass and did not look the car over better. Whats even more funny it that on the way home, I stopped to get something to eat and when I went back to unlock the drivers side door, the key cylinder came out, it was missing the clip on the back. Well I fixed that, along with reupolstered the top of the door panels.

Since I purchased the car, I have also completed all the usual stuff, fluids, belts, filters, etc. I had to also replace all 4 tires, due to two on the passenger side of the car being dry rotted, yes, My dumbass only checked the drivers side, heck I figured all would be the same, plus, you remember it was raining pretty good at the time.

2nd day I found out the tach would not work when cold, works fine when warm and read defrost dont work.

AC dont work either.

Replaced the rear hatch shocks and the power antenna also.

I have also replaced the cracked window moulding for the pass. and drivers side, along with the protector piece that goes along the top windshield piece.

Well, it did not take long to see the car was leaking oil, so yes I got the rings and got them replaced so I now have no oil leak. Car was good for about a week, then left me stranded one morning cause it would not crank. Figured it was the fuel pump, Im not the best mechanic and dont have a way to lift the car other than a jack so I got it towed, dude fixed it and it was the cap and rotor, something that was on my list to do, but had not got to it yet.

Car was good for about 3 day, then I noticed the coolant leak and it was identified here as my water pump. Well hell, I got one of them, and got it put on this past weekend and it went pretty good, no leaks, but had a clicking sound from the air pump belt, well when I replaced the other belts, Advance did not have one that fit the air pump so I left the old one on, that seems to be my problem because yesterday I went and got a new one and it appears to be better.

OKAY, that brings me to this morning, I get in my car to go to work, and what the hell, when I go to change it into 4th, it does not seem to want to go, I move to 5th, same thing. At this point Im making my way across a lane so I can pull off the road. When I put it back in 3rd, it seems to do fine so I keep going. Get up to speed again, does the same thing so I gear back down to third and its fine. The 3rd time I try to go to 4th, everything seems okay.
SO, can someone tell me what the hell is wrong with this thing NOW?

As stated in the car write up, its had the clutch slave changed.

Sorry for the rant, but I just dont think I can take too much more from a car that was susposed to be in great shape and I paid 4 g's for, like the dumbass I am.

 

The car was likely in great condition; however, I bet it hasn`t moved much in a few years. If I am right, then these problems may be somewhat normal. The no start might of been a corroded, loose wire. If it hasn`t ran in a while, the seals may be dried out, or deteriorating. You must also remember you are driving a 20+ year old car. Anyway, good luck with the car.

 

You will have to determine whether the amount of money you'll loose on the car is worth getting rid of it. These cars are a riot when they run properly, but they can be finicky, which is why you have to be a true enthusiast to own one. If it's little fiddly stuff that keeps on happening, it's cheap to fix and it'll be worth it in the long run to put money into the car. If the car is just an eyesore right now, look up the "project stimulus paint job" or the "$100 paint job", both of which produced remarkable results for very little money. FB's can be very reliable, but getting there can be a laborious process. It will be, IMO, well worth it in the long run.

 

What do you expect for a 20+ year old car (even if its in no.1 or no. 2 condition)? No way I would expect it to be a daily driver. You will have to go through the car and inspect and replace or repair all maintence items at the minimum. These include hoses, fluids, tires, brakes, lights, fuses, shocks, springs, bearings, hydraulic mechanisms, clutch, throwout bearing and pilot bearing, exhaust. The list can become endless.

You better get a second car for your DD cause this one isn't ready yet.

 

I agree, problem is I just dont have enough money to get another car. Guess I was expecting more since I had also purchased the 81Z in the pic about a year ago and it was/has been as advertised so far.

Anyone know what could be starting to happen with the 84 GS trans?

 

i would change the tranny fluid. put a 50/50 mix of atf and synchromesh(gm or valvoline w/e)

 

The issue in 4th and 5th sounds like a plugged fuel filter. We had an RX that had an incredibly rusty tank and kept plugging filters - in 5th things would slow down, would have to downshift, same thing would happen, etc. Went through 2 filters a day getting to work and back for awhile until we changed the tank.

Anyway, assuming that by "does not seem to want to go" you mean it does go into gear but the car itself just doesn't want to go, check the filter.

 

no, it goes into gear fine, just does not accelerate once you press the gas again after letting off the clutch.

I dont know if it matters if the tank is that dirty, but I did just relpace the fuel filter a few weeks ago.

How do you change the tranny fluid in a 5 speed?

How much is a new tank, or to get one cleaned up? Who does that kinda work?

 

The fill location is the inspection plug on the side of the tranny (driver's side IIRC). You'll probably need a long funnel or a funnel attached to a hose to get to it. Drain plug's at the bottom of the tranny. Remove the inspection plug first to make sure it's not seized.

I'd still at least check the fuel filter. If there's rust in the tank, new ones will just keep plugging.

 

What do you look for with the fuel filter? Plugged inlet/outlet? Thanks

 

Everyone who keeps saying what did you expect?

I think his point was that the ad makes it look so well taken care of, that everything was getting replaced as it wore. But in reality "great care" meant "well we didn't abuse it but we haven't been driving it so who knows what has gone bad?"

So if I owned the car and you told me "what did you expect?" I would say "For the car to be well taken care of enough to run smoothly without problems."

 

Trans fluid is changed from under the car; there's a drain plug, bottom center.

The car should be jacked up level )all four corners on stands, or a lift, so things will drain.

Once it's drained completely, put the plug back in. There's a filler hole partway up the driver side (look for a square 4-sided "bolt" sticking out. You squeeze-bottle or pump fluid (I only use proper gear oil per spec, myself) into that hole until it's filled level to the bottom of the hole; go slow when you get close or you'll make a smelly mess. There's no filter involved. It's just like draining and filling the rear end.

If it's shifting fine but losing power, it's almost surely a fuel-delivery problem.

Fuel tank can be boiled out by a radiator shop, then resealed (threads exist on doing this).

Doesn't Lejune have a base auto shop you can use? 29 Stumps had a great shop, even 20-some years ago when I was out there. Lifts, tools for loan, decent advice...

EDIT... I type too slow, heh.

 

yea, turbo, thats the way I feel about it, but I accept that I did it to myself. Really wish I would have been told of the issues with the tach, door lock and the oil leak, I would have negociated a less than 4 g purchase. Also, my fault for not seeing all the dents in the car, but I balme that on the rain, and of course me being a dumbass.

Im not here to wine about the car I bought, but dang man, I have to get it out and tell someone (cant tell my wife) when this crap keeps happening to it.


So far, its been something every dang week. Sorry again but when is it going to END?

 

The inlet side. Look for debris, or flakes/chunks of rust. If you can't see inside, try to seal your lips around the outlet side and blow (clean it a bit first obviously so you don't get a taste of gas on the lips), see if rust/particles come out the inlet. Alternately, you can pour some *clean* gas into the outlet and look at the gas that comes out the inlet to make sure there aren't rust particles in it.

 

It never "ends," my friend, but once you get caught up on it, it slows down to a reasonable rate of normal wear based on age and care, like any other car.

You're playing catch-up right now, is all. Which sucks.

 

I know how you feel, although the guy that sold me mine was brutally honest about the car, and negotiated the price for me :-) I got a steal, but i know how you feel, these cars seem to have a sick sense of humor! I work on the car every chance i get and fix things and they start working right then they quit working the next day, plus everytime i fix one thing, another problem comes up. As everyone says this is what to expect after a 30 year old car sits for months to years.

 

It did not do it during lunch, ran fine. I guess what may have been clogging it this morning may have moved on. I will still pull the fuel filter and check it out per instructions above. Thanks again for the advice. I want to love this car, especially since we had the same color combo in a GSL model in the mid 80's (we sold it for a 4 door Honda when we started having babies). I just keep think I gave 4 G's for this POS that wont even get me to/from work for a week without having something else go wrong. For 4 g's, the care should have been almost mint, again, Im a dumbass, dumbass, dumbass....................

 

3 aint enough....IM A DUMBASS< DUMBASS< DUMBASS, PERIOD.

 

Please don't call yourself a dumbass. You are throwing yourself under the bus way more than you should!!

We ALL have been in your shoes. Chalk it up and move on....or like my Dad has always said.....FIDO...forget it and drive on!!!

Every older car I get I always spend so much time and effort repairing all the broke **** that the previous owner didn't do! In the real estate world we call it DEFERRED MAINTENANCE.

The guys at the parts store always know when I have a new "old" car project... I am always in there buying different stuff for the same car.

Like divin said, you always will be piddling with this car but eventually it will become a labor of love and will be easy to manage.

Hang in there!!! It does get better!!

 

Thanks for the RX7 Counseling. I do need it at this point. I just want one good week or two where I can worry about other things like just cutting the grass, not crawling under the car/hood trying to fix something I know little about. Thanks to the boards help though, I was able to get the orings in the beehive and the water pump/housing changed out to stop my leaks. Thanks again to all that helped me on those projects. FIDO...I must do this for my own sanity.

 

Auto repair can be very therapeutic... and sometimes drives you to therapy!

 

i understand how you feel. i have been there time and time again. the up side is that your car is probably pretty rust free whereas cars up north here are rotten due to the road salt and moisture. you're not a dumbass. remember, the car is 25 years old and will require maitenance. the fuel filter is less than $5 and can be replaced in about 15 mins. if you are stumped on things, we are here for advice and moral support. if you are stuck on someting, pm me your cell number and i'd be more than happy to help you out on any issues you're having. heck, i'll even pm you my cell number for good measure. chances are i and many others have gone through the same thing you're going through.

 

One thing you could do if you think you have a rusted up tank is change out the fuel filter with one of the universal clear filters. That way you can kind of see inside and tell if the filter is full of rust. If you want you can also add a second filter under the hood close to the fire wall. That one would catch anything getting by the first filter if you fuel is really dirty.

 

I really appreciate the help here. I think if I could get a few weeks without anything new happening to it I would be fine. I guess I was just expecting more for a $4,000 car. Thats why I feel like a dumbass for buying it. Considering all thats gone on with it, the dead paint, dents (thats about $1500 to fix per body shop), all the routine replacements Im doing now, I REALLY GOT TAKEN TO THE BANK. I guess thats what hurts so bad everytime something else goes wrong.


So can someone tell me about what I should have paid for a completely stock 84 GS? Again, the ad is misleading and you can see what all I have done to it so far. The only upkeep on the car was a new clutch slave, everything else such as suspension, brakes, etc is 1984. The interior was in good shape, all I did was replace the air vents and the top part of the doors.

 

I bought my first 84 base model for $1000. It sat for two years but only needed a carb rebuild. It was completely stock. Good paint, no rust or dents, perfect interior. Everything worked except for minor things like A/C and the smog pump. It had 60,000 miles on it. I drove it for 8 years and sold it when it had 210,000 miles. I put plenty of money into it though. I just paid almost $5000 for my 85 GSL-SE that I am currently restoring. Nothing on it is stock though. It has a freshly rebuilt street port engine, performance suspension, racing beat street port exhaust, near perfect interior, no major body damage and no rust. It runs great, all I have done to it is replace the battery and starter.

I also just got an 85 GSL-SE for free. It sat for a year because of a broken tie rod. the owner didn't know how to fix it and was going to have it towed away. I talked to her right in time and she just gave it to me. It is completely stock and has nothing wrong with it except for old paint and corroded wheels. tires are even brand new.

My advise would be to look for a parts car. A lot of times you can find them for real cheep because they break down and people are scared to fix them because it is a rotary. I got a car for $50 once because it had a blown engine. The car itself was in perfect condition.

Don't give up on the car. You already spent the money on it. Selling it for $1000 won't make you feel any better about over paying. They are fun cars and they get a lot of attention. Just keep hanging out on the forum. These guys on here can help you fix anything.