First Time Buyer
09-25-05, 12:24 PM
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First Time Buyer
I am seriously considering taking the plunge and buying a 1st Generation car.
Having never owned a Rotary before, I have a number of questions and would really appreciate any guidance from experienced owners out there:
1. what should I look out for in buying a car
2. what are the common "perils" of roraty ownership
3. assuming good maintenance, what is the life expectancy of the engine before a major rebuild is required
Many thx
Chris
Having never owned a Rotary before, I have a number of questions and would really appreciate any guidance from experienced owners out there:
1. what should I look out for in buying a car
2. what are the common "perils" of roraty ownership
3. assuming good maintenance, what is the life expectancy of the engine before a major rebuild is required
Many thx
Chris
09-26-05, 04:33 AM
#3
1) any car:
-look out for terminal rust. in RX7s, guaranteed to have some behind rear wheels. If none visible, take a magnet with you and check the lower areas of the car with it to make sure the owner hasn't plugged it full of bondo. Though I have never heard of rust around the rear suspension mounts in the 79-80 RX7, I understand the 81-85s can suffer from water leaking inside the car, collecting under the rear storage bin area - which is right behind the seats. Bins remove easy enough. bring a flashlight. Should be rock -solid in there or I would walk away...
-make sure no signs of accident repair to frame. Mismatched paint or poor metal repairs in engine compartment sides and lower frame area mean its likely been smacked. Walk away...
-have a mechanic check the car. Cheapest $100 you'll ever spend on it! All old cars have problems, but you need to know what your getting into and if its worth the asking price.
-buy the best car you can afford. sounds obvious but sad stories abound of getting $500 or $1000 cars that "needed work" and end up costing you $2-4K instead. MUCH better to buy the $2-4K car to begin with!!! The cheap beaters will nickle-and-dime you to death. A solid car with service history is GOLD.
2) rotary perils:
Really just one: is the engine working? Sounds obvious, but rotaries, with some assistance, can actually run decently even if the engine is about shot. Two things to do:
a) insist the car not be started before you get there so you can observe the start. better yet, just show up so the owner hasn't had the chance to start up, warm it up and shut down the engine. pre-warmed engines will tell virtually nothing about the start-a-bility of the engine, because hard starting is a sign of possible engine problems.
-rotaries smoke a little on start, especially from cold. That's normal. But there should not be a LOT of smoke. Dark blue-ish smoke means oil burning, a little being OK since rotaries burn oil as a normal part of the process. White smoke, especially if you go to the rear and smell a sweet odor, usually means the water jacket on the engine is compromised (coolant leaking into combustion chambers). Translation: engine is shot!
b) have the engine compression-checked at a mazda dealer or qualified rotary shop. Rotaries require a special compression-tester. This will tell you a lot about the engine. Take the time to put the car on the hoist and have the mechanic poke around, check for undercarriage damage, leaks, bad exhaust, etc.
3) engine life: I have heard people getting 200K plus miles from well-cared for engine, so a 100K mile car is OK if the owner has been religious about the 3Kmi oil changes.
Two final thoughts:
-there are a LOT of RX7s out there, dogs and beauties. be patient and be fussy. If an owner refuses to let the car be checked - walk, hell, run!
-once you buy your car, unless you have paper documents to prove it, assume NOTHING has been serviced! Be prepared to invest $200-400 (depending how much you can do yourself) in getting all the basics looked after immediately, so you KNOW where you stand.
The basics (suggested)
-oil and filter. Castrol GTX seems to be the oil of choice for most RX folks
-coolant: rotaries run HOT and live or die by the condition of the cooling system!!! have the radiator pulled (!), dunked/flushed and refilled with 50/50 cooland and DISTILLED water. Change ALL the rad hoses, including the heater hoses that run into the heater in the passenger compartment!! These may have never been changed and they have been know to fail and killed the motor. (and change the coolant every TWO years!). New thermostat would be a good idea too
-tranny and diff: drain and replace fluids.
-fuel filter: replace
-battery cables- yes! likely these are original and they WILL corrode internally, causing all sorts of seemingly untraceable electrical gremlins! Rotaries draw a LOT of juice to the starter so these cables need to be top notch! Change em and forget em for the next 10 years...
-brakes: have the WHOLE system bled out. The fluid WILL be contaminated, ultimately damaging lines and components. And change every 3 years-
-belts: replace 'em now, or do it in the middle of nowhere at midnight one night - or blow the water pump hose and cook the motor
- keep a spare set in with the spare
-air cleaner filter
And the number one rotary Must Do:
CHECK THE OIL EVERY TIME YOU GAS UP!!!
Rotaries burn oil. Its in the design. Most healthy rotaries will burn about a quart every 400-900 miles. Forget this and you WILL be taking the bus (and we will all be picking over the carcass of your RX7 for spares
Most of what I have suggested here applies to any car, with the few caveats for rotaries. These are great engines. Well designed and engineered for power and durabilty, if you follow the basics. Enjoy and welcome-
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
-look out for terminal rust. in RX7s, guaranteed to have some behind rear wheels. If none visible, take a magnet with you and check the lower areas of the car with it to make sure the owner hasn't plugged it full of bondo. Though I have never heard of rust around the rear suspension mounts in the 79-80 RX7, I understand the 81-85s can suffer from water leaking inside the car, collecting under the rear storage bin area - which is right behind the seats. Bins remove easy enough. bring a flashlight. Should be rock -solid in there or I would walk away...
-make sure no signs of accident repair to frame. Mismatched paint or poor metal repairs in engine compartment sides and lower frame area mean its likely been smacked. Walk away...
-have a mechanic check the car. Cheapest $100 you'll ever spend on it! All old cars have problems, but you need to know what your getting into and if its worth the asking price.
-buy the best car you can afford. sounds obvious but sad stories abound of getting $500 or $1000 cars that "needed work" and end up costing you $2-4K instead. MUCH better to buy the $2-4K car to begin with!!! The cheap beaters will nickle-and-dime you to death. A solid car with service history is GOLD.
2) rotary perils:
Really just one: is the engine working? Sounds obvious, but rotaries, with some assistance, can actually run decently even if the engine is about shot. Two things to do:
a) insist the car not be started before you get there so you can observe the start. better yet, just show up so the owner hasn't had the chance to start up, warm it up and shut down the engine. pre-warmed engines will tell virtually nothing about the start-a-bility of the engine, because hard starting is a sign of possible engine problems.
-rotaries smoke a little on start, especially from cold. That's normal. But there should not be a LOT of smoke. Dark blue-ish smoke means oil burning, a little being OK since rotaries burn oil as a normal part of the process. White smoke, especially if you go to the rear and smell a sweet odor, usually means the water jacket on the engine is compromised (coolant leaking into combustion chambers). Translation: engine is shot!
b) have the engine compression-checked at a mazda dealer or qualified rotary shop. Rotaries require a special compression-tester. This will tell you a lot about the engine. Take the time to put the car on the hoist and have the mechanic poke around, check for undercarriage damage, leaks, bad exhaust, etc.
3) engine life: I have heard people getting 200K plus miles from well-cared for engine, so a 100K mile car is OK if the owner has been religious about the 3Kmi oil changes.
Two final thoughts:
-there are a LOT of RX7s out there, dogs and beauties. be patient and be fussy. If an owner refuses to let the car be checked - walk, hell, run!
-once you buy your car, unless you have paper documents to prove it, assume NOTHING has been serviced! Be prepared to invest $200-400 (depending how much you can do yourself) in getting all the basics looked after immediately, so you KNOW where you stand.
The basics (suggested)
-oil and filter. Castrol GTX seems to be the oil of choice for most RX folks
-coolant: rotaries run HOT and live or die by the condition of the cooling system!!! have the radiator pulled (!), dunked/flushed and refilled with 50/50 cooland and DISTILLED water. Change ALL the rad hoses, including the heater hoses that run into the heater in the passenger compartment!! These may have never been changed and they have been know to fail and killed the motor. (and change the coolant every TWO years!). New thermostat would be a good idea too
-tranny and diff: drain and replace fluids.
-fuel filter: replace
-battery cables- yes! likely these are original and they WILL corrode internally, causing all sorts of seemingly untraceable electrical gremlins! Rotaries draw a LOT of juice to the starter so these cables need to be top notch! Change em and forget em for the next 10 years...
-brakes: have the WHOLE system bled out. The fluid WILL be contaminated, ultimately damaging lines and components. And change every 3 years-
-belts: replace 'em now, or do it in the middle of nowhere at midnight one night - or blow the water pump hose and cook the motor
- keep a spare set in with the spare-air cleaner filter
And the number one rotary Must Do:
CHECK THE OIL EVERY TIME YOU GAS UP!!!
Rotaries burn oil. Its in the design. Most healthy rotaries will burn about a quart every 400-900 miles. Forget this and you WILL be taking the bus (and we will all be picking over the carcass of your RX7 for spares
Most of what I have suggested here applies to any car, with the few caveats for rotaries. These are great engines. Well designed and engineered for power and durabilty, if you follow the basics. Enjoy and welcome-
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
09-26-05, 04:55 PM
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Thx
Really appreciate your detailed reply Stu
Lots of great info - one final question - it seems GTX 20 - 50 is the oil of choice - what about in winter time? I plan to use the car year round (obviously on dry roads in the winter) while it doesn't get as cold here as with you -15 to -20 is common.
Many thx,
Chris
Lots of great info - one final question - it seems GTX 20 - 50 is the oil of choice - what about in winter time? I plan to use the car year round (obviously on dry roads in the winter) while it doesn't get as cold here as with you -15 to -20 is common.
Many thx,
Chris
09-28-05, 08:20 AM
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I had 215,000 miles on my 87 before I sold it :-(. Ran Castrol 20W-50 in the summer and 10W-30 in the winter. Plan to do the same on a 85 GSL-SE I recently got. :-)
Seamus
Seamus
