UniqueTII

I'm looking at getting an '85 GSL as a second car and I was hoping I could get some info from you guys. The car has very little rust and only 60K miles. Any idea on the value? I looked under it and it's very solid and rust free. What's the difference between the GSL and other models? Are they any good in the snow, with a good set of tires? What kind of gas mileage should I expect? Sorry for all the newbie questions, but I know much more about second gens. Any info or advice you could give me would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. -Ed

DONNA

Hi and welcome,,,60K miles is very good, its still being broke in,,,i get about 18mpg some here get better some worse but all agree that they are just so fun to drive that the gas is not a worry,,about the worth, some pay as little as a few hundred and some as much a 2-3K, mine was given to me, so i have been very lucky and getting it road ready was pretty easy ,especially with all the helpfull people that you will meet here,,,,,good luck and dont hold off on asking questions,,youll be suprised at how quick you could be answered , the gsl comes with the lsd rear end and all around disk brakes as well as the le model but it has a fuel injected system, the others come without rear disk and no electric windows,,,they are pretty light and will get away from you in the rain if punched, dont know about snow yet but with the positrak style rear end they may do all right....later

Pele

iTrader: (28)

They are fairly good in the snow, just be wary of carb freezing as that happened to me once. Tires are your main point in the snow and rain. I had some Kelly Chargers on mine when I got it and it was fairly squirley in the rain. They weren't all the way bald either, but they were getting there. New BFG Comp T/A's on the back fixed that problem. Probably should have invested in them all around and I might not have banged up the front control arm loosing it in a turn in the snow.

smnc

RX-7s are great in the snow IF, and ONLY IF you know what you're doing. By that I mean there are TONY of morons out there who couldn't handle a Hummer in the snow. As long as you have some experiece in snow driving, then they're great.

I drive mine all year round and have NEVER lost it, even in the winter. AND that was with all-seasons, not winter tires. This winter I'll be getting Blizzaks tho.

Pele
I've heard there is an cold weather starting system to help the car in the winter. It's a resevoir on the firewall pasenger side. It supposed to be filled with 90% anti-freeze and 10% water. It's injected into the carb when the key is in the "start" position, when the temp is below zero.

I've never had a carbed rex, so I've never seen this but I read about it in a book.

RTR_4_LF

the main difference betwen GSLs and other models is the rearend. But be wary some GSLs are not the same. Mine had the LSD in the rear where most are one leggers. The gearing itself is also different. I want to say it has 3.93 where the others have 3.70s. That and the stereo and some interior differences. Thats about it though. I would say go for it!

Denny

Hey Buckaroo....

Sounds like a beauty little hoss...As I recall your part of New York State gets plenty of snow. Be a shame to get all that salt and slush on such a pretty little pony. Park the 1st gen, Winter drive the 2nd gen.

But if you must, take it up into the air, attack all rust areas down to bare metal, anti-rust prime it, then undercoat. Wash Under your baby at least once a week. Coat all suspension bolts and threaded areas with grease.

Neat thing about an '85 GSL (I have one too) is the manual choke. Mine always started and ran with no problems. I learned to drive in Vermont, so snow doesn't worry me. The first thing I do when the first sticking snow hits is to head for a big parking lot in the evening and throw my sweetheart into spins, skids, and locked brake slides. Figure 8's are fun too. But there's a reason for this maddness. You'll learn what it feels like when the car is on it's edge, or into a skid, or spin. Knowing your limit and the car's is the main lesson in snow safety. I repeat, Know the limits, that way you and your pony will have a Merry Merry, and and be around come Spring.

Fuel mileage is discussed at length here at the forum. Some get poor mileage, others get fairly decent. I can get up to 25 mpg out of mine if I'm careful with the loud pedal and keep the rpm's below 4000. I'm afraid that with a Seven it's hard to do, but I don't get lower than 20 mpg. Then I'm a real stickler for good electrics, plugs, caps, rotors, wires, etc. And as any 1st gen Forum Wrench-hand will testify, I'm a firm believer in MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil) in the oil sump and in the fuel tank.

'85 GSL is the top hoss among the 12A carbed ponies. I'll get argument here, some say the '83 LE, and some still others. Point is the '85 GSL, as Donna, a good wrench-hand says, has the 4 wheel disk brakes, sunroof, electric windows, rear hatch wiper, stereo/cassette with equalizer, and the much desired Limited Slip Differential. A really great fun sports car, and the last year of issue for our much worshipped generation.

You'll probably soon discover that I didn't cover the '84-'85 GSL-SE, because of so many differences between it and the GSL. Have fun with your little pony, and don't worry about SE's until you're a little more knowledgeble.....Heh, heh, heh

A tip of the 'ol Stetson,
Denny, from the abandoned corncrib...

Pele

iTrader: (28)

That sub zero starting system is supposedly useless. Lotsa people rip it off. I had a problem once... Only once where it flooded out in cold whether while in motion. Day later it was fine. Musta been ice particle jamed in a needle valve seat or somehting.

UniqueTII

Thanks for all the feedback. I'll check further into the car later this week...hopefully it's not gone by then, but there's another first gen for sale right near this one. Driving the 2nd gen during the winter and parking the 1st wouldn't work out very well...the 2nd is modded, lowered, and has a really expensive paint job. I'm going to do as much as possible to keep it from rusting if I get it...I hate rust.

I'll keep you posted.