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Possible Daily Driver... Thoughts?

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Old 06-26-07, 09:54 PM
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53.6%/46.4% - Crap!

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Possible Daily Driver... Thoughts?

So I saw this car on ebay and wondered what you guys thought. The main issue I have with it is that I am in Ohio, the car is 360 miles away, and I would be very hesitant to buy a car sight-unseen.

Up for auction is a 1985 Mazda RX-7 GS. This is the last year of the SA/FB body style and the final year of carbureted RX-7s. The chassis has 140,000 miles, the engine was rebuilt and has 35,000 miles on it. The car is a five speed manual mated to the 12A rotary engine. I have replaced alot of things in the last year or so; fuel pump, spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, various parts of the steering system, suspension, battery, etc. The car has a good bit of performance modifications on it. The carburetor is a brand new Holley 4 barrel setup from Racing Beat. The fuel pump and regulator are a Mallory combo matched to the carburetor. The exhaust consists of a Racing Beat header and catless exhaust with resonator and muffler. The suspension is also brand new with Tokico shocks and Progress Auto Sport springs. I have a Racing Beat rear sway bar that is not installed and will come with the car. Engine compression has been tested with a rotary compression tester at the Mazda dealership. Compression shows as mid to high 8s on both rotors with no broken seals, etc. For those in the uninitiated, thats very good numbers for a 12A. Oil metering pump works but I do premix with each tank regardless. Thanks to the larger pump and carburetor the idle is a little race car in its nature but it starts and idles every time, holding at about 1100rpm. A newer radio from a 2002 Mazda Protege has been installed but not wired in, I will include the harnesses required to do so. Seats and carpet are free of rips, dash has no cracks whatsoever. Door panels had some cracked vinyl which i replaced in a bit of a hurry, not bad looking. The body is in fair shape for a midwest car. I have resurfaced and repainted portions of the car which were the worst shape. There is bondo and fiberglass done to the car and at some point in its life it was repainted. Overall the images represent the look of the car accurately. Do not expect a flawless show room car. It does look pretty good, very good for a 22 year old RX-7. There are no catalytic convertors and the emissions control system "rats nest" has been removed. It will probably never pass any kind of smog inspection because of this. The car drives very smooth, corners well and is genuinely a fun little car to drive. I simply do not have the time to tune the carburetor for maximum performance and with a 6 month old daughter it does not make for a practical ride of any kind. There is a reserve on the car, feel free to email me with offers but do not low ball me. The carburetor, fuel pump, header, intake manifold and suspension alone are worth close to 2000 dollars. Happy Bidding! Zoom zoom!











I sent some messages back and forth, and he seems like a nice guy, but I've never bought something like this online, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. If the compression numbers are accurate though, it is in great shape. Anything specific I should ask for? The car didn't sell at auction, but he said he would be willing to sell it for $2500 shipped. What are your thoughts?

Edit: This might be a familiar car to one member, I see he is on here too haha.

Last edited by Rexpelagi; 06-26-07 at 10:05 PM.
Old 06-26-07, 10:13 PM
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Say hello to Mr.Wankel

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it all depends on how much you trust the guy. the last two automobiles ive bought were sight unseen. one was my current DD 85 GSL and one was a scooter. i had teh scooter shipped to me and i meet the seller of the rx7. what i would do if i were you is either fly or take a bus to where the car is and drive it home. that way if you get there and something is wrong, you can go back home. yes youll loose money but not as much if you bought the car and there was problems.
Old 06-26-07, 10:20 PM
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53.6%/46.4% - Crap!

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Originally Posted by aws140
it all depends on how much you trust the guy. the last two automobiles ive bought were sight unseen. one was my current DD 85 GSL and one was a scooter. i had teh scooter shipped to me and i meet the seller of the rx7. what i would do if i were you is either fly or take a bus to where the car is and drive it home. that way if you get there and something is wrong, you can go back home. yes youll loose money but not as much if you bought the car and there was problems.
Ya that probably would be the smart thing to do, I have a friend that lives in Chicago though... maybe I could see if he would go up and check it out (the car is about an hour north).
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