I hope I chose the right forum for this... 'Cause I'm new here, and to Rx-7s.

Alright, today me and my mom went looking at cars. I have my heart set on a first gen Rx-7, and I had found adds for two of them around here.

We saw both of them today, and I have no clue on whcih to choose, so I figured I'd come here to get some help.

So, the first one is a '85. It's had maybe 3 owners. It's blue, and the paint is chipped off in one small spot (a pit smaller than my palm) on the hood. The tires are pretty much brand new. The guy said that the lady he bought it from in '96 had had the engine rebuilt by Mazda. He used it mostly for play, so it hasn't been driven much beyond what he bought it at. He said it's got almost 200,000 miles on it. We drove it around the block, it sounds perfect, even though he said there's a hole in the muffler. It must be small, 'cause I didn't notice. The shifter is smooth, compared to the ones I've seen. (My dad has a truck, and when he shifts it sounds like crap 'cause it's so old and crappy) He wants $1500 for it. It's got a CD player, the A/C is broken, leather interior... It's really nice.

The other car is gold. 1983, one owner. The paint on top was kinda dulled 'cause the guy had had a cover over it in his yard for some time. It hasn't been driven in almost 3 years. He said he had just replaced all the belts. He had the hood up when we got there, 'cause he had wanted to start it for us, but when he tried to get it started it flooded. The hood was open, and pretty much everything in there was BRAND NEW. The interior was just cloth, but I'm assuming the A/C works and he has a cassette player. It has a manual choke on it, but I don't remember if the other guy's car did or not. Basically, we didn't get to hear it run 'cause the guy had flooded it. He said that he had it running a week before, 'cause he had moved it into the garage. It's real nice, it just needs new tires. He wants $1500.

So... What would you go with? My mom wants me to go with the '85, but I'm not sure. It's more of a fixer-upper, and I'm not sure that's any good 'cause this is gonna be a commute car. But I would love to fix one of them up. `,=o) I'm also on a tight budget, so I can't really look at anything over $1500 at the moment.

I'm leaning towards the gold '83, 'cause he's the only guy who's ever owned it, and he's kept it in great shape it seems like. The only thing is, I can't have a car flooding right before school. That would be bad.

So anyway, thanks for reading all this, and thanks for any advice.

 

Sounds like neither of them is a really good bet really.
If the car won't start up easily, it "could" be low
on compression. Of course, it could be a number
of other things too.
If the car sat for a very long time without being
started, that can also cause the apex seal springs
to flatten and make the engine not seal well.
Again, low compression and a motor rebuild.

A 200,000 mile car may need a number of things.
Wheel bearings, brakes, bushings, transmission,
and so on. If the motor was not replaced too long
ago though, it will probably be good for a long
time. If you don't mind working on your own car,
the above things are not really too terrible. If
you aren't mechanically inclined or don't want
to learn to be, I would not recommend any car
with 200,000 miles on it.

The one with the newer motor might be a good
deal if you can get them down to $1,000.

-Darren

 

You should probably post this in the !st gen specific forum. You'll get a lot more advice and feedback there.

 

ANother thing you might want too check, which you didn't post, is the 85 a gsl-se? That isn't too bad of a deal if it is... Easiest way to tell difference is the wheels. If they both had the stock + shaped wheels they are 12a's but if it had a bunch of smaller spokes, than it's an SE... I'd vote on the 85 eiether way, but keep your eyes open for others as neither sounds too wonderful, but for 1500$ not terrible either.

 

Look for a GSL-SE, and don't buy either of these two just because they are the first ones you've seen. Don't be in a hurry to throw your money away. When the right car comes along, you will know it, and have no doubts.

Good luck,

 

If the first one is a GSL-SE (fuel injected) It would be the one, but most of us have learned what to look for.
Check the rear inner wheel wells for rust as well as the cargo box's.( just held in with screws if the guy will not let you take them out don't buy it.)
I know you are all pumped up to get a RX but take your time and look around and read this forum before you buy it. They are really simple cars but if you buy the wrong one in a hurry it can drain your bank account faster then Uncle Sam.

Vic