skye79

O.K. So for my first post on these boards, I have to ask all you 2nd. gen. RX-7 experts a question. I have an opportunity to purchase a 1989 Turbo II from a friend of my dad. He is the second owner of the car, and it has low kilometers/miles on it (I live in Canada). 95,000 kilometers (59,000 miles), to be more specific. It is really in excellent condition, the current owner changes the oil every 3,000 kilometers (1864 miles), and it looks great. My main worry is reliability. I really don't have alot of money to throw into repairing the car all the time. I don't intend on modifying it much. I won't winter drive it, either, so storage is a bit of a question. Can an rx-7 sit for a while and not feel the effects? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I know the current owner and he is extremely trustworthy, and he doesn't drive the car much, as much as he babies it. He was told by a mechanic that it was one of the nicest rx-7's he had ever seen. How much can I expect to spend on maintaining the car? Is it going to bankrupt me if something goes wrong? Thanks in advance for the help.

88t2romad

59000 miles isnt a lot for an rx7 to have, ive heward of poeple having problems after the car sat for a while, but the longest mine has sat is a month and it started right up. If you have a problem they can be a pain in the *** to fix(if you dont know what your doing). And rebuilds can be pricey if you dont do them by yourself. BTW: how much is he selling it to you for?

skye79

The guy recommended a good mechanic in my area who is awesome with rotary engines, and since I am just starting to really 'get into' imports at this point, I can honestly say that I won't be taking anything apart anytime soon. I'm not mechanically inclined. I'm not a dunce, I have just spent most of my adult years in college studying anthropology, instead of in the garage. As for price, it isn't cheap, because the guy knows he has a gem, although he just wants what he paid for it 3 years ago. Guess he doesn't understand depreciation, but I won't ever find another 7 in this condition.

Alak

iTrader: (9)

It will last if you dont do anything stupid with it. If you let it sit for awhile, I suggest starting and charging the battery every now and then.

Since its a Turbo II, I'd think about investing in a Turbo Timer, or running the car at idle for a minute or 2 before shutdown after its been driven for extended periods of time.

hondahater

iTrader: (2)

dont get it if it's to expensive. I would pay maybe 6k for one in that condition maybe a tad more but really if you get too much higher than that you are venturing into fd territory. Now this is just my attitude towards it others may not agree. What is the price?


alak: this is a water cooled turbo not oil cooled. In other words you don't need a turbo timer.

skye79

Yeah, my dad has a turbo'd car and he has drilled it into my skull for years that you have to treat turbo's better than you treat your own mother. Premium gas, cool down period, etc. I just worry about these damn cold Canadian winters. Even though I live in sunny Kelowna, B.C.

BTW: IT is over 6000 U.S., but nice cars are alot more expensive in Canada. In case you guys didn't know, the used car market in Canada is insanely overpriced. And because of our lack of population, we have about 1/10th the rx-7's you guys do, so we pay through the nose for nice cars. You guys have it way better.

rexxer

lol, too bad the winters there suck *****.

Rocky071

It sounds like a great car, if you can get it for the right price. Personally, I'd offer say... $6000 CDN for it =P If he's a friend, and wants to see it go to a good owner, then it's realistic to think he'll let it go for a reasonable amount.

I think it would be reliable though. I don't own an S5 Turbo II (instead an 88 N/A) but my car seems reliable and hasn't required any work after a year of owning it (including a good 4 month sit). If the car is in as good shape as you say, and you don't plan to do mods on it, I don't know why it wouldn't be reliable for the long-term. As for bankrupting you if something goes wrong, depends what goes wrong =P If the engine blows, that'll burn a hole through your wallet; but it's not like that's something that happens every 4 months. A lotta stuff is DIY (do it yourself), and with the help of experts on the site, I figure that most things that go wrong won't require a lot of work to fix.

Blahblahblah. That's my $0.02... Canadian

jarred

u live in kelowna skye79?! hmmm i'm not too far away also, do u frequent bcrx7.com? i'm just curious

staticguitar313

iTrader: (2)

gets us pis and we'll tell you if its worth it

Flash

iTrader: (2)

Uh... I don't think we want that....

Jager

iTrader: (10)

Import one from the United States. I beleive a member of this forum (I'll keep him nameless) does it, then resells them in Canada for quite a pretty penny. Maybe you should check into that if they are so hard to find.

tie pilot

yes.

/didn't read the thread

Havoc

oh and for storage, I had mine sit for 2 years, just drained the fuel and put it on blocks and took the leads off the battery.

When I got back from travels, I put the battery back in, put in some fuel, changed the oil and coolant and she started up first time was just lucky I think

Narcisse91

Mine sat for almost 5 years before I bought it. I put in a fresh battery, fired it up, and drove it. Some rubber bushings had deteriorated, but other then that, it was fine.

Now, it sits for months at a time (race car) and fires up right away all the time.

jhammons01

I don't know.....mine has been pretty quirky. Lots of little things here and there. I work at home so I am always able to wrench on it so it is not soo bad. Plus my Rex is my second car. There are other small cars that may be a better match for you.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

I've let my '88SE sit for a year at most & many times for 3-6 months. Just had to charge battery & put in fuel. Just buy the thing & join the club!!

Ramses666

nyc_scorpio

iTrader: (1)

mines sat for 1 year when i went to desert storm and it ran like a charm. then again, i did take the sparks out, and left only 1/4 gas in her.

Impreza2RX7

Buy it and put an LS1 in it, you wont be disappointed

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

FYI, Stock turbos are oil and water cooled. There is less of a need for a turbo timer because of this, under normal driving conditions. After a hard drive, a cool down period is highly recommended. With the water cooling, the coolant will continue to circulate after shut down, thereby aiding in the cool down.

All turbos have an oil supply, which does 2 things. The oil lubes the bearings and carries away heat.


Aftermarket turbos are almost exclusively oil coooled, use of a turbo timer is generally a given.