sudafed

Hey everyone, I've been checking out this forum for a few days know. I'm doing a little research because I found an '87 RX7 that I am interested in buying. I've done a lot of looking around the site and learned alot of good information. The reason why I am posting is because I am hoping that if I explain to you my current situation that you may in turn give me some advice, on top of what I have learned already looking at the site. I apologize if this gets too long winded.

I found an '87 RX7 it is a non-turbo and has 56,000 original miles on it. It is completely free of rust (although I have not checked behind the front fender as suggested in the "what to look for when buying an rx7" post) and the paint is in good (besides your normal parking lot dings) condition and looks as though it was taken good care of. It was aparently stored winters since new. The interior is also in immaculate condition, there are seat covers on it which I thought was sure to reveal ripped and tattered seats, but when I checked they looked brand new. I have not driven the car yet, but I am told that it needs a new clutch and that it will cost $420 installed if I want to replace it with an OEM clutch. I looked underneath the car for rust etc. and found none. What I did see however was a relatively heavy buildup of gunky oil on the underside of the engine (not sure if it was oil pan cause I was not able to get close enough). The owner is asking $5500 for the car but said he is willing to deduct the price of the clutch.

My questions for you guys (since you are the experts) is this a good deal? Is the oil buildup a)normal? b)a major problem? and what other things should I take note of when I go back to drive it (other then what was in the "what to look for" post). Sorry if my question are stupid, but I'm normally a big Ford guy and am a little lost. My other option if I decide not to buy this car is to buy an '89 mustang gt convertable. Thanks for reading my novel, and I'm looking foward to reading your suggestions.

JamesBong

The oil build up might be a bad oil cooler line or injector line. If the oil is even forward of the engine, I would suspect the oil cooler lines. You can get replacement stainless braided ones at www.mazdatrix.com for not much more than the OEM ones. If the oil is everywhere, and high up on the front of the engine, it might be the OMP lines. Mine were spraying oil on the fan, which distributed it nicely everywhere.

$5500 isn't too bad if it's in cherry condition, but I'd have him knock off the cost of getting the oil leaks fixed. Plus, at that age, it's going to need new vacuum lines (my favorite recommendation) and new suspension bushings. 18 year old rubber isn't going to be in good condition.

If you post some pictures, everyone will chime in with their opinions.

Wanked_FC

iTrader: (1)

Don't waste your money on an oem clutch. Grab an ACT street/strip disc and a HD pressure plate. Its only a little more expensive than an oem and can hold up to a lot more abuse.

Tessai

My '90 GXL has a nice buildup of oil on the underside. I have a slow leak at the oil filter pedestal. The oil is mostly on the rear driver's side of the engine, and goes along the tranny towards the rear of the car. It isn't a huge issue, I suspect that the oil has been leaking for quite some time as well as a strong possibility of an earlier problem, as the car is running on a rebuild.

$5500 minus the cost of some relatively minor repairs seems like a good deal on a good condition TII.

Another common rust area is the rear curve of the rear 1/4 panel behind the wheel. If you imagine the rear passenger wheel as a compass, the rust would be in the northwest area on the fender.

sudafed

thanks for the response guys. I have another question though. How is the reliability of the rotary engine, i've heard that they are quite prone to breakdown.

gingenhagen

Reliability isn't much different from any other ~20 year old sports car. Keep up your maintenance, and your 7 can be perfectly reliable.

iceblue

Are you talking about the one on ebay?

FDKids1227

sorry to interrupt this thread, but is the fc more reliable than the fd, once again sorry to interrupt like this, but i've searched all the threads i've found come up like this one, I've looked up onf FD's over a year ago and studied extensively, but I've heard form some that FC's are a lot more reliable that FD's and tend to be a little easier on the pocket.