TwISteRx

Its an 90 GXL and it looks in decent condition for being 15 years old. Is there anything I should be looking for? Its a 5spd, says it runs great, but needs brakes and exhaust. I have yet to test drive it but I am seriously consideirng getting the car. Its also 980 dollars, and the interior is riced out. 109k miles on the clock too. So what do you guys think? I can do my own brakes and exhaust if thats why its so cheap? Im going to test drive it in a few days, and I need a good daily driver, nothing to beat on. Also is there a link to were I can find horsepower, 1/4 mile and all that? Like all the info in on thread? Cause It would take forever to search the stats on em. thx all

TwISteRx

OK, I got alot of the stats and what to look for...so never mind all that, but do you still think its still a good deal?

BlaCkPlaGUE

Follow the "how to buy an rx7 guide" in the faq, seriously, this will save you a crapload of cash if you follow it to the letter.
I could go into detail about what I would look for, and would love to share that with you, buy then I remember the faq that aaron made and that it covers everything that I would like to tell you.

neofreak

should you? sure, why not.

MattB

its a 980 dollar car that will make you broke. i dont care if you have thousands saved. RX-7's make you poor. we all love them anyways and if you buy one im sure you will love it too. ITS A BLAST. hell i payed 4 grand for mine and its not even that great of shape. its only money. id say go for it. even if it needs a rebuild...still thats only like a 2500 dollar car...have fun with it

piscorpio

I have found that to be true. As with any car that is over 15 years old, its going to have a lot of little things that need to be fixed or replaced. I have had mine for less than a year, it runs well, is in great condition, but I still have needed to fix minor problems and do some preventative maintenance. If you are prepared for that, and can save some money doing work yourself, then go for it. I was ready, and I absolutely love the car, no regrets whatsoever.

I may take some heat for saying this, but if you are not prepared for all that, buy an old Civic and swap an engine into it. It just won't be the same, its not rear wheel drive, and it wasn't a purpose built sports car to begin with. Also, the whole aftermarket (which is practically endless) around Honda's seem to have inflated in price, probably because of the popularity.

jono20

I cant believe you even had to ask :P

dregg100

iTrader: (34)

you better buy that thing!!!!! and if you do welcome to the club.

Cybaster

why not?

willkill12a

just know that if you want an rx7 you gotta want to be under the hood. always checking seals and and a number of other thing. if high maintenance is not for you than look elswhere the rx7 isnt for you. it is for me though


all hail to felix wankel

SpeC

High maintenance, can you handle it?

gxlbiscuit

no dont get one cuz the more people that get one the less special i feel :-P .......

SexInDaRex

DO IT YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! Why else post on here.

Tessai

I've also got a 90 GXL... don't expect too much in the speed department :P.

TwISteRx

Im not really wanting anything fast, but I can do my own work on replacing most things on any normal car. Although I've never worked on a rotary. If its as much work as a cylinder engine Im up for the task. And I need something to play with . That and I got another car.

skhartzell

If you want a car to play with, Yes buy it, after you follow the buying guide. I bought my 90 conv without checking some things out that I should have ( I ended up rebuilding the engine) but the car itself was in the best overall shape of any that I had found. I knew somethng of what I was getting into since I had a 1972 RX2 years ago, but I wanted another rotary!

If you want fun car with less maintenance look for an early Miata. I have both. I only think about selling the RX7 when it gives me a problem, which it is doing now. As soon as I get it fixed the thought of selling it will be gone! Good Luck!

Steve

88turbotime

Take a quick look down the first page of the 2nd gen area, and notice how many posts are something like "please help me my car is psycho" or "what the hell do I do now?"
If you are willing to deal with a LOT of little problems and maybe some big ones, then yes it will be a fun car, and as you said, it is pretty cheap (at first). If you dont want to put up with having to tinker a lot then no, this is not the car for you. If it were me, I would have already bought it.

TwISteRx

So, now it just comes down to saying...Will it make a good daily driver? And sometimes cruising? Im going to baby it alot until the weekends really. I dont mind doing alot of work on it, aslong as I dont have do serious stuff like rebuilds atleast for now...And I am poor too hehe so Im gonna hafta save a few paychecks to get this sucker (unless I can get a grandparent or something to help)

JMY952

If you don't mind the poor gas mileage go for it! I own a GXL and its a BLAST!

revnrx

DO IT!!! that sounds like a very good price IMO.
how much do fc3s go for in usa anyway.

Mombodogs

I bought my 1990 FC3C, vert, n/a 4 months ago for $2,000. 150, 000 miles, clean inside and out, few dings. After 3 weeks, reving uncontrollable, 6000 rpms at start up, smoking out the *** end like a space shuttle launch. Told engine shot. Read 10 thousand threads, got advice from "the RX team", (THATS THIS CLUB), and wasn't engine. Just a simple 3 cent jam nut, and a 40 year old first time RX VIRGIN OWNER. Love this rotary masterpiece. Buy that 980 dollar piece of ****, and enjoy the HARD ON everytime you open the hood to fix, or get behind the wheel and hope it starts. The limitless quantity of "LADIES" willing to take their tops down when the cars is, has paid for it 10 times over. Enjoy the 8th Wonder of the Universe!

RETed

It can be...

What I tell everyone who wants to become a potential owner is...

Be prepared to drop another $1,000 to get the car running in top shape first.
Due to it's age, there's a LOT of stuff that can fail at this point in time.
Make sure the engine, transmission, drivetrain (driveshaft, rear diff, rear axles, hubs) are in good working order - a quick test drive should reveal any unusual noises or quirks of handling or performance.

If you can look past the paint (Mazda paint SUCKS!), this can work in your favor, as paint condition can go a long ways into haggling the price down.
Bad paint doesn't affect the performance of the car.

If you're **** about interior pieces breaking, I'd recommend to stay away.
Plastic pieces break.
Even new pieces will break on you within short order.
Mazda makes crappy trim pieces.

Now, the serious stuff...
The car does NOT have that much torque.
Torque is what most people usually associate with "fast" and "performance".
If you feel the car is fast enough, then go for it.
There's a lot of other cheaper cars with more torque can be "more fun" - i.e. old Mustangs / Camaros.

If I were you, I'd try and stay away from the 1989 - 1991 models, as some of the electronics can be EXPENSIVE to replace.
Things like the TPS and E-OMP are premium items and count yourself lucky if you find a good used one.
If you don't, you're at the mercy of the dealer...read: EXPENSIVE!
The earlier "S4" 1986 - 1988 are much cheaper and easier to repair.

Now, onto the engine rebuilding part...
Sorry to say, but unless you luck out on a well-maintained FC, BE PREPARED FOR AN ENGINE FAILURE.
Low mileage on an RX-7 is NOT necessarily a good thing.
The engine was designed to be run hard; running daily to redline will keep it happy.
An engine not revved hard can form lots of deposits which can dislodge and kill the motor almost instantly.
GO THROUGH RECENT THREADS IN HERE - see how many people are talking about engine failures and rebuilds?

Bottom line, if you're worried about money, I wouldn't get an FC.
Minimum, you need $1,000 for the car and another $1,000 to fix it to get it reliable.
Then maybe another $1,000 just for the rebuild.
That's a lot of dough if you're complaining you're poor.
I'd recommend getting a Toyota if you want reliable.


-Ted

TwISteRx

I dont mind if its unreliable, and so far this sounds like a friggin steal and Im not worried about dumping money into it. I plan to do a full tune up with new cats, trans fluid, more oil I guess? lol and pretty much everything. But on the window it does say, *runs good* sold as is, needs brakes, and exhaust. Which is obviously not a big deal really. And if its more reliable with redlining it then this vehicle is for me I should know whether or not I have it by this weekend pretty soon. If not I will just save thanks alot guys i appreciate the advice.

Jager

iTrader: (10)

I bought my car for $1500 and all the problems that I have had is a broken driveshaft (actually the U-joints). So everyone quite the high maintence ****. I've done the general maintence (new fluids, oil changes after 3,000 miles, plugs and wires). And my car has been hiccupless for a year, makes 110 compression on each rotor, and pulls mad hard.

Its not too diffucult. Plus they're easy to work on.

SukiXO

its sad but tru i have a 1989 and it kills me every time i get money saved its like it gets sucks it out of my *** again lol.... altho i feel i got smart about it...heheh i sent an e-mail to pimp my ride and told them to fix the body (cuz they never did an rx7 that i know of) and to top it off anything i dont like in it i can change out and sell make more money only to put it into the eng : *( y me ........ :::sigh::

have a good one