Well, I think I've found it, my new project car:

1985 RX7 GSL. It's at a small used car place about 1 mile from my house. The guy is asking $2100, but I know I could pick it up for $1500-1600. It has either 189,000 or 139,000 miles on it (I'll explain later). Automatic (yeah), sunroof, 1.2L carb'ed wankel. Of course it has some dents, scratches, flaked-off paint, minor surface rust, and whatnot, but the underneath looks really good. All of the glass is in good shape, the interior is very clean, and it has a JVC CD player already in there I spotted it yesterday while running errands, and went today to look at it. I'm going back on Monday to take it for a test drive, and if it's worth it, have my mechanic give it a good once-over. Basically, this car isn't great, but everything is intact and salvageable, except maybe the funky 14" 4-spoke wheels and almost-bald tires. I ran the VIN through NADAguides.com and everything came out ok, for what it's worth. But, this is where the mileage discrepancy came in: I thought i read the odometer at 189,000, but on the report, the last indicated mileage was 119,000 on 2/7/04. So, now I'm thinking that nobody could possibly drive this car 70,000 miles in one year,so maybe I just read the odo. wrong. We'll have to see on Monday...


And yes, the automatic tranny: Just figure on it not being there for too long



I'll let you all know what's going down

Its not worth 2100 at all. I would kinda wonder about 1500. Thats not a good or a bad deal. I found a pretty decent one in pretty good shape for 1700. Was really clean and it was an 87. It was the 2+2 seating or what ever (had a back seat) so it was cheaper on insurance.

nice dude

gotta love the old school RWD imports

take pics of it...the car shouldn't be worth $2100.


also - check out the insides of the doorjambs, under the hatch glass, etc...these cars are prone to BAD rust, especially FBs.




R.I.P. Rachel Calhoun...you left us too early. 9/5/80 - 3/19/05

Well, I drove it today, and I must say, I was very impressed. No rattles, no squeaks, the steering wheel pulls true - all things that I can't say about my Cav (ouch )

There are a few minor problems, though. The gas pedal didn't want to go past 1/8th throttle, which made it fun when I took it out on the highway. I'm figuring that the cable is rusted inside the plastic sleeve, so no big deal there. I did manage to wrench on it enough to get the tranny to kick down going up hill, and it was very nice indeed. The shift was firm, but not like it slipped. It felt like an Autotrans Interceptor on a J-body. The engine made pretty nice power at around 2,000rpms. It also idled at 800rpms when it was warm. Another small problem is the rear wiper - I hit the button and I could hear the motor running, but the wiper wasn't going anywhere. Again, not a big deal, because I know that there's power getting to the motor. One more small problem is the hatch release - It wouldn't work. I couldn't get it to push in. I really don't know what could be wrong, but I'm guessing that it's not a big deal either.

Other than those few things, everything else was great. All the lights worked, the rear defroster, the AC, the power mirrors, the power windows (although they were very weak, which is common), the stereo, windshield wipers, etc. It was also raining when I drove it, and there was no water leaking in through the sunroof, windows, or hatch, which is good. The interior also didn't smell like mold or other funk. The only things I didn't check were the sunroof (to see if it opened) and the cruise control (which I could care less about).

Oh yeah, I really read the Odo. wrong - the car has 119,000 miles.

Overall, I was very impressed. He gave me a price of $1650, but I know that if I hold off until next week I can get it for $1200. And I couldn't get any pictures, since it was raining.




I also called about this RX7, but I'm waiting to hear back. I would rather have one that already had a 5-speed in it, but we'll have to see what goes on there.


Anyway, anyone have any input?

hmm.


you say it ran smoothly? did it start nicely? i'm assuming he doesn't have a fuel cutoff installed(i had one...BLAH it sucked), so starting should have been a breeze.

if the sunroof is anything like my FB was, it'll crank open and closed manually, and it's removable. if that's the case, ask if he's still got the vinyl sleeve for it.

i'd still be leary of the rust...but otherwise it sounds like a good find. and GET PICS!


that red one you linked is just slightly overpriced, especially lacking numerous pics(motor shots, etc) GOOD market value places it at a little over $1500...EXCELLENT market value(the description of which this vehicle wouldn't fit because of the miles) places it at $1790.

i'd still check out that red one, but come prepared with KBB values for private sale




R.I.P. Rachel Calhoun...you left us too early. 9/5/80 - 3/19/05

another sidenote that i forgot to mention...with the first FB, i'd ask if the seals are all original. if they are, expect a rebuild by 150k.

for the second...if the miles are actually that low, bargain the price down a bit and jump on that car...once you've test driven it and checked to make sure everything works, of course




R.I.P. Rachel Calhoun...you left us too early. 9/5/80 - 3/19/05

started up fairly easy. I pulled the choke out, cranked it over, and gave it a few throttle blips. If/when I go back to look at it, I'll check more closely for rust, but looking quickly I couldn't find any bad spots (there are 2 surface spots: one on the edge of the sunroof and one near the wheelwell). There's none underneath or in the engine bay, but I'm not sure about in the wheel wells. I can almost guarantee that everything inside the motor is original, but I was planning on rebuilding it eventually, anyway.

I'm really liking the second one, though. I was thinking on getting the price down to between $1800-$2100, depending on how nice it is. The only thing I'm afraid of is that chrome monstrosity on the b-pillars/roof. I'm afraid that it either A) won't come off, or B) will be rusty or in bad shape underneath when I would take it off. And that would suck. I'm guessing by the options listed that it's a GSL also, but I won't know for certain until I get the call back. I'm just waiting right now to find out for sure what all this thing has (and to make sure I can take off that chrome thing). I definitely want the rear discs, though. That's really all that matters to me.


I did take 2 crappy pictures, but since you're asking for them

hmm.


get more info on the second one, and get that price down. if it runs, that'll be a better choice for you.




R.I.P. Rachel Calhoun...you left us too early. 9/5/80 - 3/19/05

well, the second one's sold... sh(i)t



i've been looking for others, but i can't find one that compares to the first one for the price. they all have 150,000+ miles, and are the same price. and all the nice ones are 8 or 9 hours away.

i'm heading back up tomorrow morning to check out the first one again. if i can get an appointment with my mechanic to have him check it out, i may be coming home with a new ride tomorrow yea, it's an automatic, and yes it needs minor body work, but i think that for $1200 it'll be well worth it

see...i'm wierd. i'll wait till i see the one i KNOW i want, that needs the least amount of work...and start with a good base. that might be your best bet.

have you checked out RX7club.com yet?




R.I.P. Rachel Calhoun...you left us too early. 9/5/80 - 3/19/05

yea, i've been looking there, and nopistons.com (lol, both links that you gave me before). really, i do want this car, it is very nice. the only thing that makes me even a little hesitant is that it's an automatic, but i'm pretty sure that between me, my dad, and my friends, we could handle a tranny conversion... the hard part would be finding all of the parts to do it.


thanks for being my guide through the world of RX-7's

not a problem - i'm more than happy to help


actually...a friend of mine just found an FB in Washington, DC...it's a 79! with a rebuilt motor. i think he and i are going to check it out...the owner's got a VERY realistic price set on it ($700) so we're going to see how it looks. i miss my FB...and i want to replace her with a RUNNING vehicle for once




R.I.P. Rachel Calhoun...you left us too early. 9/5/80 - 3/19/05

i do have one more question:

where the hell can you find wheels for a non SE?!? the ones on this car are shot in the ass. i wanted to get 15's, preferably with a little less (more?) offset so they stuck out a little farther (almost flush with the wheelwell), but i'll be damned if i can find a set of wheels anywhere. well, tirerack as 2, and neither are the style i want. i want a big lip with either a 5-spoke or mesh design, like these:

honestly...i like the wheels that are on this Corolla:


i can't remember for the life of me who makes wheels like that...but they're a good, sturdy, classic style that looks BADASS on those cars. best suggestion would be post up on rx7club and ask them what they are. i just wish i could remember...that's what i was going to put on my GSL-SE.

if you can find a set of older Advans, as well, you're in good shape...they generally look REALLY good in black mesh, and have a funky wheel lock design that makes them annoying to remove(and therefore, less likely to be stolen).

this is another decent look:



i'll keep an eye out for styles that generally look VERY good on those cars(and still retain the classic feel...you don't want to get too modern, or it'll look like ass), and i'll let you know what i find.



grammar tip of the day: don't use "at" at the end of a sentence.
it makes you sound like an idiot. example: "where are those at?"
the "at" is unnecessary. thank you all for reading this, and have a nice day.

eh, the car was a piece of @!#$ upon closer inspection... i had my checkbook and everything, i was ready to buy it. then i saw the rear quarter panel rotted through behind the wheel




so, the search continues

like i said...take your time there are TONS of FBs out there, so i'm sure you'll find one better suited to your needs if you keep looking.

good luck



grammar tip of the day: don't use "at" at the end of a sentence.
it makes you sound like an idiot. example: "where are those at?"
the "at" is unnecessary. thank you all for reading this, and have a nice day.