88 Rx7

[mo08ms3]

To keep the miles low on my 08 speed3, I am thinking of getting a cheap beater car (but still get me around town reliably) This guy is selling an 88 Rx7 with 150K miles for $700. I don't know him personally. He says its in good shape but it sat for awhile so it smokes on start up. My budget is 1k, and I know I am not gonna anything great for that price, but I don't know jack about old Mazda's especially the rotary engines. What I want is car that with some (not too much) maintenance that will get me around town and to work and back and maybe have a little fun nin the meantime. I have no problem doing maintenance and getting hands greasy. What I don't want is a money pit, since I have a kid on the way. Anybody think i should get it? anybody ever had one of these or know much about the rotary engine?

Thanks in advance, and sorry if this is the wrong forum but I didn't see much in the other ones.

 

[kickniteasy]

hit up the rotary section and you'll get more help there. I'm not sure what exactly you should get done besides a good once over from a mechanic, but a lot of people on here can tell you year by year exactly what you should look for.

 

[AutoEuphoria]

Buying an Rx7 for a daily driver is not a smart decision.

 

[imac]

Buying an Rx7 for a daily driver is not a smart decision.

+1

i love the old rx-7's and all, but i think if you're just looking for a reliable beater car, you should get something basic. i wouldnt worry too much about it not being that much fun to drive since you have the MS3 to rip around with.

my suggestion would be an old, reliable import with high mileage. civics and accords are always a good bet, and my old celica has been pretty much nothing but good to me. you can pick up any of them cheap, parts are all over the place, and theyre not too hard to maintain.

not much fun and theyre not very exciting to look at, but theyre so plentiful that you'll surely be able to find a good one and find plenty of part support.

 

[16902]

rx7 + reliable

(screwy)

 

[Rubasu]

prolly smokes on start up cause the apex seals are toast, not a very reliable car for a daily beater

 

[gtlaw]

I had an 88 rx7 ten years ago it was a great car that never gave me a single problem, but please don't take that as a recommendation to buy this one

 

[AutoEuphoria]

The NA ones can be fairly reliable, but once you add boost it goes down hill quickly. Also, if something goes wrong internally it generally means a complete rebuild...it's impossible to just replace a seal without rebuilding the entire engine.

 

[amp]

dont believe the hype.. rotaries are just as reliable as the next car...
its owner maintenance more often thats the root of the issue...
of those here who have suggested to stay away... wonder how many of you have had any real experience with the motor..
(boom07)

to the OP.. check the obvious on the car... then check the compression

 

[kura808]

hehe maybe look at a miata as well? xP i hear theyre very reliable. plus it got the zoom zoom spirit

 

[Mike240SX]

The NA ones can be fairly reliable, but once you add boost it goes down hill quickly. Also, if something goes wrong internally it generally means a complete rebuild...it's impossible to just replace a seal without rebuilding the entire engine.

You neglect to metion that rebuilding a rotary is easier than changing a timing belt or water pump on some cars.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

prolly smokes on start up cause the apex seals are toast, not a very reliable car for a daily beater

if the apex seals were blown it would be very hard to get the car to run at all, start at all or idle properly.

non turbo rx-7s, if cared for properly, can be excellent and reliable cars. keep in mind they aren't rockets. 140 hp in non turbo trim for an 86 to 92 model and they aren't the most fuel efficient vehicles around. a non turbo model will take 87 octane, so that helps. they also handle exceptionally well in stock form and better still when modified. light and agile RWD at its best.

take the car for a spin. see how it accelerates, how it idles, what works and doesn't work. if possible, get a compression test courtesy of your local mazda dealer. i would advise getting it done with a rotary compression tester. you can do it with a standard compression tester if you want, but you need to modify the tester before doing it to get the right result. if the engine compression is good, thats a big bonus. if the car smokes alot, there may be a bad internal seal sucking up coolant. the engine would require a rebuild at this point. check for fluid consumption and leaks throughout. ask if the owner premixes two-cycle and gasoline.

pretty much your average "used car kick the tires" method applies otherwise. frankly i've never been able to secure a decent rx-7 for less than twice what he is selling it for, so if its a decent car, the price being asked is more than fair.

 

[lil_red_wagon]

Buying an Rx7 for a daily driver is not a smart decision.

+10k

 

[DaleNixon]

My stepmother had an '86 back in '86. They kept the car for about 10 years. Everything went to hell after the A/C was replaced. The car would constantly die at random moments. Dealerships just scratched their heads and the problem wouldn't occur on command.

Still, it was one sweet machine! I really loved that car. I wish it was still around.

 

[PureDrive]

As stated above, if you are looking for a reliable daily driver with not so much maintenance, then I would definately not go for an RX-7. I had an 1990 RX-7 and they are a unique breed of cars that can be a pain in the ass if you are not very familiar with the rotary engine and how to care for one. And they get horrible gas mileage all-in-all. If it is smoking already, run away from it...

 

[AutoEuphoria]

of those here who have suggested to stay away... wonder how many of you have had any real experience with the motor..

I had an FD for 2 years.

You neglect to metion that rebuilding a rotary is easier than changing a timing belt or water pump on some cars.

On some cars, sure. Most? No. You have to completely remove the engine, tear it down, clean it up, replace all the seals, put it all back together (correctly) and get the engine back into the car. Any shop can fix a piston engine (unless it's some exotic or rare specimen), but few shops can tackle a rotary rebuild and be successful. I found that out the hard way after a shop built 2 engines wrong, both dying within 1000 miles. I finally had to tow it to a "rotary specialist" 6 hours away to get the job done right.

And we're talking about a 20 year old car at this point...having a 100% perfect service record is basically impossible on a car like that and of that age. It's just not worth it for a daily driver, trust me. An Mx6 might be a better choice...cheap, easy to fix, relatively reliable, decent styling...or just look at an older Civic.

 

[john blutarski]

I've owned four 2nd gen RX-7's. I wouldn't recommend that for a reliable beater. They are gas hogs (even the NA's). They tend to flood easily.

If it is smoking on start up, the coolant seals are going bad or are bad. It will soon need a rebuild if not already.

 

[AutoEuphoria]

To add to that, white/sweet smelling smoke indicates failing coolant seals inside the engine. Black smoke indicates too much fuel, and blue/gray smoke indicates oil being burnt.

 

[john blutarski]

^^yup, I should've clarified that.

The most common start up smoking for the FC's is white and its coolant seals. One or two times overheating a rotary can cause this.

 

[oaklandopen]

no go for a rotary daily driver...all those other posts can be summed up easily...

not too many techs out there that can fix it if it breaks (even if you're getting it for dirt cheap in the first place the first time you take it for repairs might end up costing more than it cost you in the first place)

gas hogs (i have a good friend that thought he could drive an rx-8 as a daily and got rid of it after a few months)

and it already sounds like it's starting to go anyway with whatever color/odor smoke coming out the tail

i would also say get a honda somethingorother