Hi guys,
Firstly i should point out that i\'m completely new to this forum (as i\'m sure you will pick up as you read on..). I\'m looking to buy an Rx7, but other than general mileage and what to look for ragarding results from a compression test (all information i\'ve picked up from this forum- so thanks for that already) i\'m pretty lost :rolleyes:
I\'ve looked at a couple of Rx7\'s already, the most recent of which being this one (http://pistonheads.com/sales/379391.htm). Don\'t know if any of you know anything about this car? It seems to drive quite well and the turbo\'s pull fine. It hasn\'t had any engine work done and there\'s not a great deal of paperwork to go with the car. I asked for the results from a recent compression test and the guy told me it had just over 7 on the front, and just under 7 on the rear; although there was no paperwork to prove this :( .
First off, just wanted to know if this car was worth persuing. And secondly, is it possible to do a compression test on the car without taking it to a garage? I know somtimes (on my old car anyway) you can just plug it in and turn the engine over for a reading. If so, maybe an option before going any further with it? :3Confused
Another question i wanted to ask is what the oil pressure should be reading?
Any advice/opinions will be welcomed. Cheers guys :D
Mark :WaveBye
Hi mate
First rule...dont jump in and buy the first that \'looks\' good. Its tempting but you will regret it. Check on here for some mint, well cared for and rebuilt examples.
That FD does seem ok but his description leaves a little to be desired. This always sets alarm bells ringing as you ideally want to buy from someone who has a good understanding of RX7s and how to look after them!
"lush exhust, scatter valve, mushroom induction kit" - hmm?
Secondly...never believe any quoted compression figs that cannot be proved.
At 52000miles and no mention of a rebuild...BEWARE!
Most Jap cars wont have much or any paperwork, these never seem to make it across so I wouldnt worry about it.
Get it compression tested at a reputable specialist (WGT, REWORX, DRAGON etc) and take it from there, otherwise you could be forking out a tonne of cash for an expensive driveway decoration.
Just my 2p worth!
Hi Craig,
Thanks for the reply mate. I have been checking on here also. That one just caught my eye so i thought i look into it a bit more. £6k is about my limit so thought it could be a bit of a bargain? Pretty much ticked my boxes. Obviously i\'m aware of the pitfalls of something that looks to good to be true :rolleyes:
Assuming i get a compression test done and it comes back with similar results as i listed above, what else would i need to look out for/be wary of?
as Craig says look on here for a sorted car you can track its history through the sellers postings & see if has had any issues/rebuild/compression test.£6000 will get you a decent RX7.
You should also check if the car has had any overheating issues as this can lead to blown water seals and a rebuild! Most garages will be able to carry out a hydro-carbon test (i think thats what its called) to check for gases leaking into the cooling system.
The car should only have a bit of smoke from the exhaust on startup and should clear after about 30sec-1min, again any longer and it could mean the water seals are shot. If its very sweet smelling its not a good sign.
I would also check for everything is straight underneath the car, paint job and bodykit can sometimes be hiding accident damage. Dont be afraid to really spend some time going over the car.
However, if the compression test comes back ok and you get a specialist to cast his trained eye over it then go for it! I guarantee you wont be disapointed if you get a good one!
Good luck mate!
I have just finished my cherry red amemiya kitted with brand new Jaydee built engine and still running in...done about 50miles, although its going to be up for sale @ 6.5k so give me a shout or e-mail if interested and i can forward you some details. vadersports@hotmail.com
Cheers
Laeeq
Laeeq You Have Mail
Quote from: T11MNMLaeeq You Have Mail
you have mail too:WaveBye
oh and sorry about the thread hijack...
to be honest with you with the current car market and prices although that one looks nice, has a bodykit and respray etc i would say it is slightly overpriced due to the fact the engine is basically standard, no rebuild at 52,000 and no documentation. Ive seen standard rx7\'s go for that sort of price with a recent rebuild. I think you need to really look at engine before looks as this is the most important thing, if the engine dies you are looking at least 2.5k at the cheapest to rebuild.
i.e.
This one may not look as good and has a silly spoiler which can be removed, it has a engine rebuild (if they can prove it), and its cheaper, with the extra money you save you could spend a bit on a bodykit etc
http://pistonheads.com/sales/282561.htm
Nowadays for a rebuilt FD £6000 is not too low as you can deffo get a FD with a rebuilt engine for that amount :Thumbs-up
Just take your time and get the right one for you, always easy to jump in when theres money just sitting there but be patient chap :Party
or there is this one, may not look the best but has a engine rebuild and is 2k cheaper then the blue one so leaves you 2k to spend on it, that would get you some nice wheels and bodykit.
http://pistonheads.com/sales/383306.htm
I\'ve seen that blue one around in Reading quite a lot, don\'t know the car, but seems to spend a lot of time cruising! Compression of 7 and 7 means nothing, you should have 3 readings on each rotor, one for each rotor face something like:
7.1, 7.2, 7.1
7.2, 7.2, 7.3
now they would be good readings!!!
I agree with everything that\'s been said above, buy on condition of the engine not on looks. There is no point in buying a nice looking car with a decent kit if it will spend the next two years sitting on your drive while you save up for the rebuild!
No, i agree with what you\'re saying. Thanks for your comments too, by the way :Thumbs-up
The guy knew very little about cars. Don\'t get me wrong, lovely bloke, but when i asked what boost it was running he didn\'t know what i was talking about. Also, this \'scatter valve\' he mentioned. He said it was like a dump valve but just chattered instead of hissing. I thought you got that chattering sound through the wastegate, no? Or is it actually me who knows very little about cars?!! :eek
Also, can anyone tell me what a good oil pressure reading would be? I may ask the guy to take the car to a garage and get it looked at- compression test etc. Anyone know of a good garage around Reading?
Have also started to make contact with a couple of the guys from the other suggestions you\'ve posted up too. So thanks for that also.
Cheers.
Mark
Quote from: MarkoFuAlso, can anyone tell me what a good oil pressure reading would be? I may ask the guy to take the car to a garage and get it looked at- compression test etc. Anyone know of a good garage around Reading?
Cheers.
Mark
Try Rotechnics in Grazely.
i suppose hayward rotary wouldnt be that far really
//www.mazdarotary.co.uk
even with good compression i personally wouldn\'t spend 6k on that car.
if he doesn\'t know a lot about it chances are that he hasn\'t taken the best care of it and as the average rebuild milage is something like 60-70k i don\'t think its worth it. Though saying that the condition of the body work looks imacualte. for the money you could get this http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/356497.htm
5 years younger no body kit but its also a rarer car with a rebuild a street port
at the end of the day it comes down to how much you want a bodykit :D
^^^ that RS is a very good buy for that money if its as ggood as that ad proclaims! Plus its got the 17 in wheels which are becoming harder and harder to find. IMO original FDs are becoming harder to find and so i reckon original cars will hold theyre value better than modified ones.
Again, thanks for your comments guys. Most enlightenning! :D
SO.. i\'ve sent a few emails out and started to arrange some viewings of some of the cars you suggested. That will probably happen over the next few days. However :rolleyes: i\'ve not given up on this (http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/379391.htm) car just yet!! I think there\'s more to it than meets the eye. I could be wrong (more probable than possible), but in an effort to find out i\'ve tried to contact Rotechniks (thanks to sadgoth for the heads-up) and am going to ask the owner of the car if he\'d be up for taking it there with me for a compression test and general "look-over." Good idea?
Other than that, i\'m just trying to take my time as much as i can, looking at other Rx7\'s available. Although I am in a slight rush to get a car. I\'m without one at the minute (well, i\'m having to borrow one!)- which brings me crashing rather conveniently into my next point... INSURANCE! :burnout
Who can suggest a good insurance company for someone who\'s just made a claim for writing off their last car? :3Confused
Anyone..? No..? :confused:
Cheers,
Mark
what might be a good idea is to see if anyone on here is near you and see if they are kind enough to take you out for a spin in there FD, that way you get to see what to expect and then you have sumthin good to compare to
Good idea, sweetiewells. I was going to see if there was anyone in the area last time i went to view a car, thought i could use their expert eye, but didn\'t have time in the end.. maybe next time, if someone wouldn\'t mind?
Would love to go for a spin in someone\'s FD though if there\'s anyone in the area? I\'m in the lovely Maidenhead.
Part of the reason i put mine in the for sale section is the insurance (yeah i know shameless plug http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=477368#post477368 ).
Elephant were good for me, but sky insurance have always beaten any other quote i have got ever, so i always phone them last. ..although if you are over 25 you will have more options open to you.
Its always best to take your time and please dont jump in or be in a big rush to buy. Dont take anything for face value. ie comression results rebuild history etc PAPERWORK is a must imo.
I even went to the point of phoning the companies that rebuilt the motor\'s and found more than one company had never heard of the car i was phoning about and certainly didnt rebuild it or would honour the 12 month warranty So watch out:2eek .
I waited over 6 months of persistant viewing to find the right one and it came with full import papers, full rebuild papers and valid warranty, full mazda service history since import in 03 including a rotary refresh plan by mazda??? which im not sure what is included in a refresh but it must be good going off how much they charged for it.
Keep looking mate there are some really good/cherished examples out there.
Insurance : A plan blew all my other quotes out the water by over £350
No, it\'s good advice, Neil. Thanks. And believe me, i know all about waiting for the right car; I waited over 6 months to find my last car. I was SO happy when i found the right one though. Feels like eternity at the time but when you find it you know it was worth the wait! lol :D
I will try and take my time, but i\'m in the unfortunate position of not having my own car at the minute- due to crashing the car i spent over 6 months looking for(!) :2Rolleyes Yep.. smashed that up nice and special.
So i\'m not rushing into it, i guess i\'m just being a little more proactive than i usually would be ;)
The search continues...
Markofu
Whats your e mail mate, or will you drop me a mail;
freddy__k@hotmail.com
Thanks :)
Alright Freddy,
Email sent.. ;)
Nothing recieved mate, was it sent to;
freddy__k@hotmail.com (correct)
or
freddy_k@hotmail.com (wrong one)
Cheers :)
Right, just tried again- no idea if it\'s going to work!
Is there any way of sending a PM on this thing? :xconfused
sorry mate you have to be a member to pm on this site
You will uaualy find a couple of FDs at http://www.readingjapmeet.co.uk/. the 2008 dates are on their forum.
You might be able to charm someone into giving you a ride. Are you female and under 25 ??.
Martin H
Hi guys,
Thanks for your replies. I\'ve not been on for a while; been having issues with my internet- and don\'t even get me started on AOL!! :Grrr
Freddy, those cars you listed for me were really nice, so cheers for that mate, unfortunately they were a bit out of my price range for what i\'m looking to start off on :(
Would suggest anyone else take a look though if they\'re looking.
I\'m still looking for an FD as it happens. Although i\'m STILL waiting on an insurance pay-out, but i\'m not holding my breath for anything faster than snail-speed from them, :Hammer so i guess i\'ve got time on my side.
It\'s looking like by budget will be around £6k over all. Is it possible to pick up a decent FD for this price? I don\'t mind buying one a lot cheaper and getting some of the work done myself. Say, a rebuilt car with shabby body work- i could buy a subtle kit and respray. Or vice versa. But again, this would have to be accounted into the over all budget. What do you think? Do-able? Or am i being over-optimistic? :confused:
Pointers/advice, as always, appreciated!
Cheers,
Mark
My car would probably fit this bill its having a rebuild at the moment at carls so not too far from you, why dont you go down and take a look.
It has crack in the front bumper after an arguement with a water bottle on the motorway. It would be the sort of money you are looking at spending. You can just see it in the pic
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y300/deanflowers/PICT0657.jpg)
Price is negotiable as i have a set of standard rims in black too. The engine bay is fully polished too.
Hey Dean,
Yep, that picture isn\'t showing up on my computer at the minute. Everything gets filtered through our IT department so some stuff gets blocked. Any chance you can send the/some pictures to either mark.hutt@dataselect.co.uk (mark.hutt@dataselect.co.uk) or markamuffin@aol.com (markamuffin@aol.com) please? :)
emailed both just in case
Mark mine is for sale as well now a little over your budget but am willing to negotiate a bit
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/415175.htm
Hey Dean,
Got the pictures, so thanks again for that- will try and sort out to have a look at it while it\'s having the work done! :)
FD3S, I messaged you using Pistonheads. Car looks great, if you\'ve got any more info/pictures could you send them to the email addresses i gave above please? Would also like to take a look at it, but i think Yorkshire might be a bit of a stretch. Where abouts in Yorkshire are you?
Thanks guys,
Mark :Thumbs-up
No probs its down carls and i\'m sure he wont mind. give him a bell probably best on 01635 255545 / 07877632369
HI Mark
Sorry for not getting back sooner dude, I got sent to do some training by work.
The car is in Doncaster and not too bad to get to by train? If you book a ticket now then tis mucho cheaper and easier for you to come n see. Besides that the car doesnt have any road tax or MOT till i get paid at the end of the month.
it might be a good idea if you came to see it when that is done?
I have lots n lots of pics on my computer at home. I will upload them to a memory stick / cd and send it to you in the meantime?
I will try and make a little video as well if you want to see it starting up from cold / warm? Email me your address and i will send it to you?
What other kind of information do you want to know like?
I will email you this in case you dont remember to check back here
Hi guys,
Hope you had a good weekend. Sorry i haven\'t replied sooner; still struggling with connection. They\'ve restricted our internet at work so i\'m having to use my mate\'s. :rolleyes:
FD3SNuttah, cheers for the email. Couldn\'t open that link- i email you earlier today explaining (complaining) about why etc..!!
Dean- i didn\'t get a chance to see carl/the car. My schedule\'s looking pretty busy but i\'d love to see the car if i can work some space. I know pictures never do them justice. Have you had any news on the car? Everything going alright? :)
I dont know if its the sort of thing you are after, but Im selling a 1993 K FD for 2995 ovno at the moment. Im only selling it for that as thats what it owes me. Only real bad point with the car is the diff mount needs doing. Engine feels strong however and hasnt let me down.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/422516.htm
No i havent had any news but its only been a week and i think he is fitting it in between other work as and when he is quiet which is fine. Not exactly in a major rush for it as i\'m using another car. I will leave him to it till the end of the week and ask how its going if you like.
Hi Jit, could be the sort of thing i\'m after- i\'m trying ro keep my options open at the minute :) Got any pics?
Dean- yeah, just keep me updated. I\'m definitely keen to have a look!
Cheers!