New Purchase ??

[clarkeph]

Greetings all !!

great forum !

Im thinking about purchasing my first Sports Car, 1992 RX7 Auto, import

any advise most welcome !!

Purchased by the present owner last June as a second car
Garaged for three months but then stated first time
Serviced by Mazda prior to this at a cost of some £700.00
AA Data check by present owner prior to purchase
Mileage approximately 80,000 Miles
MOT till November
Colour: -Red
All paperwork appears good
Purchase Price £5,500 ONO

Went to view this last week and looks great but was unable to start the car, we then realised after the audible indicator that it required coolant, because we where unsure as to where to put this and having checked the coolant reservoir that showed full I left the with the owner to get resolved the next day.

This he did after speaking to a technician at Mazda In Cheltenham, the reason I was given was that the engine coolant cat also needed to be opened to release the are pocket that would then allow coolant the flow through out and allow topping up (I do not fully understand this myself)

Going back these week end to see and listen to it start from cold, have a test drive and go over the electrics.

Is their anything I should look out for or do before I consider my purchase?

[J4P RX]

OK.  Personal preferance for me here, but any reason why you are after an auto?

As for the car:

An AA data check by the last owner isnt likely to show anything, as the car wouldnt have been in the country then  (I could be wrong here).

You mention it wouldnt start.  This would be nothing to do with the coolant buzzer.  It would still start and then the buzzer would sound.  It could be that it was because it had just been sat there for 3 months.

If it needs coolant, then that would imply that it either has a leak or hasnt been looked after that well.  Im guessing the later, if the owner didnt know where to fill up with coolant...  You would be unable to tell if it has overheated, and if it has thats a problem.

You need to find out if an engine rebuild has been done in the 80k miles, as if it hasnt its probably over due one.  If it has, who done it, where, what was included etc.

On the test drive just make sure everything feels ok I suppose.  Keep a look out for broken interior trim.  It may not look a big deal but its all silly money to replace.  Broken passenger door handles (inside) are common.

I am alos going to move this thread to the what to look for when buying a rotary section (cant remember its proper name!).

Cheers
Lee

[clarkeph]

Hi

Thanks for the reply, some good point mentioned,
My reasons for an auto is i thought it would be a nice change especially where i live, lots of country lanes, also 46 years young
sorry forgot to mention this car had been driven conciderably bofore garaging and only taken out some weekends, the owner was also driving this the day befor i went to see it and left it out side ready for me next morning
When trying to start it as well as the audible allert it also displayed coolant required, the expantion was full, also where the engin coolant cap was the overflow hole at the side of this was a small brown mark indicating that something had overflowed?
If the coolant was low would these indicators one they had allerted us stop the car from starting, would this be part of the engin managment system?

[J4P RX]

Ive no idea why it wouldnt start, but its not to do with the coolant indicatator.  On my last one the rad steamed everywhere but it would still start.  It would just buz the coolant warning straight away.

If it was only driven the day before, then where has the coolant gone?

These are the two things that would be on my mind.  I would either let it get all sorted out first, or find one that was running properly.  If you take on a car thats not 100% and not knowing what the issues are its a fast way to potentially spending a lot.

Cheers
Lee

[clarkeph]

Cheers Lee

I have taken your valued comment on board, i will dig deeper into this one, it does sound suspicious.


Sounds like i need to look at the Rotaryclub for my purchase.

Thanks again

[iaint]

Probably worth getting the car checked out by Hurley in Coventry.

5.5k for an okay FD is a decent price - many imports are selling for 8-10k for a \'92.  Even with a rebuild (hurley range from 2-3k iirc) it\'s a decent price.  Id be tempted (if I didn\'t have one already) to buy one with a dead motor for ~4-5k and get it rebuilt.  More peace of mind.

If money\'s tight at the 5.5k pricepoint (i.e. you wouldn\'t be able to stand the cost of a rebuild) then it may be that the FD is not the car for you.  I got mine for 10k and it was rebuilt at 45k miles (7k miles after I got it), some go sooner, some later but in general they all go eventually!

If the rest of the car\'s in good nick then I\'d say it\'s a bargain - partic if you can put some £\'s in a \'rebuild fund\'.

Iain

[Dr Gonzo]

If the coolant is full but still sounding an audible then the sensor is malfunctioning - a problem I had with mine. As Lee said, this shouldn\'t effect starting. I\'d be very suspicious of a car which you can\'t start - particularly a high performance one. These things cost enough to run in the first place let alone with a list of problems to fix before you get going. Saying that, £5.5k is very cheap but the 80k mileage is very high and a rebuild is going to cost the best part of £1800. Combine that with the car\'s initial problems and I\'d say you\'d better off paying more for a lower mileage FD without all the initial teething problems.

Just my two-pence worth.

[clarkeph]

Thanks Iain

I had wondered if this price was realistic for a 92 and 5.5k would be my limit, i would have no extra for a rebuild
I live not far from coventry, would huleys go out to inspect the car and are they just purley engin rebuilders?

Do you have or where would if find the number/address?

[clarkeph]

Thanks richard i am now starting to get a picture of what i need to do, shame it looks great.

[J4P RX]

Generally the autos are cheaper than the manuals remember guys when saying the price looks really good

Cheers
Lee

[Dr Gonzo]

If it seems too good to be true then it usually is!

With your budget I would walk away to be honest. Be patient (took me 4 years!) & save another couple of grand. You\'ll get a fine FD for that with a sub-50K mileage and problem free motoring (mostly!) as long as you treat her well.

You won\'t regret it - I promise!  

[johnf]

Hi Clarkeph

Nice to see another possible RX in Solihull.


Have you seen the posts about three of us going up to the Royal Oak this Sunday 11 - 3

Pop up if you can, have a chat and talk rotaries

I\'d even consider picking you up if your local to me


email;

johnfrench@blueyonder.co.uk

Is this car at Cheswick Green btw?


John

[clarkeph]

Thanks Richard/ lee

I appriciate you feed back. i am tempted to go back with a silly offer £3000?
and see what happens

[Dr Gonzo]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Besides, I think you\'ve got plenty of ammunition now.  And that extra £2.5K you\'ll have if he says yes will get it well sorted!

Best of luck.

[iaint]

Hurley

Iain