New Buyer

[Spoon85]

Ive seen an rx7 im interested in buying.
Heres the details:
1996 N Reg MAZDA RX7 Turbo
2 Doors, Manual 5 speed, Coupe, Petrol, 71,000 miles, Metallic Silver. airconditioning, bumpers in color, central doorlocks, central doorlocks with remote control, immobiliser, metallic painted, power steering, Adjustable seats, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Body kit, CD, Colour coding - Body, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Leather upholstery, Metallic paintwork, Power assisted steering, Spoiler, Sports seats, Tinted glass. £6,995 ovno.
He doesnt have any receipts from an engine rebuild.
Do you think its a good idea?
Thanks guys and girls:wave

[Gman]

A compression test should give u an idea if it has had a rebuild or not and ask where it was done and check with them (there isn\'t many places in the country that do them).  

The price seems very cheap for a N reg with an engine rebuild (if its had one)  I would expect to pay that for one without a rebuild -best do as much digging as you can.

[Shark]

If it;s in good nick then consider it, but only if the seller will drop his price a bit.  Nice long spec list but it\'s almost all standard.
Only additions from stock are the alarm/remote locking, the window tint, and those wheels, what size are they? look like 18\'s

No receipt = no believe rebuild story

Not being funny mate, but at 71k that\'s overdue rebuild by most people\'s experience, but if it\'s been looked after, and it\'s in real good condition, it could go another 10k
would probably be worth about £9k after rebuild.  If you can get him to take a grand off the top and have a couple of grand in waiting for the inevitable bang then reasonable.

You can get fairly heavily modified for circa £10k though....

[scooby_si]

tiz a VERY good price even if you have to spend a few k on a rebuild for a \'96 (better ECU) FD other than spoiler thou cant see any body kit so i guess they are clutching at straws for a good description which shouldn\'t be necessary at that price.....
Si

[scooby_si]

& i no it counts for little the ECU when yer modding anyway but i cant recall any seriously modded 96\'s going for 10k maybe older cars but even then......http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008\' target=\'_blank\'>http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_15_8v.gif\' border=0>
Si

[Steve Burnett]

The car is a Type-X I reakon, no front spoiler, leather seats. Does it have a sunroof?
Also a 96 FD should have a different spoiler on it, the spoiler on the car was for 91/92-94/95 FD\'s.
Also with no bill for a rebuild assume it does not have one, if it went pop the day after you bought it, it would just be your loss not the last owners.
Nice car but id be looking to pay a little less, thats just due to the lack of proof of a rebuild and the milage. If proof was shown of a rebuild being caried out then its a great deal I reakon.

[Shark]

think Bryan\'s got a lightly modded 96 for 10.5 with rebuild.
only reason I mention it.

this does look liek a nice clean car though and being a 96 you;d join me in the wondrous world of circular taillights!!!

Have heard this about a 96 rear spoiler change and I ain;t convinced about it.  Think it may have been 99 they brought in the new rear spoiler.

[Spoon85]

Thanks for the comments a lot to take in there.
This a garage where talking about(the person thats selling it) and he has offered me 2.5K for my R-reg Civic 1.4ls in part-ex,which i didnt think was a bad offer.
Lets sum up here as im only round thursday nite or friday to put a deposit.
Bid him down a bit as he has no proof of an eng rebuild?(which i would do anyway)
Does it effect performance of the RX7 if it doesnt have a rebuild?
Is this a gud price for an n-reg without rebuild, no mods which is sumthing im looking for, i can tune myself then that way i know what has been done.
Whats the BHP spec and 0-60 time of this model?
Thanks again:D

[gsb876]

Hi Spoon,

I could come with you if the garage is local mate, i\'m in Derby (yea i know we lost) and already own a rx7, let me know bud.

Gurj

[scooby_si]

265 i think normally for the \'96 maybe different for the tourer check out this thread & likewise say the word if you want a hand but otherwise as i say even needing a rebuild & all other things being equal sounds quite healthy on the pricxe front but always good to try for sum more £ if it is all good otherwise....
Si

[Brett]

Welcome to the forum!!

\'Does it affect the performance if an Rx7 doesnt have a rebuild\'

Basically when the engine is worn you get poor compression (which is the first sign of wear) and as the wear gets worse you may find that its difficult to start when the engine is hot.  Usually you end up with complete failure on one rotor (engine runs very roughly and no performance!) or if your really unlucky a tip seal will wedge the engine solid (worse ase scenario about 1 in a 1000 chance if its really badly worn), so if theres no proof of a rebuild then you need to budget about £2500 for the rebuild.  

 Of course if he\'s claiming its had one but has no proof, he should have no problem (being a dealer) in writing you a warranty specifically for the engine.

Remeber, buy with your head not your heart.  Theres no reason for Rx ownership to turn into a nightmare as long as you buy carefully.

[Shark]

Originally posted by Brett
Of course if he\'s claiming its had one but has no proof, he should have no problem (being a dealer) in writing you a warranty specifically for the engine.

Check the wording on such a warranty and make sure it means the engine will be rebuilt by someone who knows what they\'re doing! Granted anyone could probably do it, but I would personally hate to have a rebuild done badly and then be without the car again shortly afterwards.

Recommend taking up Gurj\'s offer as he\'ll be able to tell if it feels off on the drive or seems okay.  

Standard BHP should be either 265 or 280 depending upon the model variant. (this should be on a sticker on the drivers door sill unless it\'s been taken off)

With yer part-ex it sounds like a decent price.  Gald to see I\'m not the only fool that wants spend extra cash to mod up to my spec rather than buy pre-modded:rollin

Good luck

[Wav]

I\'ve just seen this car on the trader and I thought to myself that it looked like a good buy. However it may be a 96 registered car, but it may have been reg\'d late in Japan, hence having that spoiler, the older ecu and square tail lights. Non the less it is not a bad price for an N-reg car and as long as you keep some money in reserve for back up then with your part ex it sounds like you\'re getting a good deal.

Also depending on how many miles the car has done within the UK will dictate the chances of it having a rebuild because most rx7\'s in Japan tend to have been rebuilt between 40-60k miles and they don\'t seem to like keeping receipts of such things due to their culture and not being proud to own a 2nd hand motor:rolleyes: A compression check would give a good indication of wear on the tips, but won\'t determine if a water seals about to let go which is most likely on a std engine.

If it were me I\'d possibly take a chance as long as I had a couple of grand left in the bank in case of the worst case, engine failure.

Good luck, Paul:)

[Spoon85]

Originally posted by gsb876
Hi Spoon,

I could come with you if the garage is local mate, i\'m in Derby (yea i know we lost) and already own a rx7, let me know bud.

Gurj

ye that would be good mate im going down fri 13 about 6.30 do u no where the car garage is?

 it is a long way 4 u 2 come but thanks 4 the offer

[petemillis]

Arrange a test drive. Make sure the engine is cold when you get there. Check no mayonaise under oil filler (sign of water getting into the oil so potential problem with seals in the motor), check no oil in the water, check levels.

Make sure it starts straight away.

Take it for a hard test drive and make sure there\'s no hesitations as the turbos come on boost. Should rev clean all the way to the top. Stop, let the engine run for a minute or two then turn off. Make sure it starts again properly when hot.

Check for clutch slip - 4th or 5th gear build up speed so the the engine is doing about 3000rpm then floor it. You may find clutch slips as the revs build past 3500rpm. If so budget £500 for replacement and get that amount knocked off the car.

Check brake pad thickness and tyre tread. again you can knock off the cost of a set of pads (£100?) and tyres (£400+ for 4, £200+ for rears only).

Also, suspension. I\'ve driven several that have knocked really badly over poor road surfaces and have found that the suspension bushes were knackered. Again, you could get money off for this.

Exhaust - check if it\'s been de-catted. If it has then you\'ll need to make sure you get the cat with the car otherwise you\'ll be stuffed come next MOT.

This might seem daft - if it\'s got locking wheel nuts on, make sure the key for them is somewhere in the car....

Warranties provided by most warranty companies will NOT cover the motor for failure of internal seals and apex seals as this is wear and tear so don\'t be sweet-talked by the dealer offering you a standard off the shelf warranty. I\'ve just sold a Type R2 with 60000 miles. Compression was very good (checked by RX Motors), it may or may not have already had a rebuild in Japan but it certainly drove like new.  What I provided with the one I just sold was a written assurance that should the engine fail, and require a rebuild within 6 months, then I will contribute 50% to the rebuild cost PROVIDED the owner follows correct servicing procedures and carries out NO modifications to the motor. I hope I don\'t regret this in a few months time, but it seems quite reasonable.