Looking to get this rx7 but a few questions

[KaiserDamz]

Hello, been looking at getting an rx7 for a while now and this one has popped up on ebay which I\'m considering buying.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130721813072#ht_674wt_1185

just wandering if it looks like its a good buy, to me it does but rx7\'s are quite different from other cars.  It\'s had a relatively recent rebuild, looks nice and engine bay looks fairly standard/un molested and for £3500 it seems like it\'s at a pretty good price. any help would be appreciated.

[davehg]

It also doesn\'t show the damage to rear wing and paintwork, potentially needs a complete respray. Always get a genuine compression test done with a Mazda rotary tester no matter who or when it was built.

[KaiserDamz]

yeah, I\'ve asked for pics of the damage and paint blemish\'s.  In regard to a compression check how difficult is it for them to get it done?  would it be something someone might hesitate doing?

[m1tch]

yeah, I\'ve asked for pics of the damage and paint blemish\'s.  In regard to a compression check how difficult is it for them to get it done?  would it be something someone might hesitate doing?

Having a compression test done on a rotary is usually pretty essential to be able to sell the car, its done on a specalist machine and usually costs around £50 at Mazda main deals or a specalist, but will show the internal health of the engine - you can\'t use a normal piston compression tester as a piston has 1 bit of compression, the rotary has 3 per rotor.

Ask the seller if they have any compression results, they should still be very good if its only done 9k miles from a rebuild, they should come in sets of 3 like this:

Front rotor: 7.2,7.3,7.0
Rear rotor: 6.9,7.0,7.1

Basically you need to look for an even amount of compression over the values and the higher the number the better, if there is a sudden drop in compression in the results then it would indicate an issue with a seal on 1 of the tips - not ideal news.

Here are the numbers and idea of whats good and bad:

8+ = new engine
7-8 = Very good engine
6-7 = Good useable compression
5-6 = getting in need of a rebuild
<5 = rebuild needed
0 = blow tip

On my FC that is currently on 87k miles I have compressions of 7.2 on the front and 6.9s on the rear, my engine has been well looked after and is still on its original engine, if you look after it, there will be no issues and will last ages.

[KaiserDamz]

there was also this one, it states 8 bar compression, seems a little less detailed than the compression info you gave however

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120929829349?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_789wt_1185

at the moment the budget is around £4000 and aiming for a good condition standard car with as little done as possible.

[davehg]

Definately avoid that white one, it\'s been bought and sold a few times people trying to make a quick buck. Be warey

[m1tch]

there was also this one, it states 8 bar compression, seems a little less detailed than the compression info you gave however

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120929829349?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_789wt_1185

at the moment the budget is around £4000 and aiming for a good condition standard car with as little done as possible.

I would ask the owner who rebuilt the engine as if it has 8s on the engine it means its been rebuilt and they should have paperwork to support it.

[KaiserDamz]

glad you told me, in fact this is why I joined the forums to spot if theres any notorious cars that get passed about. Tbh i\'d prefer the red one as it looks nicer but still waiting for more details. annoyingly I live up in scotland and nearly all of the cars for sale are so far away it makes viewing before buying near enough impossible.

also I\'m curious about rebuild costs, some people mention a little over a grand and then some say over £3000, does it vary depending on how badly damaged the engine is?

[davehg]

I would say buy one from a long term member who has had it for a few years,  that way the chances should be high of it being well looked after and in good condition.

[KaiserDamz]

I have checked the for sale section but couldnt see anything that has had a recent rebuild nor in my budget. owner of white car which had this compression in april Front rotor @267rpm 7.9, 8.1, 7.8 Rear rotor @257 rpm 7.6, 7.7,7.6. was rebuilt in 2009 before it was imported and has done 1700 miles since import

[Mikey22]

Hey Kaiserdamz, you seem to be in the same spot i was in over a year ago. I live just 70-80miles south of you and found most RX7\'s for sale in the south of england.
 
In fact i had to go down to Bath to collect mine. although my criteria were different to yours i was looking for a project so didnt mind to state or anything really. I got a nice FD with good body work and not too bad an engine.
 
Watch out for the rebuilds as it all depends on whats wrong with the car. If you just need the gaskets and seals etc then it will be more on the £1-2K mark. However if the engine has scored housings or damaged rotors etc thats when the costs mount up to £3K+
 
Workshops can only give you a base price and then a final price when they take out your engine and strip it down to see whats what. The only person who can tell you how much it\'ll be before stripping is Superman and unfortunately he dont build rotaries lol!

[matt p]

Sorry dude you won\'t get much for £4k.

The good ones at that price are very few and far between. If anything look towards the vendors on here. I can highly recommend Martin at speedline imports. Failing that keep an eye on here and FDuk for a car.

Sadly mate the ones around £4k are a little ropey and more than likely on the verge of needing a rebuild.

Happy hunting!.

[Mikey22]

I got my FD for £1800 so you can guess it wasnt in much a good state. However i must admit i\'ve had a lot of fun over the last year working on her. I\'ve learnt a hell of a lot and the thing with these cars that i\'ve noticed is you just keep on learning.
 
I know there\'s many people on here who will have forgotten more than i will ever know about rotaries. They\'re just great fun to work on.
 
So if you dont mind getting your hands dirty then you can lower your price bracket a bit. Otherwise like Matt p says you\'ll have to increase it to get an FD in the condition you want

[m1tch]

My FC is up for sale more engine bay space and you don\'t have to worry about emissions as much plus the drive shafts and diffs don\'t explode like the FDs :rollin

[Mikey22]

Whoa hold the phone!!!.....FD\'s drive shafts and diffs explode? Best up my budget then :rollin