Little help please :)

MiniMike16V · July 08, 2009, 05:44:00 PM

Im looking at a 2nd Gen RX-7 tomorrow night that i\'m interested in buying. What are the best things to look out for before I spend the hard earned, and what is the best insurance company to go for?
I\'m not able to do a compression test, but the guy has offered to let me have a drive and good look over of the car. I know that I should try a warm start, as rotarys can be a pain on warm starts so that\'ll be done after the drive.
Any help would be great!

Details of the car are:

1989 (F) Coupe - Non turbo
78,000miles on the clock with a rebuild 8k ago.
Car looks mint inside and out from the pics.
Totally stock.

And for myself i\'m a 24 year old guy. Cheapest quote so far from Adrian Flux is Â£725, fully comp.

Regards

Mike

pdtaylor18 · July 08, 2009, 06:22:54 PM

First of all see if its a UK or JDM model, the UK ones will have round indicator lenses on the side of the wings which is your first clue to what it is. A rebuild only 8K ago sound fabulous but i would wonder why it needed it after such a short life for an EGI, they usually go for another 40K miles at least. Best find out who did it and why it was done and what was actually replaced.
If the engine is sound, starts from hot and cold without any drama as it should do then you are onto a winner straight away.
check for rust,especially the UK cars around the front subframe mounting points under the front arches. Check the rear arches and especially the very front bit where it meets the sill. Check the sills for rust as they are notorious for unzipping all the way along the entire sill but this is repairable. If the car has no rust and the engine and box is sound then just those two things alone its worth buying if its cheap enough.
All the other things are cosmetic and can easily be put right for very little cost. Plenty of people on here to sell or give you bits of trim or replace broken bits.

I think that when you see the car you will know if its been looked after so go with your instinct. If you are not happy then walk away,however if the engine has had a rebuilt and you have receipts of the rebuild and any work carried out then that engine alone is worth maybe what you are paying for the car.
Take the car for a drive and make sure it stops in a straight line and that things like the hand brake work, again common problems on FC\'s but fairly easy to put right.

Its compulsory for pics once you have got it though !! We always like pictures and lots of them.

MiniMike16V · July 08, 2009, 06:34:27 PM

Fantastic, thanks :god

Sorry I forgot to mention it was a UK model. Big thanks for the info

Pictures hmmmm.......... I think I can put a few up :cool

TiddlesRX7 · July 08, 2009, 06:41:52 PM

Check the sunroof works too. They tend to stick and need a little push to get going. might get you a few Â£ off. And from what I gather its an easy ish fix too. Wipers are also prone to stop nworking on certain settings. Again an easy fix but might save you a few Â£. Other than that its rust that\'ll be the biggest problem I would think.
I use Brentacre for my insurance. They seem pretty good. They wern\'t the cheepest this time around but the people on the phone are sound and help all they can. When I first got the FC and rang them they did everything they could to get me to take the policy. Beating everyone else.

dthebuk · July 08, 2009, 08:20:09 PM

With the hot start, leave the car for about 30 mins or so before you start it. This will check that you havnt got a leaking injector.

If you are looking to modify the car (which you should be

) look at getting a quote with HIC. They\'re terrible for stock cars, but amazing with anything modded

MiniMike16V · July 09, 2009, 10:05:52 PM

Thanks for all the help and info guys :Thumbs-up

I went and saw the car tonight and I pretty much fell in love with it! For a 1988 the body is absolutely great! There\'s a few little spots for TLC but nothing major that I could see (Will have pics up soon)

Drove her home tonight and can safely say that i\'m a fan of rotary even more! Drives real nice, and the power delivery, all be it not neck wrenchin, is nice and progressive!

Got some pics that I\'ve borrowed from the the advert for it below, and will have more over the weekend :p

TiddlesRX7 · July 09, 2009, 10:19:49 PM

Looks nice mate, well done. Just be careful in the wet with it and watch out for man hole covers too.
:3gears-rh:burnout:Thumbs-up

MiniMike16V · July 10, 2009, 06:43:08 AM

Thanks man will do :Thumbs-up
This is my first RWD car so will be treading very lightly for a bit until i\'m used to it. Will keep an eye out for meet ups and try to come along and meet some of you in person

pdtaylor18 · July 10, 2009, 09:34:10 AM

Bring it this weekend to Rotorstock at Santa Pod. Well done on the car, looks really good.

grinder · July 10, 2009, 09:39:47 AM

looks nice - the EGI is a very nice intro into the world of the rotary

nice and smooth and you can hold it on the redline thru the corners

but still get it sideways in the wet

MiniMike16V · July 10, 2009, 05:17:11 PM

A friend of mine is going there in his S14. Might tag along if my lady (and my finances) are all up for it lol

pdtaylor18 · July 10, 2009, 05:40:35 PM

It will be the best thing you will ever do once you have owned a rotary. RS6 is the biggest collection of rotaries in Europe and you will not be disapointed,top weekend if you camp out.

MiniMike16V · July 11, 2009, 04:54:37 PM

Afraid I couldn\'t make Rotorstock. But I did manage to get some pics of the car, even though the weather is shocking!

Also found how skitish she can be in the wet! Nothing major, but a couple of slip n slide moments coming onto some slip roads by me.
Going to be going to RE Works down my way that specialise in RX7s/8s and give her a health check to make sure it\'s all good :cool