I came accross a RX-7 with a rebuilt title. I drove it today, its body is in decent shape and the interior could use a couple hours of detailing but it would probably look great after that. he paint is stock, so its not in that great condition. Now here is my questions, the guy wants 6k for it. It is a 1993 with 103K miles on it. Its pretty much stock, except some cheap ebay air filters, a chip, and exhaust. I drove the car today, and it its pretty F***** quick. The motor seems like it runs strong, but I noticed that with the hood up it had a little bit of smoke coming out from beneath the engine and the tranny grinds a little in 5th at high RPM. Im havent read up on rotary engines too much, but how much does a decent rebuild cost on these? And transmission? What could cause that smoke?

 

unless you have money stay away from it...i'm sure some of the rotary guys will give you estimates on a rebuild.

 

Did the seller indicate why it was a rebuild title? Was it wrecked or Flooded? As far as the smoke from under the hood, it's probably just a oil leak dripping on the Exhaust. In other words, nothing too major. The cost to rebuild the engine varies greatly depending on how much of the work you do yourself and weither or not you want thicker Apex seals, port work, balencing etc. They are not hard to work on and are pretty simple engines. There is nothing to be afraid of with them as long as you educate yourself on how they work and keep up with the service religiously. If this is a car that you plan on modifying it can get really expensive really quick. If you are looking to leave it pretty much alone, then they aren't too bad. Most of them have engine problems because of poor upkeep and not being driven properly. If you want a Rotary to live a long life, it needs to be driving hard on a regular basis. RX-7s that are babied and driven to church on Sundays, die young. They do have some known cooling issues, so budget for new hoses, Water Pump, High Performance Radiator and better electric fans. Also, clean out the Oil coolers as well, or upgrade them to better ones. Then get rid of all the emission vacumm line BS and that should eliminate most of their known issues. Figure anywhere from $2,000-$12,000 for a new motor depending on what you want and if you do the removal/install yourself. Once you get one set up right, and keep up with it, they usually stay right. If the car seems to runs well and doesn't have any issues, then $6,000 is probably pretty reasonable. One last thing, have a compression test done before you buy it. You may have to have this done by a dealer, as a traditional compression testers will not work on a rotary. If the Compression test is good, GAME ON! Enjoy.

 

What these guys said and read up on them at www.rx7club.com

also the 5th gear grind is not unusual - the synchro is going
mine did the same thing

 

Like the other guy said, I'd be wary on this this "rebuilt" title. Even if he tells you, check the lines of the car. Might have been wrecked and covered up nicely. I bought a 'rebuilt' car once. When it came time to change the bearings, nothing would fit. It seems during the rebuild they took out the original hub and knuckle and replaced it with another cars completely some how (don't ask, it was just done, had to go to a honda factory for them to say "You pulled that out of what?!"). But yeah, check that shit as well as you can, six sounds a little suspicious for an RX-7

 

imo 6k is waaay to much for that car

 

I checked the carfax and it has a rebuilt title because it was an abondoned vehicle. It didnt come up with any accidents, just that. So the guy applied for the title and got it. I would probably keep it fairly stock, maybe just a single turbo conversion. Thats about it.

 

I'm with terry......dont buy it, tell me where is at and I'll get rid of it for you.

In reality most rotary engines die young because of the owners themselves. $6K is about what an rx7 FD shell goes for now a days. Plan on spending 5k for a reliable engine. Since you plan on opening the engine any ways you might as well get porting done. Only great thing happen when you do this. I bought a messed up rx about 8 months ago and still have not finished. Their are alot of rotary head here in the 757 that do work on them and build them. Go to the FAQ on rx7club for a lot more info before you take the plunge. A lot of money and attention is needed with an rx7, but once you get it right it will put a smile on your face every time you see it in the garage. The trans problem is very common. its a 15 year old car.....what do you expect.

What do you want the car for is the question you should be asking your self?

Daily grind = hell no
spirited driving on the weekends = yes
be the only FD on the highway = yes
Track whore = yes

 

I daily drove one off and on for almost 5 years and the only time it left me on the side of the road was when the Alternator went south. Once you get them right, I think they are no less reliable than any other High Strung Sports car. It did have its fare share of issues from time to time don't get me wrong, but it always got me there. The funny thing was it was never anything to do with the engine itself... Usually an electrical issue. Regardless of what the others say, I would buy it for $6,000. Like was stated earlier, a rolling chassis goes for that. If you buy if for $6,000, plan on putting an easy $3,000-$4,000 into it to get it perfect. That's without doing the engine. If the engine is good, then you could have a bitchin car for $10,000

I'll solve this problem for you... Where's the car at, I'm going to get it myself!

 

LOL