Muthafodder
07-04-2007, 10:32 PM
Hello all,
I am supposed to go pick up a 2004 GT model tomorrow.
The car has 56,700 miles on it, all the bells & whistles, and purchased at a price of $18,000, with a loan of $16,000.
It is located in East Tennessee and was originally purchased in Concord, North Carolina.
The car looks immaculate, not a single scratch on the car and zero curb rash on the wheels. Looks like the previous owner took great care of it.
I test drove it about two weeks ago and smelled smoke after driving it for about 15 minutes. Asked the salesperson to get it checked out and I would come back. I have since drove it twice more, with yesterday driving it for about an hour and a half. I smelled no smoke and chalked it up to maybe oil spilled during an oil change when they received it and it had since burned off.
The deal is done, contingent on a full engine diagnostic and compression test that will be done tomorrow morning. If I am satisfied with the results, I will buy the car; if I am dissatisfied, I am under no obligation to continue with the purchase. I understand a vacuum test will be important as well.
I am OK with the miles on the odometer, it just tells me it was properly broken in, since it has no prior engine work done on the vehicle. I would venture to say the previous owner just traded it in shortly after the warrranty was expired, because we all know that is how the rich roll. I would also venture to say that if the previous owner even thought the engine, apex seals, etc. were going bad, he wouldn't have hesitated to get it fixed; he has obviously taken care of the car and took it in once for air conditioning repair...so I would think he would have gotten the engine fixed if he felt it needed it.
The problem is I don't know what the normal results should be for the compression, vacuum, etc. I will be given results that I will in turn take directly to the service guys and go over it with them. But, I need to be more familiar with the minimum threshholds and different rpm results, so I can inquire about how they performed the tests.
I have searched on here and google and only found a small graph that was hard to read / understand.
Could you guys please help me out? The last thing I need is having to worry about immediate suprise costs with a $16,000 loan on the car.
1) Should I worry about the smoke smell I encountered at the first test drive, or dismiss it as an oil change.
2) The dealer has several car companies sitting on the same lot (Honda, Mazda, and Nissan) the car I am purchasing is on the "Honda" lot. This raises a red flag to me, since the Mazda dealership is 200 feet North on the same paved lot and all the sales people roam to each dealership. Why wouldn't the Mazda dealer sell it as a certified used car?
3) What results for the compression and vacuum tests would make me want to turn and run away?
I have owned 2 previous Rx-7s and am not afraid of the rotary engine and what to expect once I own the car. It's just that once one of my previous car started to lose compression and it went downhill fast.
I have read on here that a lot of people have had engines replaced, why not just replace the apex seals. On the old 7s the apex seals were replaced and it was as good as new...why all the hysteria about new engines since it is in essence the same engine? What would call for a complete engine replacement?
If I am faced with having to deal with the apex seals or a new engine down the road, what are the costs of each?
If the deal goes ahead, I look forward to getting to know you guys.
Thanks in advance for the help!!
I am supposed to go pick up a 2004 GT model tomorrow.
The car has 56,700 miles on it, all the bells & whistles, and purchased at a price of $18,000, with a loan of $16,000.
It is located in East Tennessee and was originally purchased in Concord, North Carolina.
The car looks immaculate, not a single scratch on the car and zero curb rash on the wheels. Looks like the previous owner took great care of it.
I test drove it about two weeks ago and smelled smoke after driving it for about 15 minutes. Asked the salesperson to get it checked out and I would come back. I have since drove it twice more, with yesterday driving it for about an hour and a half. I smelled no smoke and chalked it up to maybe oil spilled during an oil change when they received it and it had since burned off.
The deal is done, contingent on a full engine diagnostic and compression test that will be done tomorrow morning. If I am satisfied with the results, I will buy the car; if I am dissatisfied, I am under no obligation to continue with the purchase. I understand a vacuum test will be important as well.
I am OK with the miles on the odometer, it just tells me it was properly broken in, since it has no prior engine work done on the vehicle. I would venture to say the previous owner just traded it in shortly after the warrranty was expired, because we all know that is how the rich roll. I would also venture to say that if the previous owner even thought the engine, apex seals, etc. were going bad, he wouldn't have hesitated to get it fixed; he has obviously taken care of the car and took it in once for air conditioning repair...so I would think he would have gotten the engine fixed if he felt it needed it.
The problem is I don't know what the normal results should be for the compression, vacuum, etc. I will be given results that I will in turn take directly to the service guys and go over it with them. But, I need to be more familiar with the minimum threshholds and different rpm results, so I can inquire about how they performed the tests.
I have searched on here and google and only found a small graph that was hard to read / understand.
Could you guys please help me out? The last thing I need is having to worry about immediate suprise costs with a $16,000 loan on the car.
1) Should I worry about the smoke smell I encountered at the first test drive, or dismiss it as an oil change.
2) The dealer has several car companies sitting on the same lot (Honda, Mazda, and Nissan) the car I am purchasing is on the "Honda" lot. This raises a red flag to me, since the Mazda dealership is 200 feet North on the same paved lot and all the sales people roam to each dealership. Why wouldn't the Mazda dealer sell it as a certified used car?
3) What results for the compression and vacuum tests would make me want to turn and run away?
I have owned 2 previous Rx-7s and am not afraid of the rotary engine and what to expect once I own the car. It's just that once one of my previous car started to lose compression and it went downhill fast.
I have read on here that a lot of people have had engines replaced, why not just replace the apex seals. On the old 7s the apex seals were replaced and it was as good as new...why all the hysteria about new engines since it is in essence the same engine? What would call for a complete engine replacement?
If I am faced with having to deal with the apex seals or a new engine down the road, what are the costs of each?
If the deal goes ahead, I look forward to getting to know you guys.
Thanks in advance for the help!!