93 RX-7, red, (supposedly) 70k miles on original engine, only problem noted by our Buyer is that it has synchro issues and doesn't like to go into 2nd all the time. $7k.

Same year as my husbands 325i, and his car is worth about that on trade-in. Would this be a really dumb buy?


And the other thing is that it's in Ft. Lauderdale, and we'd have to have it transferred up here, at about $400-500.

I am so tempted. But I am also kind of nervous- how hard would a synchro problem with the tranny be to fix?

if u can fix all the problems then yes, im sure i woudlnt know how

Originally posted by Elara
93 RX-7, red, (supposedly) 70k miles on original engine, only problem noted by our Buyer is that it has synchro issues and doesn't like to go into 2nd all the time. $7k.

Same year as my husbands 325i, and his car is worth about that on trade-in. Would this be a really dumb buy?


And the other thing is that it's in Ft. Lauderdale, and we'd have to have it transferred up here, at about $400-500.

I am so tempted. But I am also kind of nervous- how hard would a synchro problem with the tranny be to fix?

Synchros you're lookign at at least a couple grand, if you end up getting it get the clutch replaced at the same time to save yourself a lot of money. The other thing is who knows how it's been treated, it's tough to find an FD without a replaced engine as I'm sure you know. When I was shopping for one (I don't think I've ever stopped) it seemed many of the engines had gone in the 70-90k mile mark, but that was mostly TTs. If you are prepared for the shock of having to buy a new engine some time in the near future go for it, they are great cars.

Ike

Well, found out some more about it- the problem is 3rd and 5th, not second, like I was first told- something about a spring between the two, and it being a common problem on the 7's. There are some scuffs on the roof and hood, and one of the Buyers that drove it got freaked out because it blew a lot of smoke out the back. But they did say it was blast to drive.

I'm having to back off anyway, because the guy who told me about it is thinking about buying it now, so we'll see what happens.

If you're still interested in finding one I'm always looking in autotrader to see what used FDs are available, I can give you a holler if I see one that looks good, and that I don't want of course :) And I'm pretty sure the car I want doesn't exist :(

i've been in the market for an fd for a really long time and all i can say is 7k is steep for an FD with a blown motor/rolling chassis but a really killer deal for a running one. the smoke is fairly normal, so is the synchro issue. i think you can get by the synchro issue for less than a couple grand.
i have a link at work (which i'll try and remember to post tomorrow) on all the things you should check for when buying one...main things being compression test and boost pattern, should be 12-10-12 ideally. if it's like 5-8-12 or 12-10-7 or something like that then atleast you have a problem narrowed down to one turbo =p

Originally posted by lefuton
i've been in the market for an fd for a really long time and all i can say is 7k is steep for an FD with a blown motor/rolling chassis but a really killer deal for a running one. the smoke is fairly normal, so is the synchro issue. i think you can get by the synchro issue for less than a couple grand.
i have a link at work (which i'll try and remember to post tomorrow) on all the things you should check for when buying one...main things being compression test and boost pattern, should be 12-10-12 ideally. if it's like 5-8-12 or 12-10-7 or something like that then atleast you have a problem narrowed down to one turbo =p

Pretty sure Elara is talking about the N/A model.


Ike

While I haven't actually talked to our Buyers about it, they told my friend at work that it was running decently, it just had the weird tranny issues. I figured the smoke was normal- I'm guessing they're just not familiar with rotaries. The reason it's so cheap is because it's one of my company's wholesale cars, and we normally just auction them off. However, associates are allowed to buy two wholesale cars a year at cost, IF you find it before auction day.

I'm a little wary of it, but I'm going to keep getting updates and see what appears. And anyway, if my friend buys it, I can always go out and stare at it in the parking lot everyday, at the very least.

no such thing as a N/A 3rd Gen.
and the synchro problem is expensive in labor only. the parts are relatively inexpensive.

santino

Originally posted by santino
no such thing as a N/A 3rd Gen.
and the synchro problem is expensive in labor only. the parts are relatively inexpensive.

santino

I knew that but had a very large brain fart, I was reading about the 2nd gen. lastnight and it rotted my brain :p

Watch out for that smoke. While it's true that most if not all fd's smoke a little on startup, if it is a lot of white smoke that smells sweet(like coolant) then the seals are probably shot. If it's bluish, then it is probably burning oil. My fd smokes a tiny bit of whitish smoke upon startup, but it isn't normal for an fd to smoke a lot regardless of what people may tell you. If the car is in decent shape, that is an excellent price.
This site has lots of excellent info: http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/
http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/buying.html

Thanks Tracy! I'm going to show that to the guy at work who's thinking about it.