advice on 3rd gen import

[Jovic82]

Hi guys ( and girls!)


Just joined the site so dont know too much as of yet.
Have been pondering over what jap car to purchase and im glad to say the rx7 has won me over entirely. i have been offered a 1994 type r import, had one owner since import, all as standard, 49000 miles £7500.
Didnt know whether this was a good price for a car with this sort of milelage and wot sort of things i should ask and push the owner about.
also have looked on other threads and i think it says engine refresh is needed at 50000-60000 miles. This little factor has me slightly concerned however. What exactly does refresh mean and
is this goin to be hugely expensive.

appreciate it
Nick

[grinder]

i know nothing about 3rd gens apart from they look nice

but from what i am lead to believe

some rebuild prices :

2nd Gen N/A - about £1400
2ng Gen Turbo II - have been told about 2.5 K

So a third gen - ekkk i wouldnt like to know !!

BUT - if you look in the for sale section - there is a single turbo FD, and that had a rebuild and single turbo conversion for 4.7K

thats what i have been told - so take all figures with a pinch of salt !

thanks

Stu

[bnaellis]

Hi Nick,
Welcome aboard mate.
Well first of all the price 7.5k sounds good. Secondly have you actually seen the vehicle in the flesh ??
The engine should be fine with 49k on it but it's not so much how much miles the engine has done but how well the precious owner has maintained the car while in his or her possesion.
it is true some engines need to be rebuilt between 50-60k but it's also true some need to be rebuild between 60-70k also some do more. Rebuild price depends on where you go. What area do you live in ?? You can expect to get a rebuild for 2.5k expect to pay more though depending on whats damaged.
Questions to ask has the car ever overheated, if so when, what was the cause.
You want full service history of the car while in his possesion.
You want to know where he took his car to be serviced and maintained (why) because sellers in general do not highlight the bad points of their car when trying to sell it, so if you know where it's been serviced etc you can go down there and enquire, you'd be amazed what stuff you can find out.
You want to know if the vehicle has ever been involved in an accident.
who did he get the vehicle from, Why he/she is selling it.
If possible get someone who knows rotaries well to go with you.
You want to make sure the car is started from cold when you go to view it (why) some like to start it before the viewer comes to warm it up if they are having starting difficulties. You will know if it has anyway cause rotaries take a long time to get stone cold.
Check the dipstick for water contamination i.e looks like cappauccino colour.
Check the dipstick for coolant level and make sure it's not got any oil in there.
check it idles smoothly, especially when it's been run at normal operational temperature and switch off. Switch it back on again say 10-15 minutes later, and make sure there's no problems as hot starting problems could well signify poor engine health.
Wear old scruffy clothes that you don't mind getting a bit dirty and check the chassis for any previous crash damage and also check suspension bushes. Test the clutch details can be found on thread below this one on the last post.
Check for uneven tyre wear.
Check for signs of higher than stated mileage i.e worn steering wheel, worn gear knob, worn seats, worn floor mats, general condition of engine bay.
Good Luck nick and let us know how you get on.

regards

Brian Ellis

[Jovic82]

Hi

Thanks for the prompt replies guys. appreciate it

i havent actually seen the car in the flesh as of yet, but i have lots of photo of engine bay, interior etc, all looks in good condition but i know this can mean nothing if the car has not been properly maintained and also i dont know what to look out for. i liv ein west sussex and i must admit i dont know of any rotary specialists but there are a few jap people around as my brother has had problems with his mr2 import!

hopefully if i put these questions through to the owner i can get a better idea about the car and arrange a test drive to test the mechanics.
i will let you know how i get on


Thank again

Nick

[Steve Burnett]

Who are you buying the car from? Maybe someone on this list knows the person/dealer/history of the car etc.

[Jovic82]

hi

i believe the guy who is selling the car is called mark hatfield.


was just wondering whether having the car checked by the aa or rac would be of any benefit, or do they not really know about the rotary engines on these cars?


cheers

nick

[richrx]

i think the rac/aa could be quite good as they can check everything on the car i.e struts, suspension bushes( thanks to BNA_ELLIS for that info) and also find out other faults. They could do a compresion test and let you know how healthy the engine is. anything else im sure you could do yourself as the other signs arn't too hard to find out.

[wookie]

I would not bother with the R.A.C or the A.A as i've not yet met any who are in to rotary's, (i'm ready for the slagging i'm about to receive from any upset recovery bods). We once heard of an R.A.C man who claimed the problem with the engine was the cambelt had gone!!!!!! L.O.L,(this was on a car he was called out to).
But i'd totally agree with what BNA ELLIS says. When you look at the car check everywhere these cars have a habit of being crashed, so be prepared to get on your hands and knee's and look every where,if it looks dodgy walk away there are plenty more out there.

Wookie:cool:

[richrx]

another idea could be to goto a rotary specialist who could lookat it for you(if you stay close to one).

[Jovic82]

does anyone know of people who offer this kind or service or who would even come out and look at the car for me.

[wookie]

Where abouts in west sussex do you live,and were abouts is the car, as i'm in Kent.
Wookie

[Jovic82]

i live in crawley down ,right next to crawley.

the car is for sale in bedford.

by the way does anyone know of insurances companies that might even consider insuring me. i am currently 20.

[richrx]

adrian flux will definetly insure you but it could be expencive