Today I took a mini-road trip with my wife to check out the 88 10th Anniversary TII that I've been talking to you guys about. Pics are available here --> http://www.pbase.com/clumzy/fc_ham



*Please forgive the length of this post. I'm very excited and I get wordy.



Body



As you can see from the pics, the paint looks decent ... wherever it's not peeling. It's got serious peel on the hood and both popup headlights. It's got a little peel on the sunroof and driver door. The paint is a little cracked on the bottom of the front lip .. but otherwise for a 14 year old car it looks GOOD.



There's also paint peeling off the rear hatch troughs. Since this is a little out of the way I may just attempt to touch up these spots.



I must stress that there is NO RUST on the spots where it's peeling. I think a repaint of just the hood and lights is gonna run about $500CND.



Rust



To say it's rust free is only slightly untrue. There is zero perforation that I could see. Because it was so low I couldn't get underneath the car but when we go for an inspection at my mechanic he will put it up on the lift and I'll get a full view of it.



There are a couple spots of rust on the bottom inside edge of the doors. I took a couple of pictures of it so please take a look at them. I believe they're relatively minor and I plan on sanding them down and priming them myself because you can't see them from the outside.



I'm planning on also getting the thing rust sprayed with oil for $100CND.



There's also a spot of rust on the driver door where it looks like the paint is chipped on the edge. Took a pic of that. I think I'll sand, prime and touch up that spot.



Cold Start



On your advice I ensured that he had not driven the car since the day before ... so it was sitting for maybe 12 hours. I started it without gassing it and immediately went to 3000rpm and down to 1500. After 5 minutes of idling it was at 1000.



Turbo Rebuild and bad idle



I was mistaken when I told you that the turbo had been replaced. It was actually rebuilt. The story goes that he was hearing some noise from the turbo and took it to Mazda. He had a bad bearing in the turbo. So they rebuilt the thing. Now it's leaking oil into the engine?? And it's causing the idle to be messed. It'll idle at 700-800 and drop to 500 .. back and forth, like reverse surging. It even stalled once on my test drive!



He's getting it repaired under warranty and he assures me that it'll be perfect or they're going to have fix it again until they get it right. They're getting another rebuilt turbo in there this week.



Of course I will have my mech check it thoroughly to confirm that it's fixed right.



Electrical



Everything works. Mirrors, windows, pop-up headlights, AC, moon-roof, security system, etc. Windshield and headlight squirters work ... cool!



Exceptions are that the stereo will sometimes reset itself like it's been disconnected from power. I think that's a bad power connection back there. The driver-side control for the passenger-side window doesn't work. The control on the passenger side works tho. The antenae motor is gone. Rear wiper doesn't work. The motor works by connecting power from the battery directly and the switch is sending juice to the wires on the driver-side hydrolic .. but a connection from there to the wiper is bad.



Test Drive



The engine is strong and the turbo kicks. On the hiway the thing is quiet and smooth smooth! I like I like!



Weird things and questions:

1. The gas pedal is very soft on the top and gets firmer on the bottom. I have NEVER experienced this before .. is that normal??

2. The shifter has alot of play in the neutral area ... caused me to grind going in to 4th once! Is that normal? Getting into 1st seems like it's a diagonal up?? That normal??



Other than those 2 things and the turbo bein' weird it drove well. The sell actually said he'd prefer that I didn't test drive it until the turbo is fixed. He realizes that it's a HUGE concern for a buyer so he told me he's getting this worked out ASAP and will get back to me as soon as it's fixed for another inspection/testdrive.



Buy?



Yeah as long as my mech OK's it. My areas of concern are:

- paint peeling

- rust spots

- TURBO!!

- gas pedal .. normal?

- weird shifter? Something broken?



Your advice and expertise is appreciated. I apologize for this long post but I'm very excited about purchasing it. Please knock some sense into me if you see something that I didn't!

Damn Canadians and their headlight squirters. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png sounds like that car is in ok shape. didn't look at the pics though.

looks ok minus all the pain on the hood and stuff. that one spring you had a picture of looks a little wierd. what is that, a hole rusted through the thing?

what's the price

damn i didn't want to read that, how much is it?

The seller is asking $7000CND for it. So that's about $1.25USD https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...DIR#>/wink.png



Really sorry about the length of that original post ... I'll try to summarize my questions:



1. The shifter feels like there's a lot of play in the neutral area. Is that normal?

2. The gas pedal feels very soft on the top and very firm on the bottom. That normal?

3. The turbo is leaking oil into the engine but will be replaced. Does that sound like it would cause a drop in idle from 700 to 500 (reverse surging?) and almost a stall.

4. Rust on the bottom of the doors, think I can just sand and prime?

5. Peeling paint ... think that means the whole car is ready to peel?



Thanks for your responses!

$1.25 sound like a good deal, don't ya think https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif . So 1250?

I can tell you that after working on another RX-7 with the spot peeling of the paint- you will have to remove ALL the paint to insure a good bond because what hasnt peeled yet- will. When I put some masking tape on the adjoining area, it peeled the paint off with it. The paint is just too unstable. If you go to touch up the areas, I would say that you would be wasting your time. You can sand and paint rust, but it will probably come back another day in the future, but thats not a deterrant. So if you feather in the bad areas, not remove all the old paint, and repaint the car- its almost certain that the new paint will peel off the old because the old had never properly bonded to the primer. That paint in the rear hatch areas will come off with washing its so unstable. It hasnt rusted because the primer underneath is protecting the metal, the hood is aluminum so its not going to rust, but given time exposed, the peeled areas WILL rust, the primer ( that grey that will turn greenish looking crap on the car where the paint has peeled ) , has no UV protectant.

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....[/quote]

70K would be a good number to shoot for. Most TII's with less than 40K are probably in a junkyard. :P

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....[/quote]

70K would be a good number to shoot for. Most TII's with less than 40K are probably in a junkyard. :P[/quote]

phins has one

I only wish that $7000CND = $5600USD. Unfortunately the general exchange rate from Canadian $ to US $ is about 1.6 depending on your institution.



So that puts the price around $4400USD.



Rob x7, thank you for the advice on the paint. The seller speculated that the entire car would need repainting but it is something that I will bring up with him as something I will be required to do.



Anyone have any comments on the shifter play or the gas pedal non-smooth pressure travel?

shifter play could just be bushings and non smooth pedal travel new throttle cable

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....[/quote]

70K would be a good number to shoot for. Most TII's with less than 40K are probably in a junkyard. :P[/quote]

phins has one[/quote]

You guys extrapolate too much. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....[/quote]

70K would be a good number to shoot for. Most TII's with less than 40K are probably in a junkyard. :P[/quote]

phins has one[/quote]

You guys extrapolate too much. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

or not enough https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....[/quote]

70K would be a good number to shoot for. Most TII's with less than 40K are probably in a junkyard. :P[/quote]

phins has one[/quote]

You guys extrapolate too much. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

or not enough https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

Extrapolation is what makes people think they can get 500 HP at a bargain. :P

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....[/quote]

70K would be a good number to shoot for. Most TII's with less than 40K are probably in a junkyard. :P[/quote]

phins has one[/quote]

You guys extrapolate too much. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

or not enough https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

Extrapolation is what makes people think they can get 500 HP at a bargain. :P[/quote]

i can https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif

I only wish that $7000CND = $5600USD. Unfortunately the general exchange rate from Canadian $ to US $ is about 1.6 depending on your institution.



So that puts the price around $4400USD.



Rob x7, thank you for the advice on the paint. The seller speculated that the entire car would need repainting but it is something that I will bring up with him as something I will be required to do.



Anyone have any comments on the shifter play or the gas pedal non-smooth pressure travel?[/quote]

Not just a simple re-paint, but one that needs to be sanded down to the primer. Jambs and all, everywhere. Price is too high, bargain him down, wayyyyy down. But only if you expect to put a few thousand into the car after you get it, not a few hundred. Shifter play- really bad bushings? Gas pedal- check the linkage under the hood, see if the whole rail is bolted on tight, if its loose it may give you the symptoms that you speak of.

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....[/quote]

70K would be a good number to shoot for. Most TII's with less than 40K are probably in a junkyard. :P[/quote]

phins has one[/quote]

You guys extrapolate too much. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

or not enough https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

Extrapolation is what makes people think they can get 500 HP at a bargain. :P[/quote]

i can https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

As long as you dont want it running for more then 10 minutes or so, Vosko is the man! https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif

BAHHHAAAAAA!!! Busted Vosko!!!!!

$5600 U.S. should buy you a near mint car, not one that needs alot of work.[/quote]

$5600 = LOW MILE PERFECT TII!!! eg 40k miles.......[/quote]

Maybe not 40K, but you can easily get into an 89+ TII in good shape for that price.[/quote]

if you look around you can find them....[/quote]

70K would be a good number to shoot for. Most TII's with less than 40K are probably in a junkyard. :P[/quote]

phins has one[/quote]

You guys extrapolate too much. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

or not enough https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

Extrapolation is what makes people think they can get 500 HP at a bargain. :P[/quote]

i can https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif[/quote]

As long as you dont want it running for more then 10 minutes or so, Vosko is the man! https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif[/quote]

i live my life 10minutes at a time https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif

Again, thank you for your responses. Your experience is very much appreciated.



I am in contact with the seller and have asked him to check the throttle and gas pedal linkage at the Mazda dealer that is servicing the turbo.



Here's a couple of things that he's done recently that cost him quite a bit of money:

- turbo rebuild ~$2600CND ~ $1600USD from Mazda <- has receipt

- changed all belts ~ $1000CND ~ $600USD from Mazda <- checking with Mazda

- new clutch at 118,000km ~$?



So that's about $3600 of the $7000 that he's asking. I am having my mech inspect the car late this week or early next. I plan on offering him $6000CND for it. Does that sound fair considering it requires $2000 paint work?

$600 to change 4 belts??? <_<

Is that how long it takes you to walk 1/4 mile?

Is that how long it takes you to walk 1/4 mile?[/quote]

no that's how long my engines last

How much should it be? I know that for Honda's changing the timing belt at the 100,000km mark is around that price. Oops .. said the H word. Sorry. And I know there's no timing belt for the 7 but there sure look like lots of other belts in there.

How much should it be? I know that for Honda's changing the timing belt at the 100,000km mark is around that price. Oops .. said the H word. Sorry. And I know there's no timing belt for the 7 but there sure look like lots of other belts in there.[/quote]

All 4 belts couldn't take more than an hour to cgange. They're about $10 each.

How much should it be? I know that for Honda's changing the timing belt at the 100,000km mark is around that price. Oops .. said the H word. Sorry. And I know there's no timing belt for the 7 but there sure look like lots of other belts in there.[/quote]

All 4 belts couldn't take more than an hour to cgange. They're about $10 each.[/quote]

yup

If the turbo is attened to like the seller says, then you test drive it and everything is okie dokey, and you like the car- buy it. You MAY find one cheaper somewhere else somewhere on the internet, but until you see the car in person- it could be bullshit as to the condition, it may not be a car you can go and check out in a days time like you did, it could be hundereds if not thousands of miles away from you, other then that the car looks super clean for its age. If you are set on a anniversary edition, this may be the car for you, if you only want a TII, then you may want to pass it by. Thats just my advice.

Thank you guys, for your honesty and advice. I have talked with a former RX7 owner friend of mine and he talked some sense into me.



The bottom line is that if I did purchase this car it would require a full paint job plus the regular maintenance of a 14 year old car. So realistically, based on my budget, I'm going to have to let this one pass.



So thanks again and it looks like I will not be joining the rotary club as soon as I thought.