Phatkorean

There is an 88 TII for sale that I can purchase for $3000. There are a couple of problems and I wanted to get some opinions before I buy it.



The problem areas:

Rear wiper motor is bad

Front wipers are bad

Sunroof motor is bad, won't open and small rust on edges

Both passenger window motors are bad

Radiator fluid is leaking from the parts unknown(there is a small spot under the car)

Throttle body cable is loose

Puff of white smoke on start up that drops off to a few wisps after a few seconds.

Clutch is smooth a little soft and the gears feel a little sticky.

Needs new Speedometer

Needs new outer Window Channels on both sides, old ones are cracked and rusted underneath







The Good:

Odo reads 78000

Body is in good shape

No rust in engine bay or undercarriage

No apparent oil leakage

Aftermarket Apexi exhaust

Aftermarket intake (only a cone filter)

Interior is in decent shape

Brakes are between 75%-50%

Oil looked to be in good shape (no leaks and color was good)



Before test driving the car I noticed that the car was screaming about coolant on start up. I shut it off and the seller added about 1/2 a quart of radiator fluid which took the reservoir up from empty to full. After starting up the car again it took a minute or two the alarm finally stopped. The drive was a little rough but seemed ok. My main concern is the smoke on start up and the radiator fluid. The last think I want is to rebuild the engine. Any thoughts?



Thanks for the help

Aaron

RONIN FC

Its worth about 2k unless its an 10th aniversary, then it worth more.

racerxtreme7

well i would find out more about the engine before u go sayen what its worth. It coulda been just rebuilt for all u know??? u take pics?

Phatkorean

I didn't take any pics because there wasn't really anything to take a picture of. Cosmetically everything looks fine. Aside from the small rust on the edges of the sunroof and outside window channels everything seems to be in order. I should clarify a few points.



The front wipers work, just not 100% of the time.

The passenger side window works it's just really slow.

The driver's side window works except that when the window is up and you press the power button to make it go up, the window motor clicks loudly.

The sunroof makes a loud click when you press the button and doesn't open.

The engine didn't start immediately. It turned over about 4-5 times or 1-2 seconds before it finally started.



This is the second owner of the car. He has owned it about 6 months with the idea of building it up but with a mortgage and a kid, can no longer afford to keep it. He said that the engine has never been rebuilt. I have the VIN and will do a carfax report later today.



How much does an engine rebuild cost? Also, I thought that there was a 2nd gen. RX-7 specialist shop here in Northern Virginia. I remember seeing it on an RX-7 site a year or two ago. It was a few miles away from Peter Farrell Supercars. I'll need to check and see if Peter Farrell does any work on 2G cars but I doubt it.

1988RedT2

I would be wary of the fact that the coolant was low, and the smoke. You could be looking at an engine on the way out. I would say 3k USD is a little steep given the condition. Is it wearing a current inspection sticker, or has it been sitting?

Phatkorean

That is one of the things I forgot to look at. He's a good 1 to 1.5 hours away from me. Of course I could always call and ask.



Yeah I am wary of the coolant. Thing is, the car has been sitting there for a while. I know this because of the spiderwebs in the wheel well. He didn't have to put in that much coolant. As a matter of fact it looked like the amout of coolant he put in is the same amount that was on the spot under the car!

isamu

I would be a little concerned about the coolant too. All the other stuff you mentioned is pretty common stuff for FC's. If you go back to look at it, check the heater hose running from the drivers side firewall to the engine block, right below the oil filter. It is a common wear-out problem. By the way you described it I wouldn't pay more than 2500 for it. If the dude is eager to sell, show up with cash and make him an offer. It pretty much depends on how much you want the car. It sounds like it needs some TLC and TLC = Time and Lottsa Cash!