Which rx7 to buy

Some owners are completely unaware that the engine burns oil at all, which makes checking those records that much more important. Heat is also the enemy of FD reliability, and it can manifest itself in a number of ways when inspecting the 13B. I also replaced all of my coolant hoses connecting the radiator, the heater, and the turbo at the same time.

These cars are 25 years old at this point, and the harness is notorious for drying out and becoming brittle to the point where it can cause intermittent electrical problems. General engine-specific test drive advice for the FD RX-7 includes hooking up a boost gauge to the intake manifold and have a passenger verify that the turbos are healthy. Other positive things to look for: a temperature gauge that hits the middle mark and stays there, a warm engine idle around the rpm mark paired with a vacuum reading of inHg minimum, and a lack of any gasoline or burned rubber smells from the engine bay with the motor running.

Some cars have a finicky fifth-gear synchronizer, which you can check during the test drive to see if it smoothly moves into place, while others may have a malfunctioning tachometer which is repairable.

Bill Strohm swapped in the previous-generation RX-7 fan switch. Another FD owner replaced the pre-cat with a downpipe, which drops engine bay temps considerably, and also added an aluminum radiator and replaced all vacuum hoses.

In addition, you may encounter cars that have replaced the stock plastic air separation tank in the cooling system with an aluminum one sourced from an aftermarket manufacturer, or simply bypassed it completely. The oil metering modifications mentioned above also qualify as common reliability mods.

Occasionally, water can collect under the tail lights, under the back bumper cover, and inside the spare wheel well for vehicles that have been stored outside or used often in the rain.

If the vehicle you are inspecting has the rear spoiler deleted, check to make sure the factory holes were plugged too or you could be looking at rust inside the hatch itself. Derdeyn also cautions that while it is still possible to get FD parts from Mazda directly, the car is right on the cusp of sliding into obscurity from a factory components perspective.

This is particularly prevalent when searching for certain interior components, such as armrests, so keep that scarcity in mind if the interior of the car you are looking at looks a bit beat. A garage queen with rock chips all over the nose? A low-miles car with significant seat bolster wear? Common sense is crucial when attempting to separate fact from fiction on a sports car of this age. The smart route here is to focus more on condition, sensible modifications, and service history more than mileage.

The first generation RX7 was a straight two-passenger coupe. Among the biggest advantages of the rotary engine is its weight-to-power ratio. Rotary engines also have fewer moving parts than traditional combustion engines, and they have incredibly smooth power delivery. They can also run steadily at high revolutions without traditional damage concerns.

Note, though, if you're looking for an RX7 for sale in the UK, these engines burn oil by design and require the owner to pay more attention to the engine oil. There were two body styles available, the 2-door coupe and the 2-door convertible, and there was a 5-speed manual version and a 4-speed automatic version. The vehicle's wheelbase is 2. If you're looking for a collectible Mazda RX7 for sale in the UK, know that less than 70, of these were produced, far less than the other models, potentially increasing their value.

Skip to main content. Shop by category. Or thirst. By comparison the contemporary Ferrari TR managed Unsurprisingly it stopped officially being imported in - making UK specification cars relatively rare. All are described as FD series cars, though with Mazda producing the RX-7 right up until in Japan a number of updates were made in its lifecycle. The closest import model to UK specification is the RS.

Some special editions were also built, the Bathurst having bhp. Always a relatively rare sight with the original cars over 20 years old the RX-7 is even more so now. Gary Marks, owner of Mazda rotary specialist RoTechniks, , www. Most issues arise from misuse, the RX-7 needing a heat cycle through it before using all those revs.

Modern oils are better at dealing with the heat the Wankel unit generates. Given the heat and those seals Marks also recommends waterless coolant, which makes the system pressureless, helping preserve the engine seals and hoses. The simplest check on the health of the engine is to test the compression. Most require some sort of major engine work at around the , mile mark, many taking the opportunity to modify the engine for more power.

There are lots of options to do so, Rotechniks is able to port the engine to suit differing turbos, it relatively easy to get a reliable bhp. More power will require a tougher clutch, Marks rating Carbonetics set ups, these available with single, double or triple plate, Carbonetics also offering a replacement limited slip differential.