85 RX7 - What to look for?

Hi all,

I posted this car in the $2017 Classifieds the other day but it's been eating at me so I'm going to try and check it out on Friday. C'est la vie, right? Anyway, is there anything specific I should be checking on? I plan on looking for leaks, making sure it starts, bringing ear plugs, etc. I think FBs are pretty cool and this appears to be a darn good deal.

Rust at the rear control arm pick up points forward of the rear tires. Best place to see is under the cubbys behind the seats. Rust around the rear hatch.

See if it starts well cold and warm. A little smoke is fine at start up. Rev it up over 4-5k to in gear and coast down to see if it smokes to see if the oil control seals are toast. Check for bad leak at the rotor housing tops above the plugs. They are really pretty simple mechanically. I'd do header/exhaust maybe some carb work and let it ride. More power than that basically means a swap/turbo/porting.

I'd absolutely buy that one if it were near me.

I am putting together my new car with an exhaust manifold, specifically because I don't want a header on it. If Pro7 racers can make 150hp through the stock manifold and stock carburetor, which is about the limit of a stockport 12A in any configuration, then it's not worth the noise hassle.

This car looks identical to the one I see every morning in Bend,OR... right down to the wheels and faded blue...

In reply to Trackmouse:

Ha, the ad only says he has a 60 mi commute. Unless he's a LIAR!

A running 12A would be a plus. If you want to upgrade, I have a complete factory rebuild 13B that we removed from GSL-SE as part of our LS swap. With engine mounts and wiring harness, you would have a very reliable RX.

I had that exact car. Colors seats everything. The 85 was by far my favorite first gen RX7. Yes it was a little heavier but the interior was so much nicer. Those seats are made of some type top secret material. I used them in two other cars after my 85 and they never seemed to show any ware at all.

What to look for? Rust!!! Other than that they are great cars. I would pick that up NOW if it was in my area.

rust, wheel wells and under the rear bins. take it for a drive, starts/runs/stop/drives/turns the price goes up

In reply to fidelity101:

Don't tell the seller that! I'm trying to get a deal here.

So far the seller has been ignoring my email about looking at the car for like 24 hours, even though they replied to the first one within 15 minutes and complained about no one actually coming out. Good ol Craigslist right?

Well the seller finally replied. He sold the car before I had a chance to see it. Oh well.