What to look for when buying a series 1 Rx-7

[Super-Mini]

Hi all,
i've never owned a rotary before! :fail:
and i'm looking at buying a 1980 series 1 RX-7 with a 13b and i'd like to get some advice about what faults etc to look for when inspecting the car?

thanks in advance :)

[RazzaCaine]

when i bought mine it had a ton of stuff wrong with it, so give it a general thorough going over like you would with any car. make sure you check all the electricals, i.e. lights etc, check that the windows go up and done smoothly whether they are power or not. mine wasnt power windows but the alignment of the windows was stuffed so i could wind them down fine but when i wound them up they popped out of the door... make sure the engine isnt blowing any smoke. take it for a long drive if you can, for say 30 minutes so you can check that there arent any hidden issues with the motor such as the oil pressure

[yelloS2Rx7]

Series 2s are much better!!!!
Power windows, mirrors, better bumpers
air conditioning
better factory alloys....
Better ignition setup!!
4 wheel discs- S1 only have drums
the only thing better on S1s vs S2s are wiperless rear hatches!!!!
Just get the cars chassis checked on an alignment machine!!!!!
No point having a sik motor if ya cars chassis is bent like a banana
or if ya suspn is all bent coz it's been hammered over a gutter!!!!
Rust around rear hatch is common!!!
Front A pillar windscreen area
check all the gaps around pop up lights etc
if they're not een side to side it's been crashed....

[jesse_RE]

Check for rust in the front chassis rails near the steering box and rust or damaged paint under the brake master cylinder is common if its leaked before.. Listen to the gearbox aswell especially in 3rd, they're not real strong gearboxes.

[Super-Mini]

thanks very much for your responses.

I definitely want a series 1, so we'll see how we go :)

[13bwankel]

Compression test. the only really important rotary specific test.

[rotor7]

get engine compression tested buy a rotary expert...as you cant use normal engine compression tester.....anything above 85-90psi on both rotors evenly..is excellent, below 85 psi and your looking at rebuildng soon..!!....look for large amounts of smoke when warming up...indication of worn control seals that meter the oil in the engine...check to see if coolant goes down... and uses huge amounts of oil....they will burn a little as they are made to..and keep a eye on temp...nothing over half.....look for normal oil leaks ect....best way of buying a good rotor is have a inspection at mildrens engineering at thebarton near the coca cola factory on port road... :)

[FIX_my_ROTA]

Its gonna be hard to find a s1 or 2/3 for that matter, that isnt fucked in some way. Just try n find one that has limitted shit wrong with it. Rust spots, electrics, suspension/steering. Are the usual problems.

[7heaven]

ive got s1 had it for a yr now and its been pretty sweet in reliabily the only thing ive had go wrong was the fuses kept blowing on me so in mite pay to give the connectors a good cleaning other then that id rather REVS then mildrtens atleast REVS only do rotarys. mildrens is fucked ever since jason left.