Should I buy this as a project.....

It is a question I have been asking myself for a few days now, ever since a customer bought it up. He is trying to help his mother clear some stuff off her property after the fires here around New Year scared her into clearing a whole pile of surplus things.
Here is what I know so far:

'79 RX-7. Manual. Odo has 67ish, but I am thinking there is at least a 1, maybe a 2 in front of that, as it only has 6 digits on the counter.

It has certainly seen better days, hence why it is a "project". I should point out at this stage that I have never had a project car, but 39 is not too late to start....


The interior doesn't worry, me, as the handbrake's father is one of the best motor trimmers around, and I think he would secretly love a project like this.
For a couple of grand, and pending mechanical testing to make sure the motor isn't going to just be a money pit, am I just being a bit mental thinking about this?
She also has this little beauty that needs to find a new home....

1 question..... how does the voltage relate to the speed the engine is going.

i can just imagine it now.... " my GPS wont work because the revs are to low. just let me drop it to second... thats better

Ha yeah I had 84 supra and every time I used power windows the headlights and electronic dash would black out

Im no expert but this is my opinion.

Everyone says rotaries are trouble, especially old ones. I dont think its worth it. Youd be better of spending that much money (which is probably going to be four times as much as you estimate) on a car with more potential. I see rust on the door and damage, which makes it suggest its been neglected. If its in such a bad condition it means it was too expensive to repair or someone ran it on the cheap and its likely to have secrets that youll discover as you drive it. Id ask the seller how long its been sitting there and how many people have looked at it (and walked away).

I was going to buy a series 5 fc. It was white and looked exactly like the one from initial d. I fell in love with it immediately, but I was kinda broke at the time. It was really hard to walk away from it but Im glad I did because 6 mths later I found a mk4 supra for less money which I own now. It is much faster than that rx7 would have ever been.

Youre better off getting a car thats sorted because japanese sports cars are expensive to get parts for and labour costs a lot if you dont know what youre doing like me. Things will go wrong and going in with existing issues is asking for trouble unless youre a mechanic and car restorer with a lot of free time. Ive spent 4k on my car in the last year on just getting it reliable and thats a car that passed a safety certificate. I cant imagine the costs for a resto.

If youre unsure, thats your instinct telling you youre about to make a bad call. Youre better of waiting till you find that perfect car. Youll know it when you see it.

I know I'm new in these parts of town, but have quite extensive experience with these things. So as I eat my humble pie. It's a Series 1 which in good nick are worth quite a bit. Even a little bit scruffy one, on the road and running will fetch $10K. A seriously good one in mint condition can see sometimes upwards of $25K, but in this case we are talking bugger all k's and been in the garage all its life so the original paint and interior still looks like it just rolled out of the dealer. Conversely a heavily modified version, as in good body kit, a good reliable 'take your pick' port motor, good stereo, wheels, blahdy, blah, can also see the $25K price tag.

It is of course up to you, however I can only suggest that if you do purchase it, then be prepared to repair and replace things properly. Avoid the wreckers and buy new where possible, and as it has the panel damage in the pictures, get that done by a panel shop in your area with a very good reputation. Not hard to find these on the various forums about the place.

As a car person for a good 30+years I don't believe there's such a thing as a lemon, in pretty much all of these cases it's a car that's developed a problem and has been repaired as cheaply as possible, usually with 2nd hand parts from the wreckers. Lo and behold the problem re-appears in a short space of time, so it's the cars fault, it's a 'lemon'. Also nearly everything as bad as it may look is salvageable, but keep in mind one wants something that's of value at the end of the line. No point spending 200 grand(exaggerated ...) on something that should the need arise to sell is only going to pick up a small percentage of that.

Thanks for all your input and opinions guys. I am planning to go have a look Monday and see if I can get a bit more history of it.
It is a bit of a childhood dream to own an RX7. The only time I have been in one was Christmas morning when I was about 12, and a friend of my parents took my brother and I on a hotlap of our town in his RX. Pretty sure it was a Series 2, but the thing I remember the most was being thrown around the back "seat" as he opened this thing up going through roundabouts sideways. Probably better than the time my uncle took me for a cruise through the Flinders in his Lamborghini...

Good luck with it dog.

Your confidence is inspiring...

I personally wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, but if your keen on the restoration game it would be worth it, highly likely you will need to spend big money on mechanicals, don't believe for a second it hasn't ticked over 200kms.

I would be more inclined to buy it if it was just a rolling shell.

@PurpleDog,

So a few things with this.
If this did have original 67k it would be a supreme buy and would be MINT! However in this case its not. I seriously wouldn't be surprised if it did have 267,000km.. How much is she wanting for it? It could be a good project, depending on the price it could be alright. It needs a bit of work done. I'm going to throw you a few others out there for you.
check out www.ausrotary.com often great cars on here for sale and usually very well looked after.
gumetree.. Be careful however there is heaps of projects going on here..
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/high...mazda-rx7-series-3-12a-rotary-auto/1069243223 <- Auto however it has 200,00km and check the condition..
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Mazda-RX-7-1981/SSE-AD-3106675/?Cr=4 <- has a little work already.

ROFL... Raedon are you serious??? I had and fully built from stock a Series 4 Rx7 myself with approx 400rwkw (535rwhp) on just 20psi (T51R, and had another 15psi to go)... It had the potential for 9 second 1/4 mile times... In terms of power-weight and cash spent on each the Rx7 has much more potential (cheaper). Not only that it is a well rounded car. The Series 4 and onwards have a 50/50 weight ratio and are perfect for track use. http://ausrotary.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=186101 <- this is my old beast..

You misunderstood me. I was comparing the two buys. With the suspension mods on my car it would have beat that near stock series 5 around a track. I know the potential of the rx7, its my favourite car.[/QUOTE]

Of course any car that has modded suspension would be better, I have driven a R32 GTS-T & R32 GTR before but was stock but couldn't remember the differences, I thought at the time the S4 was better in handling.. I put a set of k-sport coilovers in mine for $1700 and it transformed it! The series 4/5 are master pieces for their age... One of only very few cars in the 80s to come out with 50/50 weight distributions...

Any ways Purple, there is a few nice neat Gen 1 Rx7's out there! If you find any swing my way and i can have a peep for you!

OK, so verification of age has been made. It is a 3(?)/79 build. The 79 was very clear, but the when the little Japanese man did the month stamp, we was a bit lazy. Didn't have a battery in it, so I couldn't see if it was going to run or not. Having been idle for almost 3 years, I don't think I would really want to try that anyways. I am almost certain that the odometer has a 2 hiding to the left of the numbers, and Elli (the old lady who owns it) was not a feather foot in it. She bought it to drive it.



Body wise, both corners of the rear glass are showing some rusting, and the front right quarter panel will be a replace job, but otherwise looks to be in good condition. Only a bit of surface rust where the paint has been smashed by sitting in the sun.




Interior is a bit naffed, but should be easily fixed with mt father in law's skills on tap.


Still has the original wheels.