Is this for the Street or for converting to an ITS/A car?
My number one thing to look for is rust. You want to know is the foundation of the car strong. You can always replace an engine, but chasing down rust will drive you crazy. Here's what to look for:
- South west cars are always better.
- If it was ever Ziebarted or had similar dealer installed rust proofing that probably did more harm then good. Rustprrofing tends to casue rust in the doors, in the footwells, fenders, quarter panels, etc.
- Does it have a sunroof? If so, the little drain tubes from the sunroof channel were made of cheap rubber and usually rotted, sending all the water to the area of the unibody just in front of the rear wheel wells. This is the most notorious place for structural rust to start. This is bad because its also where the upper trailing arms mounting points are located.
In other words, bring some tools with you especially a cordless phillips power screwdriver, a jack and stands and some metric sockets and a bit of WD-40. Tell the guy you'll put it back the way it was....then remove anything you need to get access to the areas mentioned above including:
- the front and rear plastic wheel well liners. Tell the guy his house appears to be on fire, then poke the sheet metal with a screw driver. If you hit carpet....
- the storage bins behind the seats (unless you happen to be looking at a rare GSR model with the rear seat). Remove one of the carpeted bin liners with the door. Look inside with a flashlight. A little surface rust here is almost unavoidable, but most 1st gen's in salt country will have signicant corrosion here. If this one doesn't call me and I'll buy it! Again poking with a screwdriver here may be necessary. its amazing how it can look intact, but yet be rusted through.
If you get past these tests, you may be looking at a solid foundation of a car. For $700, I wouldn't expect much in the way of the drive train. Mileage may be your best indicator.
Don't ignore the exhaust system as most of these cars are still holding on to the original exhaust. If so, its shot.
Hope some of the above helps. The first RX-7 I bought was sound mechanically but the body was showing a lot of surface rust...that should have been my indicator to keep looking. I was converting it into an ITA car so I thought I could work around the rust. WRONG move.
So when it came time to get another car (after a nice t-boning on turn one of Mid-Ohio) I looked solely for the most rust free car I could find...I didin't car about the mechanicals because I knew I'd replace it all anyway. I found a southern california car that had 200K miles but was almost totally rust free. I almost now wish I had fixed up as my daily driver!
PFM Racing