Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1980 Mazda Rx-7 1st Gen Rotary Engine 5 Speed Rx7 No Reserve! on 2040-cars

Year:1980 Mileage:39109 Color: Blue /
 Black
Location:

Niles, Michigan, United States

Niles, Michigan, United States
Advertising:
Transmission:Manual
Body Type:Coupe
Engine:rotary
Vehicle Title:Clear
For Sale By:Private Seller
VIN: SA22C584232 Year: 1980
Exterior Color: Blue
Make: Mazda
Interior Color: Black
Model: RX-7
Trim: coupe
Drive Type: rear-wheel
Mileage: 39,109
Condition: Used: A vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. ... 

With regret I am selling my first generation 1980 Rx-7. I am not anxious to sell but some things have changed and I need the garage space. I bought this car with the intention of keeping it forever and driving it while fixing the little things it needs along the way. I've always loved the original Rx-7, so when I had the opportunity to snag this one, I did. For the last couple of months I've driven it as much as possible, weather permitting, and have enjoyed every minute of it.


I'm not certain of the actual miles. The odometer shows 39,109 today, but it could be 139,109. I bought it from a dealership and they told me the gentleman who owned it previously had it for over 10 years only drove it in the summers. 

The Good
  • It starts every time and runs like a champ. (It has a manual choke that disengages automatically as the car warms up.)
  • The engine pulls strong and the clutch and transmission are tight. (It can get scratch, no problem. Not that I tried that...) It cruises nicely on the highway at 75 mph with plenty of power to spare.
  • No engine leaks - I keep it in the garage and there are no spots on the floor.
  • The interior is in amazing condition and I believe it to be original, however, I'm not an expert and I don't know for sure so don't hold me to it. I'll let the pictures do the talking...
  • (Almost) Everything works! - Headlights, original radio, power antenna, horn, cigarette lighter, ashtray light, door buzzer, etc. A couple of things still need attention - see The Bad.
  • It looks awesome from more than 5 feet away. (See The Ugly.)
  • Just replaced the engine belts last week.
  • Fresh oil change.
  • NO RUST!

The Bad
  • There is an exhaust leak somewhere towards the front of the car. That was next on my to-do list and I just haven't chased it down yet.
  • The rear defroster doesn't work. Another thing I was going to work on.
  • Not sure if the A/C works, but I'd guess not. When I push the A/C button I don't hear the compressor kick in and the light doesn't come on.
  • The left blinker blinks rapidly. I've isolated the problem to the front left blinker, but the bulb is good. I was going to have my mechanic fix that next, but due to the foot of snow we just got I may not get that fixed before auction end because I don't want to drive it on the salty roads.

The Ugly
  • It has been repainted, and the color is close to the color of the original paint. It wasn't a great paint job and you can see places where it was taped off. Not bad looking, but you'll notice it when you get up close.
  • There are some small dents (about the size of a nickel) here and there on various spots of the car. I was planning to have a paintless dent repair company fix them. Not super noticeable unless you're close.

I'm sorry I don't know more of the car's history of ownership. It was in such nice shape and I was planning to keep it forever, so I haven't even started to research that. Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can take pictures of anything specifically for you. I will be uploading some pictures of the interior and undercarriage tomorrow.

The car is available for you to come see and drive and I encourage you to do so before the auction end. This is a NO RESERVE auction, so once the bidding ends the high bidder owns it! To be clear, when you come to get the car, you are picking it up, NOT checking it out. It is being sold AS-IS with no warranty expressed or implied. Having said that, I wouldn't hesitate to hop in it and drive it across the country as it is. Provided it's not snowing...

I will be happy to work with your shipping company if you choose to ship it. If you prefer to fly in and drive it home, I live about 20 minutes from the airport in South Bend, IN and would be happy to pick you up. (The airport code is SBN.)

Good luck and thanks for bidding!

Scott



On Jan-24-13 at 06:04:33 PST, seller added the following information:

On closer inspection, I found some surface rust under the passenger door and I've included a picture. There is no rust-through anywhere on the car that I can find. Thanks for looking!


On Jan-24-13 at 06:08:20 PST, seller added the following information:

Even the clock in the instrument cluster works! One thing I forgot to mention: when the tank is full, it only shows about 1/4 tank on the fuel gauge. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Auto Services in Michigan

Waterford Collision Inc ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Recreational Vehicles & Campers-Repair & Service
Address: 2579 Dixie Hwy, Pontiac
Phone: (248) 673-4910

Varney`s Automotive Parts ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Automobile Accessories
Address: 3038 E Apple Ave, Grand-Haven
Phone: (231) 773-3248

Tuffy Auto Service Centers ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Brake Repair
Address: 2675 S Milford Rd Ste B, Davisburg
Phone: (248) 684-8833

Tuffy Auto Service Centers ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Brake Repair
Address: 210 Ann Arbor Rd W, New-Boston
Phone: (734) 459-5050

Tri County Motors ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Auto Oil & Lube
Address: 18988 S Mackinac Trl, Kinross
Phone: (906) 478-5331

The Brake Shop ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Brake Repair, Auto Oil & Lube
Address: 970 Fort Street, Dearborn-Hts
Phone: (313) 406-5210

Auto blog

2019 Mazda CX-5 debuts with turbocharged engine and near-$40K price tag

Mon, Nov 12 2018

We've seen a couple different leaks concerning the 2019 Mazda CX-5, but now Mazda finally has official word on what's coming our way. One exciting development is the addition of the 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine on higher trim levels. It's great to see Mazda sharing that engine to other models after originally debuting in the larger CX-9. In the CX-5, it makes 250 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque on 93 octane. To get the boosted engine, you'll have to opt for one of the two new trim levels Mazda has added for 2019: Grand Touring Reserve or Signature. Of course, with higher trim levels and more powerful engines come higher prices. The Signature trim comes in at a whopping $37,885 including destination charges. For 2018, the highest trim level available was the Grand Touring, and that car costs $30,640. Mazda adds a bunch of new features for the expensive Signature trim, though. You'll get brown leather seats, real wood trim, a uniquely stitched leather steering wheel, 360-degree view camera, a frameless auto-dimming mirror, LED lighting throughout the interior and dark silver 19-inch wheels. These options are in addition to the new and still luxurious Grand Touring Reserve trim level. This trim has heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel and power folding mirrors as its highlights. For comparison, the Grand Touring Reserve with the turbocharged engine costs $35,865. Making the CX-5 more luxurious wasn't the only aim for 2019 — Mazda also gave it a new version of its G-Vectoring Control handling system. The updated G-Vectoring (now called G-Vectoring Control Plus) helps when the driver is unwinding the wheel by "adding a hit of braking to the outside front wheel," according to Mazda. This, in addition to some suspension refinements, are supposed to make for a smoother and better ride. Specifically, Mazda says it re-tuned the suspension to reduce friction and adjusted the steering geometry to achieve more natural feeling handling. Sweating over these small handling and feel things is why we typically end up liking the driving experience of Mazda vehicles. Mazda increased prices on the CX-5 across the board, too. The Sport trim is $1,600 more than before, with other trims following suit at similar increases. We'll see how the changes affect the sporty and now more expensive crossover when we get our hands on a 2019 model. For now, you can build them on Mazda's website, and Mazda says they'll be available sometime this fall.

Crash test videos show how rust compromises safety

Fri, Apr 13 2018

These recently released Swedish videos serve as a reminder that rust isn't just a cosmetic flaw, when it comes to cars. The insurance company Folksam and the homeowner organization Villaagarnas Riksforbund gathered examples of two relatively popular, but by now rusty cars, and then performed crash tests with them at the Thatcham Research facility in Britain. The results are sobering. The rustier cars chosen for the tests were first-generation Mazda6s, cars that have a reputation for early-onset rust in salty surroundings, such as the Nordic countries in Europe or the Salt Belt in the U.S. The cars in the other end of the spectrum were fifth-generation Volkswagen Golfs, which thanks to their body treatment only really start to show rust at over ten years old. But rust isn't just on the surface, it goes bone deep. While the Mazda did decently well in Euro NCAP testing as a new car, there's now a 20 percent higher risk of death in the 2003-2008 Mazda due to the degradation of its bodyshell. In the rusty car, the chassis rail separates from the floor, the footwell ruptures, the sill gives way, the seat mountings move and the dummy's head hits the B-pillar; all important failures, despite Thatcham saying the cars actually performed better in the crashes than they expected with all the rust. But still, the corroded structure isn't able to transmit loads in the way it was originally designed to do. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Golf does significantly better — despite rust flakes flying when the Golf hits the wall — as the years have only caused it to lose a single point. An important thing to remember is that the cars aren't tested in comparison to corresponding new, 2018 cars: the tests are in reference to the crashworthiness standards in place when they were new. The cars' airbags inflate like they were supposed to, but on the Mazda the dummy's head bottoms out the airbag due to the car's structure failing, meaning the airbag cannot perform as designed. Driven cautiously, an older car is still mostly fine for driving around. But tests like these remind us that it's not enough that a car runs and drives, if the body has turned into Swedish knackebrod. And if you repair the visible rust and the structure underneath remains as compromised as ever, there's an ugly truth under all the bondo. Perhaps it isn't such a bad idea to have yearly roadworthiness inspections.

Mazda recalls 2019-2020 Mazda3 for errant activation of emergency braking system

Fri, Dec 20 2019

The newly redesigned Mazda3 has been subject to numerous recalls since it went on sale for the 2019 model year. Today brings news of another such occurrence, as Mazda recalls 35,390 2019-2020 Mazda3s (sedans and hatchbacks). This recall is related to the automatic emergency braking system equipped to certain models. According to Mazda, affected vehicles may “unexpectedly stop while driving due to inadvertent activation of the Smart Braking System automatic emergency braking system.” The programming of the systemÂ’s software could cause the Mazda3 to “falsely detect an obstacle in front of the vehicle while driving.” In response to that detection, the software may automatically apply the brakes despite no collision being imminent. We donÂ’t have to explain how dangerous that could end up being for the driver and those around them. Your car slamming on the brakes for no reason could easily be the cause of an accident. As of now, Mazda says no injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of the defect. In case you havenÂ’t experienced the system in your Mazda3 yet, there is something to look out for. Mazda says a warning alarm will sound and a warning message will appear in the instrument cluster and head-up display when the car is about to perform an emergency stop. Mazda said that itÂ’s reported the defect to the NHTSA, but it hasnÂ’t been posted on the website yet. The fix is easy for some, but more difficult for others. Vehicles with early build dates will need the whole instrument cluster replaced or reprogrammed, as these cars have a different procedure for "temporary manual deactivation of the Smart Braking System." These early build cars will also receive a new owner's manual to reflect the revised procedure of temporary manual deactivation of the system. Later cars will only need the Smart Braking System software reprogrammed with an improved version. Mailings to owners for notification purposes should be completed on or before February 17 next year.