1981 Mazda Rx-7 Gs, 53,000 Miles on 2040-cars
Portland, Oregon, United States
I'm the second owner of this RX-7, I bought it from the original owner in September of 2012. She lived close by, and was the neighbor of a good friend of mine. She bought it new from John Link Mazda in Oregon City, Oregon in 1981. She had a debilitating illness and wasn't able to drive it any longer, but she still very much hated to see it go. She was only able to drive it 274 miles in the five years prior to selling it to me. It didn't run very well at all when I picked it up, but I loved it's original pampered condition and could tell it just needed mechanical work to be brought back to great driving condition. Since I've had it back on the road, it attracts lots of attention because of it's wonderful condition and originality. I've put tons of my time and lots of money into fixing this up, but RX-7s are quality cars that are easy and enjoyable to work on. I've loved every minute spent under (and above) the car, as well as time spent driving it.
I rebuilt the fuel system - flushed the old fuel, cleaned the carburetor, replaced the fuel pump & filter. Rebuilt the ignition system with new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. New Odyssey battery. It now runs and starts perfectly, and is pretty damn quick as well. RX-7s are light, so don't need a ton of power to feel fast. A/C blows ice cold. New radiator, all hoses, and belts. I did a full brake rebuild with new master, rear wheel cylinders, Porterfield R4S pads in front and R4S shoes in the rear, front cryo treated and slotted discs, new caliper pistons and seal kits, and stainless lines. Don't believe supposed experts who tell you that GSLs with rear discs are the only way to go, rear drums on a car this light are just great. The brakes on this now stop very quickly, exhibit no fade even on a long descent, and have great pedal feel. You just have to know how to set them up correctly. I rebuilt the suspension with Tokico HP blue shocks and Racing Beat springs, this set up lowers the car about an inch and gives a great ride and super handling. In font I replaced all four tie rod ends, ball joints, idler box, and main steering box. This last item is the source of many complaints about lack of steering feel and "play" in the wheel, but nobody replaces them because they cost $650.00 and are lots of work and hours to install. First gen. RX-7s have excellent steering with no slop, but most folks have never driven one with a good steering box and so think all first gens. are sloppy. This one steers like a good sports car should. 15 X 7 Konig Rewind wheels and BFG G Force Sport Comp 2 tires round out the suspension. As you can see from the photos, this is very clean car with original OEM paint and interior. The only paint work I see is that it appears the bumpers may have been painted, but it's such a good job it's hard to tell. I counted six small pencil eraser sized dings on the outside, and seven small scratched areas, but you have to look carefully to pick these out. I tried to photo these, but they are too small and light to show up on screen. It's 33 years old, so it won't be perfect, but it looks very, very good even up close. People are really blown away when I mention that it still has it's original paint. No areas of peeling, fading, or micro cracking. The pinstripes are vinyl and are under the factory clear coat, so can't be removed, and are starting to peel off in areas. The burgundy interior in this car has the typical fade problem that you can see in the photos, and 2 small burn marks. Overall it looked too good to me to want to change the originality by replacing it, but for perfection you might want to change the carpets, seat covers, and dye the plastic to all match. One of the storage bins in the rear has a broken hinge. The analog clock worked when I bought the car and now "ticks" but the hands don't move. One of the contacts for the rear window defroster has come off and will need to be soldered back on with the rear window removed and laid flat. I think I've covered most of the flaws present on the vehicle, but I may have missed a few. As I said, I've enjoyed rehabilitating this RX-7, but I'm a "project" guy who enjoys the work as much as the drive and it's on to a new one for me. Don't bother with shipping - I would not hesitate one moment in advising you to fly into Portland, Oregon and driving home anywhere in the US, you'll have a lot of fun and won't have to worry about reliability. Please feel free to call my cell if any questions - 503.351.2684. I take PayPal, $500 deposit due within 24 hours of auction close. |
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Auto Services in Oregon
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Auto blog
Wards names its 2015 10 Best Interiors list
Fri, Apr 17 2015Wards Automotive has named the winners of its 10 Best Interior awards, covering a wide but affordable array of vehicles. Where last year's list contained two six-figure vehicles, including the $372,800 Rolls-Royce Wraith, this year's is, well, a whole lot more reasonable. The publication lists the Mercedes-Benz C400 at $65,000 (which seems off), making it the most expensive vehicle here. That said, we'd argue that the entire C-Class line deserves to make this year's list, owing to its varied and high-quality selection of materials. The other vehicle to break the $60,000 mark, meanwhile, is the $60,675 Ford F-150 King Ranch, which has 327,000 pounds of leather lining its interior. Only one other German car, the BMW i3, and one other pickup truck, the GMC Canyon, managed to make this year's list. Here's the full list of this year's winners: 2014 BMW i3 ($52,550) 2015 Chrysler 300C Platinum ($51,175) 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch ($60,675) 2015 GMC Canyon SLT ($40,465) 2015 Honda Fit EX-L ($21,590) 2015 Jeep Renegade Limited ($33,205) 2015 Kia Sedona SXL ($43,295) 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring ($33,395) 2015 Mercedes C400 ($65,000) 2015 Nissan Murano SL ($41,905) See what we mean about the mainstream vehicles? Not only is there a distinct lack of luxury brands, it's the price of some of the vehicles that surprise. The Honda Fit, Jeep Renegade and Mazda6 are very reasonably priced, especially when you compare Wards price with the starting price. The Renegade Limited starts at less than $25,000, the Mazda at less than $22K and the Fit at under $16,000. Head over to Wards for a more detailed explanation of why each vehicle won. Featured Gallery 2015 Ward's Automotive 10 Best Interiors View 10 Photos News Source: Wards Automotive BMW Chrysler Ford GMC Honda Jeep Kia Mazda Mercedes-Benz Nissan Truck Crossover Hatchback Sedan nissan murano gmc canyon Interior jeep renegade WardsAuto kia sedona wards 10 best interiors mercedes c400
Mazda on sales upswing in Europe but won't build there
Sat, 20 Jul 2013Auto sales in Europe have been a tricky proposition for some years, but Mazda has seen some success on the backs of the CX-5 and new Mazda6. According to a report form Automotive News Europe, though, that doesn't mean we should be looking for the Japanese manufacturer to set up production operations there.
Mazda's European CEO, Jeff Guyton, explained to AN that "Our intention is to have manufacturing scale. That gives you scale economy and quality through repeatability." In other words, a big honking plant in one part of the world is preferable to a half dozen small factories building the same vehicles.
European sales for Mazda are up 5.4 percent in the first half of 2013, with 74,000 units sold. That kicked the Zoom-Zoom brand's market share up from one to 1.2 percent. Small gains, but gains nonetheless. According to Guyton, Mazda would need to sell 200,000 units of just one model in Europe for local production to make sense. Mazda's best European year saw 320,000 units sold across the entire range.
Car and Driver 10Best list cracked by Tesla Model S, BMW 3 Series left off
Fri, Nov 21 2014Car and Driver is keeping new blood pumping into its annual 10Best cars list with three new entries making it on for 2015 and a perennial favorite falling off. Among the biggest shocks this year is that the BMW 3 Series and 4 Series are no longer named, despite years of some portion of that lineup earning a mention. In another surprise, the Tesla Model S (specifically in S 60 trim to fit under the $80,000 cost cap) makes it to the 2015 roster and is the only electrically motivated member of the group. Despite the loss of the 3 Series, BMW isn't entirely shut out this year, because the M235i gets its name on the list. Car and Driver argues that the little coupe feels like a welcome throwback to the E46 chassis M3 of the early 2000s. In addition to the Model S, the final newbie to the annual group is the 2015 Ford Mustang GT. The inclusion of these new members knocks the Audi A6/A7 family and Ford Fiesta ST out from the 2014 rundown. The other seven models carry over from last year, including the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Honda Accord, Mazda3, Mazda6, Porsche Boxster/Cayman and Volkswagen Golf/GTI. The 2015 10Best cars list certainly seems to have something for everyone from the hot hatch fan to the family man and even the green car driver, thanks to the addition of the Tesla. Head over to Car and Driver to read its detailed explanations for each vehicle's inclusion, but if you've got a difference of opinion or just really like the list, let us know in Comments. Featured Gallery Car and Driver 2015 10Best Cars List View 10 Photos News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: Car and Driver, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Porsche, Tesla, Volkswagen Auto News BMW Cadillac Chevrolet Ford Honda Mazda Porsche Tesla Volkswagen Convertible Coupe Hatchback Performance Sedan 10Best