1983 Mazda RX7 review from Australia and New Zealand

When I purchased the car, it required some work. But it was a pleasure to work on, and its pretty fantastic now. I had to:

Rebuild the front end with new boots and seals.

New shocks & springs (old ones stuffed)

Replace front wheel bearings (whirring noise)

Rebuild rear brake calipers (noisy)

New tyres and wheels (16'). Wheel alignment.

Removed air conditioning (heavy, wasnt working)

Upgrade to direct fire ignition (better idle/power.

Replaced carb with re-bored/upgraded carb (old carb had a lot of crud in it). StuBerfied!

Put catalytic converter into exhaust system.

Touched up body work, removed any rust.

Removed Rats Nest.

I've always wanted an rx7. I looked around for two years before finding a really clean one for a bargain. It is a dream come true.

This ain't no Honda, this is a real drivers car; it is purposeful and pure. Do not purchase one of these machines if you are not mechanically minded. You need to understand how these cars work and how to maintain them! Regular oil/filter changes (every 5k) should be executed (but it is very straightforward and a pleasure to work on).

The 12A has 160,000km on it and the car really hauls ass! I highly recommend a carb upgrade and an ignition upgrade as they had a drastic effect on the performance of this first gen rx7.

I've blown away many cars at the lights. Older v8s are easy, the newer ones are somewhat quicker however, not bad for a stock port NA 12A!

It is best to let these run wild in the hills. The pace and the handling are mind altering when driven at ten tenths! If you've never driven a rotary, you don't know what your missing.