When it comes to cars that stand out from their peers, it’s not always obvious what makes them special. In the case of this 1986 Mazda RX-7 GXL, it’s not a desirable turbocharged model or a final year convertible. It’s simply an incredibly well-maintained car that remained with its original owner until fairly recently, and the seller has added minimal mileage since then. With just 37,000 miles on the clock and beautiful cosmetics, there’s little reason to doubt it’s as well-loved as the seller claims. Find this first-year FC here on craigslist with an asking price of $16K and located in Kingsville, Maryland.
Little details like these truly set a car apart, with the original selling dealership badge still affixed to the rear hatch. The seller notes this RX-7 was originally ordered by the dealer as a demo car, so it was fairly well optioned-up by the factory. The RX-7 is loaded with full power features, adjustable suspension, factory cassette radio with equalizer, and more. Better yet, it all still works! The paintwork is in fantastic condition, with original pinstriping still in place and original factory graphics still in good shape – clearly, a car that was garaged. The seller had a full paintless dent removal job done, so the body is now glass smooth.
The interior is in very nice condition, with just some wear noted on the floormats and slight discoloration of the driver’s seat from wear and tear. The later models were more likely to be spec’d with leather, which certainly looks better, but there’s something to be said for the simplicity and ease of maintenance of cloth upholstery. The dash is crack-free (not that Mazdas were as prone to this as other makes) and the door panels look tidy as well. The factory head unit and equalizer is straight out of the 1980s, and it’s a treat to not have to stare at an ugly aftermarket stereo.
While it may not be as sexy or desirable as the turbocharged mill, the RX-7 at least still carries on the classic spirit of Mazda’s signature sports car (Miata notwithstanding) with a Wankel rotary powerplant under the hood. The later naturally aspirated engines are a touch more desirable simply for reasons of better driving dynamics, but with the high level of care on display here, there’s little doubt that this one will perform as the factory intended. The original owner seems to have taken great pains to keep this FC in showroom condition, and it’s truly a specimen that will likely be hard to repeat anytime soon.
My first car was an ’87 RX-7. It was an absolute blast to drive, but it wasn’t anywhere as clean as this one. The 13B was a surprisingly dependable engine, mine had well over 130k when I got it and it still ran strong. The biggest issue mine had was a leaky fuel injector that made starting the engine fun. A switch to the fuel pump relay that could be toggled off during start-up to clear the fuel out solved that issue and I ended up driving it until the clutch gave out. I’d love to have another FC, but clean low mileage examples are getting hard to find!
Absolutely. My first sports car ever was a ten-year old 1981 RX-7 with a carb and choke, drove it senior year and college, and it was every bit as reliable as my friend’s Hondas and Toyotas – but regular maintenance did cost more and it needed a little more care. The upgraded spark plugs and better exhaust made a huge difference on mine. Poor man’s Maserati, one of my favorite 80s cars.
Well 16K for this or the NA MX-5 just posted. I would go with the RX-7. Great cars.
I had a ’79 and it’s one of those cars that you’ll always want to have again. My impression was that they were very well made and extremely fun to drive. It is definitely a car by which all others are judged. I used to feel real smug when I encountered a Corvette and thought how much less I paid to have just as cool a car. Then later in life I started driving Corvettes and discovered real horsepower.
It’s intoxicating.
But these first-second-third gen Rx7s seem to come out of the woodwork and many have over 200K miles on them. I don’t know how many engine rebuilds that equals but they must be very well loved – as this one is.
Wow.. FIVE ads today with Survivor in the title.
When does a word lose it’s power?
Just lots of survivors today!
I had this exact same car, color and all. I had to put Pirelli tires on it. Now them tires stuck like bubble gum on a dray road. But if it was a lil wet or raining you just might as well been driving on ice.
One day as I was commuting I was on a 4 lane road. I was in the right lane. The car in front of me was turning right just ahead. With only seconds to spare I yanked it into the left lane. The car went up on the two left tires as I did that. I tapped it back down and then the car in front of me in the left lane was turning left. So I had mere seconds to get into the right lane. I snatched it over and now it goes up on the two right hand tires. There are cars all around me probably wondering if I was going to ball it up any second. I managed to tap it back down on all 4 tires again and made it home safely. I checked the tire pressure and sure enough I had 26 PSI in all 4 tires. So I fixed that and it staid on all 4 tires from then on. That rear trailing steering will really throw you if your not prepared for it.
Unlike the 79 RX7 I had a few years before which would corner like it was on rails.
Gone.
Glad for that, as I was salivating, and my wife would have killed me, at least a little…..
It’s not gone! It’s my car! Haha, it’s going through a submission process on Bring a Trailer. If you are still interested let me know! I’d prefer to sell it privately. Was absolutely floored to see this posted here, huge thanks to Jeff Lavery for doing such an awesome write up on my car. I really want it to go to a good home.