Mazda RX-7

Some Japanese sports cars are gaining leverage with car collectors, but others, not so much. Production models such as Datsun 240Z and Toyota Supra are rising in value and appreciation, and the limited-production Toyota 2000GT regularly hits a million dollars at auction. Mazda also has an entry in that game, the rare Cosmo that’s currently valued in the $200,000-plus range.

But there is another Mazda sports car, the rotary-engine-powered RX-7 coupe, which thus far has failed to reach any sort of recognition as a collector car. These continue to dwell in the just-a-used-car category because they were popular and common, mostly used and abused and run into the ground, or else chewed up as amateur-racing cars.

And unlike the classic design of the 240Z, the RX-7 styling does not quite hit the spot.

RX-7s do have a strong following among hobbyists, however, with a number of clubs, websites, events and parts suppliers supporting them. If nothing else, they are cool little cars that perform and handle well, and they remain affordable.

The Pick of the Week is a rarity, an ultra-low-mileage 1980 Mazda RX-7 in apparently pristine condition that comes up for sale from its original owner. With just 27,265 miles showing on its odometer, the Metallic Orange car looks showroom fresh in the photos supplied by the seller, a Syosset, New York, classic-car dealer.

“This is truly a great opportunity to own an exceptional low-mileage example, one that would make any Mazda enthusiast very proud to drive or show,” the seller states in the ClassicCars.com advertisement.

The asking price of $17,900 is a bit aggressive, even with the car’s strong attributes; the Hagerty Price Guide pegs the average price for a 1980 RX-7 in excellent condition at $10,000. The NADA guide is less generous, putting the value of a top-condition car at a paltry $5,400, which seems way low.

But still, this Mazda is rare and unusual, and as they say in the collector-car biz, try to find another one.