Mazda Rotary Club

Cars by Model Type => 3rd generation RX-7's => Topic started by: Bigtings on May 17, 2006, 08:48:15 AM

Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Bigtings on May 17, 2006, 08:48:15 AM
Hi guys

I must congratulate you all on a very informative board and write in the hope that you can give me some guidance on a planned purchase. I have been offered a px for the following car on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4640438568&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Trawling through the archives here, I note that the car is owned by one of your members and note from his previous posts that the car has the following problems;

1. Needs an engine rebuild
2. New CAT
3. The car is also based in Inverness, so i\'ll need to get my car up there and transport his down to London.

My car is valued at £2250 and he is offering me my car plus £900 to seal the deal. He claims he imported the car for £5000 in 2004. My thoughts are that the car would probably cost this much, including my car, or more to put the car back on the road.

Your thoughts and guidance would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Mr J.T on May 17, 2006, 09:19:34 AM
welcome to the forum dude.

any pre 96 jap car doesnt require a cat so u would only need a de-cat pipe vendors above are selling for £100.
as for the car. you\'ve got to take into consideration the costs of a rebuild but saying that it looks like your picking up quiet a good deal.
your looking at about £2000-£3500 depending on how you choose your rebuild to be done.so all in all your gettin the rex for £1350 and you\'ll have £900 already in cash toward the rebuild.
gud luck bud
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Bigtings on May 17, 2006, 09:40:57 AM
Thank you for your quick reply. Sorry, the deal he wants is my car plus £900 for his car in other words £2250 + £900 = £3150

What is the car likely to be worth once all the work is done? If it is type R, are they worth a premium over the standard FD3

Cheers
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Mr J.T on May 17, 2006, 10:50:45 AM
not really there isnt any difference with the type r etc etc except twin oil coolers etc etc. you\'ll only see a price hype in limited models such as the spirt R.

as for value its hard to say without looking at it, but if the cars in good condition all over and you get the engine done and then sell it with a warrenty you might get more then u spent overall. but its as the cookie crumbles you could gain or lose a little. but regardless you will enjoy driving it. it really is a buyers market.
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Grizzly on May 17, 2006, 01:05:50 PM
I\'d say to be a little carfull.

The car would have to be Nice, Basicly look at the for sale section on here FD\'s prices are not good at all. I supose it depends on what you are going to do with the car? But if you buy the car for 3k and it needs a Rotor,Housing and gasket set (thats usaly starter when its lost a tip) your looking at (Rotor £300, Housing £300 and Gaskets + seals £600) this is if your using new and rebuilding it your self. You could use second hand bits to bring the parts cost down a bit but there a bit hard to source at the moment. If you are going to have the engine rebuilt for you expect to pay about 3k depending on Damage done.

I\'d say that car at the Current market value, Not being Tuned realy would be worth no more than 5k so if you decide to get it rebuild by some one like Rx morors then your going to be between 500-1k over buget? i think his figures are a little off 2k for a rebuild is doing it yourself and its defo not worth 8k.
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Bigtings on May 17, 2006, 02:12:44 PM
Thanks for that Grizzly. This is what the guy wrote on this forum a year ago;

LOOKIKNG FOR THE BEST PRICES FOR A FULL ENGINE REBUILD FOR THE WHOLE LOT INCLUDING ENGINE OUT/IN REPLACING ALL PARTS WITH A MASTER REBUILD KIT AND NEW ROTOR HOUSING.
IT WILL NEED TO HAVE A ENGINE WARRENTY WHEN ITS COMPLETE .

ALSO WILL NEED A CAT REPLACEMENT PIPE AND THE CAR TO BE TUNED AND MAYBE AN NEW ECU DEPENDING ON PRICE.

On top of this, the car will need to be registered, MOT, Tax etc. The more I think about it the less appealing it is becoming. Given that the car has not been driven for nearly 2 years now, I imagine there will be other problems to contend with such as the brakes.  

The car is probably worth about £1500 tops.
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Mr J.T on May 17, 2006, 02:46:26 PM
Quote from: Grizzlyi think his figures are a little off 2k for a rebuild is doing it yourself and its defo not worth 8k.

i was talking about having a vendor do it for you for that sort of money
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Grizzly on May 17, 2006, 06:12:06 PM
MMM i don\'t know of any Vender that will rebuild a Blown engine for 2k??

I think the cheapest that springs to mind is £2600

From recent experiance, I would not buy a Car thats got a blown engine unless there is 3k between the price and Value. I have just rebuilt my own (bought as a Blown car) and that stands me £1700 in engine bits.
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Mr J.T on May 17, 2006, 06:30:53 PM
Quote from: GrizzlyMMM i don\'t know of any Vender that will rebuild a Blown engine for 2k??

I think the cheapest that springs to mind is £2600 .

well  if you care to check above on the vendor here one said vendor offers a rebuild service for £1395!!!!
Title: blown engines
Post by: normski on May 17, 2006, 07:04:35 PM
Quote from: GrizzlyMMM i don\'t know of any Vender that will rebuild a Blown engine for 2k??

I think the cheapest that springs to mind is £2600

From recent experiance, I would not buy a Car thats got a blown engine unless there is 3k between the price and Value. I have just rebuilt my own (bought as a Blown car) and that stands me £1700 in engine bits.


Sorry but I reckon a good qaulity rebuild from a good garage thats know what their on about, In reality is going to cost nearer 4K
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Mr J.T on May 17, 2006, 07:10:59 PM
i was just stating the fact that a rebuild can be sourced from about 2k
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Grizzly on May 17, 2006, 07:11:48 PM
LOL, I said a Blown engine.

Rx motors will do a good job for £2600 there web site says they use two new Housings on the Rebuild and Tim knows his stuff..
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Grizzly on May 17, 2006, 07:13:49 PM
Quote from: normskiSorry but I reckon a good qaulity rebuild from a good garage thats know what their on about, In reality is going to cost nearer 4K
You know as well as i do it all depends on what Parts you need.
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Bigtings on May 17, 2006, 07:49:03 PM
Given that the car has been standing for nearly 2 years what other things could have gone wrong in that time? The sad thing is that the guy imported it, drove 300 miles home and then it packed up :(
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Grizzly on May 17, 2006, 08:00:55 PM
I\'d imagen not alot. Brakes may be a bit rusty???

My car had stood for more like six-eight months a good wash and cupple of time round the block and its fine.
Title: Engine stuff
Post by: normski on May 18, 2006, 06:16:31 PM
90% of the time, when you speak to these people on the phone they will tell you it costs XXX. but most of the time, when they get the car and take it a part, guess what !!! it\'s going to need X and Y which was not i our original price: and it ends up silly money: if they go through the thing properly, and  not stuff crappy old second hand parts under the bonnet, set up right. Most blown engines you will not see too much change out 3 and half too 4K. Rotor housings, turbos, 95% of the time are not inc in the price, and most of the time with rebuilds they need  all of it...  :Hammer
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: sadgoth on May 18, 2006, 06:35:20 PM
Quote from: GrizzlyLOL, I said a Blown engine.

Rx motors will do a good job for £2600 there web site says they use two new Housings on the Rebuild and Tim knows his stuff..

depends on the condition of the parts, if the housings are in good nick, or Tim has some nice low mileage ones in his den of never-ending parts  :D that can be reduced by about £600. Tim did a rebuild and porting for me for less than that as I asked him to use good condition used housings.
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: gja7 on May 19, 2006, 12:48:25 AM
Thing is Mate you Mx5 is never worth £2250 in a million years . They are going for just over a grand in Autotrader. I generously valued it at £1500 plus the £900 cash on top so that gives my Rx7 a value of £2-2400. As for the rebuild i know for a fact it can be done for £2500 properly !!!
Title: saving
Post by: normski on May 19, 2006, 07:11:11 PM
Ho well it looks like he going to have to save up a liitle anyway: :flamed
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: FDDreamer on May 21, 2006, 12:41:23 AM
It\'s unfortunate for the owner there\'s no rotary specialists near him, as if he could get it repaired the car would be appealing, even at double the current auction price. Then again there are some great FDs out there for sale at the mo.

It would take a brave man indeed to stump up in excess of £3k for the car in its current state, especially considering the transport costs involved etc. I\'d be worried of taking the car to a specialist thinking i\'d be looking at a £3k rebuild only to be told it\'s more serious and being left with little change from £5k! You just never know. On the other hand if it can be done for £2500 as suggested then it\'s really not a bad deal.

Good luck with the sale.
Title: Newbie needs advice on FD3 purchase
Post by: Gerry M on May 21, 2006, 12:19:57 PM
if i had the money & time i\'d take it off his hands its only down the road from me.