Hey guys well as it says above I\'m considering an fd and would appreciate any tips when buying and even owning as some might know I have an rx8 so I have some rotary knowledge.
I\'m currently looking to spend a max of 4-5k I\'m not looking for a single turbo or anything heavily modified engine or exterior don\'t mind the odd mod if it improves reliability etc also wouldn\'t mine one without any spoilers.
So any advice would help maybe advice on which versions to look for any issues other then compression.
FDs are awesome, do it! I lost count of how many Sunday drivers I overtook on the B-roads today :D
Tuning is somewhat critical on these cars. If it has more than fairly light breathing mods, then it should have an Apexi or similar ECU which has been mapped by someone who knows what they\'re doing.
The twin-turbo system is great, but the successful \'tag-team\' 4500rpm switchover depends upon a network of about 60 vacuum hoses that sit atop the engine; it\'s common for problems here to cause the second turbo not to come in, and troubleshooting is complex with so many possible leaks.
Mitigations are: replace all hoses with silicon; switch to a parallel twin turbo setup using both turbos all the time; or find a 96-on Series 7 car, with an \'integrated\' turbo control system that is more resilient (but still not 100% reliable). Any of these is a benefit (I got a stock \'96 RS for £4.5k last month, but I was probably lucky).
You will know about maintaining the oil level and compression tests; the FD can also suffer the water seals going, which is equivalent to a blown head gasket on a piston engine, with similar symptoms.
Desirable mods:
Apexi PFC or similar is recommended to keep an eye on temps if you want to go on track, also provides a pathway to further tuning (another 100hp or so on std turbos).
Larger radiator helps cooling.
Larger/front-mount intercooler helps cooling when you want to run more power
Exhaust and intake obviously help power and sound, although if you have a full exhaust and full intake then most people would say it needs mapping to avoid problems.
99-spec front bumper helps cooling airflow (I think), also vented bonnets help draw out hot air from the engine bay.
You may find a lack of kneeroom, especially with the original Mazda steering wheel in place - a smaller, dished or flat-bottomed wheel can help here.
As far as versions go, Mazda realigned grades every year and information is confusing and contradictory. Don\'t be impressed by cool-sounding designations such as \'Limited Edition\' or \'Type R\' - these are often near-entry-level versions in FD-land.
What I can say is:
Some cars have larger 314mm brakes. These will have come with 17" wheels as standard. 94-on RZ\'s and 96-on RS\'s have these.
There are three different suspension setups, \'soft\', \'hard\', and \'Bilstein\'. 94-on RZ\'s, \'97 RS-R\'s and 99-on RS\'s got the Bilsteins I think.
All RZs got special Recaro seats that are worth £1k secondhand, otherwise seats are all the same, but covered in cloth, suede or leather.
Most cars got twin oil coolers and a front strut brace; a few \'Touring\' models made do with a single cooler and only the rear brace.
Wow thanks for all the info and yeah I think getting one is a done deal in my head but I think im gonna watch and wait for the right one to come along I spent an absolute fortune on my 8 and would like to buy a 7 thats in good enough nick that I dont need to do anything to well maybe sort the hoses and tuning out but no resprays or rebuild etc.
Been looking at one on ebay looks in good nick no service history but I emailed them and it had a rebuild 5000 miles ago but before they owned it also the rebuild cost just over 1K from what seems a run of the mill garage this seems a little cheap to me as my 8 cost 3.5K at Haywards.
Seems dumb luck but I looked at the beginning of the year and there was loads for sale maybe its the time of year who knows.
Been looking through here , ebay , auto trader ,cracktree I mean gumtree , pistonheads and classic cars is there anywhere else worth looking or is that it.
Oh water seal failure whats the tell tell signs for this only might 8 has signs of this in that it has white gunk in the filler cap ,catch can and dipstick but this is normal.
I assume a water seal failure is an engine rebuild fix yes?
Good plan to wait for the right one to come along, you should absolutely expect to find a good car with minimal needs for £4-5k.
Feel free to stick the ebay link on here for second opinions if you like. I 100% agree that the supply of nice cars seems to have dried up somewhat lately, I wouldn\'t be suprised if some more appear post-Christmas when people\'s budgets are at their lowest. Only other place to look for cars is FDUK, although most cars get posted here too, but not all.
As far as rebuild costs go you\'re correct that £1k is cheap, my car has a receipt for a £4.8k rebuild. However my understanding is that rebuild is basically 1) disassemble, 2) repair & replace damaged parts, 3) reassemble. If it\'s just a minor water seal issue then there could be very little of (2) required, so the cost could be a lot lower. So to answer your last question, yes water seal failure means rebuild, but it shouldn\'t be as involved as if it\'s apex seal damage.
Gunk is correct, also I think water seal failure can cause coolant overflow & engine overheating. You can do a champagne test, you need a funnel with the right-sized neck to jam inside the coolant filler, then start the engine, the coolant level will rise, but if there are bubbles it shows water seal failure (hence \'champagne\') - youtube has links for this.
I believe that if a car has sat for a while then water seal failure can result, as well as being overheated or possibly being thrashed from cold.
If you like purple and like coilovers, this non-sequential twin car is worth considering at £4100 (if it\'s still available)
http://mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77891
This white car looks clean at £5250
http://mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77883
This low mileage red \'97 looks ideal if you can stretch your budget a bit
http://mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78016
All the above cars have been for sale for a while, so the last two may be worth making offers on although the asking prices are above your budget.
Yeah saw them the purple one is nice but I\'d rather avoid overly modded ie porting my 8 is ported and its never been quite right since also not sure about purple.
Reds a nice example but its red I\'m only looking at black silver and maybe white.
The white one looks interesting I might look into that further but I think il hold of till after crimbo il have all my funds then and the drama of Christmas will be over.
Seen this its over my budget but seems very clean hate the spoiler but the rest is pretty sweet seems a bit expensive might keep an eye on it encase he reduces the price.
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/mazda/rx-7/mazda-rx7-fd3s-type-r/911623
Looks nice, mods seem to have been sensibly done.
Personally for £6k I\'d be looking for a stock series 7 car over a modded series 6 one, but I can\'t necessarily justify that opinion.
"hayward rotary where alot of work was done and the engine was checked over and all came back OK" - wonder if this included a compression test ?
You could probably call/email/PM Hayward and ask about the car, they would likely be happy to fill you in on what they have done/checked and any further work that would need doing.
I don\'t know if the wheels are truly worth £1200 but they\'re credibly worth a fair chunk, esp to a wealthy Skyline owner ;-) So one option would be to buy the car and then recover some money selling the wheels on - it looks like the late-model 17" OEM wheels go for a few hundred on here.
So if you\'re interested maybe contact Hayward, then go and see the car with a view to offering £5500 and making the best part of a grand back selling the rims ? The spoiler could probably be sold for £100-£200 (?) as well.
Yeah thought about speaking to Carl assuming it wasnt Hayward north might just wait and keep my eye out only been looking a week and dont wanna get impatient lol
Hi- I will soon have my black one up for sale
It\'s had a recent rebuild, and Apexi mapped by one of the best tuners
I\'d be happy to take you out in, even if just to see what a well sorted FD goes like
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg107/chazzepee/BlackRex020Large.jpg)
Interesting if I pm u my email du wanna fire me over some pics and some details about the car ie year version who rebuilt it mods etc also what you will be after for it.
Cant seem to PM you so my email is greggus@live.com
It\'s because he\'s only a guest. Not a full member
Ah I see :Thumbs-up
Considering importing any recommendations on a decent importer been in contact with torque gt but they seem to work out a it dear they offered me one for 7K but it wasnt great always thought importing was hassle but cheap.
I think importing cars has gone up in price and theirs no guarantees that the cars are going to be any better condition than the ones all ready here.
Have you been in touch with speed line imports? He seems to get some really nice standard spec cars for great prices. That would be a first port of call if I was on the search for a today fd
Yeah the one I was offered they where gonna send to RXmotors for a full check and maybe rebuild which didnt give me hope and no havent contacted speedline as I didnt think they imported cars to sell they just seem to break them but will drop an email there way.
tbh, I\'d be looking for as close to standard models as possible. Unless you\'re spending serious money (north of 10k, and even then there are no guarantees) you\'re probably going to find something that has had corners cut. It\'s not a criticism of all owners, but due to the nature of these things and the running costs - you gotta pay to play and a lot of people can\'t really afford to play properly especially at the moment!
At least with a standard car you know that everything will be done to a standard you are happy with and frankly, that is peace of mind you cannot buy no matter how much you spend in the first place.
Heh, I still have Torque, New Era & JM-Imports (Jurgen) bookmarked from when I was looking earlier in the year. My conclusion was the same as yours, it ends up costing quite a lot more money compared to what you can buy here.
I believe this is because the Yen:Pound exchange rate has roughly doubled since 2007:
http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=JPY&to=GBP&view=10Y
Broadly speaking, I\'d trust any of the above three, but I would expect them to be £7k minimum. I would strongly advise NOT seeking out the cheapest importer, there have been some dodgy outfits in the past that sought to offload the rattiest, most-abused cars and weren\'t above sending something not as described.
I imported a non-rotary with JapaneseUsedCars (Autospecs) in 2007, they were trustworthy although buying at auction, you\'re not really going to know the engine health - I was happy to buy an SR20-powered car that way, I can\'t say I\'d be up for a 13B.
I\'ve also seen it said that sitting on a boat for months isn\'t the best for the water seals, so even a good car might need attention - although Speedline Imports (on here) brought in some really nice cars without suffering this problem, but I understand they are no longer doing so as the economics are unfavourable. The Speedline car I did see was very nice and reasonably priced (£7750 for a \'99), so worth an email to ask if he\'s still importing whole cars.
Yeah spec wise I\'m not interested in tuned or modded I like the standard look although the aero and mazda speed are nice but I\'ve spent my money modding my 8 so just want a solid runner in good condition but my uk options so far don\'t fit my criteria.
The purple one for sale here is exactly how I\'d want it to look except its purple and ported I guess I need to be patient and bide my time.
Quote from: shifty;845087I guess I need to be patient and bide my time.
Agree, compared to Sep/Oct it\'s slim pickings in the classifieds, I would definitely wait and expect some more good cars to appear in the new year.
Hi- really sorry, havent been getting thread notifications...
emailing pics now
Pics received looks good
Ok, there are a few silly things I have to sort out before selling, but let me know if you\'d like to have a look or just a ride in it to see how it goes....you wont be disappointed
Any chance of some details about the car and yeah may take you up on the ride either way.
Rebuild was done by Powergains Romford, all genuine Mazda Parts, probably covered about 5000miles since
De-cat Pipe, HKS Hi Flow Down Pipe and Vielside Back Box- nice sound but no raucous
V-mount Intercooler and Radiator set-up, air pump and air con removed
Rota 5 Spoke wheels with Polished Rims
Lowered Tein Springs
Apexi ECU with mapping done by the best there is :D
Will get in on the dyno at some point, would imagine it to be around 280 bhp
Quote from: CharlieP;845164Rebuild was done by Powergains Romford, all genuine Mazda Parts, probably covered about 5000miles since
i can vouch for the powergains! kerim n jaydee top boys!
Good to know
Opinions please (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAZDA-RX7-TYPE-RB-TWIN-TURBO-/330850676731?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4d083caffb) I did prefer a more stock look but this is pretty clean.
That would be ok if you can get it cheap enough
This one is better though ;)
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg107/chazzepee/BlackRex009Large.jpg)
Dont worry I havent ruled yours out its still at the top of the list but as you said if it goes cheap it maybe a good investment being as its a 97.
What figure you looking at for yours anyway?
£5600 ono
Considering an engine rebuild is £3000ish it\'s not bad
Ok cool :Thumbs-up
Heres (http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/mazda/rx-7/mazda-rx7-twin-turbo-veilside-340bhp/991191)another not sure about the bumber but everything else seems pretty good ive emails about comp but has anyone heard of Rotary supercars in birmingham
Quote from: shifty;845737another not sure about the bumber but everything else seems pretty good
Ha Ha made me laugh:Laugh:Laugh:Laugh
:confused: wot I say
Just got this response from the guy with the blue one.
Hi, sorry for late reply but I just shifted through paperwork and have results for the compression test in July 2012 @rotechnics
Front rotor @ 251rpm. 7.1, 7.2, 7.1
Rear rotor @ 249rpm. 7.1, 6.9, 7.0
Hope this helps
Results seem good I just dont know about that bumper.
Quote from: shifty;845737Heres (http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/mazda/rx-7/mazda-rx7-twin-turbo-veilside-340bhp/991191)another not sure about the bumber but everything else seems pretty good ive emails about comp but has anyone heard of Rotary supercars in birmingham
This guy went there:
http://mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77060
Yeah saw that post but doesn\'t say much also the car sounds more like a personal car might take a drive next weekend
All their cars are dogs tbh and id get rotechnics to confirm the comp test as they have lied about results before. You\'d be nuts not to buy Charlie\'s car for the money. Built by a reputable garage and sold by a decent forum enthusiast.
yeah think il give that one a miss dont like the bumper and dont wanna start spending on mods or resprays etc.
Just seen this (http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/mazda/rx7/used-mazda-rx7-turbo-3dr-high-wycombe-fpa-201301114875436?logcode=p) looks fairly good driver seat doesnt match but not to worried but it seems a bit cheap.
Looks like it\'s worth a look at in the flesh for that money and its been rebuilt by somebody who\'s been around for a long time.
That\'s cheap! I would want a compression check doing first and knock them down £500 to get more of a bargain
Thats what I thought its not in great nick but its more tatty then a wreck ive asked for engine bay pics just need to sort out a comp tester for him
Thats seriously cheap. but as said definitely need compression test, then take into account paint, might be about the right price of an already sorted one.
yeah thats very true there is also a really nice black on piston heads (http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/mazda/rx-7/1995-rx7-fd3s-modified-twin-turbo--386-bhp/1013538) its outside my budget a bit but maybe able to push him a bit
Think he maybe slightly insulted to be knocked on that price. Never know, looks quite nice. Is it sock (i.e twins) you\'re specifically after?
id go single but its to expensive on budget and insurance I also wanted to stay close to stock ie no porting or major upgrades just base ones like ecu suspension rad hoses etc things that enhance over boost if that makes any sense.
CharlieP,s black 7 fits the bill but is ouside my budget again.
Going to take a look at one on sunday the guy is getting a comp test tomorrow by Ed I was just wondering though what should I be considering when it comes to compression I know on 8,s 7 is a good reading 8 being new and below it when you start risking failure and loss of power but is that the same with the rx7 engines or is a bit less ok say high 6,s
Hi- I would take £5500 for mine
Don\'t forget, an Apexi, with decent map on it will set you back around £800 for a car, and I wouldnt recommend driving too much without a decent map
Charlie\'s seems like a good choice IMO. I would try knock him down a little, bearing in mind that for not much more you could have a single tubbed 350/400 HP beastie.
Problem is I only have 5k I was hoping not to push it that far either hence me still shopping around the one im looking at has had quite alot done to it despite the vague add im not sure about the apexi fc but if the comp works out ok im sure I can knock the guy down to £2800 leaving me with £2200 to get an apexi sorted and leave me with change.
Quote from: Grant Monkhouse;847788Charlie\'s seems like a good choice IMO. I would try knock him down a little, bearing in mind that for not much more you could have a single tubbed 350/400 HP beastie.
If it wasnt for the higher insurance and additional running issues id wait and get a single Naz,s white one is exactly what I want in every way there isnt a bit I dont like accept the price the tax and the insurance lol and as this is a second car to an already very fund hungry RX8 im having to be a bit sensible.
Never tell anyone how much you have got. Then they won\'t budge prices :( if you have 5 grand, look for a car with a blown engine, £1500 and get a rebuild, 3500 with a 2 year warrenty. You know it makes sense:):D
yeah was considering that aswell and yeah appreciate the advice but dont want to lead anyone on
Gutted the guy sold the white one yesterday and just after I found out its comp was awesome high 7,s and I also found out from an old ebay ad that it was stacked with upgrades someone got a real bargain there gutted.
Ah yeah, the bargains don\'t tend to hang around so long. It feels really bad when you\'ve decided you want a car, ring up and hear \'sorry, it\'s sold\'. Stay patient and keep looking !
If nothing comes up within my current budget in the next month il wait till summer hopefully expanding my fund enough to go for something like the red single turbo monster for sale.
Could you email me, my friend might be selling his, good compression engine, just needs a little tidying bodywork wise and will be well within your budget
Charlie_Pilkington@hotmail.com
email sent