About 7 years ago I bought what in my eyes was the finest, and newest FD that I had ever seen.
A bold statement to say the least I'm sure your thinking, what with the extremely high standard of FD often seen at MRC gatherings around the country.
After owning an FB and 2 FC's, the itch for an FD became too strong and the hunt soon began for the right car.
I wasn't too sure exactly what I wanted, single turbo? Street/bridge port? Body kit? Definitely high power.
Well one day when looking through classifieds I spot an FD that turned my thinking totally around. A phone call later, a few hundred miles later, under a week later I was in possession of my first FD.
So what did I buy? An absolutely immaculate 2000( x reg) mica blue FD in completely factory original condition. You have to remember that 7 or so years ago a series 8, 99 spec FD, was a thing rarely seen for sale. I know, much easier to find nowadays. Completely the opposite to what I was looking for, but in amazing condition.
Buying this car was a bittersweet experience. I got myself into big financial debt to acquire the car, but as time passed and with it the debt, I know I made the right choice to buy.
I would have regretted letting it pass me by. Since owning the car I have loved every minute of it. Every year from buying it I have taken it to MRC gatherings, Rotorstock, Japfest, Brooklands.
Great times such as the Japfest anniversary parade lap at Castle Coombe a few years back. My first ever outing as a driver on track. Big thanks to Clive for the support before and after the session as I was papping it! Parking up on the Brooklands banking while trying not to set off, was it the Concorde's safety alarms on the way past? Oh and having a ridiculously long conversation with many of you as to the differences between pre and facelift abs control units. Yes, great times.
Anyway I have drifted far from the original point of this post. A couple of years back I was made redundant and the last MRC outing the FD went to was Japfest 2015. This also happened to coincide with my mother being diagnosed with cancer. The decision was made that I would take time out to care for her and not look for work immediately. She is now thankfully on the road to recovery.
As a final kick in the a** the owner of the garage unit I kept the FD in decided to sell up and move to Australia.
At the end of 2016 the FD was sorned for the first time in its entire life. The mot was due in late December and due to costs it would take to pass, being skint meant it was my only course of action. The previous mot at the end of 2015 had for the first time in my ownership advisorys. These were "tyre tread area cracking", all 4, they will now need replacing.
"inner sill section corroded but not excessive" near and offside. I would say that in the last year this has gotten worse although it's not right through into the car. It's certainly not falling apart. The whole underside would benefit from a going over and re-underseal. It's amazing the difference not being garaged has affected the car, and we all know how Mazda metal rusts don't we?
During 2016 the total mileage I covered was no more than 20-30 miles just making sure everything was sill running ok.
So the main point of this post is to get an outsiders view on what happens next to my FD. I may have missed some other options.
As I see it these are my options.
1: Get the rust repaired, underseal, new tyres, mot and drive it. No spare cash so this would have to wait.
2: Put up for sale as is on MRC. Cheaper option although again no cash to get compression tested.
3: Put up for sale as is on eBay etc. Probably the cheapest option although I find selling cars on eBay to be a painfull experience.
4: Keep sorned and wait until cash flow improves, then back to option 1. Cheap at first but what state could the FD be in another 6 months if left untouched?
I wouldn't want the FD to deteriorate to the point it falls apart and becomes too expensive to repair.
I may end up working tomorrow, it could be months. Nothing is for certain these days.
As I write this eating my second tomato sauce sandwich of the day, (yeah that skint) and look out the window on a rainy day at my beautiful "drive ornament", I can't help but think the money from a car sale would be really usefull in other areas of life. I just don't want to panic sell and end up regretting letting my FD go.
Your thoughts and contributions are greatly appreciated, and thanks for reading this far.
Hi mate sorry to hear of your woes, and thankfully your mother is on the road to recovery. You clearly love the car and i think the simplest thing would be to set a date in say 3 months time and if your personal circumstances have not changed then sell the car as you are now in a position to look for work things can as they say only get better. Fds are only going 1 way and that is up so with show season round the way and people recovering from xmas excessive youd get more anyway.
kudos to you for stepping up to the plate to look after your mother i can only imagine what your going through, i have a work mate doing a similiar thing right now and the poor bloke is struggling.
Think i remember the car....reg starts X7 ?
Quote from: boosted on February 03, 2017, 07:30:42 PM
Think i remember the car....reg starts X7 ?
;)
Not just me helping my mum, a joint family effort. I'm mainly fetch and carry tbh :)
Thanks for the advice, I did think if I were to sell it would more likely be nearer show season.
As for FD's going up in value, I can't help thinking I have helped drastically reduce the value of mine!
Tell your work mate to hang-on-in. Not surprised he's struggling, don't know how I would have got on if I was working also.
Arrrrrrrgggggggggg, real real sad and sorry to be reading this :(
Many many thanks for coming along and supporting the club when times were better, hopefully it left you with good memory's surrounding your car for many years to come (13 years on I still miss my FD that I had to sell due to circumstances)
It would help if you could maybe get some up to date pictures up on here so we can all maybe better advise you.
BTW, as well you will know, anyone who knows these cars will know that compression tests are not really needed because if if starts properly hot and cold and goes like it should then compression is OK, indeed more stock FD's are probably lost through water seal failure than compression.
Thanks for the response Clive. I know that the memories I have of the club and other members are because of the FD.
I definitely feel a great responsibility to do the best by it, not just because of my history with it, but also to preserve it for the future be it in my ownership or a new owners.
I will get some pictures up in the next few days to show how it looks.
Quote from: clive on February 04, 2017, 09:18:21 AM
BTW, as well you will know, anyone who knows these cars will know that compression tests are not really needed because if if starts properly hot and cold and goes like it should then compression is OK, indeed more stock FD's are probably lost through water seal failure than compression.
Can we get this put on a t-shirt or something? :D
As always when people read about rotarys this is the first thing they ask, and is it rebuilt. Probably before they even look at how modified or standard the engine actually is.
I have had my FD for 10 years. For 4 years it was SORN on a driveway uncovered in Essex. It was started once every 6 months allowed to warm and then switched off. I did not see any significant change in the car.
More recently the seal in front of driver side rear wheel needed welding (good job done near Maidenhead) - it looked as though two drainage points had clogged and water had sat there for years. Related or unrelated I will never know.
So my view is hold on to it and I wish your mum the best of luck
Thanks luckyNot.
My FD has always been started and driven regularly, not so much since the sorn.
I know that the engine is good, never had any starting problems with it hot or cold.
It's the sills that have had me worried the most. What you describe happening to your sill sounds familiar, and it has had me wondering...
I try to never take the FD out if the weather is bad. Once I'm driving, if the weather deteriorates then so be it.
In my ownership it has never been driven on a gritted road. So why are the sills getting in a bad way.?
Is there a drainage point I have not come across that exits by the sills, and may be blocked...??
Any Ideas?
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k96/Fcfdvr4/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsuyq2ey7r.jpeg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/Fcfdvr4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsuyq2ey7r.jpeg.html)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k96/Fcfdvr4/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps1ody0dt4.jpeg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/Fcfdvr4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps1ody0dt4.jpeg.html)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k96/Fcfdvr4/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps2ymokuwa.jpeg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/Fcfdvr4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps2ymokuwa.jpeg.html)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k96/Fcfdvr4/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsscecfs7z.jpeg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/Fcfdvr4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsscecfs7z.jpeg.html)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k96/Fcfdvr4/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsmtpybwh5.jpeg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/Fcfdvr4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsmtpybwh5.jpeg.html)
(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k96/Fcfdvr4/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrtblqwyv.jpeg) (http://s86.photobucket.com/user/Fcfdvr4/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrtblqwyv.jpeg.html)
So some pics at last! Not the best quality, I had to "lighten them up" to show up the good from bad bits.
1-3 driver side front to rear.
4-6 passenger side front to rear.
What do you think?
Arggggggggg,
Its very salvageable but it is an MOT failure and would cost a few hundred to repair l'm afraid
Yeah that's what I thought. :(
I'm not going to be able to fix this anytime soon, so I have been thinking more about selling.
Obviously as a project FD it's not going to make the sort of money a 99 spec would normally make.
The fact that it is a 99 spec FD would I think help the sale and also keep its value higher.
So how do I value the car? Putting the car up for aution could give an indication as to value.
Alternatively someone reading this could always wave an offer at me. ;)
I guess if I made up an ad with all the car details, stick a value on it and see what people think, that may be the way forward??
I know reading this it's quite obvious but I'm struggling.
Your thoughts please.
Can we see more of the car / engine?
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Sure, I will try and get some pics up later.
Some pics for now taken at Santa Pod. I will get some up to date ones on soon.
Bottom 2 work mate...cant see 1 to 7...I have personally looked round your car and it was very nice indeed. Infact i have a piccy lol.
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Quote from: boosted on February 21, 2017, 08:56:14 AM
Bottom 2 work mate...cant see 1 to 7...
Hmm, I was just thinking that. Let me have a look.
She looks beautiful dude! Just a real shame about the rust ☹ï¸â˜¹ï¸â˜¹ï¸â˜¹ï¸
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Too much in one go maybe?
Working?
No mate and cant get rid of tapatalk symbol on phone lol...
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https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5AZbOiC1hR2N2I3UHVSdXNWakE
One at a time then!
here mine of yours....#stalker alert lol....
(http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u397/boosted38/2014-08-02%2013.55.33_zpsmthtzfiz.jpg)
Great pic thanks. :13: Don't think I have any of that day. Was that the last Rotorstock?
Yes mate last Rotorstock.
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Boosted, message seen, will call you later today.
Yes, that is/was nice looking FD :)
Lähetetty minun E2303 laitteesta Tapatalkilla
Hi, I may know someone who could be interested in your car as is. Do you have a contact email? Otherwise, could you drop me an email to j1t84@live.com
After now speaking to various people about the FD and my options to move forward,
I have now made the tough decision that the FD will be put up for sale. :(
If anyone is interested in the car please keep an eye out for it on the club classifieds in the next day or two.
Before I put the ad up, I would just like to ask you all what you think it may be worth. I want to be accurate in my valuation.
A few details on the car, I will get into more detail in the ad.
2000 (x reg) T.W. Whites FD, RB special edition, innocent mica blue.
Just over 58k miles, standard unmodified TT engine with no hot/cold starting problems.
BC racing coilovers set to slightly lower than standard ride height. (Will include standard RB suspension)
Racing beat single tip cat back exhaust.
Cusco front strut bar. (Will include standard FD front strut bar)
K&N panel filter.
Full leather interior in excellent condition.
The FD will require welding to pass an mot. I have been advised that this should cost no more than £500.
The FD will also require road legal tyres to pass an mot.
Thanks.
Howard I didn't realise this car is a rare "unofficial" UK car, one of a handful brought in by a Mazda dealer, I knew a guy who used to go up to the Orpington branch just to lust after a blue 99 spec FD that was in the showroom for sale unregistered .
I say unofficial because I knew at the time Mazda did frown upon these cars as being sold as UK cars with a normal Mazda warranty but with the amount of cars TW Whites sold through their many dealerships, they did not want to upset them.
Same thing happend again 3 years later when they brought in 50 Auto non UK cars.
All in all this means that long term this car would have more value than a conventional 99 spec import car