Steering clear of cheap FDs?

[Pete C]

Hi everyone :WaveBye

I\'m a moderator/area rep for the SXOC (Nissan 200SX Owners Club). I currently drive an S13 200SX with a good fast road/occasional track spec (~300bhp with suspension and brake upgrades to match). For those interested in Nissans, it also has an S13 Silvia front end (Sileighty) conversion.

Anyway, I was thinking of selling up and buying an FD instead, but I would imagine my car is worth an absolute maximum of £4.5k, so I wouldn\'t be able to spend more than £5k on an RX7.

My question is, should I even be bothering with cars for that money? I see quite a few early \'92/\'93 cars on Autotrader at about the £4/5k mark, but what are the chances of me ending up with a nail? Would it be better to wait until I can afford a decent one with an already rebuilt engine? Do they have any other significant problems apart from the rotary maintenance? i.e. electrics, transmission, bodywork etc etc?

Sorry for all the questions, just another newbie who can\'t use the search button

[Mr J.T]

hey and welcome.

i think for that sort of money u should be able to pick up a pretty much standard version that\'ll see u good for a while. there are a good selection of lads and company selling on here so just keep your eyes peeled and ur sure to find somethin to suit.
mostly if in doubt ask.

[G@NDY]

Hello and welcome to the club. Havent heard of any real problems with FD electrics, transmission or bodywork. You can get nice cars for 5k but they are few and far between and you may have to wait for the right one. I have seen very nice looking cars sell for 2.5k needed a rebuild which is typically 3k so withing your budget. I think that you are best off buying one with a blown engine, rather than talking a risk with one of the 4-5k ones off autotrader from less screupulous :2Rolleyes sellers that wont last the journey home. Another idea is to import one yourself and again budget for a rebuild, there are plenty of people doing it these days. Whatever you decide, best of luck mate :cheers

[rx7veilside]

only prob with a blown engine is knowing what parts will need replacing as this can drastically alter rebuild costs...housings and rotors are the biggest expense..if u go for a blown one get some advice on the symptons of the problem but budget for 3-3500 for a good rebuild with all the bits on and u wont be far short..better to do it that way than buy a 5k car that goes pop

[Pete C]

As much as I like the sound of buying one with a blown engine (would have done that with my S13 to begin with if I had the chance), the logistics of transporting a dead car for wherever in the UK to me are a bit much, plus it would be my daily driver, so I\'d have to wait about with no transport until it was ready.

So is there not much chance of me getting a half-decent one (maybe with the engine already rebuilt) for £5k? I\'d obviously inspect whatever I was going to buy extremely carefully, it would be the most expensive single purchase I\'ve ever made!

[AndyGen3]

Ud pick a standard jap import up for that money and mods off egay for little also...

There sellin in Ireland 92 standard ish type r\'s for the 5500 - 6000 without the vrt... And maybe a few mods...

[Brett]

Or you could buy a 2nd gen Rx7 for about £2000 and then spend another £3k and make it an FD eater

[grinder]

Or you could buy a 2nd gen Rx7 for about £2000 and then spend another £3k and make it an FD eater

good sales pitch matey - i like it

[Pete C]

Or you could buy a 2nd gen Rx7 for about £2000 and then spend another £3k and make it an FD eater

I do like FCs, but they just don\'t have quite the same appeal for me I\'m afraid

[Brett]

Philistine! :rollin
Good luck though, with a bit of patience and some decent poking around you should be able to get hold of a reasonable FD that wont go pop whithin 10mins

[Jono FD3]

I\'m probably tempting fate here!!!
I bought my 92 FD last year for 4700 with a few mods: Exhaust, induction and a few RE-A goodies atached, the only thing I\'ve had to do....... Got to do is pull out a few pin dents and give here a respray!!

They are lovely motors mind, I still grin & give her a stroke every time I pass it in the drive!!

Jono

[dj_dee99]

They are lovely motors mind, I still grin & give her a stroke every time I pass it in the drive!!
 
Jono

:2eek Noooooooo! Fingerprints on the paintwork!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JamesFD3]

Pete,do a search on the forum as this topic has been discussed in depth over the last few years or so,alot of us FD owners are getting a little miffed by all the dogs being shipping over,then going pop and getting the marque a bad reputation.

It is possible to find a nice standardish example for 5k but beware there\'s alot of tired cars about that will cost you dearly in the long run.Look at as many as you can,a bad one will put you off for life but a good one will have you smitten.

Happy hunting.....:-)

[Pete C]

It is possible to find a nice standardish example for 5k but beware there\'s alot of tired cars about that will cost you dearly in the long run.Look at as many as you can,a bad one will put you off for life but a good one will have you smitten.

Happy hunting.....:-)

Don\'t worry on that score, that\'s why i\'m here researching, I wanted to know if it was possible before I even started looking!

When I bought my first S13 I bought the first car I saw... within a few months it needed an engine rebuild and a new turbo, within a year it was rotting away so badly I decided to re-shell. Looked more carefully the second time.

So definitely a lesson learnt and a mistake I intend not to repeat!

[sadgoth]

There are a few options on the club at the moment, I know McCarthy has one of his for sale at around that price: http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21760&page=2&pp=15
There is also a UK spec for sale circa £6500 ish if memory serves (rebuilt 10k ago) can\'t remember who\'s selling it, look through the private for sale ads. At least if you buy from a member, it is likely to be a known car and the seller is likely to be an enthusiast.