4k 3rd gen?

[oliVeR6]

Hi guys n girls,
not sure if this is the right place for this post as i cant seem to find an "Introduce yourself" thread!
Anyway i currently have a mk3 Golf VR6 that ive loved and cherished for the past 4yrs (and spent a fortune on lol).
Ive always fancied something Jap and ive decided its time to take the leap from 220bhp to something with a little more grunt!
Basically i will have around 4k (perhaps a bit more) to spend on an RX7. Being new to the scene and all and my knowledge of 7\'s being on the thin side, i wanted to buy a car preferably from someone on here. If you guys are anything like us guys on VR6OC i know you will have seriously cared for and looked after your cars.
Is 4-5k an unrealistic budget for a relatively sorted 3rd gen 7 (preferrably with a recent engine rebuild for obvious reasons!)?
If its not too unrealistic is there any on here that you would recommend?

cheers for any help or advice you guys have and i look forward to a future with you all! :Laugh

[FD3S Efini]

Hey dude Welcome to the club hopefully someone will reply with all the details you need,
 
best bet at the mo is to have a look in the for sale section on here and have a look at the cars available
 
Hope this helps you out mate
 
Cheers
 
Kris

[captainbizzaro]

Welcome! Take a peek at Hayward Rotary\'s page I believe he has one or two fresh examples.

Like Kris said too...keep you\'re eyes peeled on the for sale section.

[oliVeR6]

Cheers guys,
Yer had a scan through the cars for sale but just wondered if anyone could recommend any of the cars. I.E trusted members etc (ofcourse im not insinuating any of you guys on here arent to be trusted but sometimes you get rogue members join JUST to sell their car to ppl like myself!)

[dthebuk]

Welcome to the club!

£4k should get you a reasonable car, though you will need to spend money on it. If you\'re all for working on the car yourself then this shouldn\'t be too much of a problem. If not, I\'d suggest you spend a bit more money on the car in the first place as this would be cheaper than buying a cheap car and spending more money on it. If £4k is pushing it budget wise, I\'d suggest an FC. They\'re a very similar car and for £4k you could get an absolute beast.

[oliVeR6]

Cheers for the advice bud.
Only problem with working on the car myself (aside from having to learn the car lol) is space or should i say lack of it!
Might push my budget up to 6k to get one thats running round 300-350bhp but reliable bhp lol!
Seen a couple of gorgeous examples on here round the 11k mark that id give my right arm for but unfortunately limbs arent a legal tender
Will have a look at FC\'s though fella.

[Ada7]

Welcome to the club. :wave
My advice to you is to go and see as many cars as you can before deciding on which one or what type you want to buy. 4k will get you a nice car but maybe not one with a recent engine rebuild. So if your thinking of increasing your budget dont think of it as a way of getting more power but as a way of getting a better all round car, and if it has more power then so be it

Adam

[neil_jdmr]

I personally dont think 4k is enough for your first fd, for that money it will be a bit of a dog unless your very lucky and you will leave fd ownership with only negative memories. Many people do the very same thing by attempting to get a nice fd for low cost and it bites them then they buy something else with "rotaries are sh!te" on their brain.
 
If you do buy one for 4k get a mint well sorted car with a blown motor and spend another 4k getting a trusted rebuilt engine.
 
Its my opinion because i spent the extra for the right car and at least 3 others i know of that bought around that price now spout rotaries are unreliable. Funny that as mine has been more reliable than my previous honda.
 
the age old saying " yo really do get what you pay for"  applies to rotaries imo

[oliVeR6]

This is the exact type of advice I was hoping for, cheers guys, really appreciate it. I don\'t mind upping my budget for the right car coz as you said "you get what you pay for". But possibly the safest option would be to just buy a standard well maintained FD for now and then up the power once I\'ve learnt a bit more about the car/engine.
Whats your advice on fresh imports? Steer clear or no need to worry?

[DR SCHNITZEL]

Even though its a bit of a lottery. Read the threads on buying a used rx7 what to look for (comp test and gas bubble/hot start test essential) ignore what the seller says and do your tests and buy the most standard or near standard and most recent/newest FD with the least brittle pipes in the bay from the most mature owner dont buy the 1st one you see. thats what id do.

 i looked at about 5 private and they were all dogs. i bought from a used dealer for 5500 it was mint.. sold for 7000 4 weeks later. Then i bought a modified example which has caused me nothing but trouble but been scream to drive and i have enjoyed working and learning about it.

FD ownership favours those who like reading and getting their hands dirty or people with $$$$$

[turbo boy]

I would say 80% of fds in the uk are imports. My fd is also an import, im the first owner in the uk, its almost 17yr old and not a spot of rust.
If you do go for a standard rex spend money on the cooling before you opt for more power as rotarys do get quite hot, a vented bonnet is a good idea aswell as a metal ast tank.
 My ast imploded on its self causing it to overheat and whilst it was off the road for some time i decided to go down the modified road which has put me more and more in debt but on a plus note girls like it!
Mazda shoulda called it the cilla black cus the amount of clunge i`ve picked up init is unreal!!!:mmmm:mmmm:mmmm

[neil_jdmr]

Whats your advice on fresh imports? Steer clear or no need to worry?

With fresh Imports i would only be happy if i could get proof on engine build or condition which isnt usually possible. The best examples imo is an imported model that has been cherished in this country for a while and if rebuilt then by one of our homegrown tuners which all offer warranties and proof of work carried out.

[paulm]

i was going to sell mine for around that price.
maybe i wont!

[Hi RX7]

There\'s a nice looking 1997 RB on e-bay with 60K miles for £6.5K which is supposed to have had a rebuild, I bought a later year car like this having done loads of research and trying quite a few RX7\'s and I bought the most expensive one which I considered to be the best only to have it blow on me a month into ownership. This can put the new owner off even after doing quite a bit of research, having now spent in excess of £6K on both engine rebuild and suspension/polybush etc I now have a car I really love to drive. I suppose the one thing I have learnt is that I would still go out and buy the later model car run it and enjoy it but have the spare cash to have it re-built put to one side just in case then when it does blow you can up the spec on the re-build and get the car fully sorted over a period of time. I did consider putting a V8 in the car but now having run the re-built rotary for quite a while and having done quite a few trackdays I\'m back in love with the rotary engine the only important factor is to get a reputable tuner to do the re-build.

[oliVeR6]

A shed more wealth and advice, cheers again chaps. Been doing some research and seen a number of decent looking, clean, straight examples round that 6k mark. Swaying towards trying to find a 97 onwards model (99 ideally) to do as you say; enjoy the car in it\'s standard form and keep a wedge aside to repair it when rebuild time comes along.
There was mention of a buyers/what to look out for guide earlier. Think I\'m being thick but can\'t find it?