looking at a FC TII - need tips

[DB81]

I\'m looking at a Gen2 FC Turbo II next weekend and need a little help - basically what sort of questions should i ask?

The car has done around 72,000 miles - so i presume i should really be looking for a recent rebuild history or expect it to need one in the immediate future. How often should the oil be changed on these - is around 3k miles about right?

The car is a J reg, taxed and tested with 72k under its belt and sounds in fairly good condition and well looked after - what sort of money is it worth?

Also are there any RX7 specialists in the Essex/London area that I could get to check it over to check compression etc?

[t2rew]

oil sould be changed every 3 thou and if you look at the oil on the dip stick it sould look clean. it may have had an engine or it may need one soon so ask if it has. a compresion test would reveal all.

they rot out first on the spare wheel well in the back and on the floor at about level with the gearstick just were it meet the sill lip.

check the gearbox goes between gears nice and make sure everything with a switch works

look at the tyres for uneven wear and on a road test see if it pulls to one or the other sides.

get a good one and youll love it to bits.

price could be £1000=£6000 but i would want to pay about 3grand for it. it has low miles so could be good one.

chexk the history to prove it.

what colour is it?  did you know the red ones are faster

[DB81]

Its a black one, which is probably my fave TII colour - i do like the red ones, but they do tend to get a bit dull and faded after a while.

Some slightly more boring questions:

I\'m going to be using it daily if i get it, what are the TIIs like for fuel consumption around town and on the motorway? I\'ve heard horror stories of single figure MPGs from Gen1 or 3s but haven\'t heard too much info on the Gen2.

Also, what cheap/free and easy mods are there to do? Binning the cat may well be an option (depending on whether its a \'91 or \'2 J reg) for a start, but brakes/suspension and breathing mods will all be in order.

Oh yeah, and does anyone want to buy a \'90 red mk1 MX5?! Mine might be up for sale pretty sharpish if all goes well!

[Paul-Tll]

Cor never seen a Black \'J\' Plate, Red and White but not black!
Paul..

[t2rew]

when i first  got mine it didnt run too good and i was getting 17 mpg

i took it on a track day and it ran better than ever and i also started using optamax

17 mpg was about 200miles  per tank and now im getting about 250+

i had a racing beat down pipe and de cat pipe and a hks air filter and that made a nice increace in power. i also had a fuel cut defencer. i would recomend you put a apexi s-afc on though to keep check on the fueling.

[DB81]

Ok, bit of a follow up - the engine hasn\'t had a rebuild to date, but its had things like a new clutch and tyres recently.

At about 70k how much life if left in the engine, and how much would i be looking at for a rebuild??

[Black88]

All depends on the way the car was treated. Regular oil changes and tune-ups are always a plus. The problem with a lot of T2\'s is that the owners have a tendency to drive them "spiritedly" or more abusive. And with the added pressure from the turbo things wear down quicker. Dont be discouraged by the amount of mileage unless you know the car has been beat on. I\'ve seen quite a few T2\'s running strong over 150k.  If the engine does need a rebuild depending on wether you do the work or have someone do the work for you it can range between 1000k to 3000k dollars. I\'m currently looking for a T2 also:) Best of luck with the car and have fun with it:)

[t2rew]

like he said but in pounds:)
i would get it done anyway as if it lets go it will damage other bits in the engine as well. i wouldnt want to pay more than £1000-£1500 for it with a rebiuld on the cards.