An RX-7 Spirit-R... as an investment??? Please advise!

[Pipps]

Seeing as we all now want to buy this car, let\'s get the webpage translated into English, shall we:

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garagesawada.co.jp%2Flist%2Fdetail%2Frx7siruba1.html&sl=ja&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

[Pipps]

I\'m assuming that the stated price translates to just over £26k GBP? Would that be correct?

Also, for all the experts, are those the grey or the silver alloy wheels that it is sporting?

[Pipps]

The following link to another forum discussion may also be of interest:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=71&h=&t=225113

[Hi RX7]

Seeing as we all now want to buy this car, let\'s get the webpage translated into English, shall we:
 
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garagesawada.co.jp%2Flist%2Fdetail%2Frx7siruba1.html&sl=ja&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

It\'s the other grey one I like but it looks even more expensive, to be honest I think I\'ll wait until this type of model is generally available for import because I still think you will loose money on them at this stage, this is of course my personal opinion.

[Nik da Greek]

The following link to another forum discussion may also be of interest:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=71&h=&t=225113

Still don\'t understand why the discussion always comes back to the model report. According to the Government VOSA website that you posted a link to earlier, the charge for ESVA testing a vehicle without a model report is not much different to that of one with a report....maybe someone just needs to ring the relevant DVLA department and ask the horses mouth as it were?

All the discussion seems to me to so far have been speculation and third-hand hearsay, no-one who actually deals in importing has said anything on the topic, unless I\'ve missed it?

As for E-marked equipment, well that tends to apply to light lenses and stuff like that, doesnt it? Since RX-7s have been legally imported for years, and many have E-marked parts corresponding to those on a a Spirit-R, it wouldn\'t be beyond the bounds of possibility for a bit of part swappage to get through the test?

[Pipps]

I agree entirely. It would be good to get this subject nailed - as it\'s potentially so profitable to all of us.

I think I may telephone both VOSA and NewEra on Monday to check their understanding of the procedure.

My only concern about the RX-7 at present is that potentially underefficient rotary engine and the dual cat!

Although 3,480,000 YEN is a currently little out of my investment bracket! Can anyone confirm this as the price which Sawada are asking price? Their stated 348,000,000 seemed to be either a typo or a mistranslation!

[Kieron]

Look on goo-net for more RX7 Spirit R

[sadgoth]

when the rules changes about 3 years ago there was a lot of talk about this. The thing with model reprots is down to if the car is a production car or a self-build. The SVA regs were originally for kit cars to allow cars which weren\'t mass produced to be able to qualify for road use, however importers also used the SVA as a way of getting grey imports onto the road.

While I\'m not in the business myself, I seem to remember the situation is something like:
When the changed the rules they said any car which is a production model must adhere to a model report, you then get into the E-marked thing! A model report for a car which ahs a UK version is easier to sort out because you only need to bring the import in line with the UK version, however the last RX7s that have UK versions were sold in 1994 they were the series VI so the series VII and VIII do not have UK versions and so a full set of tests (like crash tests) as well as e-marked parts would need to be fitted and more tests - the costs build up! + you may never be able to get the car to a stage when it will get through the ESVA!

I have heard it is possible to SVA one as a kit car, but you physically have to disassemble the car in Japan and ship it in parts re-building it when it arrives (however in that case it would be registered as a kit car and Q-plated so that would have a detrimental effect on its value!

[Kevin]

Can anyone confirm this as the price which Sawada are asking price? Their stated 348,000,000 seemed to be either a typo or a mistranslation!

They mean 3,480,000.

In todays current climate it is totally worthless importing anything from Japan with the exchange rate being at an all time low.  When I last bought from Japan 6 months ago the rate was 205 yen to the pound.  Now it\'s just over 130 to the pound which is awful.

The cost of that car roughly landed on your driveway would be just short of £35,000 (at the current exchange rate.)

Then the cost of registering it, having model report made, SVA, taxing etc etc.

My honest advice would be if you really wanted one, wait for exchange rate to recover, bring one over from Japan, stick it in a garage with a dust sheet over the top of it and come back to the car in 30 to 40 years time.

At the end of the day as Freddy rightly says your going to be paying major money for a car with a mazda badge on it.  As much as I love the RX7, once you get over the fancy new gauges, nice recaro seats and a couple of badges the spirit R is like any other RX7.


On the other hand i\'ll have one if you buy it for me!

[gmogle]

Yeah the Spirit R is not quite exclusive enough for me.
Its virtually identical to the RZs but with the extra badges, you could probably get a 99 spec RZ from Japan this year and it would look like the Spirit R.

As has been said before you could buy a 1992 spec and put a nice widebody kit, single turbo, new seats etc, decent set of wheels and still have change left compared to the price of a stock Spirit R. Plus you\'d have a much nicer car !!!!

At the end of the day you never make money on cars unless you lock it away for years and years and years until they become collectibles.

[Kevin]

I think another big factor for me is that these cars need to be enjoyed and driven to get the most reward out of them.  If I bought a Spirit R as an investment then I would be scared to drive it incase I scratched it or it ended up needing a rebuild as I think it would drop a fair few quid for not being original anymore.  I think for me it\'d end up more of an expensive paper weight and a millstone rather than something i\'d enjoy??....

[Kieron]

Get a cheap beaten up 92 and track it :King

[BlitzBoy]

or get a 92 and buy all the 99 spec stuff then the Red Kevlar Recaros, dash, interior bits,bumper,bins and spoiler and badges and voila Spirit R

[Nik da Greek]

TBH, them red Recaros are the one bit of the car I really hate, they\'re just such a violent colour. Like the kevlar weave in the backs, but it doesn\'t match anything else in the car, so just looks wrong. That\'s my fashion tip for the day :Giggle....like I\'d turn my nose up to having one parked on the drive cos I don\'t like the seats :3Confused

[BlitzBoy]

pah the seats are Lush you philistine lol!!!!!!!!! thats what makes the car me thinks, Im getting some second hand brides and I was thinking of changing the colour to red lol