Well I went and test drove a FB today, it is a '85 GS ( I think, there are no badges, but it has drum brakes in the rear). Anyways, it was really fun to drive, it rode very well. The car has 173K miles on it, but was told that it had a rebuild. The body is perfect, it could use paint a little, but there is not 1 rust spot or dent anywhere. When I started it up, I needed to leave the choke on for about 2 minutes or it would stall (normal??). Once It was running for awhile it was fine. I kinda expected it to be faster than it was, my FC would absolutely destroy it. Here are the modifications that it has: RB header, custom 2.5" piping through 1 cat, into a aftermarket muffler, E-fan(really shitty setup), tockiko struts, Eibach springs. The interior is kinda shitty, the dash is ok, but there is no radio, no shifter boot, and the rear pieces were painted and are cracking and flaking. There is also a cracked windshield. The place is asking $1500 for it, I thought that was kinda pricey, just wanted to hear what you guys think? Also, i *think* it had a 4 barrel carb, is that stock?? And could someone post a pic of a normal 12A engine bay, because this one was very bare, I could see the entire engine almost, looks like there is no emissions stuff whatsoever (Although it did have a current sticker, and it is at a Dealer). Sorry for the long post, thanks for taking the time to read it, hope I can get some good info outta you guys.

 

i'd say talk him down to $1,000 or less or keep looking. the car doesn't sound TOO bad, but i'm of the opinion that you could do better ...

 

With the springs/struts and header, I'm thinking $1,500 doesn't sound so bad, especially if the body is rust free.

Still try to talk him down, of course, but don't talk down to him

 

Yea, the body is like perfect, there is a florida keychain and a florida rx-7 club something or other sticker on it, so Im assuming its a Florida car, dont know how it got up here. It had a dual belt alt pulley too, and the Alt. was the only accessory....I dunno what else shoulda been there, but.. How fast should this car be? I kinda thought it should be as fast as my FC, cuz of how light it is, but my FC feels wayyyy faster. The FB would rip second hard, and chirp third, with new tires too, but still didnt feel all that fast. Oh yea, it had a 2G Probe GT spoiler on it too

 

The spoiler probably weighted it down *L*

Speed is relative - or at least the sensation of it is. In some vehicles going 100 kph feels like the vehicle is straining hard, whereas in others it feels like the car is just getting going and is barely moving.

The FC may feel way faster... in fact the FC may or may not be faster. How are you measuring fast? straight acceleration? Pickup exiting the apex of a corner? Cornering speed going into and safely through a hairpin?

a 1st gen is old, a tweaked 4 cyl beta engined Tiburon might even blow it's doors off (I have proof, True Believers) , but it's an inexpensive, handsomely styled pocket rocket.

Nevermind all those... the supreme question is do you enjoy the car? Because that's really all that matters.

 

Yea. I really like it, IM not really saying anything bad about it, Its a blast to drive and everything, but I just thought it was slow....

 

Sounds like it's been tweaked with a bit. Check for rust and proof of a rebuild.

By the way, first gens can be killer fast when modded. Keep that in mind.

 

Florida sticker be damned, these cars move around too much. Bring a philips screwdriver and a flashlight and carefully remove both storage bins - then look at the inside of the unibody. If there's any orange discoloration, offer him $500 for what is soon to be a parts car. If not, offer him $1000 firm, then maybe settle for like $1250 or so. Yeah, the aftermarket parts are nice but no limited slip or rear discs lower the peformance and therefore value.
And yes, the choke time is normal.
If you get it, celebrate by destroying that probe wing, then post some pics for us!

 

Well, I think I'm gonna pass on this one. I think I do want to look for a FB now that Ive driven this one, I really liked it. But..I think Im going to try and at least get a GSL, something with rear disks and a LSD.

 

i think that's a good choice. in my opinion, that car sounds more suited for someone that just wants to buy an Rx-7 for the sake of having one, and doesn't really plan on doing much else with it.