Forcus

I know you guys probably hate these....

I looked in the FS section and it appears this car is probably worth around $2500. I should be able to pick it up for somewhat less than that. Here are the details (alot of them are if I recall correctly):

1985 GSL-SE
88k miles
Brown with brown / tan cloth interior
Exterior paint in good condition, no major dents
Interior appears to be in good condition - didn't get a good look.
No rust above or below
Moonroof
Brakes good, ebrake stuck
Probably could use exhaust work
New fuel injectors, radiator, tires, headlight motors, battery, 02 sensor
Small oil leak
Runs and drives very good
Same owner for 13 years.

LongDuck

Well, if you're good with your hands, you should be able to keep this car running for the forseeable future. The SE's are EFI engines, so you'll need a bit more 'electronics' background than a straight Mikuni carb setup. On the upside, the mileage on the car is pretty low for a 1985 model, which means the mechanicals should be in good shape. Regardless of mileage, however, the rubber parts tend to age with exposure to heat and ozone, so you may be giving this car a suspension tune-up in the near future. This is neither difficult nor expensive.

Overall, it sounds like a good deal. I would go $2k based on paint/interior and then go from there. Good luck, and reply back if you get it,

Forcus

Thanks for the input. I have a 90 Turbo II right now, so the electronics part shouldn't be a huge deal . By the way I saw your signature and it appears you have set your car up for autocross / track and fun daily driving? This is what I am after, without ruining any collectability. I've had about 4 or 5 FB's so I am use to them but I haven't had anything but GS'.

LongDuck

If you're familiar with the GS cars, then you're really getting a lot more equipment with an SE. Some of the major differences are the 13b EFI, which you already know about from your FC car. The engine is basically the same with 6-port induction, but the 2nd Gen cars use 4x injectors in a staged setup. The SE only has 2 injectors that are 680cc in size each, which works fine for the power output of a stock engine with stock or mildly upgraded exhaust.

The brakes on an SE are 4-wheel disk, vented all around, and the parking brake 'sticking' is likely just a rear brake caliper that needs to be rebuilt or simpler yet, a brake cable that's sticking on something. Most people have not rebuilt or replaced their brake calipers on these cars, and the corrosion and road grit can get to them. The 84/85 cars have the lowered rear trailing rod mounts to reduce oversteer, and the SE came stock with both front and rear stabilizer bars. The FMOC is stock on SE's and tends to leak at the hose connections if overtightened (it's just Aluminum), but provides better cooling.

Any SE that you buy is 20 years old, so be prepared to shell out some early money for things that the prior owner should have done, but didn't because he wanted to sell the car. These include things like fuel pumps ($255 Mazda Factory or cheaper aftermarket), fuel filters ($45 Mazdatrix), and smaller parts that may need TLC like ball joints and wheel bearings.

If you're going for a sporty daily driver (like mine), then you may want to upgrade components as you find them lacking, i.e., instead of just replacing bushings, upgrade to higher durometer 'sport' bushings. Replace sagging stock springs for Racing Beat lowered springs (which will actually raise a sagging car!), and the like. What you end up with is a restoration that becomes much more of what you want out of it, instead of a stock restoration. My project car (signature line) was the result of 5 years of restoration work. Over that time, I upgraded a lot of components just because they're easy to find at Mazdatrix or Racing Beat.

SE's also get you the LSD standard and a wheel bolt pattern that lets you choose your wheel style from the very latest offerings (4x4.5", +38~40mm offset). This alone may be worth it if you're looking for more style or to update the looks of the car.

I raced an 80LS in SCCA Solo II for a few years, so I knew what I was looking for in street performance. This project was always geared toward street driving and gets about 10k miles more per year driving me back and forth to work. Thanks for the interest - let us know if you buy that SE,