FC TII as first car
06-08-09, 10:30 AM
#26
You will never know everything. Just do the best you can.
Which auto shop charges less than $250 for replacing the pads and rotors? Heck, OEM-level parts alone cost about $300, not including the brake hardware kit that is almost always needed nowadays.
If you are going to argue with anything, it should be my quoted price for an engine rebuild, which can cost over $6,000 in a worst-case scenario when rebuilt with all new parts. Since the OP is not likely to pay for all new parts, I stuck with the cheapie quote on this one.
Looking back, I forgot to add labor for the driveshaft, so that will cost a bit more than quoted. Everything else looks pretty accurate as far as estimates go, possibly a bit on the low side as a fudge factor for the cheaper Canadian labor and currency.
Which auto shop charges less than $250 for replacing the pads and rotors? Heck, OEM-level parts alone cost about $300, not including the brake hardware kit that is almost always needed nowadays.
If you are going to argue with anything, it should be my quoted price for an engine rebuild, which can cost over $6,000 in a worst-case scenario when rebuilt with all new parts. Since the OP is not likely to pay for all new parts, I stuck with the cheapie quote on this one.
Looking back, I forgot to add labor for the driveshaft, so that will cost a bit more than quoted. Everything else looks pretty accurate as far as estimates go, possibly a bit on the low side as a fudge factor for the cheaper Canadian labor and currency.
Wait a second.... I thought the whole point of this sevenclub deal was to learn how to work on these damn cars yourself? I'm not disagreeing with your pricing aviator, I'm just telling the OP: Since you may be owning the only RX7 in your province, you MUST learn how to do simple maintenence yourself. I'm not talking about oil changes, bleeding brakes, replacing pads, etc.... that's childs play, and anyone that owns one of these cars and doesn't do that themselves sux. I'm refering to replacing the driveshaft, replacing the brake rotors, replacing the clutch, pilot bearing, etc.... these are things that cost lots of money to pay someone to do and are pretty easy to do yourself, not to mention that as soon as you drag that T2 into a mechanic's shop, he's going to overquote you simply because "That's one a them rotax engines ain't it?"....
With that being said, go N/A first so you can learn how to work on these things before screwing something up!
06-08-09, 04:17 PM
#28
Lovin my 7
Get the TII get it checked out first if they guys is being honest with you he shouldn't mind you taking it to the Mazda Dealer and having them at the least do a compression Test. Running a VIN check on the car should verify the guys story about being the only owner, and if he is not lying about that chances are you can trust him at least a little. 4.5k seems a little steep unless it is Bone stock and in pretty decent shape. I'd say near mint. inside and out. Don't settle because it is the only one in your area. there are plenty in for sale out there you just have to find them.
I just bought a set of front and rear cross-drilled rotors with an Cadmium Plating(for anti rust on the parts that arent in contact with the pads), and semi metallic brake pads for 180 bucks shipped. and it took me about an hour to install... so holy crap 300-500 bucks?? did you go with brembo or something?
06-08-09, 04:48 PM
#31
If it makes any difference, I`ll be taking it to a garage to get it checked out (Dad`s friend`s garage) and I`ll be doing some mechanics courses in college. I`m making another five grand over summer too from reserves and that will be about $500-$700 a month after that.
Edit:
Just went and took another look at the car but closer up this time. Passenger side seat leather in below average condition (no tears, extremely worn). Aftermarket CD(slash doesn`t work)MP3 deck. Aftermarket security system.
Edit:
Just went and took another look at the car but closer up this time. Passenger side seat leather in below average condition (no tears, extremely worn). Aftermarket CD(slash doesn`t work)MP3 deck. Aftermarket security system.
06-08-09, 05:02 PM
#33
$4500 for an S5 TII with 86,000 miles (i.e. 140K km) sounds kinda reasonable, actually, assuming it really is well-maintained and rust free. I think a rust free FC in Canada is pretty rare.
Make extra sure you examine the underside of the floorboards. This kind of rust is not apparent when viewing the car unless you crawl under it. I had an S5 FC that looked mint on top but had Swiss cheese for floorboards. That can get very expensive to fix if you're not good at welding.
I tend to agree with what many here have said, namely that a 20 year old TII makes absolutely no sense as a daily driver, especially for a young guy with limited income such as yourself. That said, part of being young is throwing caution to the wind and completely disregarding the advice of your elders. It's fun. I bought a practical, reliable, safe, 4-door car as my first car when I was 18 and I don't really look back on it with any great fondness. You'll have a lot more fun with this TII, even if it strands you, bleeds your savings dry, and causes you to curse it out on occasion.
Make extra sure you examine the underside of the floorboards. This kind of rust is not apparent when viewing the car unless you crawl under it. I had an S5 FC that looked mint on top but had Swiss cheese for floorboards. That can get very expensive to fix if you're not good at welding.
I tend to agree with what many here have said, namely that a 20 year old TII makes absolutely no sense as a daily driver, especially for a young guy with limited income such as yourself. That said, part of being young is throwing caution to the wind and completely disregarding the advice of your elders. It's fun. I bought a practical, reliable, safe, 4-door car as my first car when I was 18 and I don't really look back on it with any great fondness. You'll have a lot more fun with this TII, even if it strands you, bleeds your savings dry, and causes you to curse it out on occasion.
06-08-09, 05:12 PM
#34
________
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: PHOENIX AZ
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
$4500 for an S5 TII with 86,000 miles (i.e. 140K km) sounds kinda reasonable, actually, assuming it really is well-maintained and rust free. I think a rust free FC in Canada is pretty rare.
Make extra sure you examine the underside of the floorboards. This kind of rust is not apparent when viewing the car unless you crawl under it. I had an S5 FC that looked mint on top but had Swiss cheese for floorboards. That can get very expensive to fix if you're not good at welding.
I tend to agree with what many here have said, namely that a 20 year old TII makes absolutely no sense as a daily driver, especially for a young guy with limited income such as yourself. That said, part of being young is throwing caution to the wind and completely disregarding the advice of your elders. It's fun. I bought a practical, reliable, safe, 4-door car as my first car when I was 18 and I don't really look back on it with any great fondness. You'll have a lot more fun with this TII, even if it strands you, bleeds your savings dry, and causes you to curse it out on occasion.
Make extra sure you examine the underside of the floorboards. This kind of rust is not apparent when viewing the car unless you crawl under it. I had an S5 FC that looked mint on top but had Swiss cheese for floorboards. That can get very expensive to fix if you're not good at welding.
I tend to agree with what many here have said, namely that a 20 year old TII makes absolutely no sense as a daily driver, especially for a young guy with limited income such as yourself. That said, part of being young is throwing caution to the wind and completely disregarding the advice of your elders. It's fun. I bought a practical, reliable, safe, 4-door car as my first car when I was 18 and I don't really look back on it with any great fondness. You'll have a lot more fun with this TII, even if it strands you, bleeds your savings dry, and causes you to curse it out on occasion.
mine is an na, but ive already had to swap a new motor in due to the flywheel key breaking off and killing my eshaft over time... they are such a pain in the ***, but i still love my little na. lol.
im young, my mom told me to sell it, i almost did. SO glad i didnt.
06-08-09, 05:15 PM
#35
That said, one other consideration before jumping in feet first is insurance. I know nothing of Canadian insurance laws and pricing, but check this out before you buy. When I was your age, I paid more for liability only insurance than for the car.
06-08-09, 08:29 PM
#36
I say if it's a decent TII, then buy it. Stay a member here, and don't let anyone **** you off. They can do that, but there's a reason. Most people buy a NA, want to turbo it, then ask how to do that. I sure did. Don't.
Use the search feature. I figured out that if you use the advanced search feature, then search for "titles only", you can find ANYTHING you need. Guaranteed, unless it's something completely off the wall, it's been asked. You'd be surprised. TPS, FD alternators, NA-TII conversions, how much horsepower will this make, transmission woes, flooding, my car won't start... etc, etc. All these topics get covered 4,839,876,234,689 times a year. This website is the most valuable resource next to your FSM, which you can get a PDF version of on rx7city.com.
You'll love a TII, and you won't have to worry about doing the whole TII conversion. I just did one, and it was a long hard road. You'll get into a love/hate relationship with this car, but it's worth it. Years ago, I bought a convertible as my first car. I still have it, and will NEVER sell it. It's on it's 3rd engine right now, and I still love it.
Use the search feature. I figured out that if you use the advanced search feature, then search for "titles only", you can find ANYTHING you need. Guaranteed, unless it's something completely off the wall, it's been asked. You'd be surprised. TPS, FD alternators, NA-TII conversions, how much horsepower will this make, transmission woes, flooding, my car won't start... etc, etc. All these topics get covered 4,839,876,234,689 times a year. This website is the most valuable resource next to your FSM, which you can get a PDF version of on rx7city.com.
You'll love a TII, and you won't have to worry about doing the whole TII conversion. I just did one, and it was a long hard road. You'll get into a love/hate relationship with this car, but it's worth it. Years ago, I bought a convertible as my first car. I still have it, and will NEVER sell it. It's on it's 3rd engine right now, and I still love it.
06-08-09, 09:05 PM
#37
The owner is selling because he doesn't have time for it anymore. He doesn't use it as much as he used to as he is in his 40's now and he's not enough of an enthusiast to hold on to it any longer.
I will make sure, that's the first thing my Dad told me I would be doing if I do buy it. Take it to the garage and get the suspension checked along with the undercarriage. I did a much better look today and I see no rust on the exterior or around the sunroof.
Insurance is $3k a year no matter if I drive that RX7 or a 03-new Corolla or a 95-03 BMW (from the only company I've been able to get a quote from).
So yeah, I think I'm going to go ahead with the deal if the test drive goes well (which I doubt it won't) and become a true enthusiast.
I will make sure, that's the first thing my Dad told me I would be doing if I do buy it. Take it to the garage and get the suspension checked along with the undercarriage. I did a much better look today and I see no rust on the exterior or around the sunroof.
Insurance is $3k a year no matter if I drive that RX7 or a 03-new Corolla or a 95-03 BMW (from the only company I've been able to get a quote from).
So yeah, I think I'm going to go ahead with the deal if the test drive goes well (which I doubt it won't) and become a true enthusiast.
06-10-09, 06:35 PM
#39
Hey guys, just back with an update.
Went for a test drive not even 10 minutes ago. Talked to the owner and such, he is a doctor, he used to live outside of the city in another town about an hours drive away and he traveled on the highway back and forth to the city for 100k'ish of it's kilo's. He's lived at his current address for two years.
He had it repainted six years ago, replaced the brake discs two years ago replaced rear springs/shocks three years ago, got HKS racing suction intake, racing beat exhaust.
Took it for a test drive, it feels the few bumps around town but not too badly though, but hey, no big deal. Turbo sounds great, dad was confused at first and thought the car was broken and I was trying to explain what it was (he's never driven any turbo). Tested the breaks out stopping rather fast on the side of the road (no traffic), worked well in good shape. The throw was a bit long but still nice. Hauled pretty hard, especially when the boost kicks in (again, confused the hell out of dad) you get somewhat stuck in the chair. Clutch seemed pretty good.
Gave him a $100 deposit and we're going to have it into the garage on Monday (dad is out of town for annual golf tournament for a few days). Even my dad said that it was in pristine condition and I could see he was actually excited about the car, and that's saying something. I have never seen him get that into a car(s) ever in my life and whenever I try to have a conversation with him about cars, he usually says something that will stop it dead in it's tracks but we had a nice chat on the way home.
I don't care if I can't drive this thing in the winter, I won't want to. I'm going to respect this car as if it was my own son/daughter. Thanks for everything guys, I'll take it one step at a time and slow, baby steps at that. I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.
Went for a test drive not even 10 minutes ago. Talked to the owner and such, he is a doctor, he used to live outside of the city in another town about an hours drive away and he traveled on the highway back and forth to the city for 100k'ish of it's kilo's. He's lived at his current address for two years.
He had it repainted six years ago, replaced the brake discs two years ago replaced rear springs/shocks three years ago, got HKS racing suction intake, racing beat exhaust.
Took it for a test drive, it feels the few bumps around town but not too badly though, but hey, no big deal. Turbo sounds great, dad was confused at first and thought the car was broken and I was trying to explain what it was (he's never driven any turbo). Tested the breaks out stopping rather fast on the side of the road (no traffic), worked well in good shape. The throw was a bit long but still nice. Hauled pretty hard, especially when the boost kicks in (again, confused the hell out of dad) you get somewhat stuck in the chair. Clutch seemed pretty good.
Gave him a $100 deposit and we're going to have it into the garage on Monday (dad is out of town for annual golf tournament for a few days). Even my dad said that it was in pristine condition and I could see he was actually excited about the car, and that's saying something. I have never seen him get that into a car(s) ever in my life and whenever I try to have a conversation with him about cars, he usually says something that will stop it dead in it's tracks but we had a nice chat on the way home.
I don't care if I can't drive this thing in the winter, I won't want to. I'm going to respect this car as if it was my own son/daughter. Thanks for everything guys, I'll take it one step at a time and slow, baby steps at that. I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.
06-10-09, 07:26 PM
#41
Forgot to mention too, he has complete service history and a service manual too.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
KAL797
Test Area 51
0
08-11-15 03:47 PM
