scrapp

iTrader: (1)

There's really not much to say about it, just more a question of personal life. Opinions would be nice.

A friend has:
*A stock GTUs, 10k miles
*perfect interior
*exterior is a sun faded (will most definitely need repaint, not sure a new clear coat will fix.)
*One front fender is dented in
*rear main seal and oil pan leak.
Its just been sitting.... And sitting... And now sits...
There is a price, but I wont mention it, as to not create bias.
How much?



The Drama (Im sorry this is long):

My first rx7 was a junk of a junk S4, not even worth mentioning.
Ive wanted an rx7 since it was the "car that made me discover cars" as a kid.
My car knowledge revolves around rx7s, and rx7s only, so theres nothing I dont know.
Im just stating, THESE ARE THE CARS I LIVE FOR... I LOVE FC's, BUT... True, I want a FD the most.


I know this is such a "case by case opinion question" but I was SO ready to get it and work for it, but now I feel like I cant, which is total bullshit... Starting at the age of 15, I worked for and paid off my first car (A very nice miata, I must say... I tend to be picky and only want garage queens.)

...but now getting negative opinions. (Based on the fact that its not the right time in my life... Focusing on school, should save money for the real world, its too much, its going to get in the way of school... "theres dirt between the seat cushions"... ******* PLEASE)...etc etc and stuff...
Im 24, at home, in school fulltime, do not have a job expect for freelance work I can get... The thought of getting this car was REALLY giving me motivation to find work and get things in order, but I was told thats "bullshit reasoning"... even though it was actually working... I already made some moves that are working out for me. (negative reinforcement FTW...)



Do I just have rx7 envy, or should I actually pick this thing up?
I have the idea of it being THE LONG TERM toy, I already know what I would do to this car (not rape.)
It needs a real home, and I was so ready to do that, but now Im worried im going to screw my life in the future by trying to pick this thing up.

lastphaseofthis

iTrader: (8)

6 to 8k, but would jew down as much as possible. i would then fix everything and put it up for sale for 15k. because that's what i would want to get rid of it.

mikeric

iTrader: (20)

How much money do you have to play with? It is much cheaper to find a nice clean one and go from there then to start with this thing that sounds like it needs a lot of work.

There is a nice one in the FS section.

Evil Aviator

Sounds like a $500 parts car to me.

Were you to try and fix it, you are looking at:
about $8,000 for paint and body work
about $2,500 for an engine rebuild
about $2,000 for new suspension, mounts, and bushings
about $3,000 for new tires, brakes, belts, hoses, fuel lines, filters, weather seals, etc.

bac22

10K miles on a car that is 20 years old...ugh! I know it's easy to fall into the low mileage trap, but not driving a car is worst then letting it sit, especially letting one sit that isn't properly maintain, which is clear from your post. I'm with Evil Aviator on this...you'll gonna spend a fortune getting it up to par and while I hate to see any GTUs die, this one might be better as a part-out car.

Molotovman

iTrader: (49)

Where's it at, I need a fresh slate to start on my future wife's AutoX car.

scrapp

iTrader: (1)

Its already been bought, Im just going to decide to go with the decision I made.
I will be keeping this car for a while. See yall around more frequently.

scrapp

iTrader: (1)

hmm... This is how I build cars. Well put together. (Later than when I took this pic, Rollbar, harnesses, more suspension stuff...Sniff.)
(Dont ask me why I sold it. So dumb... Was totaled 3 days later.)

turboIIrotary

iTrader: (9)

i would pay around 500 who cares if its a gtus

rotordad

I agree with the cost of the $2500 rebuild & maybe the $2000 suspension, but$8000 for paint & body work really? A decent paint job without going crazy should be around $2500 TO $3000 with a little body work. Remember all these things don't need to be done all at once. I'm sure that the approach in which he decides to go about this project will determine the cost.

AUGieDogie

iTrader: (4)

So instead of doing body work on the fender..... just buy a used one of the aproximate color. That will get you through for a while. And its cheaper then the body man. There i just saved you $100 be glad you got it if you wanted it. Life is short.

Evil Aviator

Yes, really.

scrapp

iTrader: (1)

OK, Im already having headlight / electrical issues, I tried search, but cant find the info I need, and we no longer have icemark


The car was missing a headlight switch, I put one in, headlights/highbeams work, all other lights work, but-



Headlights wont pop up, and highbeam indicator wont show up.

scrapp

iTrader: (1)

I made a new thread, but I was wrong. Highbeam indicator works, Just headlights wont turn off, and wont pop up

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

yeah. the paint on these cars was much nicer (less orange peel, etc) than an american car. plus its a TON of work to pull it apart far enough so you don't have overspray everywhere. plus bodywork. plus all the mouldings and rubber window seals and clips and things.

FelixIsGod29X

iTrader: (50)

8k for a paint job? Um no way in hell if you prep and buy the paint yourself, then bring it to a pro. Either way, very proper paint jobs can be done for under 5k EASY if you aren't dealing with rust and many dents. Paint jobs can go for 8k but NOT for OEM basic color/ easy work.

2.5k for a rebuild? Are we still talking about the same 10k GTUs?

2k on suspension? Yes sounds right but i wouldn't bother yet with a car with 10k.

3k for ALL maintenance? haha, OK buddy. Maybe if you bought every tiny piece from mazdatrix.

Sorry if i sound like a jerk.....i had a few.

13bpower

I am a big GTUs fan. For said car in the condition you described I would pay ~$5k. The value to me would be in the "collector" aspect of it, so I would be willing to pay more than most probably.

Evil is right about needing some things, but you don't NEED to pay $8k for a paint job. You don't even need a paint job at all, but do expect to need to drop a good chunk of cash to get it road worthy (tires, belts, hoses, ect.)

Any pics of it? I am interested fo sho.

bac22

I'm also curious to know why a GTUs only has 10K original miles? Why wasn't it driven?

SoloII///M

iTrader: (13)

I wouldn't pay more than $5k for it.

JerryLH3

iTrader: (11)

I think $5000 sounds about right, but I would of tried to get it for less, say $4500. Based on the fact that it sat for so long and hasn't been driven much at all, it will probably have more issues than you think it would. There's kind of that low mileage sweet spot, where it still sounds low, but has been driven far enough and often enough that everything is in proper running order. I think only 10k miles is definitely below that sweet spot.

Evil Aviator

Some of you guys need to realize that when negotiating the price of a car, you take into account the labor cost of the repairs as well as the parts and materials. Remember, this is a "what's it worth thread", not a "what's the cheapie fix" thread.

Sure, if you provide $3K worth of parts and labor yourself, then you are looking at spending $5K for the remainder of the paint & body work. In the end, $3K + $5K = $8K. Sure, you can repaint the car yourself with a few cans of Rustoleum for under $100, or you can get a $20,000 show car paint job, or anything else in between. It looks to me like the OP will figure out what he wants to do with the car, but I posted the going rate for a full FC paint job so he has a reference point.

LOL, definitely sounds like you had a few if you think that engine is going to run reliably after sitting for nearly 20 years. Oil and coolant turns acidic with time, so there is a chance the engine is a total loss.

I would be surprised if the springs and shocks still work after sitting in a compessed state for nearly 20 years. Also, the rubber bushings and mounts may be dry rotted, depending on the conditions that the car endured while sitting. Then again, by some miracle of the rotary gods, the suspension could be just fine. However, given a lack of this information, I would assume a condition similar to other RX-7s that have been abandoned for nearly two decades.

Tell you what, when you sober up, call your local automotive shop and ask for a quote for all new belts, hoses, coolant flush, rod/clean the radiator, oil/filter change, new battery, new air filter, fix the main rear seal and oil pan leak, replace the transmission and differential oil, replace the brake and clutch hydraulic lines, replace the fuel lines and filter, fuel injector flush, fuel tank drain and clean, rebuild of the brake calipers, new side window seals, sun roof seal, and hatch seal, and then post the price on this forum.

Mazdatrix is usually only about 2% more expensive than my local Mazda dealership, and sometimes Mazdatrix is cheaper.

Evil Aviator

Material goals are a prime motivator in a free market society. Whoever told you that it is "bullshit" has no concept of economics and/or no appreciation of sports cars. Not to bring politics into this thread, but just for my own curiosity, did the person who told you this vote for Obama?

scrapp

iTrader: (1)

no, McCain, lol. I just come from a VERY negative family... "I fucked up in life, so that means your going too as well."
Surprisingly my mom has been the optimistic one, hence why I went through with the car... (I guess after all these years she realizes my hobby is here to stay, and this is the heart of the hobby.)


I have some work cut out for me, no doubt.
Its been getting "some" maintenance throughout the years, last registration was in 98, and it spent the majority of its life in a garage, so it was somewhat taken care of.
Its not a junker, but the last few years might have been the worst, 5-10 could have been spent outside.

The motor though... Do I have only 10k more miles out of it? Could I reach 60k, or 100k? I know sitting is bad for rotaries.... But this will be my first experience with just "how bad".


I've known about this car for YEARS... I always asked him for it, and I finally got it. Here are some photos Ive had for a few years now... Car is not this good now, faded paint, and the dented fender.

Evil Aviator

LOL, I know a few conservatives like that, so that makes sense.

You will not know the condition until you open it up. Since you are basically broke right now, you could try cranking it and see what happens. Sometimes the rotor seals unstick on their own. If it seems to run OK, then you could change out the coolant and oil/filter and see how it goes. If this is your daily driver, I would recommend at least changing all the belts, hoses, fluids, filters, and the two oil filter pedestal o-rings, which you can do for about $500 in parts. If there is no internal corrosion, and the coolant and oil seals hold up, then the engine could last 150,000 miles.

Do you know what dry rot looks like? Bad tires can kill you, so be sure to check for dry rot.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5630050_tell-tires-dry-rot.html

Also check the metal fuel and brake lines that run under the car. I have seen many FCs with corroded lines. The rubber fuel lines usually show cracks in the bends when they need replacing.

turboIIrotary

iTrader: (9)

who knows how long your engine is going to last but i bet your coolant seals are going to go first because of coolant sitting in the engine.