Hello,

I was hoping to get a good idea about a fair price on an fc I have my eye on. It’s a 91 T2, with apparently 78k on it and low compression on #2. I’m trying to see it in person this weekend but am told it’s all original and they are the second owner. I’ve tried to use edmunds nada etc to try and figure out if their asking price is fair or a little high. It’s $6k obo, I wasn’t sure if offering $3800 would be insulting based on the obvious rebuild required. I appreciate any advice or help you could offer.
Thank you
Bryan

 

There is no hard and fast etiquette involved in used car sales.
Offer what you think is a fair price and let the seller worry about his "feelings".
Worst case, he/she says no and you move on, no harm no foul.

 

It depends on how badly you want a 1991 TII.

Here's the BaT FC page:

https://bringatrailer.com/mazda/rx-7-fc/

Now, I know there's lots of problems with using BaT auctions here, namely, everything seems more expensive on BaT. However, it's a bunch of comps all in one place. A 50k mile clean 87 TII just went for over $14,000. But then a 10th AE went last year for $6,800.

I don't know that his asking price is that far out of line (tough to find clean S5 TIIs), but it sounds like it will need a rebuild soon and you won't know for certain what may need to be replaced until you break the engine open. If the car is in great shape other than low compression, I think anything between your price and his asking is probably a fine deal.

 

Yea good point of reference on the bat sales. I’ve been keeping an eye there and similar condition cars here in the classifieds for price guides. I appreciate the guidance..

 

Depends on how clean it is. Obviously you have to factor in the rebuild but if the car is not in the greatest condition besides the engine I think around 3-4k is a fair price. If its like showroom no rust , everything clean, no rips and everything else functioning then yeah 5-10k is what its prob worth.

 

The paint seemed ok definitely not 100% but could clean up well. Everything was there all trim, interior pieces not cracked, seats seemed to be swapped and some interior pieces were faded. 1 of the seats headrest was ripped and I didn’t see any rust which was a plus but certainly not worth 6k. On the other hand this year doesn’t pop up all that often in this sort of stock form. Thanks for confirming the price points/ vs condition.

 

yeah man try to get it for 3 then meet in the middle if he’s not happy . Negotiate. You will without a doubt be spending a lot of time and money on this and your time and money is valuable ! Make an itemized list with the prices for all of the things that need to be worked on and replaced and that’ll make your price seem much more reasonable.

 

I don't think I could see myself ever paying more than 4k for a suspect engine'd 2nd gen. Even if the paint and interior were completely flawless.