fc3sdrifting

heres a little backgroud info that might help you answer my questions...im 17. no job. no money. i fell in love with the 2nd generation rx-7 and i almost have my parents convinced to buy one for me for around $4000ish. then i could get a job and pay it off and have at least $4000 by the time i go to college.

im having trouble finding one in my area with a rebuilt or new engine. i cant buy one with over 125,000 miles on it cause i need a reliable car.

so heres my question. if i bought an n/a with over 100,000 miles on it, how much would it cost to replace/rebuild parts to make it last longer? and ive never worked on a car before, but i have to start somewhere and i know a lot of the basics. i could probably figure a lot of stuff out if i had a manual.

should i go ahead an buy one with a lot of miles and try to rebuild or should i wait till i find one in good condition with a lot of life left in it from the start?

anyone whose rebuilt one of these engines, let me know of all the parts you have to buy/replace and how much total it costs and total hours spent.

Drifter101

Got search?

13bpower

Get one with a rebuilt engine. You will be much happier.

Learn about the car for a few years befor you ever try to rebuild an engine.

fc3sdrifting

i found this video. http://rotaryresources.com/modules.p...viewitem&id=20
would this be helpful. mabey if i watch it i can see if a rebuild is something i woud want to do.

go search? been doing that for over a month. i found a couple but they got sold right away and a lot of them are a couple hundred miles away.

Mr. Gadget

Your answers are in here,

rebuilding Budget

Drifter101

I ment for the estimated costs in rebuilding one, sorry if it came across harshly i didnt mean it to

Mr. Gadget

I saved him the trouble click on the link above. I broke it down awhile ago form the eyes of a rookie to include a tool list (beyond normalm hand tools).

fc3sdrifting

oh ok. just a little misunderstanding. no harm done. thanks for all the help you guys and the links look helpful

fc3sdrifting

how about the parts package things on this site...
http://rotaryresources.com/modules.p...e=viewcat&id=1

would that be cheaper to buy it that way? and does it come with everything i would need?

they are located near where i live so that would help

13bpower

It would probably be a good idea to get a rebuild video and see what you are up against, like you mention here. Only you know your own mechanical abilities.

dag

For 4 grand you can find a TII in damned good shape, you've just got to look, be patient, and possibly be willing to travel a little bit of a distance.

-David Guy

13bpower

This is very true in most places. What alot of people don't realize is that there are very few TII's in many parts of the country. I see about 2 for sale a year (on autotrader) within 300 miles of where I live.

But, just keep on looking. Mine was in sorry condition when I got it. I didn't have the option of being picky though, a TII is a TII.

Storm

fyi... the Turbo does not last as long as the N/A so u might consider that when you buy. Turbo is just a whole lot more fun =P

175-200,000 miles on a well maintained N/A
125-175,000 on a Turbo

or so I have read

and if you have no job, no money, no experiance with motor rebuilding then I wouldnt get into rebuilding a motor until you can afford mistakes and have a second car to use while your rebuilding it.

just my 2 cents

NOLARX-7

I think I would leave rebuilding a rotary to someone who has done it a few times. It's not like rebuilding a small block chevy or something. Buy a well maintained car, and when the engine goes, spring for a rebuilt one.

FWIW, my bud just bought a good turboII, and we flew to Wisconsin to pick it up. We live in New Orleans, LA. So, you might have to travel a bit to find a good car.

I feel the average lifespan of rotaries to be 125k. I say average. I'm sure there are exceptions, but this is the trend I have noticed.

Buy a nice car w/no rust (watch out for sunroofs) and a decent to nice interior that runs good. Drive it and maintain it and enjoy. When the engine goes, get a rebuild and drive it another 125k...

86GXL

$4000!!!! Why not just buy a car with a blown motor and just buy a whole new damn motor?? You've got enough money to do that. I picked my 86 up for $1500 off a car lot with 158,000 miles and i'm only 17. I worked long and hard at mcdonalds to get that car. Consider yourself lucky that your parents are willing to spend that much money. My $.02 is buy a car that has a nice body and nice interior with a blown motor for cheap and just drop a brand new motor in it.

RETed

How about you get a job first and then save up and get the car after you get the money? You're young; you got the rest of your life in front of you. I know it's hard to resist the chance to own a vehicle, but you're not in the best situation to be owning an FC; the FC is going to be a royal pain to fix and maintain, so you need serious amounts of money JUST IN CASE something goes wrong. If you don't, you'll end up with a junked vehicle that's going to be a royal pain in the *** to keep.

If you're that dedicated to getting one, then by all means go for it...

-Ted

fc3sdrifting

that was the idea, i probably forget to mention it. im still not sure if my parents are gonna buy it but i have to find one first. im thinking now im just gonna wait till i find one in good condition that doesnt need rebuilding right away. i cant get a job first except for a weekend job cause i dont have any way to get there.

if i cant find one like that then how much would it cost to buy a new motor and have it installed. i would buy one with a blown motor for about $1500 like you said.