I'm in a bit of a predicament as to what to do guys. http://nh.craigslist.org/car/346348496.html
I present to you the car of choice i am willing to buy The interior is pretty shitty, ripped up leather sits, stained floors, and it has around 130k miles on the engine, non rebuilt. Would 2800 be a reasonable price for this, and what am i looking in common repairs for this car around this mileage? Thanks!

 

Please, any one of your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Ehh I wouldent drop 2.8k on it personally.

 

Personally, I wouldn't do it just because its not in great shape and you don't know the condition of the engine. If you have the money and want a fixer-upper, then you can get it as long as you verify the is in good mechanical condition. Start it up from a cold start. Is there any smoke? What color? What are the compression numbers? Any rust?, etc.
There is a great buying guide on www.aaroncake.net that you need to read.

 

you could prbobly talk him down to 2400 imo

 

I wouldn't drop more than 2k for that thing.

 

1400 got me one witha turbo II swap already.

 

i wouldn't drop $ 0.00 for the fact its convertible.
thats just my opinion.

 

if it were me no, never really liked the convert look thats just me though, but if you'd really want it, try and talk him down to about 25-2300? on a side note, its the heaviest model right??

 

i got an S4 'vert in decent mechanical shape, but with the torn leather seats and paint fading for $1900. Theres been a hell of a lot done to it at this point, but thats where its started. What sort of wheels are those on it?

 

I have a '91 vert. When it comes to comparing its performance to the coupe, the coupe will be better but the coupe is not a convertible so it looses out on the enjoyment and value side of things. If you wanted to talk performance than you can't even consider a coupe because you should just go straight to the Turbo model. If you want to autocross then the coupe would be a descent choice depending on what class you want to run in.

The convertible will have a high resale price during the spring/summer if it is fixed up to original condition. You need to look at what you are going to need to put into the car to get it into shape. The tops are expensive and a chore to replace. As for common repairs there are alot of them and I couldn't imagine being able to afford to be able to pay someone else to do it especially since a lot of it will probally send you to the dealer which still won't guarantee they even have someone who knows what they are doing on these cars. If you do not do the work yourself then I would only consider it if there is an RX-7 speciallist near you somewhere.

The carpet can probally be steam cleaned but it is probally stained because the top was left down in the rain which is what happens to convertibles. This can lead to rust and electrical problems which the RX-7 is prone to anyway. You can look at spending $600-$1000 on having the seats replaced. I bought my car for $1500 from a friend and a belt snapped and it broke down on me 2 miles from where I bought it. The car can get about $7,000 fixed up during the summer but is probally worth about $3500 so far.

 

di give 1500 max.

 

The interior is no big deal, you can get a aftermarket carpet kit for around $120 and a set of seats for around the $300 mark. The seats won't be top of the line, but they do what they have to do. You will have to be willing to do the work yourself, which isn't all that difficult. Plus, it would be beneficial to pull the carpet to look for any rust on the floors, it happens because it's a vert.

The top looks to be in decent shape with no rips visible which is a plus($500-1000). The clutch has just been replaced, so that's saving you $500 in repairs. The body doesn't look to be in bad shape, but pictures can be deceiving.

The only thing you really have to worry about is the engine. Before you start the car, check the coolant levels and pull the dip stick for the oil to see if there is a coolant leak, start it cold to see if there is any smoke or any irractic behavior in the motor.

I paid $900 for my '89 vert with 155K on the motor(runs great for that amount of mileage), but it needed a new top/interior/clutch and some new parts for the motor. After everything I did, I probably have about $2900 into it, so if the motor runs good, I'd offer around $1800/1900 for it and see what he/she says.

 

Theres also a group buy for new leather seating material going on now in the GB section if you want to try re-skinning whats there.

 

Personally I dont like the look of the fc verts, but if you want to get into a restoration program power to ya. Offer 2500.

 

Not worth it, if you want it in good condition again it will cost you a good chunk of change.