From what I've experienced, that's a 50/50 split. There have been those who were born into it and others who have scrounged every last penny to make it to where they are right now. Either way you look at it, people will always think it came easy. "greener on the other side" and what not.

I've worked pretty damn hard for what I have. Even then, it's nothing compared to some other people who were simply given things to them. Those are the people that really cook my bacon. Alas, it is what it is.

 

As someone born to a lower middle class family I’ll never understand disliking someone for being born with money. You don’t get to choose, it’s just the way it is.

 

The dislocations from the 2008/2009 fiscal stimulus are still washing over us. Wait to see what happens next. $100,000 FD are already a reality in other parts of the world.

 

There is literally nothing within the "must be nice...xyz." phrase that implies it came easy for someone. I've never understood why people were so put off by it. It's definitely nice to have the means, regardless of what it took to get it. The only implication within the phrase is that the speaker does not have the means; nothing for the receiver/listener/reader to be upset about.

 

well said.

 

It can be interpreted different ways of course, and a lot goes into inflection, the context it's said within, and the person saying the phrase to you.

But all too often it's a way of saying 'Man you're lucky, you get all of these nice things that you didn't really earn nor deserve. It must be nice!'

 

From Hoboes to Bentley convertible owners, I find the FD garners daily praise out on the street.

Makes you feel like 100 bucks!

How about that?

 

This article was an interesting read:

Classic car prices increasing more quickly than gold

Thoughts?

At the end of the article, it notes the potential for values to drop once a generation dies off.

I can say for a fact that there are countless teenagers who dream of owning an RX-7. I was one of those kids 20 years ago. I am shocked to see similar interest today, but it makes sense in the age of social media. At this rate, we may see another jump in demand 20 years from now. I’m sure we’ll still be posting in this thread then.

“Look—an RX-7 sold for 200,000…a BASE with tan interior!!”

Yep, I can’t go for a short drive without multiple thumbs ups. Gas station stops and red lights are also popular places for conversation.

 

I wonder how much of it is from the fact that NEW there just isn't that many interesting cars that aren't $100,000+ semi-exotics?

Using the inflation calculator, an FD would be around $65,000 new if sold today. Can you think of a car that's anywhere close to it for $65k? Maybe the new Corvette. But there's also something about a turbo car that responds SO well to mods.

Dale

 

Mainly because our cars are much lower than modern vehicles, not to mention smaller in dimensions all around. What really gets people with mine is the front and rear symbols. I love the Efini Emblem above all the emblems Mazda has used. I don't mind their current flying M, but for the FD, Efini is the way to go.
At first people think it's a made up emblem, but when they see that even the wheel caps come with the emblem, they start to ask if it's actually a real company. It's not until they get a peak at the rear of the car that they realize it's a Mazda. lol
The slew of questions come afterwards. Alot of people think it's a model they recently introduced. Thumbs up from anyone who's a gearhead/petrolhead both on 4 wheels and 2 is very common whenever I take her out to stretch her legs.
I imagine its going to become ever more frequent as time goes by. Before only a select group of people would acknowledge you. Nowadays, most people on the road either compliment you or get out of the way to clear the path.

 

I figure it must be the Initial D anime reruns people are watching during Covid. The recognition has jumped three fold.

 

Yes—there are a lot of kids (sub 20) who are watching Initial D for the first time. It has driven AE86, FC, and FD prices through the roof.

They aren’t buying the cars, but there are clearly plenty of 27-35 year olds who are buying the cars to relive their childhood dreams. Not faulting them. I’m in my early 30’s and first saw an FD in the Fast and the Furious!

 

When a stock LHD is not enough.

 

I take it to a few So Cal cars n coffee meets and it always grabs attention from all age groups but I was quite surprised to see how much the younger crowd (21 and younger) was genuinely "in awe" of the car. (Stock MB 93)

Pretty cool to see their interest and always cool to hear from the generation that bought a one new off the dealer lot. I'm in my late 30s wasn't attainable or practical when it came to purchasing my first or second car.

 

Yep-these cars attract as much attention as exotics at the local meets. Interest in these cars is higher than ever.

I bought an FD from a gentleman who owned the car since in the ‘90s. He is in his 70s now. It was very cool to hear his experiences with the car way back in the day.

 

Back in 1995 or so when I had my first FD, a good friend who was a Mazda mechanic had a red TurboII and I drove it quite a lot. Liked it a lot. Stock for stock a more comfortable GT car than the FD. Like you, would love to find a nice one. I was going to say reasonably priced, but no longer think that's reasonable.

 

I purchased a new Turbo II back in '87. Black with gray cloth interior. Back then power steering was an option, mine was unassisted and a bit heavy when parking. Got a deal on the car because I think they were having a hard time moving the non-power steering models. Loved that car and remembering thinking, at the age of 30, I had peaked in my car purchasing and would never have a car as great as that one again. Kind of a weird thought I suppose, looking back on it. And of course turned out not to be true when I purchased the FD in '93. What great cars they both were/are.....

 

Mazda was hitting home run after home run back then.

 

Not even at the price I paid at auction in Japan BEFORE I did all the upgrades!

Curious to see if there is any increase in interest as it gets closer to the end.

if anyone here is a potential buyer and has questions let me know!

 

Hardest thing about Ebay auctions is most of the time most of the bids happen in the last hour. I would also promote it on social media if possible as well to get some more eyeballs/talk about it.

Dale

 

Yep I’m trying to share it as much as I can on Facebook. I would really have liked to sell on BAT to get some decent discussion/commentary going. But they refused to list it claiming there are only interested in stock non modified cars going forward

 

These cars will continue to rise in price. They are all over youtube and many people are understanding that they are not unreliable. Fake news. I bought my FD in 1998 when I was 24 years old for 17k. I am the second owner and now I am 47 years old. My 13 year old son loves the car and when I no longer can drive it he will be the next owner. He is currently ripping it up racing professional gokarts so he is getting plenty of driving experience. He has gained my trust to drive the car already. I see these cars hitting 100k in less than 3 years.

 

Love it!

My neighbor’s kid (16 years old) was into Teslas until the FDs arrived. Now he is in love with RX-7s.

I also had a kid tell tell me his “dream” mod list for an FD RX-7. It included everything from the body panels to the AST. He couldn’t have been older than 14 years old.

You are correct about Youtube. These cars are all over social media and are more popular than ever. Prices probably still have quite a long way to go. In 10-15 years there will be a whole new generation of adults who will want their own piece of Japanese automotive history.

​​​​​​…..and we’ll still be here joking about how outdated the thread title is..

 

I think I'm confused about your BaT comments. They regularly auction off highly modified cars. I watch all the BMW auctions and there are usually as many modified cars as stock cars. I mean highly modified, like swapping in 3.5 liter 6's for 2 liter 4's. Are they simply not interested in Japanese imports that have been modified?

 

I’ve seen modified FDs as well, but these are extensive body modifications. They’re probably more concerned about that.