How to value your FD
06-11-21, 08:20 AM
#3852
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: https://www2.mazda.com/en/100th/
Posts: 30,831
Received 2,597 Likes
on
1,845 Posts
he pulled his FD apart to do a 3 rotor (in like 1998! and ended up selling the engine to RETed) and then decided to go V8, with like an LT-1 (this was early 2000's), and then LS1 and then something else. it was quite clear he was just polishing stuff in the garage (which is 100% fine) although he kept up the "i'm going to be faster/better soon" stuff and then sold the car.
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...t-level-27712/
06-11-21, 08:29 AM
#3853
RX-7 Bad Ass
iTrader: (55)
Jim LaBreck. Not only did he do a lot of trolling, he could type insanely fast and was all over the forum.
Dale
Dale
The following 3 users liked this post by DaleClark:
06-11-21, 11:52 AM
#3854
The next, next generation
I think we are all used to, by now, passing by high schools and getting high fives.
The other day I decided to walk home from the bodyshop carrying my damaged 99 front bumper skin.
Passing through the park beside the elementary school behind my house, a crowd of kids ran up.
"Car! FD! FD! FD!"
How the heck?
I think I am going to have to go back to putting the car cover back on. These innocent kids strolling by my place on the way to school are observing more than I thought.
Someday they will be teenagers and I fear for my precious 99 parts!
I am pretty sure by the time i was in Grade 7, I could tell every car on the road by make and year and by shape of the smallest detail.
So I guess I should not have been surprised.
One of the first words my son spoke was "BMW".
The other day I decided to walk home from the bodyshop carrying my damaged 99 front bumper skin.
Passing through the park beside the elementary school behind my house, a crowd of kids ran up.
"Car! FD! FD! FD!"
How the heck?
I think I am going to have to go back to putting the car cover back on. These innocent kids strolling by my place on the way to school are observing more than I thought.
Someday they will be teenagers and I fear for my precious 99 parts!
I am pretty sure by the time i was in Grade 7, I could tell every car on the road by make and year and by shape of the smallest detail.
So I guess I should not have been surprised.
One of the first words my son spoke was "BMW".
Last edited by Redbul; 06-11-21 at 12:12 PM. Reason: added info.
The following 4 users liked this post by Redbul:
06-11-21, 12:15 PM
#3855
The Ancient
Yeah. JimLab was a pain in the *** and was convinced he was smarter than everyone else. And, he was pretty smart. He was an early Microsoft product manager, I believe. I bought a set of his bushings back in the day and they broke several of my teeth. You had to drill holes in them and lubricate them often and they squealed like hell in ordinary driving.
06-11-21, 12:33 PM
#3856
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
iTrader: (4)
Yeah. JimLab was a pain in the *** and was convinced he was smarter than everyone else. And, he was pretty smart. He was an early Microsoft product manager, I believe. I bought a set of his bushings back in the day and they broke several of my teeth. You had to drill holes in them and lubricate them often and they squealed like hell in ordinary driving.
True, they did make the car move immediately!! But it also increased its harshness by a fair margin. Only after 2 months or so, the car sounded as if it was from the 20's or 30's. Squeaked like crazy! Eventually I caved and got myself some mazdaspeed bushings instead. I lost a bit of directness and instantaneous response, but the quiet ride and more give in inputs certainly made up for it.
I was actually stunned I was able to sell those things. Despite my severe warnings to the next person... I wonder if they're still running those things?? lol
The only ones that haven't caused me grief and has added a nice dose of gear whine is the differential bushings. Those are the only ones I still run on the car... practically forgot about them until now... lol
The following users liked this post:
gmonsen (06-11-21)
06-11-21, 12:47 PM
#3857
Search! there are some pretty epic old threads (i couldn't find) where Jimlab gets into it with people like BATMAN or there was this kid Joe something, or actually anyone. weird combo of abrasiveness and knowledge
he pulled his FD apart to do a 3 rotor (in like 1998! and ended up selling the engine to RETed) and then decided to go V8, with like an LT-1 (this was early 2000's), and then LS1 and then something else. it was quite clear he was just polishing stuff in the garage (which is 100% fine) although he kept up the "i'm going to be faster/better soon" stuff and then sold the car.
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...t-level-27712/
he pulled his FD apart to do a 3 rotor (in like 1998! and ended up selling the engine to RETed) and then decided to go V8, with like an LT-1 (this was early 2000's), and then LS1 and then something else. it was quite clear he was just polishing stuff in the garage (which is 100% fine) although he kept up the "i'm going to be faster/better soon" stuff and then sold the car.
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...t-level-27712/
06-11-21, 02:24 PM
#3858
BATMAN? Good lord. He was a character. Remember how crazy the lounge was?
I’ve been on this forum for nearly 20 years…this is a new account. Also joined when I was a teenager.
I got my first FD in 2020. I definitely had misty eyes as well. Some say my allergies were bothering me…
I’ve been on this forum for nearly 20 years…this is a new account. Also joined when I was a teenager.
I got my first FD in 2020. I definitely had misty eyes as well. Some say my allergies were bothering me…
The following users liked this post:
j9fd3s (06-12-21)
06-12-21, 08:23 AM
#3863
I feel like Most of La Breck's intimidation factor dissolved when we found out he worked on Windows Vista.
He is my archetypal example for not letting your project become (or escalate) so ambitious that it can't be finished. He couldn't ever make progress because some new technology or product would come out that rendered whatever he had less than the state of the art. Then it was rinse and repeat.
They said he was pretty smart and knowledgeable.
He is my archetypal example for not letting your project become (or escalate) so ambitious that it can't be finished. He couldn't ever make progress because some new technology or product would come out that rendered whatever he had less than the state of the art. Then it was rinse and repeat.
They said he was pretty smart and knowledgeable.
The following 3 users liked this post by ptrhahn:
06-12-21, 09:52 AM
#3864
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: https://www2.mazda.com/en/100th/
Posts: 30,831
Received 2,597 Likes
on
1,845 Posts
He is my archetypal example for not letting your project become (or escalate) so ambitious that it can't be finished. He couldn't ever make progress because some new technology or product would come out that rendered whatever he had less than the state of the art. Then it was rinse and repeat..
06-12-21, 09:55 AM
#3865
The Ancient
I feel like Most of La Breck's intimidation factor dissolved when we found out he worked on Windows Vista.
He is my archetypal example for not letting your project become (or escalate) so ambitious that it can't be finished. He couldn't ever make progress because some new technology or product would come out that rendered whatever he had less than the state of the art. Then it was rinse and repeat.
They said he was pretty smart and knowledgeable.
He is my archetypal example for not letting your project become (or escalate) so ambitious that it can't be finished. He couldn't ever make progress because some new technology or product would come out that rendered whatever he had less than the state of the art. Then it was rinse and repeat.
They said he was pretty smart and knowledgeable.
The following users liked this post:
Carlos Iglesias (07-02-21)
06-12-21, 02:16 PM
#3868
Senior Member
06-12-21, 03:28 PM
#3869
If it's really clean it should clear 40 easily. You need to assess condition realistically, but if you think it's exceptional I wouldn't set the reserve below 35 or 36. I have way more miles on mine (136K) than you and I wouldn't take less than that for mine, not that I'm selling
You're gold, brougham.
The following users liked this post:
gmonsen (06-12-21)
The following 9 users liked this post by j a r o d:
94 R2 (06-13-21),
DaleClark (06-14-21),
Fritz Flynn (06-14-21),
gmonsen (06-13-21),
moconnor (06-12-21),
and 4 others liked this post.
06-13-21, 09:22 AM
#3872
The Ancient
Great dog. Is he Brilliant Black?
The following 8 users liked this post by gmonsen:
blk91fc3s (06-22-21),
DaleClark (06-14-21),
David Hayes (06-13-21),
j a r o d (06-13-21),
Neo (06-13-21),
and 3 others liked this post.
The following users liked this post:
blk91fc3s (06-22-21)
06-14-21, 09:13 AM
#3874
That's why it took me 20+ years to buy an FD.
I was 8 years old when I first saw an FD and I knew I had to have one. By 13-14, I was one of the most active on this forum while it was still in its infancy. I consumed as much content and knowledge available at the time. I was obsessed. By 16 in the early 2000s, after looking at as many as possible locally and seeing complete and utter POS after POS...the dream started to fade. I accepted the fact that an FD was just not a suitable or realistic car for a 16 year-old with no experience wrenching on cars, even though I was well resourced. I realized finding a clean FD, let alone an SSM R2 that I wanted, would require a national search, and that just wasn't in the cards at 16. I was devastated beyond a level I'm comfortable to admit. Then my arch nemesis jimlab paid to have me booted off here and the rest is history.
Fast forward to early 2018, and after a conversation with my brother who just had a baby who is unlikely to experience what "real sports cars" are like by the time he's driving age...it hit me. Hard. I have the money, time, and space for a garage queen, and it will be an FD. When I set out to search for the cleanest 94-95 SSM, VR, or CW FD available, I was expecting it to take months. It took 15 minutes and I wired the money that day. Two weeks later, some say there was a grown man bawling his eyes out watching his SSM R2 being unloaded off a truck.
I'm glad I didn't get one off Autotrader or Craigslist at 16. I'm glad so many FDs are junk. If it were any different, my experience would not be the same and it's unlikely I'd have one now.
I was 8 years old when I first saw an FD and I knew I had to have one. By 13-14, I was one of the most active on this forum while it was still in its infancy. I consumed as much content and knowledge available at the time. I was obsessed. By 16 in the early 2000s, after looking at as many as possible locally and seeing complete and utter POS after POS...the dream started to fade. I accepted the fact that an FD was just not a suitable or realistic car for a 16 year-old with no experience wrenching on cars, even though I was well resourced. I realized finding a clean FD, let alone an SSM R2 that I wanted, would require a national search, and that just wasn't in the cards at 16. I was devastated beyond a level I'm comfortable to admit. Then my arch nemesis jimlab paid to have me booted off here and the rest is history.
Fast forward to early 2018, and after a conversation with my brother who just had a baby who is unlikely to experience what "real sports cars" are like by the time he's driving age...it hit me. Hard. I have the money, time, and space for a garage queen, and it will be an FD. When I set out to search for the cleanest 94-95 SSM, VR, or CW FD available, I was expecting it to take months. It took 15 minutes and I wired the money that day. Two weeks later, some say there was a grown man bawling his eyes out watching his SSM R2 being unloaded off a truck.
I'm glad I didn't get one off Autotrader or Craigslist at 16. I'm glad so many FDs are junk. If it were any different, my experience would not be the same and it's unlikely I'd have one now.
Back around 2007 I tried to trade a guy my Grand National for a silver FD. He said nope! Cash only, so I walked away. I had a toddler, it would have been my daily, and I was on more or less a shoe string budget. Phew.
I was careful to go the cheaper route in 2010, and bought a Miata that I supercharged. Around 2015 or so, I was bored with the Miata and Rotoritis was flaring again. I justified it as not worth the increase in cost, as the smiles per gallon wouldn't go up enough. I would have bought a 15-20k driver, and probably been happy but would have gotten tired of replacing things.
I'd "accidently" been spending time on BaT and watched one of the startup/drive videos...full blown Rotoritis. COVID happened, and I threw some money at the market to give me some cushion when I found one. Bought a 20,000km RHD model in September and have loved the thing. It's definitely not my daily, which makes it so much better. If I'd bought a less perfect example I'm sure I would have sold it by now (those previous attempts at purchase)
The following 7 users liked this post by Redbul:
blk91fc3s (06-22-21),
bossbattleRX7 (06-15-21),
gmonsen (06-14-21),
HiWire (06-14-21),
j9fd3s (06-15-21),
and 2 others liked this post.