Hello all,
I've been primarily an FB guy with a dip into the FC world but I've always wanted to complete my collection with a Montego Blue FD. It would be a 3 season daily and I'm looking for as close to stock as possible. Most of the stockish ones I've seen are lower mileage and I don't know what to expect if I get one of those and I start driving it regularly. In most cases car like that will start breaking once they get driven. I'm not sure how true that is with FDs. I'm also looking for what common problems they might have so I can price shop accordingly. Any suggestions about what to look for would be appreciated. As a flyover country resident I know I will most likely have to travel to get one so I need as much knowledge as possible before buying on that's 2000 miles away. Thanks for any help and I hope to be spending more time in this part of the forum soon.

 

Well you're in luck. The Montego Blue is one of the least desirable color for FD's so you won't pay a premium for a color. Though I must say when the paint is in good condition the MB cars are beautiful.

This is all IMO of course.

• Get the car you want. Don't get something that you think would do for the time being. Trust me that itch will only get stronger and you will never be happy. Let's say you really want a stick but settle for an auto, you will be itching for that manual and you'll never be happy until you either convert it or get a different car. Just save yourself time and grief by starting right from the get go.
• Get a 94 or 95 as they have dual airbags, the plastic interior doesn't flake off, it doesn't have that weird passenger seat belt mismatch. Also in the 94/95 the tan option is only tan seats with a tan carpet unlike the 93 where the cabin is mostly tan (but that's a personal preference of course)
• Reliability upgrades are fine. Which includes upgrading the radiator (ends tanks tend to crack), AST upgrade or delete (also tends to crack), and a DP that removes that pesky pre-cat that has the tendency to clog/fall apart from the inside.
• A tell tale sign of how well a car was taken care of is by the condition of the engine. If the engine bay is meticulous it is a great sign that the rest of the car was well taken cared of too. Meticulous being in not only clean all over but the plastics in the engine bay are black as well (none of that green hue)
• No matter what most people say, these cars are quite reliable if you leave them alone (minus reliability mods). What I mean is that it it is usually us, the owners that change something and end up screwing up the car. But in my experience the stock twins start to go bad at around 80K miles. They aren't really rebuildable, well they are but they don't last long after being rebuilt. So if they go bad it's just better to bite the bullet and purchase new.
• Most people complain of the 72 vacuum hoses that it takes to properly have a sequential turbo system. As due to heat they eventually crack and cause you headaches. So if they get old and brittle, it is best to just go in there and replace them with silicone hoses.

Anyway that's all I can think of for now

 

FYI unlike the other generation forums, the FAQ thread here is actually pretty good and filled with a lot of info. Take a look.
Montego did give some good info to get you started.

 

What's your budget?

 

$25-30k but I'm willing to go higher for the right car.

 

Get the cleanest body you can find. The mechanical bits will be a landmine of unknowns anyway, but it gets expensive to un-rice something. You can get a compression test in advance of course, but I think in general you're going to be fixing a bunch of mechanical stuff regardless because these cars are old now. A terrible paint job or something might be something you're stuck living with unless you're willing to spend $10k, and might also require new body panels and repairs, while a blown motor is relatively straightforward to assess.

 

That's about what'll take (closer to $30 for a good/clean example), but just have to be patient for the right one

Things i would want.
- No body rust (undercarriage surface rust is ok if it's not excessive)
- Little to no mods (unless they are one's i would do and they are done right)
- All interior plastics are present and accounted for
- Starts hot
- Normal boost pattern (10-7-10)
- Clean body and paint (minor dings can be removed)

Even better
- 94/95 model year
- Good compression (above 100)
- Receipts for upgrades to wear items (i.e. rubber)

My advice is to find one that you want and pass over ones that will need work to get where you want. You can spend a lot of money on these cars very quickly

 

An FD with a clean/all present interior, good paint and body, and generally runs OK is my #1. Next you want to figure out what colors you can live with and whether or not you want a sunroof.

Minor mechanical issues (bad boost pattern, minor oil leaks) I wouldn't sweat too hard.

It's also REALLY hard to find a car that hasn't been modified at least a bit. Figure out what are good mods, what are cheap/crappy mods (Ebay parts, "weight savings" by ripping out half the car, hacked up wiring) and determine what you can live with.

Dale

 

Thanks for all of the advice. I have a couple cars in my sights already. I don't need the car now as I have other vehicles so I can wait for the right one. I definitely want a Montego Blue one. The only other colors I would consider are SSM and CW but I've always liked the blue. Hopefully I can spend more time in this section in the near future. My first experience in a rotary vehicle was in a friends FD about 20 years ago and I've wanted one ever since but family took precedence. I've had several FBs and an FC in the meantime. I still have the first FB I ever bought back in 2002. I have parts of the rest of them in my garage. Now that my son is away in college I have more time and money to devote to this pursuit. It will be just a driver. My FB is setup for SCCA rallycross and I also own a Miata I autocross in CSP so I have an outlet for my speed addiction once we get let back out on the courses.

 

Please don't confuse wants with needs. Cars are definitely in the need category

I've owned all three gens. I really liked the FB. The FC (NA) seemed somewhat underpowered (and it was an auto ). The FD is in a whole other league. Stock, it is a great touring sports car. Modified it's a beast. An early turbo 911 might compare, but i can't think of another car that could.

 

I found it. Went and picked it up over the weekend. It's a '93 Touring with just under 24k miles. Thanks for all of the advice.

 

Wow that's a gorgeous car! Good luck with it!

Dale

 

Congrats!

 

Aw so sweet, hopefully I'll be next.. I'm looking at one near by that is exactly what I intend to own, also would be nice to get an idea about price. Someone is offering an 94 for 31k, steep for a 94 to me, with low miles, something like, 70000mi.
What do you guys think?