Hi, so I have a good deal on a 4 rotor from an old racer who used to work for Mazda. I am getting a crazy deal on it and am in the process of porting it and rebuilding it for placement in my 1993 r7. I was wondering where the value would be placed at, with all other components, such as, bumpers, hood, fenders, suspension, wheels, and exhaust being modified. Everything is extremely high quality and from reputable companies, so how much cash would I be looking at if I were to sell?

 

So are you asking how much to build your car to accommodate the 4 rotor, or how much could you sell the car with the 4 rotor for?

The first will be a TON of money, the second will be far less than you would think.

Dale

 

I've got the building part and costs covered. I am a mechanic myself so I understand all costs that will go with such an extensive engine swap. What I am wondering is the going price for 4 rotor swapped FDs.

 

To piggy back off of what Dale is saying, I've looked into doing a 3 rotor on my car and the price is pretty substantial...which is of course nowhere near as much as a 4 -rotor. The money spent chopping that car to bits to accommodate a 4-rotor will never be seen again, and I can't imagine a 4-rotor car would have a huge market. Cool factor? 1000. Market value? Not what it cost you to get there.

 

Okay, I have a better understanding of your question now. To my knowledge (which is not very extensive, but I have been watching the rotary community for over a decade), there are less than 15 4-rotor FDs in North America. The market value of 4-rotor FDs is pretty unknown unless you get in contact with someone who has sold one, or you and your perspective customer agree on a price. Its not exactly like checking KBB for current values on a Toyota Camry, if you see what I'm saying.

 

Yea that's why I haven't been able to find much info on it. Theres simply not enough sale volume to come with a common price. Ive found two examples, David Mezzei sold his 4 rotor on ebay for 300k+ and I saw another one go for around 85k. I have got the price of the actual swap down, Im here to ask the long time people who may have seen them sell or maybe heard of more examples of these cars being traded around. It also may be a mazda built r26b so I dont know how that'll affect the price either.

 

I think the big thing here is marketing. David Mazzei was able to command a high price because he had a Youtube channel that documented the car and a build thread here that showed the entire build front to back. The hard part with selling any severely modified car is being able to prove the work was done well and right and that the end product is as reliable and turn-key as possible.

All that said you would probably be money and time ahead just getting the car clean and running near-stock unless it's a hacked up car that could never feasibly returned to near stock. Even with all the money that David Mazzei got for his car if you look at the hours of work that went into it it's probably not that much for an hourly figure. I know he damn near spent every waking moment on that car, that's also why he got through the project relatively quickly.

All that to say if you can get hype around the car you could make more. Just listing a 4-rotor for sale of unknown origin (in other words not from some major shop or known builder/tuner) you may not get what you are hoping to get. And there's just no way to know for certain what kind of price you could command.

Dale

 

You should find a buyer first, and build the car for them. So many choices to be made, and your choices will not be the same as anyone else. I wouldn't build it with the hope to make money on the sale

 

Dale makes a great point (as he often does). If you're willing to document every single second of time you spend on that car in a build thread, you may be able to make some money. Either way, I highly doubt you'll be able to make a profit from it. From what I saw, David built that car because he actually enjoyed it. He spoke with enthusiasm and you could tell he truly enjoyed the entire process of building that car. I'm not sure I'd be willing to embark on such a journey for a dollar...but to each their own.

 

Normally I wouldn't comment on this subject, but since you are looking to gauge a market, it seems pertinent. The car did not sell for over $300K (nor did it sell on ebay).

 

I actually wasn't going to comment on that, but he definitely did not sell it on eBay. That car was sold to a very well known car collector..he has an entire video introducing the fella. See below.