Ring Steel

Found a black base model (cloth seats, no sunroof, no rear wiper) for sale with motor problems. The kid says that the hose going to the AST tank busted and it got hot, so he killed it... and it wouldn't start back up. Supposedly it turns over but doesn't start (I'll bring a set of jumper cables when I go back to see for myself). I am assuming that it needs a rebuild on the engine from the overheating, and I can't check the tranny condition or the turbo condition without the motor running, so I am assuming that both of those need work as well.

What would you offer the guy for the car?

Any thoughts on why it won't start? Just need to know where to start the diagnosis if I buy it.

Thanks,
Ring Steel

P.S. I can hear my silver 3G growling already about possibly having to share garage room with another 3G. LOL, kinda like a woman. :-)

Zoomspeed

If the hose to the AST broke and it overheated then jumper cables are definatly not going to get it started. If it overheated it probably warped the housings and coked the coolant seals. That, I think, leads to low compression, and I'm guessing thats why the engine wont start. The only fix fir this si a rebuild.

RotaryKnight

Damn I'll buy it if you dont want it. I'm lookin for a new FD either R1 R2 or base to be my next toy since my last one was stolen.

Zoom is right sounds like the housings are warped.....that means new motor not just a rebuild. You can't fix the housings if they are warp.

Zoomspeed

could you have them machined instead of getting a new motor?

Oh and as for price, maybe 7-10k? maybe?

lane_change

iTrader: (20)

I wouldn't give any more than $8k for it. The loan value on a 93 RX7 is like $11k or something. You'll never find one that cheap w/o problems but if you figure on putting between $5-7k in fixing this one then it's about right. How many miles does the car itself have on it?

dzungh

Offer no more than $6000. Play it off that you can't do the work and that someone else needs to do it. Engine rebuilds cost around $3000-$3500. That doesn't include turbos. Sometimes, it's more of a hassle and you might be better off buying one with a good engine.

Nathan Kwok

This always comes up and I always ask the same question: how does the paint look? The interior? The rest of the engine? If the rest of the car is mint, its worth $11k for sure, but its not often you'll find an otherwise mint car that the owner can't afford to fix. So it all boils down to that. Poor paint costs as much to fix as a bad motor. The rebuild is gonna cost some bucks too, new rotor housings are expensive, but it'll run like new.

black99

Yeah also how many miles on the chassis? that matters too, but play it cool and I probably wouln't pay more than about 6k either. Base with cloth?? Hmm.. Don't base's come with leather only? Mine did... No matter if it was originally leather interior or not, the important part is it's got the nicer(in my opinion) cloth seats..

RotaryKnight

Base comes with cool cloth seats. Hell if the car has low miles on the chassie i'll buy it. I don't care about the paint since I am repainting the whole car and putting the KS flare kit on.

HELP I need to find a cheap dead FD to start all over again. Built one and it's gone at least I'll be able to build a new one better and within a short amount of time.

lane_change

iTrader: (20)

Hey RK. did you ever find those ******** or any of your parts? There are some rebuildable ones on ebay right now. I have no idea what they are reserved at but but neither seem in too bad of shape. Leather sucks, go for cloth or suede. They seem to grip you better.

RotaryKnight

Lane- Nothing yet. I think I saw the ones on Ebay but with the damage they have I don't want a salvaged one. I could always rebuild my chassie but I want a clean title.

The ones on Ebay had frame damage too so......tryin to stay away from that.

Thanks though

lane_change

iTrader: (20)

Can't blame you for that. Salvage titles almost always end up being more work than there worth. When the structural integrity of a car has been damaged, you just never know what you get. Well, I'll keep an eye out for a deal.

Ring Steel

Thanks for all the replies.
I looked at the car last night, but the owner wasn't there and I didn't have a key (so couldn't see the miles on the od). The engine looks totally stock, still has the precat, some oil leaks on the drivers side of the engine. The interior looked awesome, really clean. The exterior has been repainted, and it wasn't a first class paint job, but I would have to spend a whole day washing it and detailing it b4 I can see how bad it is.

After I find out the miles I will decide what to offer the guy. Right now I am thinking 5500 or so. I mainly want the car because my 3G is a touring and the sunroof cuts into my headroom, so I have to tilt my head to wear a helmet at the track... and that SUCKS!

Thanks again for all the help guys. I'll keep ya posted, and pass along the info in case I decide to pass on the deal.

Ring Steel