Hey guys. I have found a quite nice FD, and am really considering buying it.

It is a bit of a distance away from where I live so I wanted to get some good backup for the car before going to see it.

Here are the details:

1992 type R
white
grey/black interior
17" OZ wheels
5 speed
suspension+exhaust+steering wheel and shifter
80,000 kms
practically stock

I am told the only things wrong with the car is the paint has a bit of clearcoat fade and a small vaccum leak.

Here are some pics





Now I want to know if there is anything you guys can see that I might not see/recognize thats not good. Or just what you think...Yay or Nay?


AS WELL:
I have looked and maybe I am handicap, but there is a TON of info on HOW to rebuild a rotary, but no info on WHEN it needs to be done, or signs of the engine needing a rebuild. Could anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks

 

From the pics - outside - some knocks but looks good to me
interior - missing shift ****, ridiculous blue carpet, ashtray missing
engine bay - looks really stock (good thing), AST isn't like one I've seen before

Rebuilds can for different reasons but the two biggies are: Blown apex seal (caused by detonation and seen by poor compression) and fried coolant seals (seen by excessive white smoke, bubbling during champagne test, etc). You rebuild when it needs it, unless you've got money burning a hole in your pocket and you think it's going to go. That means 120k+ miles for some and 2k for others.

 

It's stock, just green. When they turn green, it's usually a sign that they are ready to crap out any day, so I'd advise doing an AST delete or buying an aluminum one before you even pick up the car.

OP, if that's original paint, it doesn't have clearcoat. Factory 92-93s were single stage paint. Hit it with some polish and an orbital, it should bring the shine back up. If you don't know how to use an orbital, take it to be detailed professionally(not Jim and Jack ***' car wash down the street). Better to pay someone to fix it than to burn the paint yourself.

 

I doubt it's the original paint since the engine bay is MB.

 

you know, if I'd open my eyes sometimes, I wouldn't be constantly making an *** of myself

 

Well I didn't recognize a stock AST only because of the drastic color change. duh.

To OP, I don't know how familiar you are with FDs but here's a link to some good test drive info.

http://www.rx7.org/Robinette/buyaused.htm

Also I wouldn't even make the trip without seeing some compression test numbers first.

 

I would just be cautious about a "small" vacuum leak. That could mean anything...

Also, request a compression test. That will give you a better idea of how strong the engine is.

A very good point made about the paint job. Do you want an engine bay that doesn't match the rest of the car?

Good luck,

Charlie