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How much is an FD worth? Am I crazy?

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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 07:18 PM
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Question How much is an FD worth? Am I crazy?

Just go an offer for a straight up trade for my '94 FD - 2003 350z Touring model with. 88k miles. Mine has about 113k miles (about 30,000 on a rebuilt engine), about $4-5,000 in mods and upgrades, has been professionally maintained since I bought it about two years ago and runs great. Rock solid idle, no smoke, boosts just like it's supposed to, etc. I have it listed for $14,950 on Auto Trader, Craigslist and his car is worth about $10,500 according to Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book. He tells me the FD is only worth about $8,700! I'm not stupid - I looked at what I paid for it, what I've put into it, what kind of shape it is in, etc. So, am I crazy???
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 07:27 PM
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i say your car is worth the 15k. f that though why trade a fd for a 350z pig. whats the point on that car anyways?
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 07:30 PM
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your mods depreciate the value....and if you dont have the receipt for the engine rebuild no way of proving engine was rebuilt. but also 8700 is really low....i wouldnt sell a fd in decent shape for less than 11-12k thats my 2 cents but then again....ive never owned one!!! O_o
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 07:36 PM
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He's lowballing the crap out of you. He needs to add at least another 4k. If you do a straight up trade, that means you are helping depreciate the cost of an FD. Keep the price high and firm.
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 07:36 PM
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The mods do not add any value. With fairly high miles, $10-$12k private party seems about right so I'm not surprised a dealer offered close to $9k.
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 07:47 PM
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Keep the opinions coming. I've bought and sold several cars in the past couple of years and I've found that if I start with a fair price and hold, it goes a lot more smoothly. I was assuming mods added value rather than depreciate the vehicle. Does it depend if they are cosmetic/body kit type mods or things like improved exhaust, intake, sound system, gauges, etc?
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 07:53 PM
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mods dont always drop a cars value. it all depends on how they are done and what they are.
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 07:54 PM
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Originally Posted by foaxaca
Keep the opinions coming. I've bought and sold several cars in the past couple of years and I've found that if I start with a fair price and hold, it goes a lot more smoothly. I was assuming mods added value rather than depreciate the vehicle. Does it depend if they are cosmetic/body kit type mods or things like improved exhaust, intake, sound system, gauges, etc?
I don't think they really depreciate a typical FD, though some people do put a premium on stock low mileage cars. However, apart from an LS1 or 20B, most mods add no value and you are better off stripping them off before selling.
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 08:01 PM
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a 93 in good shape with 113k miles can pull $13-15k easily. Though the market is soft right now, people are dropping their prices like crazy to try and sell.

However the cost of a mint, low mile FD is skyrocketing right now, those are selling for over $20k easily even in the crappy economy.

You'd be a fool to sell for less than $13k. Mods do not depreciate from the car, they just don't add value to the car(unless you make it a full out race car). FDs are not yet to the point, however they are approaching the point, where there is a huge demand for unmodified cars. Give it another 5-10 years and you'll see the prices start to take off, much like the old Shelbys and Yenkos.
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 08:20 PM
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definitly do not trade for that 350z,
you could even think about it like this
if a fd is 15 years old now, and its still worth 15k
a 2002-2004 350z is only 4-6 years old, and they only worth 10-20k
think about the future
also, fd is alot rarer and faster then the 350 :P
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 09:02 PM
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If the compression is good, there are minimal paint and body blemishes and everything is good relative to the interior, the car is worth $15,000 in my opinion. KBB or others don't have a clue about the value of the 3rd gen.

Some people will disagree, but mods should be viewed in two ways. Mods that add to the car's reliability - downpipe, AST, bushings, radiator, maybe even a properly tuned Power FC, lightweight clutch, etc. should add to the value of the car. That is for cars that will be driven because owners who intend on driving their cars will need to install those mods anyway, if they are smart. I would pay a small premium to save on labor relative to those mods. They shouldn't devalue the car unless you are selling to a collector who wants an untouched car.

Now collectors will view all that as a negative, but then for an 88,000 mile car, collectors aren't even going to look at it. They're going to want an untouched car with less than 30,000 miles on it.

I have a 94 with most of the above mods and I think about what I would need to buy to satisfy my sportscar cravings. I would need to spend much more to buy a 2004 Boxter S, 1998 Porsche 911, Ferrari GTB, etc. You couldn't touch any of those cars for much less than $25,000. The 3rd Gen RX-7 is in the same category, handling and speedwise. You want my RX-7? Pony up $25,000.
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 09:18 PM
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KBB or others don't have a clue about the value of the 3rd gen.
Yeh fck kbb


Don't trade it man, you might regret it. especially with someone with an ordinary car. What did you mean when He said that THE FD is worth $8k? is He referring to your FD or just FD in general? Unless your FD is crap then maybe it is worth 8K. idk. **** those cars, 350 sti evo, they're all crap. I see them right now out my window.. nothing special, just a box with extra hp. it's not just about the hp. keep the car if you don't really need to sell it and if you do I hope someone who'd really appreciate it buys it, not just some punk.

Let's see some pix of your car....

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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 09:44 PM
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I agree. I think that I just need to wait for the right buyer to show up who really appreciates what an FD is and is willing to pay a fair price. Right now (at least within 300 miles from where I live in So Cal) there are 5 other FD's on Auto Trader. Four of them have less miles and are priced higher than mine.

Pix are on the FD's for sale forum: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=768641
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 10:00 PM
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Vastly overpriced FDs are a fixture of Autotrader and sit there for months (or sometimes years). For $12-$15k you can easily find cars with significantly lower miles than yours in the Bay Area (which tends to one of the more expensive markets in the US). It took two minutes to find the following:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ce=&cardist=60

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e=&cardist=107

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/756583962.html

Despite many claims here, KBB is a pretty accurate predictor of the market price of most FDs (the exception being very low mileage cars, which it tends to undervalue). If you want to sell in a reasonable timeframe, I would ask for $12k and settle for $11k. (After stripping and selling the aftermarket parts.)
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 10:15 PM
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[QUOTE=moconnor;8379761]
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/756583962.html

Hehe, that's in Newark NJ. Probably stolen hehe. j/k, but I wouldnt buy a car from Newark. It's kinda nasty lookin too imo.
My cousin's little Honda car just got stolen yesterday and ended up in Newark all stripped.
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 10:25 PM
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Newark, CA. Car looks a long way from nasty. Seats are clearly in good condition, and these are the primary interior wear item.
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Old Jul 15, 2008 | 10:36 PM
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Reevaluating...
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 01:36 AM
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Yeah I'd hate to see it, but with that quarter panel I might drop the price a couple grand maybe three but not to 8K. I've had higher offers on my car...selling an RX7 is like getting a divorce...it's why I still have mine despite at times loathing it. Seems like a lot of your money lost will be in labor charges. Haha when I was selling my RX7 I started it at $17K and let the lowballing commence. The amount of money I'll lose when I sell my RX7 would be worth more than a Civic so I'm just saving up for a Civic...so tempting to just put that money into the 7 though.
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 08:12 AM
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Originally Posted by foaxaca
Just go an offer for a straight up trade for my '94 FD - 2003 350z Touring model with. 88k miles. Mine has about 113k miles (about 30,000 on a rebuilt engine), about $4-5,000 in mods and upgrades, has been professionally maintained since I bought it about two years ago and runs great. Rock solid idle, no smoke, boosts just like it's supposed to, etc. I have it listed for $14,950 on Auto Trader, Craigslist and his car is worth about $10,500 according to Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book. He tells me the FD is only worth about $8,700! I'm not stupid - I looked at what I paid for it, what I've put into it, what kind of shape it is in, etc. So, am I crazy???
1. You are not crazy.

2. He is a horse's ***.

3, He wants a straight up trade, and tells you what your car is worth? Has he ever owned an FD? Probably not and is looking to justify the trade.

4. Tell him to take a hike.

Super77
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 10:28 AM
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Originally Posted by moconnor
I don't think they really depreciate a typical FD, though some people do put a premium on stock low mileage cars. However, apart from an LS1 or 20B, most mods add no value and you are better off stripping them off before selling.
I would agree with all of the above with one exception: poorly executed modifications (cheap parts, poor workmanship, etc) WILL devalue the car.

If you want all the money you can get for the car, put it back to stock, then sell all the aftermarket parts separately.
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 07:32 PM
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I would agree, if the car was everything you posted then sure, you're honestly looking at $13-14K.



However, most of the mods you've done make it harder to smog. Just like you're posted a few times. So all the extra money you're spending to make it a little more fun and make it perform better are going to cost the buyer when they get ahold of it.

Case in point you had a hard time getting it to pass a noise test, you're exhaust probably cost a lot, but it ended up costing you more. Why should the buyer pay mark up for your learning experience.

2. You have alot of damage on that car. People who pay in the low teens for these cars expect a straight body or a very very well maintained drive train. You have a few grand in damage, that I can't figure out why you didn't fix through your insurance.


3. I know people have been interested in it, but when they ask the obvious questions an informed buyer should make you can't get around the fact that it has some issues.


my 2 cents.

p.s. it's worth 11K if that.
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 07:52 PM
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Since you know what you paid for it (two years ago), you should know about what its worth. Mods won't add much value. You already know what its worth .
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Old Jul 16, 2008 | 08:03 PM
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13k-15k i would say half the people on here wouldn't know **** about your car including me. We haven't drove the car, its not really in person to see the car for real... pictures and words really dont describe the car. When you buy a car you drive it first. Ive driven a few different FD's that were all stock sequential around the same miles, and pretty much same mods.. i could very easily point out which one is worth more, the small things make a big difference sometimes.
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Old Jul 17, 2008 | 07:42 PM
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Originally Posted by moconnor
Vastly overpriced FDs are a fixture of Autotrader and sit there for months (or sometimes years). For $12-$15k you can easily find cars with significantly lower miles than yours in the Bay Area (which tends to one of the more expensive markets in the US). It took two minutes to find the following:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ce=&cardist=60

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e=&cardist=107

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/756583962.html

Despite many claims here, KBB is a pretty accurate predictor of the market price of most FDs (the exception being very low mileage cars, which it tends to undervalue). If you want to sell in a reasonable timeframe, I would ask for $12k and settle for $11k. (After stripping and selling the aftermarket parts.)
You are right about most cars selling for more $$$ in the bay area
however
NOT RX7s they generally sell for less in cali because of emissions regulations and people scared the rotary wont be able to pass, one of the car magazines did an article about this
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Old Jul 18, 2008 | 12:06 AM
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Noone here can make any concrete statements on price because its all relative. You're asking what you think itsworth. Someone living in California with a good eye for FD's isn't going to have the same opinion as some kid in Florida looking to get a badass car. Technically speaking, mods don't add value to the car to the general population, but to me and alot of other ppl they do. You take both cars, avg mileage and condition but you add a host of minor yet quality modifications to one and I'll gladly pay more for that one cause that's what I would do to it anyways. That saves me money. I paid twice KBB for mine because of the modifications done to it. Someone else might think otherwise. To each thier own.

One thing is for certain tho, moconner, your crazy if you think KBB accurately dictates the price of the avg FD. Most people won't pay KBB price on any car sitting on a used car lot, let alone a rare sports car. If I can be proved wrong that would be nice tho. Someone find me an avg condition FD for sale at $8,700.00. BTW it has to have a fully functional rotary engine in it for it to count.
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