BigWillieStyles

Well im probably going to have a look at the FD on the weekend here in Japan. Maybe, buy it!

Its a 1992 with a 1994 engine transplant. The owner also aknowledged that he had the rear fixed after he had a small accident, and is not noticable.

The owner also has only had the car for the last couple of years, and doesnt know much about the cars history before his ownership.

What should i look for on the car?

How can i tell the chassis is straight?

Also if you look in the picture at the dash, the dials have the silver inner rings, did the 1992 JDM cars have this dash?

Whats that white dial ontop on the steering wheel?

Is that 3rd chamber compression ok? 7.9








Any help would be very appeciated.

William

silkishuge

Car looks quite clean inside and out BWS, but do you really want to buy an accident repair? Its got the S8 update and Type R rims as well. The white thing above the steering column looks like an aftermarket boost gauge. What is the price of the car?

Jon

BigWillieStyles

Well its under 5000au, but i have to also take into account would someone buy it back in Oz if i were to personally import back.

Hows the S8 comming along?

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

BigWillieStyles,

I would be hesitant about cars which have been wrecked. Not saying that all cars which have been wrecked are bad, but its hard to know if the repair was done well as a prospective buyer.

When you check the car out, bring someone with you. Look for condensation in the rear of the car where there shouldn't be. Make sure the rear hatch opens and closes properly. When you take it for a drive, let go of the steering wheel (at a low speed) and make sure the car tracks straight. Do it again with your friend outside watching you drive away. Make sure he/she sees the car going straight. These are things you really should do when buying a used car regardless of whether you know it's been in an accident or not.

Other than that, just do the usual checks. As far as the compression, it shows that its pretty even but it would be helpful to have the compression on both rotors. It's possible to have good compression on one rotor and not the other.

silkishuge

Like what Mahjik said. Get a mechanic you know to check out the mechanical condition of car. AU$5,000 is a fair price for a 93 FD that has been in an accident before.

Jon

SLOASFK

iTrader: (5)

Has the 94 engine ever been rebuilt?

BigWillieStyles

Well the replacement engine would have been done instead of doing a rebuilt because they are cheaper. I would assume the workshop that did the transplant would have replaced the seals as it would of been the easiest time to access the engine but i dont know.

silkishuge

I think if the compression is alright and no signs of oil leaks, engine runs normal at idle and at high reves than that is the best you can do in terms of dignosing engine health. Buying a used car is always a risk and buying a used turbocharged/performance car is a greater risk.

I would not have thought a rebuild in Japan would cost as much as what we would pay in Australia. I Australia, I think it starts at about AU$4,500 with stock parts.

Good luck

Jon

BigWillieStyles

Its not cheap in price, but it includes Shakken for 2 years which is a big bonus, because i can just imagine what a pain in the *** that would be to do in Japan. Shakken would cost around 2000 dollars au.

In japan ive seen OHs advertised for 350,000 upwards, but labour costs alot over here.

Im more worried about the damage to the rear, i might try and see if the seller has pics of the accident.

The thing that attracted me to the car in the first place was that it looked tidy, no race seat, no fancy body kits, no engine mods. doesnt look like a street racer car, more a young proffessionals car.

silkishuge

Rebuild from 350,000 yen is cheap considering todays exchange rate. That is less than AU$3,500. You might get that in Australia if it's mate's rates IMO.

Shakken is quite costly. I would look for rust spots on the rear as well to see the workmanship. Labour cost in Japan varies alot IMO. The paint work on the car is surprisingly good for a 93 RX7. I think it looks like pearl white or chaste white. Not sure if that is a factory colour though. If you ask Daioni, he could probably tell you.

I do like the S8 bodykit that comes with the car. The S8 bodykit is a vast improvement to the previous models I reckon. From what I understand from someone doing the conversion on Austrotary, it is simple, but not a direct conversion. That would add a little more value to the car.

Jon

rexhvn

I've never heard of a $5000 FD that is street driveable even if damaged in Australia... only those that are for track use are that price... my FD that I picked up was damaged... someone drove up his ****, but it was only a rear bumper, got it all checked and everything was fine (after he reparied the rear bumper) and I picked mine up for $24+ and I think thats a bargin!

silkishuge

William is an Australia, living in Japan. It will be next to impossible to find a drivable FD, or even a race only import for AU$5,000. It will cost at least another AU$4,000 to get it shipped here, customs duty, GST, Import tax, customs broker, quarantine, steam cleaning, etc. Not impossible to get a race only FD for $10k though. Seen a few around. $24k is no longer a bargain for an early Aust delivered Series 6 or 7 RX7. I have even seen Series 8 Type Rs sold for AUD$27,500, with 52,000km. Prestige and Jspec were able to bring in Type RBs from $24,500 in the last 2 months due to the excellent currency exchange.

BigWillieStyles

Fortunately these cars maintain a good price in Australia, havent seen one drop below 20,000au yet. Cheapest on carsales.com.au is 22,000. Plus they seem to be pretty rare in Melbourne, is that because there isnt a compliance centre for the FD there?

There is a race only FD for sale on the ausrotary forums for around 6000au.

silkishuge

Yup, I saw that one, but I thought it was missing the engine. I might have missed something when I read the advertisement. There aren't many FDs in Melbourne. More FCs. I guess it is just a matter of taste. People in Melbourne prefer S15s and Skylines. Don't forget there are far more people in NSW than there are in Victoria, so base on that, the percentage of FDs to people might not be very different.

If you want to make money on bringing back a grey import, do not use a RX7. I know there have been some for sale for ages and still have not sold. IMO, get something unavailable in Australia. Get a FD, if you want to have some fun with it. btw, try to get something with a standard steering wheel and airbag. Makes compliance a whole lot eaasier and cheaper.

Jon

BigWillieStyles

Well i want to get an FD because ive always loved the shape and would love to own one.

Plus a personal import = no compliance! Plus it doesnt have to or will ever have to adhere to ADR. So anyone who buys it can mod alot more than a compliance car.

I was wondering about if i could actually return it to stock steering wheel if i were actually to buy it, mainly becaue im not a fan of the aftermarket wheel look.

silkishuge

I am not sure if the 93 versions came with airbags, because if it did, it does not matter if it was a personal import or not, you will need to get that engineered.

Jon