I was hoping to get the forums feedback on fair pricing for my 94 Montego Blue FD Touring LHD Manual. I am the 3rd owner of the vehicle (owned since 2001) and have a clean carfax.

I'm a bit stuck on how to best account for the positives and the negatives.
The positives...

1. sitting at 46,730 miles on the odometer
2. Exterior Paint is in great shape (minus the dust from my garage).
3. Interior is solid and clean with aluminum scuff plates (Black with Tan Seats and carpet).
4. LHD
5. Manual
6. Garage kept the majority of its lifetime.
7. All stock except for a few items listed below

The negatives...

1. FD has been sitting in my garage with a blown seal for a little over 7 years now.
2. Needs 2 new headlight covers
3. 2 small dents on the passenger side body. One is at about 1-2 oclock on the wheel well. Second an impression on the door under the mirror between the size of a dime-quarter. Both happened a bit before the engine went out and I was planning on getting it fixed the

Repairs before being sidelined:

1. Repaired 5th gear syncro
2. New ACT Street/Strip Clutch
3. Speedometer repaired
4. Regular oil changes for as long as I owned

Additional features which I know people may raise or lower based on:

1. Spoiler
2. Moonroof
3. Bose Audio
4. Boost gauge
5. Turbo Timer
6. PFC Catback

Appreciate any assistance here. I've started a spreadsheet tracking BAT sales to help me figure out todays market. I almost posted this in the "How to value your FD" thread which I loved to follow, but I was unsure if it was appropriate there.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...tions-1160648/

Go with mid-range of (running) cars with similar mileage on BAT less US$12,000 to re & re the motor.

(Motor $9,000; Mechanical work $3000).

Current financial market uncertainty likely makes it bad timing to sell.

Unpainted replacement light covers might be found for US$300 a pair.

A paintless ding puller guy might be able to fix your dings pretty cheaply.

Get those items fixed or risk be perceived as an unserious seller.

The textured interior plastics carry considerable replacement value. What condition are they in?

Get some "Back-to-Black" on those faded exterior trim items (front lip).

 

If it had a good engine I'd say buy some new headlight covers and have them paint matched and installed, then have the whole car professionally detailed top to bottom and post it for $50k. If you'd be willing to hold out, a buyer would come along.

If you don't want to fix the engine, wash it, wax it, and post it for $20-25k as is here or on Facebook marketplace. Hold the line at $20k and don't take any less.

 

Appreciate the reply. The entire interior is in great condition. Attaching a photo for reference.

 

a 20k shell is insane even considering the overall condition. sitting for 7 years even indoors is asking for a gas tank replacement and that motor is likely un rebuildable. opening it will tell the tale but sitting that long with stagnant coolant has probably caused more damage than whatever failed. brake system is compromised for sure as the height of that ebrake might indicate in addition to stagnate brake fluid over 7 years. tires, radiator, battery, all fluids, engine, so on.......

this car should be treated as a "barn find" in terms of making it road worthy again. write off the engine, clutch, (maybe) gas tank and possibly hanger, battery, all hydraulics and the other things mentioned and you're most of the way to an FD that hasn't been sitting this long.

i would call this an 11-14k car at BEST. its a complete shell with a questionable gas tank and needing ~20k in parts just to make roadworthy again. the best way forward would be for the owner to fix the car and enjoy it again.

 

Sobering critique from someone that works on these cars everyday.

Cars-for-parts are getting very rare, so the floor value of the car would likely be higher, closer to US$20,000 *.

Just look up the recent transacted value for just the 65 parts that make up the interior.

(* Notwithstanding the valiant efforts of the 3D printing community.)

 

Equally sobering critique from someone who pays more attention to the parts market than me lol I see your point 🤔

Of the breakers that turn wholes into parts, I don't see a profit on this particular car at a 20k sale price even if purchased soley for parts. The time and effort to break it down would eat that I would imagine. Especially considering the time element to actually sell everything and not just the high value/demand items. How many months to break even at least?

Either way it goes, I think a ~20k in parts assessment is accurate to make it road worthy again and thats if you did ALL THE WORK yourself. So even at a floor price of 20k for the car, 40k will get you into this fd

https://www.rx7club.com/market/1172455

And it runs and hasn't been sitting for 7 years or needs a village worth of work. I believe this car will sell for whatever the op posts it for because thats just the FD market. The idea of a nice car is worth way more than the real thing for some reason.

 

When I first got my car ten years ago, I assumed at be down at the breaking yards every weekend pulling parts.

But, it turns out, no traditional breakers bothered with FD, as they were so rare.

This left either acquiring a car for parts or relying on the enthusiast community.

There are breaking yards in Japan that might resemble more traditional breaking operations.

It is obvious that the more active yards (see Buyee) very rapidly part out the few cars they get in.

But it surprising now that even the crudiest shells are getting bid up in Japan.

In the last ten years there may have been fewer than five insurance write-off cars come up for auction, in our area, and we have a relatively large population of LHD and RHD.

Its been years since someone was actively parting out an LHD (or even RHD) in our area.

 

This one sits in a bit of a grey area as-is. Too nice for a parts car for most wreckers but sitting so long probably needs more work than your average FD buyer wants. It's not OEM turn-key, it's not Modded turn-key, and its not purchase price plus a $4k rebuild that many buyers are okay with. What it is is an absolutely excellent starting point for someone looking for a big project.

And there are absolutely people out there that want that. They don't want the $40k pricetag this would fetch if everything worked, but more than that, they explicitly want something that needs work. BUT work they can actually do. Not work scouring Buyee every night for years looking for that NLA part.

For that buyer, it isnt a rational "Mint Price - Repair Cost == Purchase Price". It's not a business decision. It's a passion project or hobby or whatever.

The things this needs, however extensive and expensive thay may be, are widely available (brake hardlines withstanding but I'm not as negative as Mike on those needing replaced after sitting, but it is absolutely a possibility if in a humid area for sure) and are mostly the kind of work people who buy an FD as a project already expect, just amped up another level (not just core rebuild but new irons and not just injectors and pump but a new tank). But all still very do-able.

Personally, I think there's someone out there for whom this is a $25K car, maybe even a little more. It may just take a while to find them and you'll be swatting away a lot of $18-22K offers.

I would absolutely get some painted headlight covers on there though. Missing they make the car look like a bit of a wreck and easily subtract a few thousand off the value. You're gonna want this to look visually immaculate to maximize the value as-is.

 

Cheap take.

The realistic market price for this, as a complete car, is $20-25k if he waits. 46k miles, no major accident history (If any at all), good interior, '94 model year- it's arguably better than most other roller offers that go around the $15k price point. Since it's been garage kept on an improved surface in an area without extreme temperature swings, the gas tank is going to be fine and I'd bet the brake bleed out with no trouble as well. Cars that sit outside are MUCH different.

Yes, the engine may be half useless due to rust but I feel like you're conflating what this car would need with what you would bill to make it road worthy. It's a good DIY'ers dream and excellent ownership entry point.

Also, as someone who parted out a small pile of FD's, Gross on a part out would probably be North of $30k on this if you run a good sheet with itemized prices and have room.

 

^I think you're spot on those specific highlighted risks. Per the OP's location, it's in Ohio, so if it was stored in the pictured attached garage (probably not heated/cooled?), it will see 4 full seasons of temperature & humidity swings each year. So unless it was stored with the gas tank completely full with pump gas (no more than 10% ethanol & full tank to displace air & thus reduce the risk of moisture accumulation/corrosion), the risk of fuel system corrosion is pretty high. Ditto for the brakes, I'd approach this with the assumption that all the calipers are frozen/corroded, and will need to be rebuilt/replaced; the master cylinder and ABS pump might be OK, but you won't know that until you inspect the system and deal with the calipers & flush/bleed the system first.

All that said, I wouldn't call this a "barn find" though - looks like it was stored well enough to avoid being infested by mice/critters that like to eat wiring and such, and the body & interior are in good shape, and other than the headlight covers, it's all there. Low mileage, ownership history and it being mostly all OEM stock are all big positives for making this one a restoration candidate.

^ Agree it can fetch $20~25K with the "if he waits" caveat, given the low miles & other positive factors cited. But if I wanted to buy this one as a DIY restoration project car, I would assume worse case that the short block is worthless (unless the seller opens up the block so I can personally inspect it). Same deal for the fuel system & brakes - pending results of my inspection of the car, I'd assume that those items plus anything made of rubber (tires, hoses, belts) will all require replacement, so I'd factor the costs of replacement parts (not labor, since DIY resto) into any offer I'd make, so the "buy now" price might be around $12K max. As a parts car, agree you should be able to get at least $30K out of it, but it may take a while to net that cash and would obviously require the labor time & work/storage space to do so.

 

A LHD FD roller with a completely gutted engine bay and only half its interior fetches $15K on a bad day.

The last LHD car I saw in the $12K range was a completely gutted shell and missing half its' exterior panels too.

Thesedays, sub-$15K gets you something like these 2 clapped-out examples:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1406736636234742/permalink/3993238437584536/?sale_post_id=3993238437584536&app=fbl

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1406736636234742/permalink/4049133251995054/?sale_post_id=4049133251995054&app=fbl

 

If I was looking, I'd grab it for $15k, no questions asked if it had a clean history report and a clear undercarriage. With that said, most of us can't forget that we're spoiled, our entry point into FD's was much cheaper so they're not as valuable to us as seasoned owners as they are to those who are actively searching for their first FD. The most I've ever paid for a complete car +extras is $20k with an overnight stay and towing expenses on top. I did minor work to the roller before selling it for $14k after a semi part out and walked away with about a $4k cash net and a freshly rebuilt engine in it's shipping crate with paperwork in a period of a few weeks.

 

Just for the record.... I speak as a person first and a shop second. I know the profile appearance may conflict that but I promise I'm a person too 😅😅

I think your assessment of it being a passion project is the best way to justify it. For the person that wants a jack stand car they can tinker on for a year or more while learning the ins and outs of the chassis, this is a great deal. It also breaks up the cost over a longer time instead of spending what you are already going to spend all at once.

We get a lot of calls from people who bought a "cheap" fd or 300zx only for them to discover the cost of repairs in parts alone offsets the low buy in. That's whether they buy them themselves or we provide. Not factoring labor at all.

I won't itemize the list but I can say if buying a new mazda motor then you're at least 12k in already not counting all the little gaskets and hoses and things. I think very quickly you will be scratching at that 20k mark to make this road worthy again.

I do wish the best for the owner and whoever ends up with it. Whatever takes place, so long as the car ends up back on the road it's a win for the community 🫡

 

How does mileage and/or age affect the possible requirement to replace all the bushings.

Can we assume the bushings are good enough due to the low mileage, or will they have aged out?

Redoing all (ALL) the bushings can cost as much as a new motor.

Also we should possible consider that, if the motor threw apex or corner seals, the turbo may also be damaged.

 

From my experience, depends on how the car was stored but ultimately, rubber does age and not gracefully. I've had cars with super low mileage lose bushing really fast and start creating knocks and loose handling shortly after driving again because the bushings start failing while others in similar situations don't develop these same symptoms but the bushings are all much harder than new so they give a harsh ride and increased NVH. The only differences I knew of the cars with similar mileage/age were the climates they were in, states like dry Colorado/Arizona etc. and more humid climates like Florida. The dry climate cars I've had experience with seem to allow the bushings to harden but not fall apart or compress quickly like the humid conditions showed. But this could all be total coincidence too and how hard the car was driven before or after it sat. Too many variables to say for sure but its safe to say put them on the list to replace after the reliability mods are done, that's what I'm doing with mine.

 

FD prices are nuts.... Thats why I welded FD parts to my Porsche.


For real though, I'd put this car at 15 to 20k. Depends on how long the seller wants to wait for a payout. DON'T put it on BAT unless you wanna get rid of it next week for 10k. Time is on the seller's side for this one.

 

Just wanted to drop a note and thank those who responded for their thoughtful comments. This was helpful.

My best!