ok guys im sort of an FC guy so i know about the engine, but ive always wanted an FD but ive never had them money.

my questions are:
1) how much could i get a decent FD for, you know like one that works, no major problems?

2) ok i know that the FD is called a pre-madona, but why does it need so much work? is it because of the twin turbo?....hell why is it called a pre-madona car anyway?

and finally(this goes alot with #2):
3)if i change to a single turbo would alot of the problems go away?

thanks guys, hoping to join the ranks soon

Dave

 

prima donna...

Depends on what year of FD you want, 94's and 95's usually hae a higher price.

They are not as bad as people let on, but they do loke their maintenence... lol

I have no experience with the single turbo conversion question, so I'm not even going to try and bullshit you.

Just a hint you may want to read the FAQ section in the stickies

Really check out the TSB's for the 93's it may scare you away, thats why I waited and got a 95.

Feel free to lurk and learn on these threads, they are packed with a lot of good info.

Don't shop when you are hungry, check everything, don't let yourself be pressured.

These cars really are amazing.

Good luck.

 

yea i cant spell so i wont bullshit you, and i kinda did this the stupid way i wrote the thread then as soon as i finished i started reading the faq and stuff, but i still wanted to know what people thought other than just what the faq said because ...well....i always loved the opinion of real people

 

Probably can get a really good one in the $10,000-$13,000 range, I would imagine...a really low mileage one or a well-modded one might be more than that. Certain colors like CYM are more rare, and will cost more.

The turbo system on FDs is just way over-engineered, and it amplifies the number of things that can possibly go wrong. Things can get rough when you have a hundred vacuum lines and a small tear in one will stop things from working right.

Going single turbo will simplify the vacuum situation, but I wouldn't say it'll get rid of all your problems. You'll still have to worry about overheating (upgrade the cooling system) and things like that. Just find the rotary guy in your area and talk with him about how to approach the modification process. That's really the best advice I could give you - find the person in your area that all the people on this board take their cars to, and call them.

 

Unfortunately, the FAQ was made by real people, so it's all there.

Just read this forum for about 2-3 weeks and you'll get an idea for the frequent problems people run into. That will help you decide if its something for you.

As far as price, while you might be able to find a great deal out there; I would count on spending about $14-16k for a decent FD.

 

i always thought a single turbo could in fact increase reliability if it was done right. By done right, i dont mean make every supporting mod for more power, but instead design it to be actually reliable and close to stock power. The thing is, once you go single, you get the power bug....thats when things break. No one wants to spend money on going single to only make stockish power.

 

Read the FAQ and do a search on "reliable" or "reliability". If you are that worried about it, don't get an FD. It's as simple as that. These are enthusiast cars for owners who don't mind dealing with a, at times, finicky car.

And a good condition FD will be $15k-$20k on average. That should be considered the PURCHASE price, not the COST of the car.....