PerkyStina

Need some advice... (sorry so long...)

I found a red 94 R2 today for $20,000. The car has 33,000 original miles on it... and it's for sale at a used imports dealership. Absolutely stock, NOOOO mods at all.

I did a little bit of reading about purchasing FD's, and it suggests that I take the car to get a compression test, but the dealership is kinda snotty about it, and said that if I wanted a compression test done, I would have to sign a waiver stating that if any damage was done to the car, then I would have to pay for the vehicle, and would NOT get the car. (WTF??)

However, everything else is IMMACULATE about the car. Nothing questionable or sketchy. She's clean, free of any body damage or evidence of abuse. Only one previous owner, who they say was a doctor, which isn't too far fetched, considering the low mileage, gorgeous paint, (even for RED!) and condition she's in.

The only complaints I have about it, is since it's an R2, it doesn't have a sunroof. The wing is faded... but that's the only things I can find wrong with her! ...and she's red, and I haven't really ever wanted a red one.

She drove like a brand new car, though... she only had the 3k hesitation, which I kinda expected, cuz I'm used to my 3800 hesitation from my FC.

I got a bill of sale, just in case I really want to try to get a loan approved through the credit union, but I thought I'd get advice first from you guys.

Is this worth making car payments on??? ...even if she needs a rebuild in 2 years?

Thanks!
Christina

PerkyStina

2nd question...

for you experienced FD owners, is it more worth it if I continued looking around for a Supra instead? (I'm asking, cuz that's my dream car... the FD is a very close 2nd.)

I'd rather find a rolling chassis FD, and build it from the ground up to my expectations... but I wasn't sure if this was an opportunity I should pass up?

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a nice car. Take it to a rotary shop for a checkup. The dealer is screwing you around.

PerkyStina

It sounds like they won't let me.... unless I bought her.

Aren't they required to let me take it to get checked out??

Should they have a warranty, or something??

It's like they expect me to fork out $20k after driving her ONCE, and not having ANY proof that she's worth it.

When I FIRST arrived there, the owner of the dealership was the first person to talk to me about her, and instead of giving me info about the car, he had me follow him to the back to "his shop," which is a wearhouse where all the mechanics work on their cars. He did this to "prove" that they were a qualified company to sell me an RX-7.

He was pretty rude about showing off the "shop."

I knew more about the FD than any of those people there. Which isn't alot, since I just have my N/A FC.

gcbutter

I say move on. Don not buy an RX7 without a compression check. What I do say is, you can pick this one up which is fairly close to you:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=539978

I'm not trying to push a sale on you, I just don't want to see anyone get screwed with a $20,000 car.

KungFuMonkey

Maybe you can get a certified mechanic with very good knowledge of the rx-7 go over to the dealer with you. And conduct any tests that you felt is necessary under the supervision of the owner of the dealership. It is only fair for you to want to get a third party's opion, right?

Farhan

Honestly, $20,000.00 for a 33,000 mile R2 sounds like a really good deal to me. Even if the engine craps out on you in a couple years it's only a $2-3000.00 added expense. Well worth it for a mint FD. If however, a Supra is truly your dream car I would suggest looking for a Supra. I've always been one to never settle and the FD was my first, my favorite, and to me will always be one of the greatest cars .

tsicar uoy kcuf

get the supra!

moconnor

iTrader: (14)

Any reasonable dealer will let you do this.

No - they own the car so can do what they like. However, a reputable dealer will let you do this.

No honest dealer would require such a waiver and no non-moron should sign one.

Only if they want to.

They are hoping you are a moron.

skrewloose78

hey stina, it sounds like a nice car but a bit pricey. if your gonna drop 20k on a fd i would go fro this one


you should have quized his"qualified mechanics" about rotories. then laughed in his face when they choked

ihavetwins

iTrader: (5)

i would get the supra if its your faviort car. i mean it all really depends on how deep yor pockets are. do u want to have to drop a new motor in a few years will this be your daily driver ?. personaly i would never settle for seconds especialy i dont think its the greatest. JMO. but good luck on your surch for power and speed.

Joe Geiman

Don't buy it. 33k is high miles for a $20 k FD

dradon03

iTrader: (2)

By law if it is a legit dealership they have a 30 day obiligation to give you a car that is in the exact condition they describe. So get them to write everything down, sign it with a witness (you) and go for it.

NuTbAgSaN

it sounds ok,, but if you want my opinion if something seems sketchy, which i know how hard it can be to not look past when you REALLY want something, dont do it. also i would not, no matter how much i wanted it, give business to a seller who is a jackass about it. the way it sounds, either these guys are just dicks, or they could be trying to hide something. honestly who would object to having a car they want to sell checked out?

i work around a ton of dealers, i have known a couple quite well. they screw people. thats what they do. if you know them well enough they will admit this to you! haha...not ALWAYS the case of course. i actually bought my 93 from a dealer and i am happy with what i got, very much so, but he did in fact try to screw with me a little. still by checking out the car i knew what he had better than he did.

get it checked. if they dont agree or try to bs you just walk. there are more out there.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

What do you want to do with the car?

For instance, if all you want to do is run it down the drag strip; you can build a fast Supra much quicker and probably cheaper in the end.

If you just want something to drive around the town, then it just comes down to "looks" preference.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Also, before you get too excited, see if you can a) actually get financing, b) can afford the car payments. Capital One is one of the few places that will finance older vehicles - most banks and credit unions won't finance a 10+ year old car.

Not to mention the rate for a used car dealer purchase right now is 7.39%, and a 60-month loan on the car is just a hair under $400 a month, not to mention you'll need full insurance coverage with a $500 deductible.

Don't get super excited about the car - make SURE you can take on the financial side of it.

If the car is truly in excellent shape, $20k is a little on the high side for the car. I'd say $16-18k would be a much better price, depending on options (less for an automatic, more for an R package, etc.).

The fact that the dealer is not willing to work with you isn't cool. They don't want your business.

Dale

RaPtOr-T

Motors dont blow every couple of years....I have a 14 year old car with 140k miles on it on its 2nd motor with only 6k on the motor....unless you put ~120k miles on your car every 2 years, ofcourse this only applies if you maintain the car.IMO comments like those are the reason FDs sell so cheap. Hell, if you can find another turbocharged car capable of FD performance for 15k go for it, but good like for finding a nice TT Supra for double that.

boosted94

iTrader: (1)

The price is kinda high. I bought mine for $14,750 with 37,000 miles in all stock form with no problems what so ever. Its a Touring and was also from a doctor and red as well.

X-Ped

In my opinion $20k is a fair price, down here in socal most fd's run 20k+ dont know about other areas though. Last year I sold my 94 fd with 30k miles for $25k.

quicksilver_rx7

I think 20K is a little high for a car in this area. If it were Cali. or FL. it might be a different story. Maybe $17-!8k.

See if they will ( or let you) hook up a standard compression testor and crank the engine over. Make sure you use one that has the shorter probe so you don't cause a deflection on an apex seal. It should read ~100 psi on each rotor, if I'm not mistaken. Also, hook up a boost gauge, start the car, let it idle and see how much vacuum it pulls at idle. A healthy stock motor should pull ~18-20 inHg of vacuum at idle with no electrical load.

Joe

PerkyStina

Thanks... I'd hate to get so excited about the car, then find out I can't afford it after finding out she's as good as she sounds.

Secondly, the dealer kept pressing the fact that it has 33k miles on it, and it isn't necessary to check the engine.

PerkyStina

I'll let you guys know if I do indeed get her.

RedR1

iTrader: (5)

Definitely keep us posted

PerkyStina

Pretty sure we're not going to get this one in particular... but I am in the market for one now.


(And of course for my MKIV... so PM me if y'all hear of any good deals!)

camocarl

iTrader: (5)

Christina...get your priorites straight. 20k could be a down payment for a house. You could spend 5k on a super nice Turbo II and be almost just as happy. Or for that matter a really nice turbo 1st gen. I know im going to get chewed out since this is the 3rd gen section but anyway... insurance would be a bitch. Just my $0.02.