In the past 5 months i've been searching off and on for an FD, looking more for a roller than a complete car. About 3 months ago, i came across this '93 R1.
Body is in good shape, interior is beautiful, whole front end of the engine bay is in pieces in boxes on the passenger's seat. I called the place up the next day about it, and the guy i talked to said the car was sold.
Was a bit dissapointed and gave up with the searching, as i realized i couldn't afford an fd at that point in time. Just the other day, i drove past it again, amazed it was still sitting there, so i snapped a few pics.
So today i called the place up (talked to a different guy) to see what the deal was. Turns out it IS for sale, and they want 10k for it. Brand new JDM engine, 90k on chassis, just needs the parts that are sitting inside installed. So my question is, is this car worth 10k or should i move on?

Interior pic sucks, btw.
(and yes, my friend does look like a dorkass)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...e/DSCF4015.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...e/DSCF4018.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...e/DSCF4024.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...e/DSCF4027.jpg

 

Well, you found a kit car....did you want a kit car? I would rather put a new engine in a blown up engine car than try and put back together what I didnt take apart. Does that make sense?. Seems like these are 20 k cars (give or take), pay me now or pay me later.

 

Keep in mind when it is running and in good shape the value of a 90k r1 with good paint is around $15k or so.

 

Those look like base seats in the interior pic (not R1). Also the paint looks shot. I wouldn't be interested in this car for 10k.

 

I would not pay 10K for that car.

 

thanks for the replies guys!
maximum, the insurance sticker says r1 on it, i thought the base seats were quite odd myself.
i guess i'll keep looking, hopefully it wont take me too much longer to find one that wont be a total rip off.

 

Noone noticed except the guy who mentioned the seats but that is not an R1...no front lip and the seats give it away. However I also agree that 10k is too much.

 

That car is a beat-to-**** base model. If you think the body and interior are in good condition, you must be looking through junkyards for cars. Seriously.

That car is worth $5-6k, absolute tops.

If you can't afford an FD in good condition, then you can't afford to buy a "fixer-upper" at 10k either.

 

new to you... there's no guarantee that it has good compression since they obviously haven't had it back together to run it. the lazy bastards should finish it or sell it as a complete roller that needs a rebuild. the paint sucks too. shoot them a low offer and see what they say... that's always been my tactic

i'd offer 5 or 6.

 

That paint is pretty badly oxidized, but there doesn't look to be any dents or bad chips, i suspect you could get a pretty good shine out of it after a day of cut and polish with a porter cable.

And +1, it's a base model, and that interior looks like the pieced have been painted and further chipped and scraped.

5k-6k, i agree with the other posters.

IF the paint can be brought back to a shine, and you could get it for 5k, you could probably make a few grand refurbishing and flipping it, but i think you're probably in for 15k worth of headaches, because i doubt the motor makes reasonable compression or doesn't burn coolant. my 0.02$

 

I bought a project without ever having owned an FD before, and although I don't exactly regret it, I will say that it's a pain in the *** to sort through boxes which comprise a car you are not familiar with. As you go through it you will find a ton of things that have been half-assed by previous owners, or are just plain broken and worn-the-****-out. It's gratifying to ressurect and create something beautiful out of what was once neglected, but you have to be sure you are up to it at the get-go.

I would pay $5500 for that car, but I wouldn't feel like I was getting a deal. You could put everything together as is, win the lottery, and have a great running car, or it could be a total money pit. Spin the wheel.....

-James

 

Assuming that it was running, and mechanically sound it would be worth around $8k. The body with all rebuildable parts will go for 5-6K all day long. Without knowing that every thing works I agree with $5500.

 

that picture of the interior doesnt actually do it justice, i took it through the glass. its actually in quite nice condition minus some wear on the shift **** and the little holder thingie in the center console. i realize that that doesnt add to the value, but i just had to clear that up.
i thought it was a base model when i first looked inside at the seats, but then looked at the insurance sticker and it said r1, so i went with that.

i'll try lowballing the guy, see what he says.

 

check the engine first

 

Just an FYI, I paid $11K recently for a 93 VR base, 80K miles, great paint and no body damage, 10K on motor

 

First off, read my Buying an FD guide -

http://www.clubrx.org/default.asp?id...ntent=25&mnu=5

For $10k you can get a RUNNING FD that you can drive home. "Box of parts" cars are really only worthwhile if you're VERY experienced with working on FDs. Trying to figure out where all the little goofy parts go and get it back in one piece is a big challenge.

If you can JUST afford $10k for the car, that means you won't be able to afford the $1000-3000 the car will likely need to move under its own power. Even then, are you still looking at things like worn out brakes, dry rotted tires, rusted fuel pump from sitting so long, etc. Then you still have a tired, faded paint job.

Trust me - spend the money and get a NICE, RUNNING FD if this is gonna be your first one. There's plenty out there. One thing you will see from reading the link above is you WILL have to drive to find a good car. If you try and get one locally, you'll be searching forever. You're in a part of the country with a very good selection within a 6-hour driving radius - there's no reason you need to tie yourself to a junker like that. Again, read the link above, SERIOUSLY consider your finances, and go from there.

Dale