With all the problems associated with FD's that have High miles on them. (70,000k or more) Would it be a good idea to find an FD with about 80,000k miles on it for lets say $13,000 - $14,000 and then just do the Mazda reman engine rebuild and turbo rebuild? Would that be smarter than buying a $17,000 FD with 45,000k miles on it? Thanks.

 

First, no one, even rotary freaks care much about how many engines the car has had when buying a used FD. Miles is the key to a high resale. As far as I know, which is enough, the remans are no garantee when it comes to reliablility. Just look around the forum. Taking care of the engine by letting it cool down before shutting the engine off, upgrading the cooling system, using high octane fuel, and babying the crap out of these cars will go a lot further than any reman can take you alone. If you want a good deal, buy the 80K and take care of it. If you want the best resale value, buy the 45K and take care of it. Either way take care of it, and it will take care of you. By the way, a single turbo, and crue cut fuel maps are not taking care of it. That's having fun with it. So you decide.

 

there is alot more to a car than it's engine.... especially with FDs, because alot of used ones have been beaten up on. The tranny and suspension can cost almost as much as the engine to replace.

also, you cant assume because a car has 45k miles, it is less used than a 80k mile car. It depends on the previous owner maintained and drove the car. Make sure to have the car checked out completely before purchase it.

 

What i was basically asking was, Would it be a good idea to buy a FD with high miles on it, then just rebuild the engine and anything else that might have problems ie: tranny,suspension, hoses etc...

Would the new engine help the realiability issue since i would baby it to death and KNOW how the engine has been treated? Thank you for the responses..but can i get some more opinions please?

 

i would go with the reman and have it rebuilt. You'll go in with confidence knowing that your car will not need another rebuild for 90k+ miles (given you maintain it properly and get it rebuilt by the right people) buying a used FD is always a crapshoot. Sometimes you get lucky and your engine lasts you a good while, or it blows within 10k miles. You can drive the sh*t out of an FD as long as you maintain it properly. It's actually bad if you never race it...there will be too much carbon buildup

 

BlackR1. Who would you recomend doing the rebuild? Im in San Diego, CA and i know the big time rotary shops like KD Rotary and i think Pettit are farther east. What are some reputable rotary shops closer to me? Thanks man, i really appreciate it.


PS: A mechanic at a local import/race shop said he has a FD and has blown 3 engines already and says he only drives it on the weekends because its such a "tempramental" car...any thoughts? Im thinking he isnt treating it right, but then again he works on cars ALL day everyday...and he couldnt have just gotten a bad FD, because he has alrady blown 3 ENGINES!

 

Try Rotary Reliability and Racing in Santa Ana, Rotary power in Gardena, or Tri-point in Canoga Hills. They all can do anything you want to get your 3rd gen in great shape.

 

Cetchup-

Sounds like the guy does NOT know what he's doing or talking about. If he's blown 3 rotary engines, either he's getting a crapy rebuild or he must be bolting on mods without actually tuning the car. I've had 4 rotaries, and no, contrary to the "knowledgeable", most are reliable if tuned correctly.

There are those few with lemons straitght from the factory though.

Get a high mileage one that is in excellent body shape with good running engine that you can get cheaper. Get a compression test before you buy, and check for major oil leaks and boost pattern. Look for one that has just reliability mods.

 

My car's gonna be at Rotary Power in Gardena, She's getting a rebuild + streetport... still undecided on which seals to go with.

That mechanic must have had the wrong person rebuild his engine or he's just going mod crazy... i know a couple guys who've had 3+ engines, but they're single turbo and get boost crazy all the time

running max boost greatly reduces the life of the engine...puts too much stress on the apex seals, depending which ones he went with after each rebuild.

 

Cetchup, check out MechTech or Larry Scott Independent Mazda in Escondido. Those are the only two shops I know of in the San Diego area that are good with rotaries. They're both a bit on the expensive side though. What part of San Diego are you in?

 

YO bbq, im off the 15, next to Scripps Ranch. About 15 mins from Poway, Rancho Bernardo..etc..etc...

The Mechanic was at Pann Auto Performance

 

Cetchup-
I've heard good things about Mazdatrix as well. They are in Signal Hill.

 

Cetchup:
I was just in that position a month or so ago. Just so happens the cleanest FD I looked at had one of the highest mileages. I bought it anyway....WHY? Cuz of all the cars I looked at this one hardly leaked any oil during & after my test drive. Plus when I got underneath the car there wasnt oil splattered all over the place (like most of the others) leading me to think it hasnt really had any sever oil leaks in its life. Either that or they power washed it on a lift ! Anyway the only other car that that came in this good a shape had lesser miles but he wanted $4k more. I went with the higher mileage, it was owned by one guy and he apparantly took care of it. I havent planned on any rebuild.......had a compression test and it looked good.

Gdluck!