Hi guys,

Been browsing this website as a guest for a while now and Ive recently decided that I want to purcahse one of these amazing cars. Unfortunately (against everything reccommended on here but) I have a small budget of around £6000 (about $12,000 US$) As such I am very limited to whats available, but I think I have found a really good FD3 at a very good price!!

Would you guys say this was good or bad? The price is £4,495 (around $9000 US$)

It is the top car on this page:
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www...earch_full.y=4

Thanks for any help

 

28k miles for $9,000 and what looks like a stock engine!?

Umm, i'd really check the car over very carefully.

Market price for that car over here would be AT LEAST $18,000.

 

I would assume there is something seriously wrong. Buyer beware.

A lot of people come on these boards buying a car that's a 'steal'. Very few still consider it a steal after a year of ownership. If you're looking for a project car, then maybe it's a good deal. If you're looking for a running car for regular use, I would stay far, far away unless you can get a rotary specialist (that you're paying, not the seller) to sign off on the condition of the car.

Dave

 

I would be buying the car and then having some fun with it for 6months-a year - possibly doing some minor mods like new air filters / intercooler and possibly a new exhaust system etc.
The fact it is stock has drawn me to it, is this not generally a good thing??
I thought a completely stock engine is less likely to have been abused, it has relatively low miles and I can mod it in my own 'personal' kind of way, which i like the idea of....

Please advise

 

I don't know prices of FDs in the UK, but in the US, if you only had a budget of $12k, I would say you are not in the financial place necessary to OWN one of these cars (notice I said OWN, not BUY).

 

Prices for FD in other parts of the world are different from US prices, there's a higher demand in US as they were only made from 93-95, while japan and some other countries have the later ones available

futureal33, just check compression, boost patterns, etc, use this forums faq about buying and FD and make a checklist on that car.

while it is true that most cars are better off being bought in "stock" form, Fd's should have received the reliability mods as soon as possible. Mazda's done some updates that have made it more reliable in the later years of production.

 

I didn't like the car at the top of the page because of the relatively high mileage.
However, there were a number of cars in the same price range, some with significantly lower mileage. I wouldn't assume they're all bad. Prices in the UK do seem to be different from here and it appears you can get more for your money as compared to the U.S.
I'd look for a stock or lightly modified car. If possible, have it checked over by a rotary engine specialist before purchase. Read the stickies at the top of this forum to familiarize yourself with the possible pitfalls paying special attention to coolant seal failure and how to spot it.

 

Sorry guys, it appears 2 new FD3's have come available for sale and the one I was looking at is no longer at the top of the list, it is currently the 3rd one down, Silver 28k miles and the title of the advert reads:
1994 41 Reg MAZDA RX7 2.6, TWIN TURBO, 290 BHP (trade)

I've read about the reliability mods, does the fact that this car has a completely stock engine (or so it appears from the photos and description) suggest that is DOESNT have the reliability mods??

If I was going ahead with purchasing this car I would of course get a rotary specialist to give a full check over, compressions tests etc, I was just wondering if you guys (the real experts ) think it looks like a good one to buy, bearing in mind I am probably not going to do much modding, other than fairly basic stuff.

Thanks for all the help so far, really appreciate it

 

Well let me be the first to say that either the seller has no clue what kind of car they are selling, or it is a scam. No 3rd gen (93-2002) Rx-7 ever came with a 2.6L engine, nor did any of them have 290 BHP, the highest HP rating for a 1994 Rx-7 was 255bhp. Not sure what 41 Reg means either.

Just beware and actually contact the seller to see if you can view the car before asking about it on the forums. As you may find they have conveniently relocated to another country or the car is not able to be viewed.

 

I want the tilt steering wheel...

 

In certain countries they refer to our 13B as a 2.6L......

 

Provided that the compression checks out ok I see no problem with the car. The second hand car market over here in the UK is very poor compared to the US. The majority of RX7's sold over here never go for much more than £6K (approx $12K USD).

This is one of the very annoying trends along with stupidly high taxes that seems to have developed in the UK. Also with the invention of ebay second hand car prices have dropped through the floor. Prime examples are MR-2 Turbo's, you can pick a mint revision 3 JDM mr-2 turbo up for less than £3K (approx $5800).....

I dont like this country as you can probably tell!..... The latest idea our government have is to tax hard working people for the view out the window, so if you have a nice sized garden your in for a huge tax increase!... sorry going off on a tangent now! rant over.

 

I agree with KJL Designs. When I was living in the UK I remember fd prices being a lot lower then prices for similar cars in North America. Having said that, the price of the Silver fd you're looking at seems low considering the milage. Check to make sure the seller is posting the milage on the chasis not just on a newly rebuilt engine (I've see a few guys doing this).

Considering petrol prices, MOT, road tax and insurance, fd ownership in the UK seems like a scarey prospect. At least you have smooth pot-hole free motorways.

 

Maybe. But there are completely stock engine 3rd Gens driving around, some even have the original plastic air separation tank. (I saw a poster who had purchased one that still had the plastic AST just the other week.)
It's highly modified engines that would concern me in terms of reliability.
So long as the engine is in good running order and the precat isn't clogged (the substrate having broken down) you can always replace the AST and the precat after you purchase the car.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys, gonna speak to the seller and hopefully arrange a viewing of the car.

I'll keep you updated whether I buy it or not!
Nick

 

so.... do scammers in the UK say their on a buisness trip to the US?!