FNG here! I've been wanting to get a new project, juggling between building an LS Fox body, or an LS Monte Carlo, or an LS RX8, or an LS 240, or...y'all see the common theme. This came across my feed though, "Run and drive well clutch new", and dude is asking $1500 for it. Since this old gal still has a running rotary, I'm planning on forgoing the V8 swap and having a little bit of rotary fun. That's where my problem starts - I don't know a single thing about rotaries. My experience runs as far as Honda 4's and 6's, Subaru 4's, domestic V8's, and the Detroit Diesel in my semi. Chassis work, brakes, drivetrain, interior, and lighting are all things I'm familiar with, but the engine is completely foreign to me. I'm sure I'll have more questions if I pull the proverbial trigger, but for now, I just want to know two things.


1 - What should I look out for?

2 - Is it worth it?


The car is less than an hour from me, so I have absolutely no problem turning around if something's wrong. Right now, the only disqualifiers I have are it not running (unless he wants to knock it down to shell price), or frame rust. I'll be buying it as a project car, and since I already have a 6/6 7G Accord and an old reliable Subi, I'm not worried about the downtime rotaries are always ragged on for. My mental image for the build ends with a built, high rev brap machine, gutted interior, half cage, antique plates, and trips to the regional road race courses, with the occasional stop at the local strip just to break domestic hearts, but I can cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I just need to know if it's worth buying.

 

That one has a unique sunroof.
It will be slower than you expect but fun to shake out. These cars are getting to the point where you really have to want to own one to enjoy it, there are very few creature comforts and any will require a bunch of maintenance upon purchasing if the prior owner neglected it (This one looks neglected).

If I was you and money/time were not hindering factors I'd LS swap an RX-8. A blown engine RX-8 that is much newer with better features, seats, etc. can be had for a little more money that a decent running and replacing the renesis is almost the same price as an LS swap (assuming the factory RX-8 block is worn beyond reuse).

 

I dunno, do you think its worth it?

 

Is the sunroof a good kind of unique, or a bad kind of unique? With it being Japanese and from the late 80's, I totally expect it to be slow, but that can always be fixed. I'm not too worried about features, since like I said, the end goal is gutted and half caged. Towards that end, the extra 500 pounds in the RX8 puts a damper on that, even if the LS could make more power. Is there a thread I may have missed that outlines rotary-specific maintenance stuff that you mentioned?

I know absolutely nothing about these cars, so I don't have a point of reference, which is why I asked.

The main thing I'm needing help with at this point is knowing what to look for when I'm looking at this car that would be rotary-specific.

 

There is a plastic bag taped over the sunroof in that picture. I suggest you do some reading of the FAQ in the 2nd gen section and some searching. Making an N/A FC "fast" is not as simple as slapping a turbo onto the block and adding some fuel, that coupled with drive train differences makes buying an N/A car a waste of time for the power hungry.
The RX-8 chassis is superior to the FC and a running RX-8 with a stock renesis is better than an N/A FC.

This isn't facebook, throwing a blanket question out is not going to net the response I think you're trying to get.

 

If it runs and drives and passes inspection and doesn't have body rot for $1500, I'd say go for it, but only if you're up for a rotary project. The only problem with starting with an N/A FC model is that over time you're going to want to upgrade to everything the turbo has....low compression rotors, bigger brakes, stronger transmission, etc. That's the reason the N/A models aren't worth more than shell prices.

 

I would also recommend reading the FC Buyer's Guide if you haven't seen it already. Covers how to test drive, common issues to look out for, and so on.