so im 15 and im thinking of buying this old manual fc out side of this place in maryville and i was wondering if i should or not. i have a job and what not. its 3.9k and doesnt run.

 

Welcome to forum .Go for it . It is good to see young people interested in Rotary vehicles

 

Depending on what the condition is, would dictate if you should consider buying the car. $3900 for a non runner is a bit high. If the car is in great condition otherwise, it might be a car to consider. Given the age and mileage, the car will likely need a lot of work. That's not a bad thing if you have the knowledge and the tools. We can guide you through any problems or diagnostics, but you will need the appropriate tools. Paying someone to fix the car will be very costly and many shops will likely not want to work on the car or have the knowledge to work on the car. I experienced this in the 90's. No shop even wanted to align the front end and it's as basic as it gets.

You also will not want to rely on the car as your primary transportation. At least not until the issues are sorted out. And even then, expect to have to fix things here and there. The car is more than 30 years old and you will have to expect parts to fail.

With the negative out of the way, it could potentially be a great car to restore and I am all in on you buying it. I hope you get it! Just be prepared for whats to come.

 

im familiar with the price and all that im just wondering if its the right move. my friend got an rx8 and hes ls v8 swapping it. but i wanna keep the rotary cuz i think it would be cheaper than having to get a new trans a make some custom mounts for a v6 or v8. I not only want to work on the car i kinda want to film the process i think it would be cool to have a youtube channel or something with friends. also the owner did say that she might lower the price cuz im "young and enthusiastic" so i hope she does cuz i just lost my job to construction.

 

thanks man ill try to get it i really want it.

 

Budget twice what you're paying, and make sure that you actually have a place to store it that isn't a burden/can't be held over your head when you buy it. After that don't get burnt out on the fact that it needs a lot of work. Have fun.

 

Good luck! If it's the guy at the roundabout from what I understand he'll never sale. And they've been sitting for ages. If it's not, and now that I'm reading a bit closer it probably isn't.

If you end up passing, despite me not having the room for another car I might know someone else interested.

 

Hello!

The conventional answer is "no", but if you were able to get an FC running again as a teenager that would buy you a lot of street cred.

 

It really depends on what your expectations are for the car. If you or your family are good a wrenching, it might be the right purchase. The price is very high for a non-running car. Have to go into this with the expectation that you'll need to do a rebuild. That can cost $1500 to $3000, or more, depending on the condition of the parts. Along with this, you might need to redo that cooling system fuel system, brakes, etc. Don't expect this to be a daily driver until those things are addressed and paid for.

 

it IS the roundabout guy me and my friends call him bunta (like initial d) haha. the owners wife is saying that he would sell it to me. its just a matter of getting the money up. The one he is selling is the white 1988 fc.

 

Yeah man I'd love to get it running It would be sick to grab some streed cred in the process haha

 

i will definetly let you know if i end up not buying it but right now im pretty sure. i just got a new job thats paying me better so i should be able to snag it before christmas time.

 

I would love to see pictures of the car in question. Perhaps we could assist you in determining a fair value for the car and then you can make the owner an appropriate offer.

 

i have no pictures of the rear i could go back today if need be the owners are never annoyed by me so i can honestly check em out whenever

 

not no...but HELL NO

I am seeing 5-10k in work to be done and the hood isn't even open.

 

like what. what problems do you see with it

 

top (i paid over a grand 30 years ago to have one done), trim pieces....window trim, door trim, paint...and its not even running yet.

 

While I agree with the above posts about cost, me at 15 didn't care about window trim and paint. I didn't even care about paint, spray bomb is good enough. The important part......Can this car pass a state inspection and what will it cost to get it there? After that being said.. this can still go massively sideways. The suspension bits and brake/fuel lines, etc. are probably not great. If there are strict emission standards there, this will not go well for the buyer most likely too.

The engine could get very costly too as you mentioned.

Sell those wheels to recoup cost and buy some cheaper wheels/tires maybe?

This could be an adventure of a lifetime, possibly working more time for the money to fix the car than actually driving it like me or.... fix it just good enough to have some good old fashioned teenage fun. Choose wisely....

Perhaps later in life if you have the money, a very understand wife and haven't wrecked the car. Give it a restoration job.

 

It's my personal opinion that a non running convertible that is in need of a restoration and has unknown issues is not worth what the seller is asking. If it's something you really want and have the ambition amd pocket book to tackle, I say go for it. I have just personally never felt as though the convertible RX-7 was as good as the coupe. Not saying that it's a bad car, it's just not for me personally. I much prefer the looks and the lighter weight of the coupe.

 

.

 

i think ill buy it. i was planning on trying to take out the convertable and give it a hard top anyways..... and rust is lighter than carbon fiber

 

Yeah, I've been by those cars about 10 years ago.. They were well on to being rough then. As far I know they didn't run then and had already been sitting for an extended time in the elements. Good luck with the purchase!

 

If your heart is set on it, we will be behind you and help offer our knowledge and expertise to aid you in getting the car back on the road. We have an awesome community here and you'll find that this forum is full of the information needed to guide you on your restoration.

 

thank you!

 

I wouldn't get a convertible over the traditional coupe body style, they are not....great.