Help determining value of an FD.
 

Hi, my name is David. I currently own a MKIV supra and have built and owned several other high performance piston vehicles. This being my first rotary purchase I don't want to get screwed. So here's the skinny.

93 rx7
Approx 103k miles on chassis les in motor however motor sat for a few months after rebuild before being installed.
Dark green paint leather tan interior.
Dirty carpet no rips
Good condition seats
Paint is decent but has a gash in the driver side door that is bubbling the paint around it.
Spoiler has a crack in the left corner, almost broken off.
Aftermarket exhaust (not sure if it's the full exhaust or cat back)
ARC intake
Stock everything else
Interior is about 8/10
Door seals are ripped and will need replaced as well as exterior black plastic window trim is breaking off.

The bad
Not sure how well it drives. The owner is afraid to drive it due to having compression issues and didnt want us getting stranded.....
Idle is rough and so is free revving
Driver side door lock doesn't work.

I understand this isn't the ideal way to establish a value but this is the best resource I have since I don't know anyone personally with Rx7 experience.

He is asking 8000 obo. Input please?

rough idle could mean a lot of things, but the low compression means it's got a busted motor...(If the owner is "SURE" about the low compression) Depending on the severity of the motor rebuilt, it could be a cheap fix... or expensive. Best case scenario is around 2.5 to 3k. Worst case could be 6.5k for stock reman... at least that's the last I checked.

oh thats a nasty price, Id sooner order a jdm motor and swap it in lol. If it comes down to it and I need to order a jdm motor, is there a generation that would be stronger than others?

You don't understand.(stay with me now..)

a JDM engine has been sitting in Japan for about 2 years.unknown condition..Pressure washed the shit off it,water inside the engine,not lubed in ages,NOT run for who knows how long.
Then put in a Yard..for unknown length of time Until some "engine broker" comes and buys 50 of them for Cheap.
they put them in a shipping container and then Sit..
nice salty air gets at them..long First Class vacation via a shipping container across the open Sea to the good ol USA.

YOU BUY IT..

(how good is that engine looking now?)


Most JDM engines are crap and get rebuilt anyways,just to be Sure that the engine will Run..
You make a Good engine with what you got,or find a Jdm with decent parts to rebuild.
Don't pay good money and Roll the dice on an engine that may start and croak in the same turn of the key.

Do these rotaries not store as well as piston engines? I understand that jdm motors aren't typically treated well but I have had a lot of good experience with cars in the past this way. I am certainly not looking to try to test my luck if there's another variable with rotaries than there are piston engine.

Agreed... 110%...

My current motor is a rebuild from JDM. Prior to finding this motor, there were plenty of motors that looked good from the outside but had low to ZERO compression, or didn't even turn over.

Thing about these JDM isn't just about being kept well, it's about the abuse... You're better off starting "fresh" with a solid foundation rather than put in junk and end up hating the car.

My concern comes from deciding on the path ill take with this car. I would love to try a rotary motor, however if the cost starts to exceed the cost of swapping in a 1/2JZ or LSX I will take that route instead. I suppose I will have to wait until I tear the engine down and see where were at first.

Until then, based on just the information in the original post, would you pay 8K, for a RX-7 in this condition? If not, what would you think is a more appropriate purchase price?

No. A GOOD rolling chassis, with a GOOD interior is still worth 6 to 8k to someone who knows the car or intends an engine swap. BUT... you admittedly don't know anything about rotaries and this sounds a like a project. If I were in your situation I would NOT buy it. The car's fun-factor goes south in proportion to the time it sits on jack-stands.
If you want to "try a rotary", buy a good solid running one, in a well maintained FD to begin with. Combine that with some ambition and the Factory Service Manual and you'll be money ahead.

That is what I was wondering, I apologize if I have made myself sound as if I am not mechanically inclined. I have nothing but time and money to put into this project and I am not one to skip corners on a build and I do believe in following service manuals. I just wanted get an understanding from the rx7 community on the value of the vehicle. Money isn't so much an issue but I certainly don't want to waste money on a chassis.

me personally as a loan specialist, I would first pull an autocheck/ carfax on the car to see how many owners that car has had and if there has been any title issues or if the car has been in any accidents. to find out $$$ value i recommend going on NADA Home Page and pulling up value on the car. that can give you some good ideas of value of the car. just my 2 cents.

If money ain't your woe, then buy it and fix it up...Like SgtBlue said, $8k isn't bad if you're sure the chassis is clean, no accidents and overall owner history is good. (ie the little here and there problems with vac leaks, coolant leaks, solenoids, boost issues, etc... that is if you're keeping it rotary)

and $6k for a Mazda reman ain't bad... If you're complaining about 6k.... better watch your budget.

Thank you guys, my biggest concern was determining if the chassis was worth it. I love both the idea of the rotary and dealing with a completely new concept of an engine and the tried and true LSX motors. Both are new platforms so the route I go will most likely depend on initial cost vs what will be more reliable for my goals. It seems as if both are relatively easy to make about 400whp on assuming I'm patient and calculating with the rotary.