That's right. You read the title correctly. I actually did the required reading and searching. But now I'm here for some opinions.

I have the opportunity to pick up a 1993 RHD Type-R. It has 70k miles, a few mods, needs a paint job and some basic TLC from me window shopping it. The owner wants $3000.

I talked with him on the phone yesterday. He said that the main problem he has that it likes to die at idle after braking. It smokes a little on startup (I read about the different types of smoke. No I don't know the color, but will find out when test driving).

I currently have a 2011 vehicle here (I am not in the US) as my daily driver. I also have another vehicle being put on the boat to be shipped here, so transportation on a daily basis isn't what this RX7 would be for.

My main question is this. I've read that if a vehicle is 25 years old, it can be imported to the US even if it's not on the legal import list, but I can't find proof of this. Anyone know?

If I picked this up for $3000 and expected to have to put $6000 in it (engine rebuild if the smoke is a bad color, paint, panels, etc.) am I still getting a good deal?

Thanks for any input and I hope that I'm able to join the cool kids club shortly.

 

Went for a test drive.

It did have white/blue smoke when starting up. I guess from reading that means the apex seal needs replaced?

It does stall when the AC is on and you come to a stop.

No hesitation that I noticed at any rpm in any gear. We did a straight pull through 5th gear. No issues entering 5th gear.

So here's my next question. Am I crazy to buy the car knowing the engine needs work? Is $2500 a good deal for a 1993 JDM Type-r with 50k kilometers on the dial? I will likely be keeping it in Europe until 2018 when it's legal to import to the US.

Thoughts......anyone?

 

Only you can decide whether buying a fix'r upper is a good idea. If you have money to blow then my all means go ahead, just be prepared for heartaches and the "why did I buy this" feelings that will no doubt come up.

Concerning the 25 year rule http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/impo...list010410.pdf first paragraph.

 

If you have the funds, and the want for that car, then go for it! wouldnt be too bad to save an FD from becoming trash like some people let them to be.

 

This topic is discussed almost every week. Everybody is tired of reading about it. Search the 3rd gen section for the most recent discussion including the 25 year comment.

To answer your question directly - If your plan is to register and drive it in the US, no its not worth it.

$6k might get the engine done with a reman but won't cover any other issues like paint, interior issues etc.

 

Sorry. I didn't know people were tired of new users asking for opinions on purchases. Guess I'll keep my questions to..........hey.....wait......you weren't too tired of the question to throw your opinion in.

You say you're answering a question directly, but I never asked if it was worth it to buy it to drive it in the US. I said I would likely be keeping it in Europe until 2018, that's 7 years of driving, before importing it to the US.

So why do you think it wouldn't be worth rebuilding and taking to the US after 7 years?

 

Do you always come off as rude when people try to offer you info?

I was providing that information in a helpful manner to clue you in as to why aren't getting answers and how to get them.

My opinion is that its not worth importing any RHD car for use in a LHD country. Myself and others have stated in the last few thread on this topic.