im from monterey ba area and there are some rx7 people out here the scene has been somewhat steady with a few new ones and then the die hards keeping it going me included. couple old ladies who daily theirs. also seen a couple fc's that just sit waiting to get fixed or tuned.

 

yes please come back old thread but **** it

 

the more i thought about it the less the idea tempted me to go back to california, i'd live to work and even then it would be difficult to get ahead. i never was a good businessman so it never went anywhere but stayed the same, but in recent years the amount of work has declined that i am glad i didn't take the risk of moving back to california because i simply couldn't afford to build anything of the business again.

it takes money and manpower, neither of which i have. in fact sometimes i surprised myself what i had managed to accomplish with almost nothing but my hands, common sense and willpower. with the issues on this forum i'm done quitting for good, because i've already been working on getting rid of all my rotary stuff in the shop. many weak minded individuals would probably rather have me gone from here anyways, even if they couldn't simply see that i often try to push people to think harder and act less like sheep.

you guys were the only thing keeping me going but the amount of that driving force has gone so low that the last bit of hope i had is gone.

i could turn out engines like baking cookies but sadly i never could get that many engine jobs and that is mostly what killed the business. in the last year i have built 1 engine, ONE! i do have a little money reserved but aside from that i can't even afford to advertise on this forum anymore so there is no more even attempting to compete with the established shops any longer.

the only thing that could keep me from continuing to dump it all would be a miracle influx of engine jobs, sadly i don't believe in miracles and i'm losing my faith in karma too. it's just disheartening putting so much of yourself out there and seeing the other shops take advantage of people while making a name for themself. i never begged anyone for reviews, only a handful ever gave them so who ever really knew about me? not many, i either didn't do as good of a job as i thought i did or my customers simply didn't care to help me succeed. at this point i don't even care to dwell on the question.


i loved california, i however didn't love the thought of buying a shack for half a million dollars or living with 2-3 other roommates just to make ends meet. florida is humid and hot but it is the only affordable place i could find that compared. i'm 40 years old next month, i have no retirement savings, no health insurance and no house of my own, there was just no way i could ever make anything of myself back in california by starting with nothing but a shop full of rotary parts and tools.

add in that it took me nearly a month for my back to heal after moving everything here before i could lift anything again and walk without a limp, there is no more going back.

my parents always pushed me to be self reliant, perhaps i just take it too far.

anyways, you can find most of my **** on ebay. i list things periodically as i refurbish them or trip over items in the shop. big ticket items like engine short block parts will be the last to go.

sorry i had to let you guys down but it's time i started thinking about myself. if i'm gonna be unhappy i may as well do it doing my old job, making twice as much money and actually envision a future where i can retire at some point and actually have anything of meaning to look forward to. working on rotaries was a unique experience and some of the friendships i made will last a lifetime, but even my best months in the business weren't even equal to my worst months as a factory technician income wise. i'll let ya in on a secret too, i never made more than $25k a year net income in this business, it was merely the freedom and friendships it gave me are why i kept at it. you know those 30 hour straight shifts to finish a car i put in sometimes? yep, they equalled out to minimum wage at the end of the month.

i'm not telling you all this for sympathy, i just feel my old customers should understand why i chose to give up in the end. however i don't see it as giving up, i see it as closing a chapter in my life and writing a new one now. i'll still build engines until i run out of materials and still supply some of my custom parts but that will just be a side job to me again, because i have years of income to make up for. i held out for these last 4 months hoping someone would contact me for work, no one did and i simply can't wait forever.

 

I'm new to the rotary scene, but I do enjoy supporting local and small businesses. What's your eBay username so I can go by and check it out and buy whatever parts I need.

Thanks,
Michael

 

http://stores.ebay.com/Rotary-Evolution?_rdc=1

always adding more and tons that still isn't listed yet, can always ask if you need anything in particular.