I've been in a mixture of inability to find a clean car, and uncertainty on whether I can deal with this car.

Essentially, if I buy a cheap FD on it's deathbed, have the motor rebuilt by a good shop, do all reliability mods (including a pfc, radiator/oil cooloer/intercooler), and it's well taken care of, what can I expect to get out of the car? It would be daily driven, at least for a couple of years. Work is a mile away, school is a couple of miles away, I don't have any long regular commute.

I'm talking only a few mods, maybe running 12psi.

It does get quite hot here during the summer, and I know the seven has cooling problems, but am I right to think I should be perfectly fine with a completely upgraded cooling system?

What do you guys normally spend yearly on maintenance? What kind of things typically sideline your car? I see a lot of people with boost problems around for one thing...

 

You can't just expect everything to go smooth once you rebuild your rotor. I haven't even touched my rotors/turbo yet but there have been major problems leading to rotor failure from worn out parts. e.g heater core, leaks, hoses, and the list goes on.

We are talking about 13 years old or less car here, so expect worn out parts.

As for reliablity, the more you mod, the more it will become unreliable.

As for other reasons, I'll let the pros in this forum answer it.

 

so u said the more u mod the less it becomes unreliable then wat about modding the radiator, intercooler, ast, fans and downpipe?

 

If you want the most reliable FD you can get, buy a pampered, low mileage example, put in a DP, boost/water gauges, fan mod, and leave the rest of it stock. Just maintain the car, and you'll have very few, if any worries.

 

the more mods that add power is wat will cause unreliability, that is case for any car.

 

There's one fairly local to here with something like 27.5k miles. But it's an auto and I know the auto/manny conversion would be a few thousand dollars.

Besides that, there isn't **** around here. Most cars have over or around 100k miles on the clock and have been rebuilt at various points, and I can't travel very far to get a car. :-\

My options are limited.

 

The more you power mod the car, the more it becomes unreliable. Running higher than stock boost, 12 PSI as you mentioned, puts more more wear and tear on the vitals, not to mention increases engine heat.

The radiator and AST aren't mandatory to change until the car has a lot of miles (60K+) - more of a preventive maintenance issue than anything else. Fans aren't an issue. Neither is the stock IC which, in general, is good for 12 PSI on a relatively stock car.

A DP is a good idea to decrease underhood temps.

 

Those are called 'reliability' mods

 

well come to think about it, I think it's best for you to own the car. Then you'll know bits here and there that are wrong which make it unreliable lol.
I must be out of my mind....

 

If you're worried about the finances, do a little test. Find out what the FD would cost you,whether you're planning on buying one outright or making monthly payments. Call your insurance person, find out what your rates would be. Find out what gas would cost. The FD needs premium fuel, and you can expect to get 15-18mpg. Don't forget maintenance. Change your fuel filter, air filter, accessory belts, brake & transmission fluids the month you purchase the car, unless you know when they were last changed. Oil change every 2-3k, spark plugs every 5-10k.

$100/month in maintenance is about right. In 2004, I spent $1300 on maintenance, new tires, a boost gauge and a downpipe. I skimped on a few things that should be replaced but aren't absolutely necessary yet, like shocks, bushings, and a few other little things that effect how the car drives, but aren't likely to cause a failure if I put them off for a few months.


Add up your possible expenses, and then put that much money in a seperate account for a few months. See how comfortable it is.

Good luck,

-s-

 

The FD does not have cooling problems. It has plastic cooling components that tend to crack.

 

First off, I would definitely widen your search radius. The good thing is there's typically quite a few FD's for sale in south Florida, especially Ft. Lauderdale/Miami/Orlando/Tampa.

If it's your first FD, I would recommend getting a nice car to start with - one that runs and drives well and is clean. A major project car can be tricky if you never actually have driven the car or haven't experienced a properly running FD to compare it to. That also makes getting the car home easier - drive there, drive back in new car. No worrying about towing.

Read my guide to buying an FD for some ideas -

http://www.clubrx.org/default.asp?id...ntent=25&mnu=5

Many times it's actually cheaper in the long run to start with a decent running car. Putting a motor in a car and doing it right can be pricey!

Have a VERY hard look at your budget. As said, make sure you can afford insurance, increased gas cost, etc. It can be an expensive car to maintain properly - if you can't afford to maintain it right (as in doing the job right with the right part, instead of half-assing it with duct tape) don't bother. The FD will NOT let you get away with sloppy work.

That said, my FD is my daily driver. Knock on wood, it hasn't let me down a single day yet, and I've been enjoying the hell out of it.

Dale