Does Experience Matter???
#29
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Thanks again guys!!!
I was thinking of getting the cleanest FD I could for roughly 10-11 K leaving me about 5 grand to either do a rebuild right away or do all the reliabilty mods and make the engine in the car I buy bullet proof. I know Gordon and a few other weighed in on this already but this might be the road I have to take cause its taken me a while to get the wife to go along with the idea of spending 16-18 grand on a car a couples of months after we buy a new house(you know how it is)... so I'm gonna need to use some of that money to do the reliability stuff cause if I spend it all on the car I might be screwed for a while if something goes wrong
oh yeah since I'm in Edmonton,Ab Canada the winters are pretty crazy so this car will only be driven for about 4-5 months a year and the rest of time I got an rsx for a DD
Has anyone went the route of buying the cheaper car and building it up from there and if so how did it work out????
I was thinking of getting the cleanest FD I could for roughly 10-11 K leaving me about 5 grand to either do a rebuild right away or do all the reliabilty mods and make the engine in the car I buy bullet proof. I know Gordon and a few other weighed in on this already but this might be the road I have to take cause its taken me a while to get the wife to go along with the idea of spending 16-18 grand on a car a couples of months after we buy a new house(you know how it is)... so I'm gonna need to use some of that money to do the reliability stuff cause if I spend it all on the car I might be screwed for a while if something goes wrong
oh yeah since I'm in Edmonton,Ab Canada the winters are pretty crazy so this car will only be driven for about 4-5 months a year and the rest of time I got an rsx for a DD
Has anyone went the route of buying the cheaper car and building it up from there and if so how did it work out????
#31
Moderator
iTrader: (7)
I've been lurking on here for the last year or soreading everything I can about the FD which I plan to buy this spring... but as the title says do experience working on cars really mater when buying an FD? I'm 27 years old with a pretty good job, I have the money, time and the space to work on it... just don't have that much experience working on cars but I love the car and am more then willing to learn. What do you guys think... should I buy the FD or go with mk4,evo, 350z or something like that???
oh yeah it would be a JDM model I would buy if that makes any difference in your opinions
thanks in advance for your help
oh yeah it would be a JDM model I would buy if that makes any difference in your opinions
thanks in advance for your help
I think you'll be fine if you have another car to drive, a good place to work on the FD, and the FD is already in good shape. That way you can start with learning to work on maintenance tasks, and take your time if something doesn't seem right.
The last thing you want to do is need the car to get to work and try to cram something together to make it run. Bad, bad, bad, that situation.
Building up a cheaper FD is not a bargain unless you intend to strip out all of the junk and make a prepared race car.
Dave
#32
Needs a tune
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If you have some one to bounce ideas off of I'd say you don't necessarily have to have a lot of experience but when nothing your doing seems to have results it's nice to have some one that can come over to look at the car that knows what they are talking about.
#33
Mr. Links
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Ideally, you should look for a car that is for sale locally. This will give you a chance to check it out, have a compression test done on it, etc... Bringing a car over from Japan is going to be a crap shoot. It may be fine, or it may be torn up; but you won't really know until you've already paid for it.
#34
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Mahjik--- I hear what your saying about buying locally which I plan to do... there are tones of FD's that have already been brought over by other peolpe which I have the luxary of looking at in person and getting them check out and making the best selection from there!!!
Thanks again for all the good advice guys... hearing from the pros on here really makes me feel like I can tackle the ups and downs of owning an FD... thanks
Thanks again for all the good advice guys... hearing from the pros on here really makes me feel like I can tackle the ups and downs of owning an FD... thanks
#36
Rotary Freak
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I didn't know squat and failed auto in high skool when I got my first rx7 a 91 na coupe. It had blown coolant seals without knowing. Spent a lot of money paying mechanics w/ no rotary experience who couldn't fix it. I sold everything after spending $3-4k. I got a miata and learned it easy. Then my rx7 love came back on me. I then built a 90 t2 from a half shell to a beast. Ever since I have yet to blow a motor and and have fixed and sold a few fc's. I had 2 s4 t2s and 3 s5 t2s. Always had at least 2 rx7s. Right now I have a s5 t2 and a fd. Thanks to the rx7 I'm an ase certified automotive techncian and have a degree and certificate in automotive. It all depends on how much drive u have. Experience will be super helpful though. I say get it and u will find out if u were made for it or not. Good luck on ur fd.
#37
Just my .02. Good luck with whatever you get.
#38
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
iTrader: (52)
However, given the OP's situation, I would say go for it. Money is a huge factor. If you don't have the knowledge to fix your car, you can always pay to have it done. If your broke, you are forced to make things work.
The key to getting started wrenching is having the proper tools and taking your time. FD's deserve professional work, not half a$$ getto rigs.
I would also recommend getting the best mod you could ever buy for your car..... another car to drive daily.
Good luck OP
#40
Goodfalla Engine Complete
iTrader: (28)
Personally, from the "tone" of his post, he will be far better off than most. As long as he has the logical mindset to be mechanical, and the patience to ask questions when he is unsure.
Do it buddy! Caution saves you money. Taking your time and wrenching your own car buys you pride.
Do it buddy! Caution saves you money. Taking your time and wrenching your own car buys you pride.
#41
I think it depends on your personal ability to learn. If you are a quick learner and are resourceful when searching for new information you can probably do it. It really helps to have a friend to lend a helping hand that has some experience though.
My old roomate with a 97 supra knew nothing about working on cars, after helping him do some small mods to it over the winter, he learned a ton, and just successfully did a single turbo conversion pretty much all by himself. You can learn a lot in a short amount of time if you are able and willing.
And as far as learning on an FD, if you start of with a single turbo and no emissions, its one of the easiest cars to learn on. I did a lot of learning on my old G35 coupe, that was 5 times as difficult to work on, so many more electricals, way less room.
My old roomate with a 97 supra knew nothing about working on cars, after helping him do some small mods to it over the winter, he learned a ton, and just successfully did a single turbo conversion pretty much all by himself. You can learn a lot in a short amount of time if you are able and willing.
And as far as learning on an FD, if you start of with a single turbo and no emissions, its one of the easiest cars to learn on. I did a lot of learning on my old G35 coupe, that was 5 times as difficult to work on, so many more electricals, way less room.
#42
www.silverbulletrx7.com
Your post sounds exactly how I was when I was thinking of buying a 7 over 10 years ago. I had never even changed the oil on a car before. Actually I had almost no money as well. This isn't a huge problem if you do your own work. However I had a positive attitude and was doing tons of research and learning. When I bought it I found friends and started working on it myself. I am proof that you don't need to have experience. You do need to have some sort of innate ability though. I am mechanically minded and a good problem solver.
Generally I'd be willing to bet you have a good chance of being a good owner that will really enjoy owning a 7. Don't be afraid of buying one. I was but you know what? I have never once regretted my choice.
Generally I'd be willing to bet you have a good chance of being a good owner that will really enjoy owning a 7. Don't be afraid of buying one. I was but you know what? I have never once regretted my choice.
#44
touge******
it does matter
not saying you will do this but many that don't have past mechanical experience make stupid mistakes and more mistakes and get frustrated easier and eventually end up selling the car torn down, parting it out, or the worst v8 swapping it.
not saying you will do this but many that don't have past mechanical experience make stupid mistakes and more mistakes and get frustrated easier and eventually end up selling the car torn down, parting it out, or the worst v8 swapping it.
#45
Mr. Links
iTrader: (1)
It also can hurt. Many people with mechanical knowledge just start "modding" the car without understand the differences of this car verses a piston engine. I'm not going to point out threads, but there are many examples where people "thought" they knew more than they did only to cause themselves more issues.
#46
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Well sounds like a few people were in my same position when they bought there FD which is nice to hear... I plan to buy the cleanest(stock) JDM FD I can find and work on getting it running perfectly in stock form before doing any mods.
Thanks for all the good advice. I know some people aren't crazy about JDM car, like someone above said "it a fade" but for me it's just a chance to buy a car that normally woulld be out of my price range, I'm not doing it so that I can have a car that is right hand drive cause down here its not that big of a deal... you see right hand drive car everytime you leave the house.
Thanks again for all the words of wisdom
Thanks for all the good advice. I know some people aren't crazy about JDM car, like someone above said "it a fade" but for me it's just a chance to buy a car that normally woulld be out of my price range, I'm not doing it so that I can have a car that is right hand drive cause down here its not that big of a deal... you see right hand drive car everytime you leave the house.
Thanks again for all the words of wisdom
#47
i got mine last sept, no mechanical expierence besides exhaust intake and pulley... i learned how to do EVERYTHING on my 7... i stripped the car down, redid bushings, pulled engine/tranny, clutches, FMIC, etc.. so i would say youre OKAY on getting it but have a spare set of hands TOOLS, and someone mechanically inclined incase
#48
sleeper
iTrader: (6)
Personally, from the "tone" of his post, he will be far better off than most. As long as he has the logical mindset to be mechanical, and the patience to ask questions when he is unsure.
Do it buddy! Caution saves you money. Taking your time and wrenching your own car buys you pride.
Do it buddy! Caution saves you money. Taking your time and wrenching your own car buys you pride.