I believe the plastic bits are clear coated, the body is not. You're right that those portions will need to be repainted. If you could revive the body with a polisher and repaint the plastic bits, that would be the best outcome, IMO.

 

Ok. - I am hoping I will be able to buy it, It still has original tires

 

Now that you posted pictures it's not looking too bad. Having original tires is not a good thing though. It's not like this is some pristine example parked away for 30 years. Expect to spend minimum of $20k (assuming it doesn't need a paint job) in order to have it in a place where buyers will pay high dollars for it.

 

is it confirmed that even on single stage paint the rear bumper was cleared from factory?

where else would be cleared on these cars ?


Paint aside can you give me a reason why a low mileage one would need 20k dumped in? Apex seals good to 70-80k , what else could be wrong ? It wasn’t ever modified or abused,

 

Also to clarify, I have no plans to buy it and sell it. I always wanted an FD and shortly after acquiring my turbo 2 this one just happened to fall into my lap . I’m not looking to make a profit and I’m NOT some dirt all flipper. I could care less what they sell for online, I just want to spend a safe amount where if **** ever hit the fan and I needed to liquidate I could.

 

First, the moniker of apex seals being good 70k-80k is just wrong. It's hugely dependent on how the car has been run and maintained.

I said $20k for a high dollar sale. If you just want a driver, then you can have it reliable for much less. But people that are going to spend $50k+ want stuff done right and to walk into a reliable car. It will depend a lot on how much work you can do yourself and how lucky you get with it. Even though not hugely important, everyone on bring a trailer asks for compression test. Given you don't know how to do that, means you will likely be paying for it (and many other things) Then who knows what you find.

If you started this thread by showing that you took 2 seconds to search and actually gain an understanding of the basics on these cars (and didn't think original tires are worth mentioning) then id bet you could do it for less. But my current bet is, you buy this for somewhere around $20k, and end up $40k into before you try to sell it and then it doesn't hit reserve.

I hope to be wrong haha

 

Ok. Well if you aren't looking to flip it then buy it and get it back on the road. Take your time doing it. Do some basic maintenance. Then some reliability mods (e.g. plastic radiator is likely brittle). Once it's driving nicely, try to save the paint. And have a rainy day fund of $15k-20k for if you need an engine and have to pay someone to do the work.

 

I have a ok understanding, I bought an FC that didn’t run for years and have it within 10 days running and driving as of today nearly perfect. I did all the work myself. I’m new to rotary’s from a hands on perspective and like to ask basic questions.

original tires are worth mentioning because they add a value to the car.

 

Can I get a 100% confirmation from someone on single stage FDs that the rear bumpers are indeed clear coated? And inform me of anywhere else. Not having a easy time finding info

 

Clear coat should be everywhere on the car where the paint is, unless I'm missing something. It's likely peeling because the OEM paint Mazda used faded in color + the clear coat had issues in the earlier generations of peeling very easily with minimal sun exposure.

It's a beautiful car, a lot of folks would pounce at an opportunity to buy it because a little bit of work is not a big deal to get these running well and looking nice. Go with what Redbul said about checking the engine stuff and an in depth look at frame stuff. The fact that the passenger fender panel looks off paint wise indicates it was replaced. Why was it replaced? Was there an accident not reported on the carfax, if so, how bad was the accident? Take the car and put it on a lift and inspect it thoroughly.

Compression
Coolant leak test
Start/idle
Codes
and the rest he mentioned.

All that stuff is very important. If you can't confirm the compression of both rotors done correctly, it's a 12k risk with 2-3k in labor for the drivetrain alone.

With that said, even though this car doesn't merit a new paint job - shouldn't be afraid of one in the future if need be, especially if you're not trying to squeeze money out of the car to resell it. The factory OEM VR paint fades over time and turns a bit pink, especially when you're in a sunny state such as California.

 

They will not add value to this car. And if you like to ask basic questions and be spoonfed information instead of putting in at least an ounce of effort that's a problem not a good thing.

 

Original tires are a huge safety issue. Even if there's tread, it loses its integrity and you have no grip.

Very important to get a fresh set of tires if you ever purchase it, especially if it's the original tires on there. If you mean rims - they also don't really add value like TwinCharged said, but they do sell for a decent bit now a days for folks wanting original rims.

 

He means that if he ever sold this that original tires is somehow going to add value. Highly unlikely unless this car had less than 10k miles on it, and was a time capsule that was all original and never had damage, and also 20 years in the future when it's more rare.

This car is just not in the category of collector cars where original tires (even if it could be proven that they are original), would ever add value to the sale.

 

VR '93s are single stage, no clear coat on the metal parts!

 

Most tires have a manufacture date on them. It goes (weeks/Year) so 34th week of 1992 (say) (3492).

Run away from any tire older than 10 years.

The value having the original tires, gives an idea of how long this car might have sat around.

If the tires should have been replaced after 10 years, then maybe most of the 30,000 miles were put on 20 years ago.

What sort of history does the carfax give?

As I said before, if you get it for US$25,000 your downside is limited.

(P.S. Mouses love to set up house in the HVAC system. You'd have to remove the dash to take a look. But if they also set up house in the glovebox, that would be a good indicator.

You might want to read up on how to eliminate mouse smell from an old car.

 

carfax is squeaky clean, car was never hit. One owner, tons of service records and docs from 93 to early 2010s. Perfect car “on paper”

and I’m not looking to buy it to sell it, I always wanted an FD. So anything I’d do with the car would be done the right way no expenses spared. Obviously I don’t want to end up 60k deep into a car worth $45k - that’s my concern, as long as I don’t LOSE any money if I ever need to sell it that’s what matters.

the owners say there are zero smells at all.

that steering wheel is just faded from the sun? I’d replace with a NOS if available.

 

Yeah nice condition S6 steering wheels come up for $100 all the time. It may have sat in direct sun. Or some industrial cleaner was left on it. It is unusual to see one in such bad condition.

Front fenders are easy to switch out and used to be cheap to find. So if you dinged one, you could bolt on a replacement, and not bother with an insurance claim.

The carfax may be clean, but it still may have entries from visits to car shops and annual registrations/inspections , that could give an idea of what miles were on the car, and when.

Therefore you can get a sense for how long it sat from time to time.

 

thanks

 

waited too long and somebody else got it. Unbelievable

 

Sill a major outlay and commitment. Someone was more willing to take the plunge quickly.

 

I know the feeling! I missed out on a couple of good ones before I landed mine. It's always frustrating when it happens but it really is true that there will be other ones out there.