"ddavidn" (ddavidn)
10/26/2013 at 03:00 • Filed to: firstcars
1
16|
"ddavidn" (ddavidn)
10/26/2013 at 03:00 • Filed to: firstcars | 1
| 16 |
...Because my Toyota is going to the great rally course in the sky, so that isn't gonna work for him. How much would you pay for this? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Edit: Whew, finally got that picture up.
GhostZ
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 03:10 |
|
$2500, $3000 max.
It has the original motor at high mileage with unknown service records ( really bad for an RX-7 or any rotary) it's the last year (meaning that it isn't, mechanically, much better than a 1985 model, yet you're paying a premium for a 5 year newer car) it's not a turbo, yet it's a red convertible so insurance is going to be insane, and it's a convertible RX-7, so the body is going to be all sorts of floppy.
Here's a better idea. What's his budget? He should find something realistically under his budget, and then if he finds a good deal, use the money to pay for insurance and maintenance, rather than trying to find the best car just under his price range.
Decay buys too many beaters
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 03:15 |
|
I'd pay $600, and I say that as a rotary fan.
120K miles is right about the MTBF (mean time between failures) of these engines, it's a convertible (all kinds of sloppy handling), and it seems to be missing quite a few pieces.
The answer is Miata.
|
ddavidn
> GhostZ
10/26/2013 at 03:20 |
|
Would not advise him to pay that much. Also he doesn't have that much, hence the auction...
No real budget. I advised him the same thing. Parents will probably cover insurance type things, cause they don't want to drive him up the road to college and back.
|
ddavidn
> Decay buys too many beaters
10/26/2013 at 03:21 |
|
Yeah, that's sort of the range I was thinking of. Hate the fact that it's a convertible but we could brace it up.
Miatas go for way too much flippin' money or both my brother and I would have one.
|
GhostZ
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 03:23 |
|
I would suggest finding the shittiest piece of junk (that still will run for another 20,000 miles) for 2-400$ he can find, and beat on it for a year until he has built enough capital to buy a proper car. Jumping to a sports car like that right away, even if insurance is covered, is a bad move unless he has the money to afford the maintenance.
One year of shitty car can mean many years of fun car later, vs a few years of shitty but somewhat fun car now.
Good suggests are mid-90s civics, early 90s Nissan/Infiniti/Hyundai/Honda/Mazda sports sedans, etc. They're not terrible, and they can usually be bought and driven into the ground at very little expense. Wait, work, and safe for 6-12 months (during which, if he wrecks, no big loss) and he'll be able to drop a lot more on a much better car.
|
Decay buys too many beaters
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 03:27 |
|
Give it a try and see what happens. Though it's in an ugly state right now, it would be a pretty cool (though not reliable mind you) first car. Since it is not a turbo, it will not be fast enough for him to really get into trouble.
Make sure you see it start/run and if possible move a few feet under it's own power.
Squid
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 03:40 |
|
Where do you live? This is prime miata buying time. A decent NA should run you 2500ish. I got my NB for $4100 and they are rock solid as long as you are willing to put about $500 in maintenance right after you buy it. Like the others have said, a rotary isn't a good first car, it needs lots of love and care to keep them running, if you don't care for them they like to blow up. A tattered out NA that needs a new top and the TB/WP job with an interior that is less than stellar is an affordable option for a fun car. Plus with a Miata, all your brother would have to do is make sure there is oil in it and change it when it needs it and he'll be fine. But if your in the realm of $500 auction cars, be very cautious as they can come with hefty unforeseen repair bills. Your best bet will be to find something that is easy to work on for as cheap as possible, with the possibility of selling it in a year or so for profit or breaking even.
|
ddavidn
> GhostZ
10/26/2013 at 03:40 |
|
Right, that's what we're doing. Problem is that you can't buy a civic under $1,000, even most non-runners. I bought the toyota at $500, thought I got a decent deal and would be able to drive it to work and back for a while. Turns out it needs a carburetor now. He isn't as lucky as I am. I drove a free POS 1989 mazda MPV until it started on fire, and then I had the $500 I needed to buy my Focus. He can't find a free MPV or $500 Focus, but he's looking. I mostly wanted to bring up the RX7 here because I secretly want to buy it too...
|
ddavidn
> Squid
10/26/2013 at 03:45 |
|
Well... around here I haven't seen one under $3k, and that one was in sketchy condition. If I could find a cheap miata, I'd buy it for myself. Looks like there's one on CL now for $2,800 http://seattle.craigslist.org/search/cto/tac…
Thanks for the tips. He isn't in a rush, and I have never advised him toward the auction. My dad has gotten really lucky at the auction, but I look at it like a slot machine. Too much gambling. I gambled on the Toyota and got burned, but my loss will only be about $150 after I give it to the junkyard.
|
Squid
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 04:01 |
|
That white one isn't worth the 2800 he's asking. It has a 1.6 that has been through hell and back, who knows if the person was knowledgeable about the short nose crank issue while "rebuilding" the motor or when they put the new head gasket on. There is that 96 blue one going for "best offer over 3500" with a crappy snugtop hardtop. that one looks worth it. Just so you know the NA's have the hydraulic lifters that like to clatter on start up it is normal. If I were going to try to get that one I'd offer him around $2500 and tell him to keep the snugtop, that is of course if the soft top was in good condition. The deals are out there you just may have to look a little farther than you'd like. Miata's are non-interferance motors so if the TB snaps it isn't an issue, but if one hasn't been done it is about $150-200 in parts and about a day of work to get it done. Hopefully you can find something decent for your brother.
Here is that blue one I was talking about. Oh and since the snugtop doesn't match, you can talk him down on that as well. Good luck on your miata hunt if you ever set out on one. They are a whole lot of fun for not a lot of buy in. Plus they are damn easy to fix yourself.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/415243…
IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 10:45 |
|
I love 2nd gen rx7s but I wouldn't pay more than $500-750 for this because there are too many unknowns. You can't test drive it, you don't know if it's had a rebuild, you just don't know.
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 11:11 |
|
If you live in any part of the country that gets cold and wet for a while - 0$. Save up some money and get a 4 cylinder BMW sedan or cope from the mid 90s. Or a mazda miata. Or a clean civic hatch. Or a Mk3/4 GTI/GLI. Or basically anything but that. It has zero performance potential and will leak on him all the time.
|
ddavidn
> IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
10/26/2013 at 12:56 |
|
I wouldn't pay over that for pretty much any car at the auction...
|
ddavidn
> Squid
10/26/2013 at 12:58 |
|
One of us will have a miata, someday! I just feel like they're always overpriced around here compared to other things. I mean, I bought my M3 for $2,500 and it worked great... for a while... but there were no Miatas to be had at that price.
|
GhostZ
> ddavidn
10/26/2013 at 13:48 |
|
Another option is to try and not drive at all until he can afford a $1500-$2500 car, which, if he doesn't drop $500 now, will come a lot sooner.
Similar to this and computers, a $300 (in today's dollars) computer will last you around 2 years before it starts having issues/goes obsolete, and you can get 3 out of it if you're careful. A $700 computer can last you 4 years at least, and a $1300-$2000 can go 7+ years usually before they become unusable. The more you're able to drop at once, the better your long-term gains are.
What is his financial situation? If he absolutely needs to drive now, not just for pleasure but for a job or school (and there's no public transit) and he knows that he will be making more money in the future (with near 100% certainty) this is one of those few situations where a loan (taken out in his parents' name, obviously, and then they 'allowance' it to him to pay it back) would be best.
My first car was a $200 1990 Nissan Maxima that had been sitting for 12 months after the electrics got fried from a botched stereo job. I gambled that it was an ignition/electrical issue, and it was. Once the ignition lock had been adjusted, it started right up and gave me a year of faithful driving until all of the electrical systems started going haywire. By the time I sold the car, it needed a new transmission, new front U-joints, an entirely new stereo, a new anti-theft system, a new fuse box, and a new ignition. But it drove.
|
ddavidn
> GhostZ
10/26/2013 at 13:52 |
|
My first car was a Mazda MPV I got for free that literally had mushrooms growing in the carpet. Drove it until it caught fire.
He doesn't have a job yet, though he wants to get one soon. He saved 99% of the money he got from his temporary job for this future car. Needs to drive to school, which isn't far. Public transit is the worst around here. We'll find something for him. He's just disheartened that our previous gamble didn't work out, as am I. We both really liked the Toyota. I'm still holding out hope and looking for a carb for it...