Would you do this trade?

NOW, that I know what else this guy has I'd go for the REPU and then the R100. Both are nearly extinct and both have a very special place in Mazda's history books. The fact that this guy has 3 SPs says a lot about how easily they might be to obtain at a later date/time.

BTW, this quote from the Classic and SportsCar buyer's guide, concerning the "4"

"....people have enough trouble getting excited about the much more engaging NSU Ro80, let alone this rusty, thirsty, unreliable '70s porridge-mobile."

if the car is solid and done right.. this is a no brainer. No sense in keeping car you do not want

integraguy wrote: NOW, that I know what else this guy has I'd go for the REPU and then the R100. Both are nearly extinct and both have a very special place in Mazda's history books. The fact that this guy has 3 SPs says a lot about how easily they might be to obtain at a later date/time. BTW, this quote from the Classic and SportsCar buyer's guide, concerning the "4" "....people have enough trouble getting excited about the much more engaging NSU Ro80, let alone this rusty, thirsty, unreliable '70s porridge-mobile."

I already own a REPU,and this one wasn't all that special. It needs lots of work,and his friend Ken has one that is way nicer,and a better base to work with. The R100 is super rare,and nice,but he is asking crazy money for it due to the rarity of the model,and the fact that he has sourced an original 10A engine for it. The SP models are not easy to find even though he has 4 of them. Trust me when I tell you it is a rare model. The RX-3 alone is tough to find,and when you do you pay a premium for it.

Regarding the RX-4. It is a nice car,and if it were more original I would not be selling it as I love the model,but this one has turned me a bit sour just because I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to cars. Not to say that this car isn't fun,but it isn't as much fun as I thought it would be. Every RX-series car is thirsty,and the RX-4 is no different. The reliability of the 4 is not bad aside from I have had terrible luck with transmissions,but that is more due to using the inferior 79-80 RX-7 5 speed instead of the proper ribcase 4 speed unit from the 4. Other than that issue I have had no problems with the car,and unllike what the magazine says this one isn't rusty,but I imagine most of them did rust away especially on this coast. I sort of wish the RX-4 was the wagon version,and mostly stock,and then I would be in heaven.

To throw a monkey wrench into the works I could also get an 09 RX-8 Touring as a CPO car in Crystal White Pearl(white rules on RX vehicles) for around the same investment if I can sell my RX-4 for the range I think it is worth. That is only IF I sell it soon as I think this particular RX-8 won't be around long. I love old school cars,but having owned an RX-8 in the past for 1 year,and seeing the newer redesigned 09 model I am tempted. Insurance will be a lot higher on the newer car,but I will also have a warranty.

Here is a link to pics of said vehicle I am thinking of trading for:

http://web.me.com/cdirado/Diradosite/77-RX-3.html

What do you think?

Chris

I think i would make sweet sweet love to that car.

This needs a pic.

hot linked for your viewing pleasure.

I don't recall you ever saying what the intended purpose of the car is - daily driver, weekend nice day cruiser, autocross/track toy? While I understand the attraction to what's probably the nicest RX-3 outside of a museum, unless you're only looking for a nice day weekend car show toy I'd go with the RX-8, which you can do all 3 things equally well with, and when you bring the kids anywhere in it you're not relying on 30+ year old safety standards to protect them.

This car would be a weekend/nice weather cruiser. I loved the RX-8 when I had it,but I got rid of it a year earlier than I had to due to buying a new house,and have not really missed it much in the 5 years I have been without it. I really love old cars more than new ones,and I really can't tell you why.

Mazdax605 wrote:

Platinum90 wrote: the RX3 doesn't seem to be a car that has alot of parts availability, and prices would probably reflect that. Restoration costs go up exponentially when you have to source unobtanium parts. Also, spending 8K on a car that you have to dump another 8K into is about the most disconcerting thing you will ever do... Instant gratification FTW.

Is it conceivable that materials alone could cost in the $2k range? Mind you this car was allegedly painted with primer,then a white base coat,then color(orange),and then the clear. The seller(body man) said this is the only proper way to do the paint job with the color being orange.

Yes. I've got over 1k in just the paint material for my 72 Firebird. I'm using a Gasurit red that calls for a white base, but I'm using black because I want the red to come out a little darker. When you do it like this they call what is normally the base coat (in my case red) the midcoat. With filler, tape, primers, etc I can see how you'd get 2k pretty easy for quality products. Also depends on how many coats you do.

Btw just saw the pictures and that Mazda looks great.

Do the trade before you lose out, and then you'll be kicking yourself. All the work is done, it's ready to go, and you REALLY want it. Pull the trigger, it's swap time