What do we know about these?

A member of the family is a car dealer and currently has one in - quite fancy it for my other half. Took it for a quick spin last night and it was great fun, 600cc turbo He wants £1500 for it (thats his trade price) which seems reasonable looking at others on the net. Its a '94 but has 98000 on the clock. Bit on the high side for a ickle blown engine?

I would be able to give it a thorough going over before buying, comp test etc. Looks like its had some welding under the sills which is a shame (dont like garage welding as I think they do the minimum they need to get it through the MOT). Mind you it looked solid, was properly stone chipped etc. Also has a misfire on idle but seemed to pull reasonably strongly.

Just curious to know if anyone has any experience of them? What makes me laugh is that the owners handbook actually states that if it is kept outdoors you should buy a cover for heavy rain lol. At least the Japs are honest.

One for sale on Pistonheads

Phil

Cheers, yep same colour etc as this one. Shame that one doesnt seem to quote a mileage. LOL @ twin turbo though

85,000 miles stated in advert...... I'm sure you could negotiate down to £1,500

Perhaps u2u smart51, he has one (or had) one.

u beet me to it dave

I looked into buying one some years ago, rust was a big problem back then, the other small problem was I could not fit in one , but the only way to go is Busa power

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNgfUxbyNUU&feature=related

I do have one. 98,000 is a little higher than most but isn't a problem. They do seem to last, and hold their value. £1000 is spares and repairs price. £1500 is cheap. Good ones fetch more than twice that.

Things to check:

1) Rust

That's pretty much it. They rot where the floor meets the rear bulk head, where the rear chassis leg meets the rear bulk head and on the footwells behind the lower front wing. Just about the only part you can't get any more is the floorpan.

Handling wise, they're fine for a 90s convertible. The chassis can be stiffened easily with bracing bars front and rear. Mine was improved by replacing the rear suspension bushes. They're not a replacement seven, but with the roof down on a sunny B road, they're plenty of fun.

This is the same car Racing Chris Allansons Zcars mini, a superb video worth a watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60udlOP6f2Q&feature=related

And Wayne Schofields Capuccino on Dyno


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PugzPTNv2C0

[Edited on 19/05/04 by PAUL FISHER]

One other thing to note is that the quoted 63 BHP is at the rear wheels. They make 77 at the flywheel, which in 725 kg isn't too bad.

I was sat behind one at the lights on the way to work a couple months ago... It looked tiny from the cockpit of the 106! I still think it would be great fun in a "hooning about on a moped" kind of way (provided I don't look like Clarkson in it, my head touches the roof of the 106...)

i prefer the look of the mazda az1, and according to videos and reviews of it a 6fter can fit inside, gull wing doors and 5 speed manual too. and these kei cars are limited to 64hp, so don't be surprised if they are easily tuned to higher.

and if your feeling brave why not import one thats in better condition than ones already in this country? i want to import an az1 one day hopefully soon and want a guinea pig to find the best import company

You should have a look at my GT5 garage, or as I've started to call it "the hall of cr@p cars" because they're all Japanese, from the 40's to 70's and appear to have less power than an electric toothbrush (my fully tuned Honda Z ACT tops out at 81mph)

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Originally posted by Kwik
i prefer the look of the mazda az1, and according to videos and reviews of it a 6fter can fit inside, gull wing doors and 5 speed manual too. and these kei cars are limited to 64hp, so don't be surprised if they are easily tuned to higher.

and if your feeling brave why not import one thats in better condition than ones already in this country? i want to import an az1 one day hopefully soon and want a guinea pig to find the best import company

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quote:

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Originally posted by smart51
I do have one. 98,000 is a little higher than most but isn't a problem. They do seem to last, and hold their value. £1000 is spares and repairs price. £1500 is cheap. Good ones fetch more than twice that.

Things to check:

1) Rust

That's pretty much it. They rot where the floor meets the rear bulk head, where the rear chassis leg meets the rear bulk head and on the footwells behind the lower front wing. Just about the only part you can't get any more is the floorpan.

Handling wise, they're fine for a 90s convertible. The chassis can be stiffened easily with bracing bars front and rear. Mine was improved by replacing the rear suspension bushes. They're not a replacement seven, but with the roof down on a sunny B road, they're plenty of fun.

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quote:

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Originally posted by FASTdan
£670

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quote:

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Originally posted by smart51

quote:

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Originally posted by FASTdan
£670

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Try a specialist like Diamond or look at the owners club site for other brokers who understand the car http://www.clubcappo.co.uk/board/Blah/Blah.cgi to halve that quote. Mine is insured as a "collectable" 2nd car and is very reasoanbly priced.

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