Thinking about selling my ST165.... weighing in the options.

[sergei]

Thinking about selling my ST165 project. I am/was building it as road legal track day car.

I can make it being "completely finished", by spending about $3000-$4000 (not really necessary, it needs about $500 to get it running).
To be honest I lost motivation/interest.
Buying STI (even though the project meant to serve different purpose) opened my eyes in how much more refinement, STI has over my ST205 (which was more refined over my ST165, except power).

I wander what sort of money I can recover.....

So where it is at:
1987 White ST165 (body is in so-so conditions, bog here and there, but no major)
Rego on hold (alive).
ST205 engine (130k, just imported it) installed.
Link G3 with G4 firmware (need retune, tuned for ST165 engine).
ST205 rear diff and gearbox.
bazda big brake kit
walboro fuel pump
bilstein inserts
whiteline antilift kit
whilteline sway bars
new rack ends and tie rods
new lower balljoints.
new rear spherical bearings.
ST205 intercooler
Custom sandwitchplate for two (35mm) external waste gates.
ST215 alternator.
Blitz Dual SDBC boost controller.
195kW at the wheels with ST165 engine.
Stripped interiour (bar the front door cards, centre console and dash).
Sealed battery in the boot (with 35 sq mm doubly insulated cable).
17" alloy wheels (new) with 4x R888 225/17/45 (also new).

It is missing the following:
the front wheel bearings need to be pressed out (if can be saved) and pressed in into ST165 hubs with ST202 spigots (I have 4 spigots to choose from) - this to fix the wonky wheel alignment due to ST202 hubs.
It is missing ST205 injector resistor pack.
ST205 intercooler radiator needs to be purchased ($300 geniune)
ST205 intercooler pump needs to be purchased ($100 genuine).
re-tune for new engine ($???).
reroute oil lines (due to ST205 vs 165 oil filter location differences).
cert ($350-500).
Probably would want to install ST20X starter as it is a bit better design.

In addition I planned the following:
Bazda special adjustable suspension set.
Race tech seats + belts (or Sabelt seats)
Half cage.
maybe a custom alloy radiator (turbo clearance is a bit small).

Here is a bit history on the car:
The car is started as stock ST165 in a very average condition, which I bought for $1300 many years ago (listed as $1500 on trade exchange).
It had busted radiator, busted CV joints, busted wheel bearings, leaking waterpump. But it had current WoF and Rego. Also it had nice Bilstein inserts (that the owner didn't know about it).

In same week I bought another ST165 for $1000, it was in much poorer state, but it had some bits I was missing. So I combined two into one, and sold on the rest.

The ST165 in its stock form drove like a dog...

Then real money spending started.

First thing I did is got new front CV's (~$160ea?). Ordered ST205 gearbox/centre/rear diff ($750) from Japan, as well as the TRD clutch kit ($800), ST205 steel turbo ($1500 Mr Revhead special), and XS-Power style down pipe, I also got legacy I/C radiator and ST205 Intercooler for it, as well as ST185 278mm rotors callipers and brackets. To fix the understeering to no end I got the whiteline anti-lift kit and whiteline sway bars. The stock wheels had to go so I got 16" Sparco Rally off strx7. To deal with potential heat issues I had got 19 row (or was it 16?) mocal oil coolers (one for engine another for gearbox), with remote kit and braided fittings off GSS (over $1500).

Factory ECU was complete crap, so I got the Blitz ST185 ECU, which stopped annoying boost cut at 0.6bars.

I had Al's mufflers to build a 2.5 system with some random 2.5 quiet muffler, as original was completely rotten...

I took it to the drags and it did 13.2s with conservative driving.
On dyno day (TP) it made 178kW at the wheels with A/F very rich (about 10) and boost being all over the place (peaking to 16psi), at this time I didn't pay much attention to the boost curve (blaming boost tap).

I got Blitz Dual boost controller, which meant to fix boost curve (but I didn't take it on another dyno). I also got Al's mufflers to build be another exhaust system, this time it was 3in as it was very obviously on the dyno it was maxing out current system.

When I picked up the car from Al's I noticed the following thing: the boost was spiking up to 2.0bars. Then the whole over boost saga is started (you could probably still find my original TS posts).

Basically after spending couple of thousands dollars on "research and development", Simon (evil_si) build me a nice sandwich plate/adapter to allow me run twin external waste-gate setup with stock twin entry manifold, and retaining the benefits of twin entry turbo.

At that stage I realized that there is limitations of the stock ST185 ecu and decided to get Link G3 ($1250). I also got nice ST215 injectors off fivebob, and walboro fuelpump off trademe.

After wiring in the link, and getting firmware upgraded to G4 ($200), I got the Torque Performance to tune it (~$1000). It made 195kW at the wheels (conservative tune) at 16psi.

I took it to Hampton Downs and realized tree things:
1) even upgraded brakes (278mm vs 254mm) are not up to the task
2) road tyres have no place on the track (5 laps and they are stuffed).
3) original ST165 engine has developed a leak in head gasket (upon inspection block was pitted and I decided to scrap the whole engine).

So I got Barry (bazda) to make me a big brake kit ($1250), which uses Willwood 4 pots and ST205 rotors. To fit the ST205 rotors (which have greater "hat" depth, a 3mm spacer and genuine ball joint have to be used). My 16" were no longer fitting, and they had to go in favour of 17".
So hitting two birds with one stone I got the following combo: brand new 17" Chinese rims with brand new 4x R888 225/45/17. To fix the engine problem I imported ST205 engine from japan (~130k ~$1300).
I did a mistake of "eyeballing" the dimensions of ST202 steering knuckle/hub, and decided to go with them (instead of maintaining the ST165 units and only swapping spigots). ST202 hubs have slightly different dimensions that do the following - increase the ackerman to stupid amount, increase the toe in to stupid amount, and increase the ride height by about 2-3cm.

Since I sold the original hubs, I went to pickapart and got the correct ones. All needs to be done now is swap the spigots and get new bearings (again).

New engine got the usual treatment of genuine replacement all the accessible seals, waterpump, idlers etc. The engine has been installed wiring redone (to splice the ST205 loom) with Deutsch plugs (so to make the engine extraction easier).

There is a lot of small things that I cannot remember, since I had it for very long time....

[Al]

TLDR.

Part it out all the good bits and return to stock.

I've done it twice now with both MR2s. The first I had advertised for $7500 about eight years ago. It was super tidy, and the engine still lives today in another car. No one wanted it. Sold all the bits separately, sold as stock. Got $8500 for it in total parting it.

Modified cars aren't worth 5/8ths of sweet fanny adams.

[duddley]

I would also part it out

[sergei]

can't revert to stock, as I don't have stock parts.

[rollaholic]

as above, especially as its not in good working order. you'd probably get 2500 for it on TM as is, since an ST165 is hardly the most popular car with the cool kids.

if you have to sell it complete, the less work the prospective owner has to do, the better i reckon.

whenever im looking at unfinished projects im mentally adding up the cost of getting it finished and deducting that from my offer ya know?

[Al]

can't revert to stock, as I don't have stock parts.

Part it out, then sell the shell for scrap.

[sergei]

can't revert to stock, as I don't have stock parts.

Part it out, then sell the shell for scrap.

by my calculations I will get about $6k and a lot of hassle on trade me.

it is cheaper to keep it indefinitely....

[Dell'Orto]

Better to do that, you'd get nothing near what it owes you, and probably an 1/8th of what you'd actually want.

[rollaholic]

if 6k is meaningless to you then im not sure what this thread is about, since you could finish it for 4k and have fun caning it round race tracks?

or go through the trouble of parting it out, take proceeds and turn STi into road car capable of track days? (as opposed to track car capable of road duties)

[iOnic]

If you don't want to finish it, put it on Trademe. If someone is interested in it you will find out quickly. If there is no interest that will rule out the selling unfinished option so you can move on to the next option - finish it and try selling again. Same possible outcomes as above. If that fails, keep it - you're stuck with it.

I doubt you're going to get much trademe hassling tbh. Not like you're trying to sell a Skyline/WRX/GSR/Evo etc. Celicas don't usually attract douchebaggery. Usually.

[sergei]

motivation is the biggest issue.
6k is not that much, I can always earn that.... sentimental value on other hand...

[Bling]

If you have no motivation / interest in the car any more, why the sentimental value? Sometimes you're better to just take the loss and have one less thing to deal with. 6k would cover a few nice mods on the STI i'm sure.

[jacobrjett]

what exactly are you asking us?

you can keep the car until you get motivation again, sell it for a loss, or possibly split the car into parts and sell the parts for a smaller loss, if you have enough parts that could work with st185/st205 cars...

i dont think theres a big market for st165 parts or cars.

[sergei]

what exactly are you asking us?

you can keep the car until you get motivation again, sell it for a loss, or possibly split the car into parts and sell the parts for a smaller loss, if you have enough parts that could work with st185/st205 cars...

i dont think theres a big market for st165 parts or cars.

I wanted to know if there would be potential interest in such a car...
It looks like it is an orphan.

[dnalunchie]

how much would it cost to pay someone to finish it for you? if its less than 3 or 4 k I would just spend the money, it already has so many nice goodies on it and if you did spend that cash to get it all nice and tidy then it would be worth decent money IF you decided to sell it later AND be much easier to sell as "godly old school gt4" vs "potentially cool project that you will have to trust me doesnt need much to finish".....

Just saying that is how people will see it if you put it up for sale. imo