So what is a 12a worth now?
 

With the 12a now gone from Mazda, what is the value of a good used one now? I have been told not to accept anything less than $800 for it, and I have been told if I parted the engine, I could get in excess of $1000 for it.

Long story short, I have one that has 40k miles on it (rebuilt), with good compression. I also have a factory replacement with around 35k mikes it.

What is the value of these engines?

That seems like a bit of a stretch. I recently paid 250 for a running motor, 67k on it with no rebuild.

If it were a recent rebuild, then I could see 800 or so.


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The cost will always be driven by demand - unfortunately, most guys will opt to throw a 13B in their car when the 12A gives out. This will become more true as time goes on and 12A parts get harder to find. Just because its limited quantity doesnt always mean its going to drive up cost.

more than likely the lack of replacement parts will make them worth less. when my 12a dies my car will get a 13b.

I sell good used 12A motors for $650 with core. These are tested with our RE compression tester to ensure it has good compression. We also test coolant pressure making sure it proplerly hold, and there are no leaks in the system. Also the oil pressure is tested. We have had success selling our used 12A motors at this price for some time now. A rebuilt 12A can range from $1600-$2400, depending on mods.

i've tried selling my fully built boosted 12a for some time now and I never get offers over 1200 for everything so 1600 is a stretch unless your a company and offer a warranty- i've gotten several good running 12a's for 200-300$ and that is very normal, i've never had trouble finding them

Tell me about it. :rofl:

The 40k mile engine I have, I am TOLD that it is in very great shape. Of course it came with my car as a spare engine, so that's all I really know if it. I also was thinking the 650- range until my buddy told me other-wise. (which is why I asked)

I am with everyone else though. When my 12a lets go, a 13b will be in its place. If I could sell both of these 12a's for decent money...I would in a heart beat and just get a 13b.

I have a brand new rebuild on mine, less than 300 miles and its got 3rd gen corner seals, and Id sell the whole dang car for $1,300.

Yes we do offer Warranty. :icon_tup:

Considering all that goes into one of my builds $1600 is a good deal.
I could build one for a lot less, but you would not be happy with the results, and as a builder, I will not do this.
All parts out of spec are replaced, including housing. Plates are lapped to spec, all new seals, o-rings and gasket. I use OEM parts also. Plus the time it takes. You do the math.. Its a good deal on a motor that will last you many many miles. :)

^indeed.

In the race classes that demand the use of a stock 12A, $1600 for a quality rebuild that will last several seasons is a bargain, compared to a few $300-500 used engines, that may not last an entire race, let alone season. Yet, there's still many that go the "Cheaper" route, and end up paying lots more in the long run.
If I had a cheapo car that I didn't feel was worth putting in an engine that I knew I could get 100K+ out of without issues, I might be tempted to go the used engine route. But, I'm more of "Once and Done" type of person, so I'd be building my own, or buying a Quality rebuilt, unless I was just trying to one running and peddle it for some quick cash.

For the record, I found out my $500 car had a rebuilt 12A, from a reputable builder, after I had bought the car. That was 5 years ago, and that same $500 car has won me 3 consecutive local CSP championships, while suffering little more than a clutch failure. It has also given me over 30K miles of totally reliable service, between the track/autocross outings.
So yes, I'd drop $1600 for a quality rebuild without hesitation, if I needed another 12A (in the car I plan to keep), assuming mine was too far gone to rebuild myself. Granted, I could likely build my own for less, but all it takes to wind up having to do it all again is one minor mistake. That one minor mistake could run the cost of rebuilding an engine yourself to as much, or more, than buying a rebuilt engine with warrentee.

Unfortunately, buying a used engine, even a low mile one rebuilt by a quality builder, will always be a crapshoot, unless you are very well acquainted with the seller, and know how it was treated. Even a brand new engine, not treated right, may not last 30K. For that reason, selling a used engine for top dollar is often difficult, no matter the history of said engine.

That's why I went with a 13B in my first gen as well.

However, I have been hoarding 12A parts because I want an old school project/race car, so I'm going to be using carbon apex seals.

Yes, as stated, the race classes that mandate 12As will be where the demand comes from. This will subside when the sanctioning bodies are bombarded with request from competitors for a cheaper alternative. Normally takes a good number of years from parts becoming NLA - but it will happen.


-billy

that is a good deal, I was just speaking for those of us who don't have shops- like an engine personally built by me isn't worth jack :(

Not saying that your motor isn't worth jack.... just that you don't have the engine building reputation that a shop does so they can command the higher price tag. The second piece is (and this if for everyone building their own engine and wanting to get money back on it later) if you put the same number of new pieces into a rebuild that a engine builder does it will push the cost of your rebuild into that same price range even without considering labor. They are able to keep prices down because they buy parts at shop rates and also in quantity, they also have to buy large numbers of core engines to find the good parts. The profit margin they are making on an engine is not as large as you would think.

You do get what you pay for. I think that the best rebuilt engine write up i ever saw was done by mazdatrix in one of their hard catalogs i don't know if it is on their website but the jist was anyone can build a motor out of a pile of crap that can last 12months (in a street car that is)

As for the value of an engine. I have been severely burned lately by used engines and it is for that reason i don't recommend buying them at all regardless of their pedigree. on the other forum i am listed a BAD GUY because someone bought an engine from my friend (i hooked them up and made the deal happen my involvement) that was supposed to be a low mileage engine it was sold for around 800 in parts and money and it turned out to be bad in less than 30 days after install. Now it was compression tested and it was coolant pressure tested but that doesn't always mean that it is good. When I am buying a used engine I really only look at it as if it is a core... and when i sell a used motor I (me that is I can't speak for my friends obviously) tell the buyer up front that it may last a long time or no time at all. bottom line it is a used motor that we (usually) don't know the whole history on.

What do I think is a good price for a core 200$ no more at this time not willing more and that would be for an unopened motor.

What do I think is a good price for a used motor no more than 800$ and I would have to see it run in a car and preferably under some type of load. Just because it runs doesn't mean it is good. I would suspect the motor to be bad if when I am coming to check it out it has already been warmed up.

What do I think is a good price for a rebuild 1600 is on the low end and although it may be a very good motor i would want to know what went into building it... specifically what parts and who made them.... there are companies out there that make really cheap parts that aren't all that good but they are new and they will last a couple of years.

Also about a rebuild that doesn't include special engines and porting and special prep... these guys are professionals you will get what you pay for but you will also get a warranty as well.

After some more research I found my friend I have been talking to is probably full of crap. Of course maybe in his location he might be able to fetch that kind of money for one...but here, not so much.

I listed the motor on several websites and got several phone calls from people offering 300-range. Honestly, this is more of what I was expecting. I would like to see the 600 range, but being realistic I think 300ish is more realistic.

Its listed on ebay for 350 bin.

My 30k mile 12a Mazda replacement (with papers) I think is worth $800-1k sitting in the car right now. Someone could come to my house, drive the dam car with the engine and we could rip it out that afternoon. lol.

you can always go get it compression tested and documented to solidify the sale, documentation and proof that you're selling good parts is important.