MtnRacer

I am finally pursuing my dreams and ditching my FF car for an FR with a little more power. I have HUGE amounts of respect for Mazda's rotary series, in particular, the FC and FD. The balance ratio of the car is the best out there IMHO. Unfortunately, no super hero is without it's achille's heal. I am aware of the recalls, engine wear, and other problems that Rx7s(particularly the FD generation) have had. So what I have decided to do is ask a bunch of people(you guys :smilewinkgrin: ) who actually have owned these cars what you think of my situation. My situation is as follows:

I am a college student with a limited income. I have about $14,000 to spend on a new car, repairs, etc. My income per month is very low(I can't work and go to school with my schedule). I am knowledgeable in general car repair, but my knowledge is limited when it come to rotary engines, especially rotary engines with sequential turbos(I'm look forward to learning though!).

Having said this, how much should I be spending on an Rx7 FD? What kind of mileage should I be expecting for my money? What should I be looking for in a used Rx7s? what kind of wear and tear can I expect? What should I be asking sellers about their FD to ensure that I would be making a wise decision to purchase their car? Any recommendations for mechanics in Sacramento, CA who are rotary fluent and would perform diagnostics on potential cars? Any and all information would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to find an R1 or R2 package for a reasonable price with around 70,000 miles on it, but I'm hoping you guys can offer some advice as to how much I should be paying for what kind of mileage, and whether it's even worth buy an Rx7 that has really high mileage(90,000 - 100,000?). On average, how long is everybody's engine lasting? I have heard figures from it needing to be replaced at 65,000 to 115,000 miles. Is it a better idea to buy a car with a rebuilt engine? How much should that increase the price? I'm looking forward to responses, I cannot wait to go on and start looking, this has been a dream of mine for a little over a year now! thanks again!

ryan

I bought my '94 Touring for $15k. It had 41k on the clock when I bought it, 44.5k on the clock now, so I can't really speak much for long term reliability. I would imagine you should be able to find a decent deal out there in California, I think a majority of the for sale ads I've seen on the 'big list' have been from out there. (Here in Minnesota it was a bit of a challenge...)

If you're handy with tools, there is a *vast* amount of information on the Internet on these cars, and I don't think you'd have too much trouble doing work on them. Although out there I think you should be able to find an RX-7 mechanic no problem. I don't think there is a mechanic within a 500 mile radius that I would feel comfortable taking mine to. Fortunately, my 3rd gen is not my daily driver, so it can afford to be taken apart for a while while I diagnose a problem.

As far as price goes, I think I got a hell of a deal on mine, I don't think many with my mileage are going for the same price. But I would imagine you should be able to find something around 70-100k on the clock for around $10-12k. As far as engine longevity, there has been a history of problems with the 3rd gens. Around that same 70-100k mileage, a large majority of people do seem to have their engines replaced, so you may want to look for one that has already had this done. This shouldn't raise the price too much (if anything).

They are great cars, and I don't regret buying mine (yet). And if you're looking for biggest bang for the (cheap) buck, there is no better car.



Here are some sites for research:

Rob Robinette's site - Check out the Buying a used RX-7 link.

Lightning in a World of Thunder



Good luck with your search, let me know if I can be of any more help.



Ryan

MtnRacer

Wow! Wow, wow, wow! This is EXACTLY what I needed, thank you SO MUCH! I would encourage others to still respond!! I want to hear what EVERYBODY has to say on this subject! =) Thanks so much again!

LUV94RX7

I'd go with a FC(non-turbo). Much more reliable and costs much less to purchase. Nice looking cars, I had two of them. My FD has been a money pit.



Ken

MtnRacer

I just thought of another question I forgot to ask! About how much annually does everyone sink into their car? This could be an important factor =) thanks!

JerryLH3

Speaking from off-hand knowledge, since I don't own an FD:



Buy an FC. I'm not saying this to discourage you from getting an FD, but to make you think long and hard before you do. One of my friend's here in Gainesville is starting to see signs of O-ring failure on his FD. That equals rebuild time. A good rebuild on an FD can be somewhere in the $3K range.



These cars can be money pits. And they are "finicky." I would suggest having another car to use as a daily driver. Lot's of people do drive their FD daily, but it's nice to have a back-up in case something goes wrong.



In the end, I think the deciding factor is your income. You defintiely have enough to purchase an FD, but maintaining and upgrading may be the problem. With $14K, you can find an FC in excellent shape and have around $10K for some serious upgrades.

vosko

an FD would be pushing it for low monthly income unless you are really lucky. you never know what can happen. i would recommend an FC so you get used to the maintenance etc and get a FD later when you have more available $$$$. the insurance on a FC is considerably less too as is maintenance costs. i have both a FC and FD, i daily drive the FC and have rarely any problems with it and beat on it everyday as a first car i wouldn't recommend an FD.

ryan

That's a good point, insurance numbers are pretty high on these cars. You could call your insurance guy and ask him what the cost would be. Make sure he knows it is a turbo-charged car. My idiot insurance agent told me my insurance would go up from $1200/yr to $1400/yr (to insure both my RX-7 and my daily driver car). I didn't believe him so I called him back another day, and he told me the exact same thing. So I get the car, put the insurance on it, and I get a bill for $1200 FOR 6 MONTHS for JUST the RX-7 (which would add up to $3600/yr compared to the $1400/yr he quoted me). I called him up, to see what he fucked up, and he tells me "we didn't know it was turbocharged, so it got bumped into the high-performance category." No ****. I tell him ALL 1994 RX-7s are turbocharged, he says Are you sure? God, that guy pissed me off. He changed a few things and managed to get the insurance down to $2400/yr for both cars. Unfortunately, I can't leave him, because I get special discounts because the rest of my family is insured by him, but I would ditch him in a minute if I didn't get the family discounts. Let that be a warning to all: *INSURANCE PEOPLE ARE MORONS*.



Anyway, watch out for the insurance. Even at $2400/yr, that's an added $200/month you have to figure in *just* to pay for insurance. And at $3600/yr, yeesh!!



Dammit, I'm all pissed off now, I'm going to go break some test equipment.

vosko

my insurance company tried to pull the same thing. gave me a quote for $2500 when it was supposed to be $1900. well 2 hrs of arguing and talking to supervisors my FD insurance is the correct amount now

YucA

i would also love to own an FD, but i cant afford it either. im in college and work part time, and my 88 GXL is sometimes MORE than enough. Right now, im looking realisticly into moving to an 89-91 Turbo II. I would tell you to check these out as your option also, you will get tired of the limitations on the N/A FC's quick. I know i have. Im just taking my time looking for a TII in good exterior condition (atleast). im not worried about the motor...



with 14k you can get a SWEET Turbo II, and pimp it out DIRTY!!!