Possible Fd Purchase
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 22,465
From: California
Originally Posted by Orochinoyamato' date='May 26 2003, 09:21 AM
Is your RX-7 solely responsible for taking you from $10K to $0? That's scary. Two out of three forums I've asked have said an RX-7 is $1K-$1.5K per year to maintain even if nothing unusual goes wrong, and isn't reliable as a daily driver. One of the three's said it is a good, reliable daily driver.
I'm not terribly well-to-do--although the payments on it'll be $115 less than my current car--and I've got 'til tomorrow if I want to cancel my pending '93 RX-7 purchase, but that Wankel engine is just so darn nifty. And the whole car is the first one I've ever looked at as more than just a way of transporting me and my stuff from point A to point B, it's a kinda new feeling.
Are knowledgable RX-7 owners kindly 'n helpful towards newbies who don't know much about cars? I've read as much as I can find, but I don't have any hands-on experience, and my local craft shop guys have already said they don't know a thing about RX-7's, and don't even like Mazdas.
I'm not terribly well-to-do--although the payments on it'll be $115 less than my current car--and I've got 'til tomorrow if I want to cancel my pending '93 RX-7 purchase, but that Wankel engine is just so darn nifty. And the whole car is the first one I've ever looked at as more than just a way of transporting me and my stuff from point A to point B, it's a kinda new feeling.
Are knowledgable RX-7 owners kindly 'n helpful towards newbies who don't know much about cars? I've read as much as I can find, but I don't have any hands-on experience, and my local craft shop guys have already said they don't know a thing about RX-7's, and don't even like Mazdas.
i do know a guy who bought one, and he's replaced in the last 18months, engine, turbos, engine wiring harness, transmission, radiator, he put a pfc into it and teins, and it still needs a abs pump. he's spent about 50k (including the car)
mike
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 114
From: Frederick, MD
Oh, ****.
Well, it did have that engine rebuild 30K miles ago, and the turbos rebuilt by turbonetics (never heard of 'em, but they sound like they should know turbos) 400 miles ago. The transmission doesn't have the 5th gear problem some of 'em have, and I'm not gonna race it so hopefully the stock radiator and thermostat'll be enough to keep it safely cool. Ping of death is even worse for a Wankel engine than a Win95 box, but although the thing has a few mods (HKS dragger 2 exhaust, HKS intake and blow-off valve) the present owner says the boost is still pretty close to stock, all those just make up for the natural aging of the engine. So I should be safe without a new ECU and J&S knock sensor... I hope.
Does all that sound right? Like I said, I'm coming into this with a blank slate. My previous automotive knowledge was limited to the basic theory behind a piston engine, and the approximate location of the dipstick; but I'd like to learn.
Well, it did have that engine rebuild 30K miles ago, and the turbos rebuilt by turbonetics (never heard of 'em, but they sound like they should know turbos) 400 miles ago. The transmission doesn't have the 5th gear problem some of 'em have, and I'm not gonna race it so hopefully the stock radiator and thermostat'll be enough to keep it safely cool. Ping of death is even worse for a Wankel engine than a Win95 box, but although the thing has a few mods (HKS dragger 2 exhaust, HKS intake and blow-off valve) the present owner says the boost is still pretty close to stock, all those just make up for the natural aging of the engine. So I should be safe without a new ECU and J&S knock sensor... I hope.
Does all that sound right? Like I said, I'm coming into this with a blank slate. My previous automotive knowledge was limited to the basic theory behind a piston engine, and the approximate location of the dipstick; but I'd like to learn.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 114
From: Frederick, MD
Cool, she says there's extensive documentation on all the maintenance and repairs, and she's bringing it over with the car Tuesday. So, those mods only bringing it up to "like new" performance instead of "like Z06" performance doesn't mean there's a cracked apex seal, or any kinda insidious problem that'll cost me $5K in a year or so?
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 114
From: Frederick, MD
Oh, and I'm only 'bout 4 miles from work, and ride a bike when the weather's nice, so it'd be more of a semi-daily driver than a full-duty commuter vehicle.
Oh, and on that last part of my first question--d'you think it'd be a good idea to go to the Northeast regional forum and ask if there's anyone near Frederick, MD who'd take a clueless n00b for a tour under the hood of his new car? Or would I run into a wall of flames, derision, and people who'd consider it quite an onerous task?
Oh, and on that last part of my first question--d'you think it'd be a good idea to go to the Northeast regional forum and ask if there's anyone near Frederick, MD who'd take a clueless n00b for a tour under the hood of his new car? Or would I run into a wall of flames, derision, and people who'd consider it quite an onerous task?
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 22,465
From: California
Originally Posted by Orochinoyamato' date='May 26 2003, 10:56 AM
Oh, and I'm only 'bout 4 miles from work, and ride a bike when the weather's nice, so it'd be more of a semi-daily driver than a full-duty commuter vehicle.
Oh, and on that last part of my first question--d'you think it'd be a good idea to go to the Northeast regional forum and ask if there's anyone near Frederick, MD who'd take a clueless n00b for a tour under the hood of his new car? Or would I run into a wall of flames, derision, and people who'd consider it quite an onerous task?
Oh, and on that last part of my first question--d'you think it'd be a good idea to go to the Northeast regional forum and ask if there's anyone near Frederick, MD who'd take a clueless n00b for a tour under the hood of his new car? Or would I run into a wall of flames, derision, and people who'd consider it quite an onerous task?
mike
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 114
From: Frederick, MD
Thanks--I got some good information there. Now, I'm wondering, since I doubt I'll have amazing mechanical skills immediately, if extended used car warranties like http://www.autowarrantydiv.com are a good idea. It seems really useful, but if they'd easily wiggle out of paying for repairs or something, I wouldn't want to waste my $700-$1000. Know if they're good (for a less DIY-enabled person like me) or not?
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 114
From: Frederick, MD
One more, reasonably time-sensitive question: Where to get a compression and boost test done? I couldn't really make it down to PFS today. I don't know one repair shop from another, so I'd only have their own opinion on whether they could do a good test on an RX-7 or not.
I'd pay the $170 to get it done at the Mazda dealer instead of the $70 at any random shop if I was sure they'd be the best place to get it done, but I'm not entirely certain; although they did say it would take 2 hours, so it sounds like they'd do it both cold and warm.
So, where should I test?
I'd pay the $170 to get it done at the Mazda dealer instead of the $70 at any random shop if I was sure they'd be the best place to get it done, but I'm not entirely certain; although they did say it would take 2 hours, so it sounds like they'd do it both cold and warm.
So, where should I test?
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 517
From: Orlando
get a hold of me email me bas@jcmassoc.com I can get you in contact with a few possible places. Where do you live in frederick?
