Alright, well I've changed my mind a crap load of times already. Here is the current plan.



I'm gonna save money the rest of this year and all next spring, then I'm gonna get a loan, put a nice big down payment on it and buy a 3rd gen with low miles.



My question is if I buy a 3rd gen with less than 40k on the clock, and either stock or close to stock, and do all the cheaper mostly labor intensive reliability mods, how much do you guys think she will cost me in maintenence?

imho..

providin your not placin all your emphasis on just financin this car..

and have plans on reliability n maintenance cost only through the life of the loan..

i wouldnt be concerned with actual numbers..as it will vary with a great deal many factors..

including some of which.. residential n marital status..insurance.. job..etc

Hmmm...I'm STILL saving for my FD...maybe when I'm out of college...

I'm thinking specifically just covering the cost of the car's possible maintenance problems.



Here is my situation:

I'm in college and I live at home. (room and board covered, scholarships cover almost all of my tuition)

I have a job at Dana where I work full time for about 4 months, and part time the rest fo the year.



Expenses I have to cover:

Books

Additional food

Girlfriend money

Entertainment

If I bought the 7 it would be ruoghly 500 a month with insurance and payments



I would not upgrade the car with more power until I graduate, until then just reliability mods as this car will need to be in workign order most of the time.



*Basically what I'm asking is what would you guys recomend having left in my bank account while I am paying for the car if something goes wrong.

first n foremost...

shop for insurance cost then go from there...

r u considerin this as your primary ride..

I've already gotten a quote of ~300 for insurance.

Looking at 18k purchase price 6k down and a 6 year loan pyaments = ~$200 a month



Yes it would be my primary ride, but a car is usually available at my house if I would need it (like if the 7 was down for a couple days)

No one has any suggestions as to how much money you should have in the bank if you buy a 3rd gen with lower miles?

I love my FD. So don't get me wrong when I say this:



Allow for a motor rebuild. This can happen at any stage in the car's life, usually if it's been abused/over-revved.



My two motors have lasted 170,000 and 160,000 km's respectively, and the last time it was the coolant seals that finally gave up, although the apex seals were worn to minimum thickness.



A low mileage car should be good and last well, but you can never tell. I don't know how much your motors cost over there, but I'm rebuilding mine for about $1000 aussie, which is just the minimum parts cost. A shop will charge $3-4000 for the job.



I don't know if it happens in America, but in Oz it's quite a well-known problem for the heater core to split which is a big job to replace (dash out). $800 aus for a new Mazda core (or get one custom made by a radiator shop for around $200 aus).



Most of the other things that go wrong with these cars can be fixed by someone with mechanical and electronic knowledge for very little money. Use this forum for problems you encounter- chances are they've already been extensively covered here!



They are a fantastic car, so save up but try to get a bit of extra cash available just in case..... https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif

it really depends on how the car was treated with the other owners that have owned it. i got my FD 3-4 months ago and all i have spend on it is 10 dollars on a water pump gasket, 20 bucks on 2 oil changes, and 20 bucks on spark plugs. i guess you have to have the rotary like you



rotary god

https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683894.gif https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683894.gif https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683894.gif https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683894.gif https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683894.gif

Thanks for the info.

Who is going to loan you that much cash for 6 years for a car that's 10 years old? My credit union only offered 5 years at a steep rate. I ended up going 3 yrs on my loan. My car cost me about $500 a month. $425 for the payment and $75 for insurance. Hopefully the insurance will drop in Dec when I turn 25... That's not counting all the cash I'm putting away for the mods. If you get one, be prepared to live at home for a while. I don't see how people make it these days with all the expensive cars they drive. I make well over 50grand and I have to keep on a budget and I only have one car paytment. Oh well I stop rambling, I just wish I could move back in with my parents... Anyway, good luck with the car.

I try to put back about $100 a month just for routine maint. and unexpected problems - it has worked for me so far...

I know the President of my credit union https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png $75 for insurance? That's dirt cheap! I am going to live with my parents until I graduate (unless they drive me insaaaane. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR) Once I graduate I should get a pretty phat engineering job with Dana since I already work for them.

You were reading my mind.

I know that most banks or credit unions will only loan about 11k for a ten year old car. Not to mention that they are certainly not going to let you stretch it out over six years. If your lucky they would do five.

Now if you have a hook up with a credit union thats one thing but under your own steam. You would never get the loan set up for anything under $350 a month.

I have about six payments left on my second Fd. It was a three year loan. My payment were $360ish a month. I always rounded it up and payed $400 a month to beat them out of their interest.

I would be putting at least 6k down, so I wouldn't need a loan for more than about 12k, hopefully less.



I'm not entirely sure I could get a 6 year, I mentioned it to my father (who is friends with the pres at my credit union) and he didn't think it would be a problem, but then again he is not the bank.



Really what I wanted to know from you guys, is given if someone owned a low mileage 7, what kind of cushion do you think should be left in the bank account for "emergencies?"



Based on the amount that would be necessary to keep in reserve would have an affect on either 1.the size of my down payment (it would have to be smaller), or 2.the time in which I would be capable of actually purchasing the car (later rather than sooner).

That's tough to say, most problems happen when you're broke. I haven't had any problems yet besides a vacuum leak. Hopefully I will not, but I want at least a grand put back just for the car maint. I would also suggest having another car too. I would not want to drive mine every day. I'd love to but I don't like sports car in the rain... I have a heavy foot! Oh the $75 a month for insurance is with a multi-car discount. It helps when your single and have three cars insured plus a life insurance policy. I did everything I could to get discounts but I still pay a total of $250 a month just in insurance.

People First is awesome. That is how I bought my car. You can do 6 years if you want too. Interest rate is low also. But you are going to need a cosigner or put it in your parents name.



As for the car. Maybe you should get a practice FD first. Not sure what you are driving now but if it is your first car then good luck. I'm am sure half the owners here will agree when I say these cars are not for the faint at heart and can be very difficult to control at times.

Actually I was thinking of buying either a 1st or 2nd gen to "practice on" so to speak and use as my most of the time driver (bad weather and snow).



The third gen would be my first powerful car, but I've driven quite a few, the most notable was my dad's '69 stingray with a 420 big block and the 4 speed. That thing could haul balls. Too bad he sold it last year to pay off the mortgage on the house https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...O_DIR#>/11.gif



So atleast a grand in the bank huh? I can do that, maybe by next summer I can have one. If not, I can wait and will definetly be ready the summer after.



Thanks for your help!

Is this for sure?



I was hoping to avoid having to do this. Currently I have perfect credit (I think, I should prolly go check) and I have a VISA and Discover. I pay for school on the credit cards, so there is a decent amount of money that I am being loaned currently. Plus, since I'm pretty sure this is what I want to do I would try and put all my purchases on a credit card instead of using cash in an attempt to further establish my credit.

damn the bank said if i get a loan from them it would be like 18% but we found a credit card company that was going to give us like 8% but only for 1 year so we went with them and when we got there they told use we would get like 5% i belive and i can take 4 years but im paying 500 a month for the car to pay it off in 2 years https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif



I WANT 75 DOLLAR INSURANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i got like 250 a month :(

Go with a multi car discount and put the 7 as your weekend car. I pay just as much insurance for just liability on a 90 Honda CRX. I think that's just retarded.

Buy a used Miata until you can afford to buy an RX7. Don't waste time trying to get some loan. Miata's are just as much fun just not as fast. You can learn to really drive in a Miata and you can pick one up for 3 grand. They're super reliable and not too expensive to insure.



Some people have this proconceived notion that a Miata is for girls or something. Hopefully if you're self confident you won't let that get to you. I have a Miata and a 3rd Gen and if one had to go it would be a tough call. The 3rd Gen is damn fast but the Miata is more fun. Like a little go-cart.



Just my 2 cents...



-John Magnuson

Thanks for the advice, but.....https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...>/rolleyes.gif



I would just buy a 2nd gen before I bought a Miata, rotary power https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/BURNOUT.gif

arrrggg i bought my FD about 2 months ago....i had to replace the clutch and now something is definetly focked. it's all about luck man, just like anything in life if you want it dive in and don't look back.