TurboWRXXX

Hey guys!

Ok heres my situation!

I currently own a 02 silver WRX 18k miles practicully mint! well lately i've well been in pretty much awe at the 3 gen RX-7's and over the past months i've finnaly decided that i'm going to buy one! what I plan on doing is selling my car for just a normal car like a toyota or somthing... and use the money I got left over on an Rx-7. So possibly within the next few weeks im going to have to go shopping for an Rx-7...what i need to know is what should I look for when I buy one...I've already decided i'm going to find one with a new engine and a twin turbo(hopfully costing no more than 15k)...what i really want is one that I can modify so what in your guy's opinions should I work on first and why?

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/buying.html

http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/stages.html

pomanferrari

iTrader: (1)

Why don't you try the Mitsu Evo 8?

The rx7 is getting old and there is a steep learning curve in maintaining the car. It's like playing with fire, you'll get burned.

On the other hand, if you like to constantly fiddle with the car, spend money all the time and love the look then go for it. Be prepared to be disappointed though.

AntiVenom7

very true. make sure you have the time, money, and skills to maintain an FD. if you are not into repairing & replacing don't do it. something to think about is that most motors go around 70-80K miles, depending on the previous drivers maintenance and how heavy their foot was. in other words find one with low miles or just go ahead and set some $$$ aside for an engine.

other than that the 3rd gen RX7 is an awesome car. it's fast and has sex appeal that you can never get with an EVO. that is probably what keeps most of us working on our sevens despite all the problems.

black99

I agree. If you don't like working on the car yourself, or simply "don't know how" then I would not suggest the car for you. Because when it breaks, if you don't know how/have the time to fix it you'll want to take it to someone who knows the cars like a rotary specialist and that's certainly not your local mazda dealer, they're liable not to know what the car is when you pull in. And finding a place that know these cars is hard to do, good mechanics for these cars are few and far between, and usually takes a while to get an appointment as well as the mechanic usually isn't right next door. It's much easier if you know how to troubleshoot, don't mind digging into the car and performing repairs yourself. A 3rd gen rx7 is not a car that you can buy, check the oil in every so often and drive forever. Plan on lots of maintance. I would even suggest you buy a "beater" to get you around in case your rx7 is down for a couple days, it does happen. And last but not least, read, read, read. Read lots on the car before you buy it so that you "know" the cars pretty well. Don't get me wrong the car is a blast to drive, I love being in the drivers seat, but it's a give/take alot of my time is spent being a FD mechanic as well.

PVerdieck

He said he was getting a Toyota for a beater.

TurboWRXXX.

1) Don't be in a hurry to get your 7.
2) Your best option is to find one reasonably close, that is for sale on this forum, or by someone that has already done the reliability upgrades and common mods. This will save you money in the future and give you a more reliable 7. Read the links above, and also do a search on reliability in this forum, and you will find an endless amount of threads of people asking the same things.

LAracer

Hey TurboWRXXX, welcome to the forum! Don't let these guys scare you off. We need a few more New Mexican forum members. Where in New Mexico are you? I'd be happy to show you my car and help you go over what to look for (not that I'm the expert) if you are near Los Alamos.

Good luck.

black99

Oh sorry, missed that... With that said, there's a little less to worry about but still know what you're getting into...