DualSportDad

how wise would it be for me to buy a 1st gen as a nice daily driver? by nice i mean a/c, good steering, brakes, etc only mods possibly being exhaust, a clutch, 2nd gen trans, and msd direct fire setup.

i would want to keep this car for years to come with working a/c and driving good. i want a sunroof so i guess power windows working will be a must as well.


i don't mind working on the car but are the parts still available? and what kind of gas mileage can i expect from the car... mainly in the city?

edit: i'm also considering a 2nd gen as well if that's be better as a daily driver but i kinda wanted to stay away from the power sunroof.

Qingdao

iTrader: (3)

Sure every engine is a great daily driver... Its just when you stop turning the key is when the hell breaks loose.

Keep running seafoam in the gas and you'll never hear a lick out of the carburator.

Swap out for the electronic ignition if you get a 1st year with points. (I love points but some people don't understand them for some reason)

Parts? There is a crapload of these things out there, you just gotta find them. Find a junkyard that has a couple and make freinds.


The only thing that will keep it not being a "Years to come car" is rust.

DualSportDad

yeah i nkow about the rust etc.... i'm just worried about the the parts that keep it a "nice" daily driver..... a/c proper steering etc.

what kinda of gas mileage do the 1st gens get? i've had about 20 of them but i forget what the gas mileage was. right now my daily driver is a 97 cherokee that gets a best of 12 mpg.... it sucks.

Qingdao

iTrader: (3)

Parts... I guess I am a diehard when it comes to parts... I do ride two smoking streetbikes from the 70s so I'm used to having to find parts. I guess its WAAAAAAAAAY harder to find parts than a cherokee.

A/C? Whats that? Try 2-40
I don't have A/C. I've never had A/C on any of my cars ever. I don't see the point. You get better fuel millage when you use A/C, but I'd rather just roll them down and feel the wind. If you do get one with A/C your gonna have to change it from R12 to the 134a. (Darn hippies!!)

Millage... Well depends on the driver and the amount of fuel you want to throw at it. If you put a giant carb with a strait pipe on it and FLOOR the machine everywhere in traffic... Well that would just be bad millage. BUT if you stay stock and keep off the throttle you can see 19 in town on occasion.

Shabba2

iTrader: (1)

I've had several first gens and, until now, never one with a/c. In fact, I never had any better than a GS so power windows and (unless optioned) a/c were foreign to me. With my current GSL-SE, I have both and lemme tell ya...it's worth it when you have to drive someone else around (wife) and they want some comfort.

With it getting warm here, the a/c will be nice to have. I charged mine this past weekend and it's good and cold. Gas mileage, so far, has hovered around 18-20 in the city for me and I do actual city driving. When I bought the car, it averaged a tick over 30 mpg coming back on the highway travelling between 70-80 mph.

The only issue I've ever had with an RX-7 was an '88 I had about 12 years ago. I drove it to work and it caught on fire. Apaprently, it's not uncommon. I was fortunate enough to find an extinguisher and save the car and engine.

Reliable? Like any old car, it's as reliable as the owner allows it to be.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i daily drove 1st gens from 1994-somewhere around 2004, and i think they are one of the best DD cars you can do. they are very reliable, so they are extremely inexpensive to run. mileage on the gsl-se's was in the 20-22 range, and the 12A's were more like 18-20, for my drive cycle.

they are also really simple and really easy to work on. for the normal service parts, like filters and brakes, and things like that parts availability is good. the normal cosmetic stuff like weatherstrips, and fenders are even available, which is nice.

the problem is though, that these cars are old, and unless you buy a really nice well maintained car to start with, they can need a lot of work. also since the only source for a lot of the parts on the car was from Mazda, there are a few things that are NLA, and hard to find, like 12A rotor housings, and interior parts.

the FC's are not as good, imo, there are lots of electronic things that need work, like switches and radios. there are also some crucial parts that are plastic too, every FC in our shop has the turn signal switch hanging because the screw holes in the meter hood are broken. so IMO FC's are harder. they also aren't as fun to drive IMO...

JKM

I would say it depends on the condition of the car. If everything works already when you buy it, it's not terribly difficult to keep everything running well. If there is stuff wrong with it already that the previous owner hasn't fixed, you may not know if there are other things that are also wrong with it.

My GSLSE has done some time as daily driver, and it did a pretty good job, especially when the AC was working. It has problems, but it has NEVER left me stuck anywhere, even with a broken transmission. My only issue is that my car has no power steering, which is really annoying in the tight parking lots around here.

As far as mileage goes, when my SE was running really well i'd clock 19 MPG city and 27 MPG highway. A 12a car should do better, but I've never had one to test. My SE only does 15 MPG now, but I should have that resolved soon.

Attila the Fun

iTrader: (1)

Like so much else, it depends. I have two DD RX7s:

http://www.cris.com/~Asam/20B.html and

http://www.cris.com/~Asam/Res7/Res7.html

Since 95% of my daily commute is highway with no stop-and-go traffic, they're great. Gas mileage is not their strong suit, but there are a lot of little not-much-fun-to-drive cars out there that get 40+ mpg. That gets back to "it depends".

A stock FB can get up to 24 mpg on the highway. Stop-and-go city driving will put you back in the same range as your Cherokee.

BTW, both of my RX7s are for sale.

JKM

Attila! I still have that extra GSLSE multiswitch in the back of my car I was going to give you at the MSCCNC meet a few years back. I don't remember if it was you or me that didn't end up going, heh heh.

jeg0024

I've been daily driving my '79 with no problems for almost a year now. The a/c "works" but I don't use it, the steering is manual but the car is so light it's not an issue and to be honest I would stay away from one with power windows because they just tend to go bad and be a real pain to fix. I've never owned a car with power windows though so I can't really miss having them lol. Fuel mileage was better when I had the stock Nikki carb, now that I have a Weber 45 DCOE I have a little bit more power and get on average 19-21mpg city and 24-26mpg highway. I originally wanted to buy a GSL-SE so I would have the FI 13b and all those good things but I'm completely happy with my SA. Some parts are easier to find than others, it just all depends on what you need... but I've never needed anything more than some rear hatch hinges and I got those at a local junk yard.

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

Nice thing about the first gen is that it's narrow enough inside, the driver can reach across and roll down the psg window without much difficulty. That said, I still think my electric-window retrofit has been my best-payoff mod... and they've never failed on me.

All older cars need more TLC than modern cars; you need to be religious about your routine maintenance, including chassis lube and plug changes and such that modern cars rarely need. But if you care for them, they are very reliable.

DreamInRotary

iTrader: (49)

I've had mine for about 9 months now and I've loved it. It sat before I bought it but it runs fine and hasn't failed me. I would recommend them as daily drivers because they are a fun, quick little car that turns heads and is a blast to drive.

Attila the Fun

iTrader: (1)

We can meet at the next one...if they have one.

George

Joshfb91

I got an 82 GSL as my daily driver a few months ago, and so far, been very happy with it. Gas mileage could be better, for sure, but by keeping up on filters, tire pressure, maintenance, etc, its been around 17 mpg, and that's with some fun thrown in for sure. I never drive on highways either, where i live, so that factors in as well. Jumps quite a lot on the highway. Doesn't have power steering, but I havn't noticed that to be a problem yet, and after my experience with my last car it's just one less thing to go wrong (I had a cutlass who's power steering just failed constantly).

I've found it easy to work on and there have been enough parts on Craigslist, Ebay, and in the parts stores that short of some oddball things, I have had no issues.

Finally, it is a joy to drive, even at safe town speeds. Handles well, has plenty of power to accelerate when you need it, and is surprisingly comfortable, even with its stiff ride.

cosmicbang

Except for a couple short intervals, I've been driving RX-7s nearly on a daily basis since 1983, over 29 years. I've owned every year from 81-86, and 93-94. I only had the 2nd generation 86 for a few months (in 87) and never liked it. I like the 3rd generation 93-94 S6, but would not recommend it as a d.d. I do recommend the first generation S2 or S3. (My subjective observation is the S3 seem to have better rustproofing.)

They practically run forever and need very little maintenance. The few items that wear out are easily replaced. Tires are an exception. Tires are getting very hard-to-find in 205 or wider width. You might want to change to larger diameter wheels or be forced to use skinny 185 tires.

The 1st generation worm gear steering can be disorienting at first, but once you get acclimated to it, it's ok. My 12A fuel mileage has been up to 30 mpg on the highway, but usually less due to my driving style. In my opinion power windows are totally unnecessary in a car this small. If you do have power windows, it's best to install relays for them. Air conditioning is necessary where I live and I still have a small stock of R-12. Changing to R-134a will result in decreased cooling performance unless you upgrade the other components in the system.

Almost all my cars have RB headers and exhaust because when an old exhaust wears out, the RB components bolt on easily, and are cheaper than a custom stainless exhaust. I think the stock ignition and transmission are reasonably good and adequate for a daily driver. In almost 30 years I've only "broken" 2 transmissions in street use (lost 5th gear), and only had two igniters fail in ignition systems.

Replace all the belts and hoses, keep the fluids changed, etc. and you should be fine. I take my 85--with 220,000 miles on the original 13B--on an 800-mile round trip a couple times a month, and don't think twice about it. One caution, all rotaries smell, especially relative to the exhaust of new cars. They might not be very popular if you have an enclosed parking garage at work.

dream36realms

iTrader: (4)

my car build is for daily driving purposes. I put a big aluminum block V8 with a cobra rear in there. Did full sound proofing. once I add heat and AC it will be ready for daily duties. only problem I have with my 78 is the driver side window seal wont allow the window to close all the way (check that on yours). The cars can be made almost like a newer car so I think using it as a D is very possible,.

scottj8666

My 84 GSL-SE gets 75 miles a day or more - I'd drive it any ware - I'm more afraid of hitting a deer or turkey than i am of reliability - parts are way easier than my 75 Spitfire Enjoy!!!

ray green

iTrader: (14)

110 mile daily commute here, 55 miles into Atlanta and 55 back. Last ten years. It's the way to go. 85 GSL. It's a born commuter, makes hay in that Atlanta traffic.

esrever

I was lucky enough to pick up an 80 that was mechanically very well maintained (not so much on the body though) and I love it as my DD. Though because of where I live I notice I don't have to worry about some of the issues a lot of mainland 1st gens do ( I live in hawaii, so never gets cold, nothing is too far away, tradewinds always going). Gas mileage is kind of a pain,(for me) since the car is too much fun, but if you drive it reasonably it isnt terrible. It's been super reliable for me since I got it,( 1 1/2 years) with just regular maintanence .

cshaw07

iTrader: (14)

i drive mine everyday as well. Just got back from a 750 mile trip to Virginia this weekend

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

drove mine daily for 5 yrs but decided to get something else for that purpose to keep the mileage off the 7 and for something with better mileage than the 14mpg the 7 was getting.

dream36realms

iTrader: (4)

wow, mine gets 30+ish then again it is powered by chevy

jozeyrx7

iTrader: (2)

My gsl-se is the best daily.
its almost mint condition, gets 25mpg average and has 205,000 miles on the clock.
the previous owner of my 7 had it for 25 years and did a top job of maintaining it

xXGslseSleeperXx

im in the same boat you are! best rx7 ever made =GSLSE used it daily until about a year ago now its my track monster and still not a problem in sight!

DerrickS

+1 on the gslse

I've got power steering, power windows, AC, 13B EFI... It's the best of both worlds. And such a comfortable car to cruise in too.. Oh yeah, it's got cruise as well.

Great car. My father had a GSL and when he drove my car, he was thinking of RX-7's again. :-)

Seem to be getting around 20 mpg mixed. I think it should be more, but I haven't looked into it that much yet.