far_sharper

So here's the deal. You can skip the background stuff if you're not intersted in reading the whole mess.

My mom kept her '83 Limited Edition in the garage after 57k miles. The interior is in near-mint condition (door panels are blackening by window, the plastic piece behind the handle is flaking a lot, and the driver seat shows some wear but I have original black seat covers anyways). The exterior could use some work, possibly a fresh coat of original silver paint, new tint, new tires etc.

Okay so almost two months ago I convinced my dad to get it running again, and of course after ~5 years sitting there were carb. problems. Early November the car was towed off to the Mazda dealership to get worked on. One of the mechanics there owns a first gen as well, and he has worked on them before, so we had confidence. He replaced the hoses, fluids, worked on the brakes, cleaned the gas tank, and rebuilt the carb.
After a month of not having my car, we go in and pick it up. He told us that it's running, but very rough at idle, and it was. It shut off when the A/C is turned on, and only stays on when the choke is pulled. Has a carb. problem still. They order new gaskets, rebuild again, same deal. They said I need a new carb, but they cannot order a stock-replacement. This is after $4000 and over a month.
We go back to pick it up again, and apparently someone had backed into it. Now there's a decent dent in the front left corner, turn signal light is out. This is turning into a nightmare. Obviously my dad is not happy so they cancel the payment to them via credit-card company. Now we're having an insurance adjuster look at the car to deal with that, Mazda will be covering it.


So I will be turning 18 at the end of this month and my parents are getting kind of fed-up with not having the car for this long. We can get an amazing deal on a new 07 Rx8. And use the Rx7 as a trade-in. My parents said they’d do that as a birthday/Christmas present.

So what should I do, wait for the 7 to be repaired and not deal with any more problems or just jump the gun and get an 8.
It’s a really hard decision because both cars have so much going for them.
The 7 would be more of a “toy” car, and it wouldn’t be as much of a responsibility since it has much less value.
The 8 is a brand new car, so I’d have to show caution, but it’s faster which is a perk, it has a more “modern” interior and exterior. Also has basic safety features

My biggest concern is reliability though; I read online that there was a huge problem with the Rx8s, big recalls etc. but the dealerships wouldn’t admit to anything.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Old 7.

mikewoodkozar

New 8 = less headaches and probably less money in the long run

Cant beet a new car

djessence

You cant really compare the new car glitches of the rx8 over a 25 yr old rx7. Id say the rx7 but thats cuz they are so rare now adays but you are still gonna have to put money into it and will prob have a few more problems (likely nothing to big but nonetheless)

How mechanically inclined are you? If you are alright at car maitenance definetly go for the 7(or are willing to learn and stick it out). If you are someone who hates working on cars and wants someone else to do it all for you and you just drive it. Go for the rx8.

Either way its a decent choice between cars. At least you are staying within the rotary family. Guys on here can give you a ton of help with problems on the 7. But only if you are willing to do the work or pay extortionate rates to have work done

Jeezus

iTrader: (4)

I say, get the 8. Then tell me how much they are gonna give you for your 7, and I buy it from you with 1 or 200 more on top

You know it will go to a rotorhead and take care of it

far_sharper

Well right now it's a toss up between studying Mechanical and Electrical engineering. I'm defineatly willing to get my hands dirty and I know with the help of this forum, probably all my problems will be solved.
The only thing is I don't have much background knowledge, I got the general idea of the processes that are happening to make a car go etc. but I'm very far from doing part swaps etc.

By the way, I just called the dealership and apparently today they located a used-carb from somewhere and installed it. The gentleman working on my car said it's purring beatifully and I'm really excited about picking it up tomarrow... annoying that I typed all that for probably nothing.

I don't know if I should mention this, but if I did trade-in the rx7, we're looking at well under 20k for a brand new rx8.

I really would like to see this car go to a forum member rather than give it to the dealership. The car is in such great condition, I see you guys talking about buying some for around $300-500, and like I said earlier, we just dropped $4000 on it. Even if it was for sale, the car is much more valuable to us than a sticker can show.
Anyways, I'm going to post some pictures of my before and afters next weekend.

One thing I did notice though is that no one on this forum has the wheels I have. They were factory upgraded and I think look much nicer than the 4 spoke sytle.

Keeble

iTrader: (3)

ya i would say stick with the 7, but thats just me, i like old cars

mikewoodkozar

old cars definitely have more flavor, but new cars are very nice for there convenience and dependability if there is such a thing in the world of rotary...

Tough choice, but as much as i love my RX7 i would trade it in a heartbeat for a "NEW" RX8

Now i feel dirty even saying that jeesh!

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

My bro started with an RX-4. Then he got a new 8. I just got the 4 back from him today.

djessence

sounds like you should keep the 7 if hes got it running haha. What is list price for an Rx8 in the states? I know in Canada its about 40 for one with a couple options on it..just curious.

Rx7;s r sweet to own and have their own kind of culture. But i would def drive an rx8.

Part swaps arent hard. lots of tutorialson here all you need are some basic tools, and the complex ones you can usually rent for low cost from like a parts source.

And not to rain on your parade but i havent found mechanical engineering (3rd year) to help me at all in my pursuits of making my 7work/beautiful. lol

PercentSevenC

New RX-8s with some options are $30K here. Nice used ones are around $18K.

I love my FB but I admit I'd be very tempted to trade it for an RX-8 given the opportunity. Dunno if I would, though.

wanklenoob

well if your near Washington state, I say sell it to me, and buy an 8. If not well keep the 7, you'll fall in love I promise, all the quirks are what give our cars personality. When I bought my seven, I barely knew how to change a brake light bulb, but thanks to diligence, and time and a willingness to learn, I just installed a new cooling system, rebuilt my carb, and fixed two oil leaks! I've learned a lot and you can too!

far_sharper

Yeah, I'm pretty stoked that all that drama is done and the car is here. I was thinking of getting the RacingBeat exhaust but after listening to how it sounds now, I'm going to keep it stock.
There are two drawbacks... neither of which will prevent me from driving this car though.
1) There is an "old car smell". It smells more interesting than anything else, defineatly tolerable but noticable.
2) Need to do some work on the rims, maybe cleaning or painting? I'm going to have to do some research since I'm opting out of buying new ones.

And I'm ready to learn.

The deal we got for an Rx8 is so incredible. For a new 07, it was around 20 with simple features. The trade-in dropped that number by quite a bit. My dad is considering buying the Rx8 just because it's sooooo cheap. We'll have the best of both world then.

mikewoodkozar

Probably because they are unveiling the new RX-8 at the january auto show in D-Town

Directfreak

iTrader: (2)

That's awesome.
The Seven is heaven, but the eight is Great.
As your first car, I would take the 8. It will get you laid more.
If you can swing both - then go for it.

Very few "Pure" sports cars like an FB. No Anti-Lock Brakes, No Power Steering, No complicated computers, No Rear Seats, - nothing but smiles
with every mile. They don't make them like that anymore, and probably never will.

As much as I want to build an RE Powered RX-8, it wont replace my FB. It will just have to share in the fun.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

$26,000 vs $2,600. Less insurance. More fun. No Brainer.

Ray

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Go with the 7. You also have to figure insurance (full coverage for the 8 and you are still young). Are you paying for insurance or our your parents? Also, the value of the 8 will depreciate quickly whereas the value of the 7 will hold or even increase over time. Also, the 7 will let you get your hands dirty and let you really understand the car (and love it that much more).

I haver a newer (was new when I bought it) car for DD (not a 8), but really I like the 7 so much better. The 7 is much older, more miles, more things on it that don't work, but I still love it and wouldn't trade it for anything. Simple and fun cars. Really there is no other car out there that will give you the classic style and the "smiles per mile" for the price than a SA/FB. Once it is running good, take it for a spin and see. In most cases, once people drive a 1st gen, they become hooked for life. It's just like crack.

mikewoodkozar

Awesome, sometimes i take for granted how rare the specs of our cars really are, if they only rolled out with R&P steering...

waysrx7

Just as expensive too.

challer2000

If you keep the 7 you work on it here and there the 7 will mean more to you in the long run.
The 7 has cheaper insurance
You can tune the 7 to go faster (don’t tell the insurance company)
Its lighter than the 8

You can always get girls in the 7 the way I do (pull up and ask if they would like a ride in the Porsche ).

But if you get the 8…no mods until the warranty is up

84stock

iTrader: (5)

OMG, some spoiled kid can't make his mind up on what mommy and daddy should give him. Only if we all could be so lucky. I hope if they follow through that you finish school and go to universisty and succeed so they can feel some reward in their gifts.

PercentSevenC

Fortunately, ReSpeed was kind enough to fix that little issue for us.

IHateFF

Go with the old 7 they've got so much more substance than anything you can buy off of some lot. It might take work but you'll enjoy it... most of the time.

BlackWorksInc

Take the 8's engine and then frankenstien it to the 7.

Best of both worlds?

Just lemme know how you did it so I am not flying blind when I do mine in a year or two.

far_sharper

There are so many things I want to say right now out of anger for such a blunt statement. All I can say is that it wasn't necessary. Pressed the wrong button , rather said the wrong word, 'spoiled.' If only you knew me more than a forum post