Old "newbie" question. Doable?
 

I had 5 Rx7s, a red 79 my girlfriend of 3 years talked me into selling years ago for a more practical car (then she found someone new), a gold 80 I bought, moved to California and then sold because I thought I was losing my job, a silver 79 to replace that one, a black 1984, and a blue 86 I sold here in Missouri. Since that time I've also had a Nissan 370Z that had nothing but clutch slave cylinder problems and it is gone. So, I find myself for the first time since 79 without a 2-seater sports car. I was thinking about RX7s again. My favorites were the 83-85 models. Here is my newbie question: is it possible to find one in decent shape body wise, and can the 12As be made to run well, not a race car but still perform well enought to put a smile on my face. If so, I maybe by buying one from who knows where in the next 6 months. Thanks for any advice. I'll take all I can get.

Yes

yes.

yes

Yes

Yes

yeS

yooooouuuu guyzzzzz…

cut the new member some slack!
(OK, so I suppose "technically" you DID answer the Q)
Inspector, we actually can be pretty helpful here. Even these characters. Bear with us… and welcome.

:D
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

YES, Yes and Keep us posted!

hey thanks everyone
 

I have been away from RX7s since 2009, like the gen 3 but they cost so much, and no one makes an "affordable" sports car anymoe. I had so many problems with the 370Z I was afraid to drive it anymore and remembered how much luck I had with the RX7s. I was concerned whether or not they could be found not all rusted out and, given the time and money, a gen one could be made into a street screamer. Thanks.

Most certainly, a nicely kept and modified SA or FB is the ultimate sports car, affordable, fun to drive and fun to work on.

Here in Georgia we see rust free examples in the $500-$2000 range all the time. Also, Dave (wahootee) over in Nebraska is sitting on an SE that he'd like to find a good home for (I'm not sure how far Nebraska is from Missouri).

Look around, buying them is half the fun, especially if the wife doesn't mind (she limits me to three in the driveway at any one time).

Ray Green You have no idea
 

How much you are making my day. I am in sports car withdrawal right now. Had one ever since 1979 and now I am without. I liked the 370Z but not the cost, the failing clutch slave cylinder that was going to cost me $1300 to 1500 to replace and on and on. I always loved the RX7s anyway. Nebraska is about a 3 and a half hour drive. My wife will not like it as I have some project cars but the Dodge I bought is eating me alive in gas, cheap or not. This is really good news, no, make that great news. I can't wait to get one again. Thanks a million.

I'll tell Dave, he may pm you about the SE.

For now, to wet your appetite, here are a few current craig's list ads local to where I live in Jefferson, GA:

Sweeeeet trade

81 Mazda Rx7 S

1979 RX7 spark yellow

Mazda rx7

1981 mazda rx7

mazda 1980 rx7 will trade for automatic car

85 Mazda 40000 Original Miles

1982 Mazda RX-7 classic: Almost 1 owner

1984 Mazda RX-7 (this is a really nice SE. the guy wants too much money for it, which is why it's been for sale for several months)

Here's a nice looking 88 vert, if you're into FC's:

Must sell Mazda RX-7

and another white vert, '89 this time:

Mazda RX7 convertible very nice all records

And another '88 vert, red this time:

1988 Mazda RX-7 Convertible! Incredible condition and great history!

This red vert looks like you could hop in and drive it back to Missouri:

Mazda RX-7 Convertible 1988

And yet another red 88 vert:

Mazda RX-7 Convertible 1988

We see a few FDs from time to time as well:

1993 LSX RX-7 FD

Mazda RX-7 1994 Blue

1993 LSX RX7 FD

Last time I drove out to Missouri (Kansas City) it was about 12 hours, very pretty drive. Come on down and drive or tow one home!

i completely agree. in fact, when you consider fun, practicality, price and reliability the SA/FB is almost untouchable. the miata (na/NB) is probably the next best. followed by the Rx8.

others that are close to target, are the Triumph Tr3; too expensive to buy, but best driving experience. MGB, misses the fun by a bit. the Fiat spider is actually the best of the 60's sports cars, but i think they are not as easy as the 7.

big misses include the FC/FD, too complex, expensive, oily, etc. vintage muscle cars, too expensive, an SA would literally run circles around most of them... there are a couple of german cars that are in the ball park, (gti, 2002, E30s), but they miss the reliability mark, by a lot.

Agreed on the FC/FD being oily, and the fiat spider (you're talking the 124, right?) being great.

I know what you mean about the MGB. I drove a 78 MGB for about 10 years, vermillion with the big MG racing stripes, pretty, but not nearly as nice as the FB's when it comes to driving and working on them.

Makes me glad I have an MG Midget with a rotary conversion and it's getting Ray's favorite carb, a Nikki! Best of both worlds? I had planned a Holley in it but no way.

MG midget with a Nikki-fed 12A, don't get any better than that!

yep, i've driven a lot of the small 60's sports cars, the fiat is just about the all around best. it isn't great anywhere, but its good everywhere. for an example the Alfa spider has much more power than the fiat, but the driving position is terrible...

its been a while since i drove a midget, but i did like it, the bugeye sprite is even better. my knee hits the dash, just so its excruciating, but if you have a twisty road, the bugeye is staggeringly fast

How would a triump tr6 compare to a sa/fb I've seen tons of them here around Greenville but haven't given them much thought.

i test drove one tr6 (before buying a 1974 bmw 2002) and did not like it at all. maybe it was that specific car i drove but it seemed very clunky (tranny was grinding, engine seemed off, etc). the 2002 on the other hand was loads of fun, even when underpowered (dare i say more fun than the GSL-SE in my opinion). funny thing is that i was looking for a 13b to put into it but found a terrific deal on a whole car so sold the 2002 for my current rx7. anyway, i would recommend a 2002 over the tr6. and in terms of reliability, the m20 motor in the 2002 is pretty bullet proof.

Sorry to hear about the problems you had with your 370Z; I've daily-driven my '03 350Z & it's been very trouble-free for 150,000 miles (once Nissan discovered the proper wheel alignment settings).

On the other hand, I've had my SA for 25+ years now; it was 10 years old when I bought it & served loyally as a daily for a dozen years before it became enough of a maintenance load that it moved to 'hobby' status.

It's been a great car that's almost as much fun to work on as it is to drive. Reliable so long as you keep up on the maintenance that all cars of this vintage need.

ray green
 

I'm at work and when I click on the links, they are blocked. After all the work you've done for me and I can't see them. It is probably too much to ask but if you can list a web address for the 84-85s.... I really like the 93s but man are they expensive. Yes, you're right, it would be a great excuse to come on down. I'm liking this idea the more I think about it.

DivinDriver
 

I thought about a 350Z to replace the 09. Apparenlty the clutch slave cylinder is a defect in that model. I ran across quite a few owners who had gone through one to 3 in less than 20K miles. The dealer refuses to acknowledge this even when I brought in pages of postings and critiques of this problem. Their solution was to change the DOT. I got stranded 3 times in six months, had to have it towed, borrow cars, etc. and they switched from DOT 3 t 4, told me my warranty was up, and it was on me from that point on as they had "fixed" the car. I was afraid to drive it. So, I got to thinking, why not an RX7? I light weight high winding rotary? If I can build it up to 200+ hp, and not kill the motor, hmmmmm. Plus I love the body style of these gen cars. I used to live in California, way up north in the Mtn. View/Sunnyvale area. Wish I had kept my black 84. Thanks for the advice.

It's probably your work connection that's blocking anything with craigslist.com as a domain. Try the links when you get home or from a mobile device, they'll work then.

I love the FD's as well but there's a reason I'm on my 4th first gen - they're too darn cheap to pass up! I could own 10 FB's for the price of one FD and have 10x more fun and probably spend 5x less on all 10 of the first gens. Someday I'll own an FD but that's a few years down the road after school when I'm in a career.

You guys South of the Mason-Dixon Line have it so nice with RX7's, I can't even explain my jealousy. It's so hard to find clean examples up here only a few hours from the Canadian border!

i've never driven a Tr6.

the 2002 illustrates the BMW conundrum very well. it is a joy to drive, all the controls just feel so good, but its also the worst car ever made by man. the bottom end of the M10 engine is pretty robust, but the rest of the car (including the car!) is junk. if it doesn't rust, its broken.

so we have a double standard with BMW's, we consider them reliable, when a 40 year old british car is actually better