midnight mechanic

I dropped $3600 on a used '83 rx-7. It was the most faded car in the used car lot on lankershim in n hollywood (of Kobra Ki Karate School fame). 1st thing I did was take it to the dealer for an inspection and coolant/oil change. $120 shot in the.....

The dealer mechanic said I needed a right wheel bushing. And the coolant looked cleaner before he changed it. So much for dealer mechanics.

The next saturday I spent replacing the cracked fan belts fan belts. So much for dealer mechanics.

Couple of months later, I replaced the "worn" bushing. Dealer wanted $200. I took me about 30 minutes to replace. So much for the dealer mechanic.

2 months later the universal differtial joint started to go. I was coming back from the surf shop with my 1st surf board. So much for the dealer mechanic.

1 year later, the clutch master cylinder went out. The replacement genuine mazda clutch master cylinder leaked. So much for the dealer mechanic.

Then the dealer sold me the wrong spark plugs. A neighbor told me he unsuccessfully sued the dealer for the same thing. So much for the dealer mechanic.

In short, these cars run forever if you stay away from the dealer mechanic and genuine mazda parts.

Before the rx-7, I was riding the L A bus, known as RTD (rapid transit district), it really stood for Rough Tough and Dangerous. Riding the bus that came from the county jail at 10:30 at night on Martin Luther King Blvd became way to dangerous, even for me.

A Denny's Waitress's Ford LTD station wagon ran a red light, and killed my little porsche 914 in 1987. The porsche had a top speed of 82 mph. Handled great. I had a $30 k hospital stay, from the hemothorax. And everyone wanted to sue the porsche driver. Porsche, WTF was I thinking?

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

Congrats on your milestone!

My 25th anniversary with my car will come up in September.

Only wrenches ever to touch it except mine in all that time belong to wheel-alignment & tire-change mechanics. Not even the oil-change places have been allowed.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Bought mine 31 years ago used as my first car out of school. The car will be 35 next year.

Siraniko

iTrader: (13)

That makes you 49yo?

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Guess again old man!

MosesX605

Come to think of it, I think I bought my first RX-7 fifteen years ago this month. It was an '82 GS with maroon interior/exterior. It was rusty, ill-maintained and a total heap.

I loved it instantly.

After a couple of years, the cost of fixing it was much larger than buying a '79 that was cosmetically challenged, but in great shape mechanically. And so began my adventure in jalopy autocrossing. I think I had the whole thing apart a few times over the years and it was always a blast to open the garage door in April after a long winter to see the faded silver paint and fresh rust blooms on the primer'd hood.

Over the next few months I'd throw some new parts at her, buy a used set of R compounds and spend my weekends thrashing it around the local sports-complex parking lot. Then October would hit and she'd retire to the garage again.

I sold that car in 2008 and I regret that decision to this day. Luckily, I've got a very pretty '81 GS waiting in the garage for the rest of the snow to melt. In a month's time (and a few weekends of wrenching) I'll have a nice spring/summer cruiser. My days of jalopy racing may be over, but at least I'll be driving an RX-7 again.

It's going to be a great summer.

Siraniko

iTrader: (13)

Lol

Banzai

iTrader: (13)

My affair began 35 years ago this August and she still makes my heart pound. That lasting passon is something a lot of us here have in common regardless of exactly how long. Here's to you!

midnight mechanic

Imagine the change from waiting 30 minutes for the slow cumbersome city bus, to driving a fb rx-7. I felt like I was in Star Trek going Warp 9, Star Wars Star Cruiser or whatever.

LongDuck

Throughout my entire life, I've always owned at least one 1st Gen. My first car was an SA22 (black LS), and I drove that thing through high school and a number of seasons of SCCA Solo II competition (CSP class, because of suspension mods). Engine finally went at 212k miles, and I bought the '84-GSL-SE which is in my signature.

My dad bought the SE new from the stealership in late 1983 ('84 model year) in tan color, and I swapped all of the performance parts from my 80LS into the 84SE. Hard to believe it's been 30 years since I took my first ride in that car - the night my dad brought it home from the dealer.

I drove it to work today and it still turns heads, including mine. Long live the 1st Gen's!

midnight mechanic

my high school car was a '69 maverick. it was the 1st year they came out. If driving a car ever felt like wearing a dress, a long dress, now that that was the car. The front hood rusted out from the underside. I waxed that car every week end. And the eom muffler fell out.

When I went off to college, my dad gave the car to my little brother who dropped out of high school in his senior year, stole $100, drove to california, and lost the car. He joined the army, then deserted, went back, did some time, and ended up with a less than honorable discharge, and a bill for $500.

He and the car were meant for each other.

RX-7 Chris

iTrader: (19)

I didn't get my first RX-7 until 2001 before that I was a Ford guy (still am).

My high school car was a 1970 Ford F250 that I still have. That was 18 years ago.

midnight mechanic

F250???? I stomped around in a dilapidated F150 after I wrecked my vw bug. Now that truck *****! Felt my testosterone double every time I drove it. Not the vw bug, but the f150.

Looking back, I should of forgot about fixing the bug, and kept the damn truck. The truck was a gas hog.

Speeder165

iTrader: (7)

OP,
bought my `83 Limited Edition for $2600 about 1990 or so. It was ragged bad. Bad paint, bad interior, and to add insult to injury, shortly after I bought it, it got beat to pieces in a bad hailstorm.

$10K later, I had what I wanted. Took awhile and as my tire dealer once put it, "you have the worlds most expensive RX7". LOL!

We do what we do. Have eaten many V-8`s with it. It isn`t the fastest thing on the planet but it has been fun to drive.

BTW, I can`t take my car to the dealership. They would open the hood and give me a deer in headlights look because it isn`t factory.

RX-7 Chris

iTrader: (19)

The F250 is a fun truck, the 390 is out of a '69 Torino 330hp and 427tq.