One thing I forgot to mention is less seats = less distractions. I don't want to sound like a jerk but you really should consider this. I know your 17 and you may feel invincible and you know everything but take it from us. Go with an N/a. Go for as much power as you can with it. Don't expect much, just have fun with what you got. Build the car up. After your happy with tires, breaks, suspension move into the relm of saving up parts for your Tii swap. There are many threads to show you what you need. If you need anything we're here to help!

 

im 19 and ive been drooling over rx7s since i was a 14-15ish. at first i wanted an FD and realized that dream would never come true so then the FC looks started to grow on me. i liked it more and more till i really wanted one and realized it was truely a possibility to finally own one.

i have been looking since i was 17 and a few good chances have passed but i finally saw one that i said i HAD to have it. it was an 87 N/A in tornado silver with a fresh rebuild and what turned out to be a bad fuel pump for 1200$!!

the N/A may not be a speed demon, but coming from driving a tahoe daily it is a nice change. and eventually a turbo will be needed.

my 2 cents to you is get an N/A. it'll be more reliable and insurance will be way lower for you. it may look slow, but it feels fast when youre doing 7k rpms

 

I've had two cars since I was 18. If your making money, use ur reliable cheap car to go to work and school and the rx7 for building and weekend driving. Has been my way to car ownership since then

 

hmm I would keep my saturn, but my grandfather is in need of a car. So if I were to buy another car, he'd get the saturn. I have the money + some incase of anything breaking down, but while its down I have no way to get around. I dunno! love the car, but damn now i need reliability....maybe ill go ls1 lol

 

dont buy a t2. by a non turbo fc, and learn to drive on that
then after you have mastered shifting and downshifting and understanding where the cars limits are, upgrade to a turbo. then relearn everything again.

 

I got my 7 when i was 17 im 19 now and i still love it even tho its a N/A. I DD and its been great to me iv always wanted a T2 but the N/A was the best thing at the time so i went for it and have learned a lot about it and still am learnin new things about it even tho iv had it for two years.

So if i were u i would go with a N/A learn everything u can about it and then move on to a T2 or do a swap, and since it will be ur DD and maybe ur lil weekend fun toy at the track or an empty parkin lot (seenin what the car can and cant do) a N/A would be best cuz they will take a lot more of a beatin than the turbos and wont have to worry about the turbo puttin a lot of strain on the engine and it goin bye bye, plus the N/A is not as slow as some people would think.

Thats just what i think its totally up to u on what u wanna do its ur money, just tryin to help a guy out.

 

Buy the T2, learn how to maintain it via the stickies in this forum sub-section, auto-x it every chance you get!

If you're in school, auto-x is crazy cheap because of the many discounts. I auto-x'ed my car throughout college, and it didn't cost me much at all - I spent more on Friday nights and beer!

Sadly that all ended when I graduated and turned 24.

Reap the benefits now!

 

lol i bought my fc n/a like last week and spun out on the way home, full raining.
im 17 too, if your up for the challenges and commitment that come at your way, then do it.
i just love the feeling of having a plain canvas then slowing painting away, figure of speech.

just takes love, commitment and patience, i just got my n/a but already considering getting another fc thats turbo :P

my cars a 4 seater but you can't fit anyone in the back seats.
this was my dream car when i was 14-15, as my old man had one.

 

i bought my 88 GTU back in july, i was once in your shoes man i had a 92 SC2 before i got the 7 i completley understand how bad you wanna get in that car lol , but like these other guys said,start with the N/a and u wont regret it. ive enjoyed every minute ive had my n/a and the only problem ive had is brakes whoop de do .... so do your research and make sure u get what you want but just know that t2 is gonna be beat when u get it and the n/a's last longer

 

im 17 i drive an N/A fc its a blast i drift it very well when its wet out its like have a 300hp car so you can do anything you want in it but now i want more power so this is my thought.... i got my 91 s5 for 1200 runs perfect no problems been on 4hr trips without ever overheating or having any signs of stopping if its just a daily get an n/a and you can always turbo it but if you find a nice turbo 2 for the right price go ahead and buy it

 

I'm 18, I bought my first FC when I was 16, but it wasn't driveable until I was 17 . I'd recommend getting an n/a at first. The stakes aren't as high as they are with a TII (less likely to blow, cheaper to replace engine if it does). Plus maintenance, gas, and insurance are cheaper with an n/a. Once you get used to the platform and know your way around mechanically you can either buy a TII or swap your n/a if you're up to it.

If you do end up going for a TII, do what others said and spend the money on one that has been maintained properly, and don't blow it up . Rebuilt is always a plus as well.

Whichever way you go, make sure you have a backup car just in case, be it another car, a parent's car, a reliable designated driver, etc. Any car that's ~20+ years old will have random issues that pop up at the worst times.

 

yeah I guess ill be sloooooooooooooooow and go n/a and just get used to the car, mechanics and awesome handling! I intend to get seat experience by autocross and drift at local events
eventually ill do a t2 swap. now anybody down here in florida selling an fc?

 

n/a is reliable, just enjoy the car and be glad you got a rotary.

 

i'm 17 too, i'd say like most people stay the N/A path( who am I to give advice, i've got a 86 6-port turbo with a gt4088) , its definitely reliable and still fun to drive. At our age you want something that will look good, drive reasonably well and be RELIABLE!!!. Its your life do what you want with it. Just don't make stupid mistakes twice. lol

 

damn and I thought this thread was going to be about 17 year old chicks....

 

^my bad, thought i was in the lounge...

 

roofl 17year old girls. Nioce. I mean huh.

 

N/A or Turbo II, the choice is yours. My first car was a Miata and I learned to cope with being crazy slow. BUT the biggest thing I learned was how to take my car to its limit. With that little car I overtook many of the larger cars in touge runs and the track. Now that I have a Turbo II, hell yeah its faster but I learned through N/A first. **** I drive my dad's N/A vert around every so often and I still have a lot of fun with that car.

 

First I want to say, that the more friends you have in the car at 17 the more dangerous it is. Most accidents happen because of showing off, or not paying attention to the road because your buddy is ******* around.

Get an N/A in mint shape and enjoy.
I got my first RX-7 when I was 17

 

Honestly as far as reliability, I put way more money into my 98 Audi A4 than I do my turbo RX-7. It really depends on the condition you pick it up in. Prices are really good these days, so try to find an NA or Turbo that has been rebuilt by someone reputible recently. Personally, I'd go NA. You'll have so much fun.

 

Roll model young RX-7 owner.. You sound just like me =P

 

I was 17 when i purchased my first rx7...it was the na model and still is na except it has a nissan vq swap and 6 speed trans so its plenty fast and ive driven it for about 7000 miles with no issues... so they can definately be reliable...

 

a vq swap rx7 ..hmmm...hows that look ?

 

Not knowing your driving abilities or maturity level I could not in good conscience tell you to get one.

I will tell you that they are ball to drive, and I enjoyed an 87 TII from 16-18 yrs of age when it died in a pulsation/fuel injector fire in 1996. I drove it like I stole it about 80% of the time. They are a whole lot tougher than people give them credit for. That being said maintence and repairs should be top priority with these cars (ie: if you smell gas, fix it do not ignore it ).

It wasn't until 3-4 yrs ago that I was able to get my hands on another one. My "new" one is a 1991 model and it's been a ton of work and a royal PIA. I'm guessing that any 20 yr old car is going to be a pain in the rear, but my car and me are in a love/hate relationship right now.