Ok, so i've decided to buy an FC for my First car, which would be driven daily, to and from school and also work. I have no experience with cars what so ever, i don't even have my Learners yet. My dad is trying to convince me to not buy a jap car.. and to buy a car which is made in Australia and isnt over 10 years old, due to not having parts available.

I am very worried that my dad might be right and when i get my FC alot of problems will occur. I just need simple straight answers for a 'Non experienced driver'

Keeping in mind i live in Australia and the majority of people here live in America.

1. How much am i looking to pay for a series 5 TII turbo?

2. Should i be getting it?

3. Why FC? isnt the Honda and Nissan cars arnt as good?

4. How does the FC perform in comparission with otyher cars in its class, etc 180sx, AE86, Honda civic.

5. What is the difference in taking care of a 13b turbo than to a normal piston engine found in other cars.

6. My friends all got cars, they do not maintain the engine, or even pop the hood ever, all they do is fill their petrol tank when its low, what will i have to do with my FC and why.

7. From reading the Gen 2 FAQ, FC's burns oil as you drive, how much oil am i expsecting to refill?

8. How hard is it to put a 20B motor into the FC? i am not looking to do it myself but paying a rotary expert to entirely do everything, please include the cost of the engine, all the parts required for an engine change and the cost of labour.

9. There are a few FC turbos around here in Australia, should i import one? are imported ones clean and in better condition?

10. When buying an FC, should i hire along a rotary expert to check the compression and condition of the car, from motor to body to frame.

11. Seriously if it wasnt for this forum i'd honestly would have wrecked my FC when i got it. I honestly didnt know a thing about taking care, learning from this fourm it seems like FC is some what, un reliable? i mean.... amature drivers with honda's and nissans never seem to know a thing about their car, but seem to get along pretty well.. if so why do we all love FC? is it because of the unique style of the body? or being different from everyone else to owning a rotary engine instead of piston just like every body else.

12. With a completely stock FC TII series 5 Turbo, how much would be required to make it pump out 400hp?

Thnx, this is all for now. If you can give me answers with the number of the question being answered it would be awsome. I got around 6-9 months till i get one.

 

1.) I'm not sure how the currency converts... But you can get a TII in nice condition for under five thousand most of the time.

2.) Why not? Unless you're seriously strapped for cash you should be ok. It can get expensive though, so be warned.

3.) Rotaries are a totally different experience to drive and to work on. (Loyalties aside) Theres nothing wrong with a Honda or Nissan. I've always had some sort of sense of pride owning an FC.

4.) In my experience it drives like any other car, with the addition of the excellent handling, higher RPM limit, little perks like that. It's thrilling to blow by another car with the RPMS pegged at 8k. You know they're thinking "He's gonna blow that thing up!!".

5.) You really only have to worry about the same things you would have to worry about on any other car. You just have to pay more attention to things like the oil. Rotaries do burn oil (answer to that further down) and flood consistently. After flooding it a few times your oil will absorb some gas. Not a real big problem in my opinion.

6.) Like I said before, you need to check your oil more regularly. I make it a habit to check the oil EVERY time I fill up. Mine burns a lot of oil, but it is still a good habit to get into. Thats about it really. Just normal maintenance.

7.) From the FAQ: "It is normal to use about 1 quart of oil every 1000 to 3000 miles." Really not as much as it sounds. Just check the oil regularly and keep a quart in the back, you will never have a problem.

8.) I've heard there is some fabrication involved. Just sourcing the parts will thin out your wallet quick. I think a 20b engine itself will run you 5k-6k. I don't know about the rest of the drivetrain, but I'll assume you can get in over 10k easily, not including labor and tuning... Don't quote me on any of that, that's just what I got from a quick read through of a few posts. Someone more knowledgeable will correct me.

9.) I'd check out some local ones before you went through the importing process. You might find one you like.

10.) You can do all that yourself. Or if you do want to have someone else, just a regular mechanic can do an inspection. You could have them do a compression test too, but you'd have to explain to them how they work if they don't know.... Theres hundreds of threads about checking compression.

11.) The FC is no more unreliable than any other car out there. It requires regular maintenance just like anything else. I think that driving an FC makes you drive the car, not the car driving you. You are less desensitized than other drivers. Once you have a feeling for the car, know how it works, how far you can push it, etc, it really is a joy to drive.

12.) You can easily get 400hp with a port job, upgraded fuel pump, intercooler, and injectors. Someone more knowledgeable will correct me there as well

Good luck with your search! Hope I helped.

 

ok first off all im an australian rx7 owner, i have an australian delievered rx not an import. to answer a few questions parts a fairly easy to get. I no in brisbane there is a wreckers that deal in nothing but rotarys and mazdas, maintance consist of changing oil and plugs and cleaning air filters ect pretty much everything you would do on every other car if you want it to last. getting 400 hp there are various workshops around the place that can do it for you, like dyson's on the gold coast and there are a few more down south i believe

 

"4. How does the FC perform in comparission with otyher cars in its class, etc 180sx, AE86, Honda civic."

I would not say any of these are in it's class....



I will say this continue to read through the 2nd gen section, FAQs and hit up the archives. As you get questions in your mind write them down or type them up and as you read you will find the answers to 95% of your questions. When you do cross out your question. Chances are most answers or suggestions will prompt more questions keep in mind that there are SEVERAL other rotary driven forums and you should register on them all and read and read. read till your brain hurts, then read some more. By the time you are ready to buy you will be ready for whatever comes up. just remember read more post less.

 

Don't think civic goes in a class with a 240sx, and a gt-s corolla...

 

Research and stop making so many threads. Learn about 7s before even think about buying one.

 

Over in the states, they are going for about 5500-6000

It is an old car, so parts will need to be replaced down the line. Prepare for it, sometimes it gets expensive.

For a beginner's car, Honda's and Nissan's are perfect.

Those cars can't be compared. They're not in the same class.

There are no differences concerning maintenance. If you decide to modify it however, you'll find some.

What year/make cars do your friends drive? That's a very bad habit to have.

You shouldn't have to worry about oil consumption as the motor consumes very little oil. Keep up with the oil change schedule and you should have no problems.

Let's do 1-7 first.

No comment as I am not a resident of AUS.

Yes.

I love it for the suspension and overall feel.

Once again, let's do 1-7 first.

NP.

 

i dunno, look on autotrader, ebay, classifieds, etc

what? if you have to ask yourself, maybe you shouldnt

what other forums have you been visiting?? dont give up on us so early in the game!

i think someone already answered this: NOT IN THE SAME CLASS. these are compact, economy or even for the 180 "sport compact" cars. NOT by any stretch of the imagination are they sports cars. our "class" is more along the lines of supras, mr2s, 300zx, etc.

you really need a more "specialized" knowledge base, but anyone can learn

more than your friends, trust me. ps-your friends are losers.

not as much as you think, but like any responsible automobile owner, you should *check* all fluid levels regurlary (i check my oil everytime i fill up (2 weeks) and top off/change regularly

slow down dude! 6 or 7 bullets ago you said you didnt even know if you wanted an FC

i wouldnt think so, cleanliness is largely dependent upon previous owner (in forum land we call them P.O.'s

you dont need a "rotary expert" but it wouldnt hurt if you learned how to check compression so you could do it your self and maybe make a list of things to check
there you go with that crazy talk again...

short answer is ALOT. dont worry about that for a WHILE

 

honostly, i regret buying my 7 for a daily driver. mileage is not good enough for me. and for 400 hp, all you need is a turbo kit for that hp range (3500-4000) and then a fuel upgrade (expect around 1000-1500 if no more to do it RIGHT) and then ignition (500-1000), intercooler and lines (~400-1000) andthen exhaust (~500-1000) all in US currency. Prices are estimated and the project can of course be done for less, but I enjoy doing things right.

and ive got family in aussi. nice place i must say.

 

Just keep an eye on the oil. Thats THE only extra maintenance you need to do, more than cancels out with the timing belt crap you deal with in piston engines. Also any type of oil or coolant system failure will be catastrophic. Same goes with boost spike and excessively lean air/fuel ratio.

Also regarding the first reply, rotary engines do NOT consistently flood. There is something wrong with the engine if it keeps flooding. I have NEVER had my GXL flood on me, even when I've shut it off cold in the 40,000 miles I've driven it. No exaggerations.

Edit: Also a 20B is a COMPLETE waste of money unless you plan on pushing 600+whp. People have done 400+whp on STOCK blocks. Set realistic goals.

 

Yeah, flooding hasn't been an issue with me as well. I had to push start my SE once, and then I had a small bit of trouble with a fuel pump issue once as well.

Other than that it starts up no problem every time, every day, for my long drive to work.

And dean23, I totally feel your pain on the daily driver thing. I'm filling up every 2-3 days.

 

thats a lot of reading... like what i've said before in being a 7 owner...

you need...

1) money, money, money... (you gonna be running into issue with the 7 at one time of your ownership, be ready to spend some cash in fixing it when its under the weather)

2) Know about the rotary (what i mean is some sort of experience or background of it)

3) whole bunch of f***ing patience.

if you have those three, end of story.... then get the damn thang.