Hi. I am going for my license test tomorrow yet I still do not have a car. I know a good amount about cars but not too much about rx-7s. The one I found is very cheap for only 1200 but it has a shitload of miles on it....185,000. I would want to get a new engine for it but I don't know where I could get one or how much one costs. I would want to get a turbo engine for it. Also, what are some other mods that rx-7s are really good for? Thanks for the help in advance.

 

If you are just getting your license, don't get a turbo. Nothing against you personally, but I find all to many first timers with fast cars getting into trouble all the time. Crashing, racing all the time, thinking their king of the road.

If you want one, get a n/a with lower miles, drive it for a few yours, work on the engine, learn how the rotary engine works and all about the electronics and such. Then look to do a T2 swap after you know more about these engines. What you may know about pistons, is not relevent to rotarys.

 

I agree with the above statement. Having a modded turbo car of any kind needs more knowledge than a regular Sunday driver. Get a nice N/A if you really want a rx7, it will be plenty quick for a first car and stay with that for a while and do some local driver ed. programs, and NASA events and such before climbing into a car and modding it and it be way over your head. That's why you see all these hondas and **** in trees is cuz mommy buys a 16 year old a turbo kit and puts it on and then thinks his Vin Diesel.

Nothing against you. I just rather read about your name enlisted in a car learning event, other than a news clipping saying..
"street racer wrecks in woods and dies / kills other."


Focus on passing the test first.

 

Yea i get your point. The thing is though that I have only 1700 dollars right now so my spending is very limited. How much longer do you think it would take for that car to collapse with 185000 miles?


Im focusin on passin my test but I live in nj so I had a permit for 9 months and now I will get my license at age 17.

Heres the one that is close enough to me that I am interested in.
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...eadExists=true

 

Check out this page. It will give you some tips on things to check out on the car you're looking at.

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/buy1.htm

 

I don't know about the running condition of that car. They say its 080 cubic displacment. haha. With that many miles, you may be able to get 2 years out of it IF the engine is in good condition and if its been taken care of. The exterior doesn't seem to have been taken care of so I highly doubt the engine has been.

I would keep looking, or buy a cheap car other then a rx7, then just save up to buy one that you won't have to dish $1000 into the first year you have it.

 

Yea thats why I am looking to do an engine replacement. How much would that cost for a new engine or to rebuild the engine?

 

Well, a fully built engine could cost $1500+ depending on how its built and who built it. Plus shipping of a 350+lb engine.

A rebuild kit will cost about 1000-1300 if you use mazda apex seals and springs with maybe a small atkins rotary engine gasket kit.

It will be cheaper to rebuild a rotary BEFORE it pops. Otherwise, you will be lookiing for a good rotor housing, rotor and possible side and/or middle iron.

 

Alright thanks for your help.

 

185k miles eh? ... I dont know any places to get n/a replacement engines but I do know that there are alot of tii's (turbo) for sale. Whats stated above I agree with and I did the same. I got my first car at 18 and it was a 1986 mazda rx7, i'm now 19. Ive definetly learned the ropes along the way and have some knowledge, but if I started with a turbo engine id probly be way in over my head.

 

honestly, sports cars aren't for kids. go buy yourself a geo or a honda, i'm not saying that to be rude or mean, i'm saying it to save you from a car accident, .

no person needs a sports car as there first car, they may look nice and pretty but it takes many years of driving to be proficient at it. and as tail happy as these cars are i would not recommend them to anybody as there first car.

ontop of that these cars require alot of maintencance, which you'll probably have a hard time affording being a sophomore

 

I dont know how much your looking to pay for that RX, but I bought mine for $800 with 180K on a N/A motor. I drove it for two weeks and the motor popped. So now I am in the process of a rebuild. I only blew a coolant seal and its only gonna cost me like $1000 to rebuild.

A custom built motor can cost you upwards of $4500. A JDM swap with about 45k on it will cost you close to $2000. So its up to you.

 

I'm sorry, but I really can't recommend buying it, or any other RX7 just yet. You would do much better to start with something FWD or AWD; a first generation Subaru Impreza, or even a Honda Civic or Accord 5-speed could be a good car to start with.

RX7s require a lot of maintanance, and are not the easiest car ever to drive proficiently.

As for money, I bought my RX7 last year, as a sophomore in college. It is an 87 non-turbo. I spent a couple weeks tuning it up and such, only to find out my engine was already blown. I ended up with $3500 in a rebuilt engine and other various parts that needed to be replaced. This is on a car I paid $950 for. I will have just over $5k invested in my s4 non-turbo, as soon as I get it painted. While I think it was absolutely worth it, you don't seem to have the means to spend that kind of money on the car.
So, I really can't recommend buying an RX7 just yet.

 

Ya I bought mine for $1000 and it didn't want to run, Slowly I worked on it, making it running better......and worse and learning as I went. I loved working on it. I also needed to spend a few hundred bucks on replacment parts though. 6 year later I still have the car with a different engine.

 

Alright well i got my license yesterday..on my birthday and i went to look at that rx7...turned out to b a piece of **** lol. I am still lookin for a manual car that I am ok wit....Ive looked for 3000gts,stealths, 240sxs,300zxs,integras,more rx7s, and etc but none r in my price range. I am actually a good driver for an automatic...even tho every1 says that they r good wen they first get their license but i kno a really am cause i love to corner round turns n stuff like that. I jus need to find a car that suits me so thanks for ur help but im not gonna jus get a civic or accord n then rice it out. Ill keep lookin for a car but if neone else has ne other good ideas for a car that are actually pretty quick n hav good handling for under 2 grand...please post

Thanks

 

Ah, I remember when I was in the same position. I ended up buying a 92 Stealth R/T, possibly the worst mistake I've ever made. Even at only 110k pretty much every average maintanence part that wears out over time broke, and it cost painful hours of troubleshooting to find each one, along with 1000 other random things that broke, last one being the diff. Cliff notes, FWD + weakass mitsu drivetrains = money pit, not even worth owning. The only good thing that came out of it was how much I learned about cars, repairs, maintanence, troubleshooting, etc. Although I see an RX7 being a much better choice due to the low cost you'll be paying for parts and how easy it is to work on. 300ZXs are expensive and hard to work on, not much faster than an S5 N/A and not comparable in handling, 240s are pieces of **** dorifto mobiles, and Hondas are just, well gay...

Buy an S5 N/A RX7, they're cheap, and not fast enough to get you in trouble but a blast to drive if you understand how to drive it.

 

RX7's are not good as an only or first car. I know you want one; I did to in high-school. I love my 7 but you'll be happier buying something else and getting a 7 latter.

Second generation RX7s are all 20+/- years, expensive to insure, have only two seats, can't be driven in the snow/ice/heavy rain, and need a lot of time, money and TLC. My 87 is a daily driver, but I wouldn't consider it as an only car.

(Mine has currently been down for two weeks while waiting for parts to arrive. The dealer in my area doesn't stock parts and, even if they did, their parts are ridiculously expensive. The advance auto/autozone/etc of the world are better but they don't have everything and many parts are special order.)

 

get a ef civic hatch I miss mine it is fun, cheap to "mod" and great for a DD and a good starter car...

buy a rotary when u have time to enjoy it for a WEEKEND ONLY CAR...

 

My car doesn't cost **** to insure, I only have liability. I think we pay like 1200/yr for 3 cars including mine, and I have 10 points on my liscense. The snow part I definitely agree with, its great to have another backup car. I think the best way to learn about cars though is to break **** and fix it yourself. Unless you have someone that can teach you everything, I sure didn't. All the types of cars he's mentioned aren't good as daily drivers, RX7 ftw. Get an S5 N/A, do some suspension mods (bushings, strut bars, sway bars, coilovers/shocks/springs), some decent tires, full exhaust, throw some hawk pads on that bitch and I can guarantee you'll love to drive the car. One important thing though, buy one with an already rebuilt motor, I have 30,000 HARD miles on mine and it never gives me any trouble. Or buy one with a blown motor and give it to rotary resurrection for a basic rebuild. I'd go with a Z31 if you're scared of the RX7, but please no honda or 240! lol

 

I agree with everyone here, get a cheap honda for your first car or something of that nature. That's what i did. I got honda at 16 drove it till about a week ago and i am 18 now and own a T2. If i would have started out with a turbo car, i'd probably have either A. alot of tickets, or B. I'd be dead or something of that nature. Just learn the ropes of driving first before you jump head first into a turbo vehicle.

 

aight thanks for the help...i dnt wanna sound like an idiot but wats s5..is that the type of rx7?

 

s5 is the 89-91 years of the second gen rx7 (FC). Search for info. And don't listen to them. I'm in the same boat (kinda) as you. I know how to drive just fine, and am pretty damn good at it. And I'm responsible too. There's nothing wrong with having a rx7 as your first car. You just have to respect it and what it's capable of. My first car and my old DD was a 1964 ford fairlane with a 375 hp 289 c.i. small block in it. It's a blast. And now I have a TII for my 3rd car. And I'm 19. You just need to drive sanely. It is a little loose in the rain if you drive hard/aren't used to a turbo, but just be cautious. I do agree that a n/a would be a better first car though. And they are kinda expensive to own. But if you love the car, who the hell cares?

 

Turning a car around turns is nothing. Controlling slides, controlling the throttle to get grip on the front tires, auto-x, etc is where you can say you are a really good driver.

By NO MEANS DO ANY OF THIS NOW. You can say you are a good responsible driver by driving safe for the next couple years untill you become more experienced and learn how YOUR car handles and reacts to different inputs.

 

thanks. ill keep that in mind

 

Seriously, buy a first-gen Honda Prelude. Or go for a first-gen Subaru Impreza. Both are relatively quick, fairly reliable (assuming you stay non-turbo), and look decent. Oh, and either should be available relatively cheap; $2k would not be out of the question for one.