First off, I have searched, and I know that if you take care of the engine it should be fine other than normal 20 year old car things. I also know all the particulars about rotary engines, so I guess my question revolves around how often little fix-ups are going to occur. The car in question has 187,000 miles on it, but I'm not too sure about the engine (swap) The reason for asking is cause this might somehow be the next family ar with the intention of me buying it back, but my dad's main argument is that he'd rather buy a new car that won't have to be fixed every weekend. He said if I can prove that the car is reliable, he would be more inclined to think about buying it. If I do get it, I'll do the main stuff like new fluids and hoses, but as for general maintenece, what could go wrong with the car. thanks

-Chris

 

I just bought mine and so far:

The Battery died, all my clutch fluid disappeared, and I pressed on the flash to pass lenses from behind and the plastic holding onto the screws discintegrated...

But the Battry is on warrenty, I'm waiting to put some more brake fluid in theCMC fill cap (the CMC and CSC arn't leaking) to see if it's just the hose, and the FTP lense was my fault I can fix it though (Just need some bigger screws >_< ).

*Knocks on wood*


Truth be told though, I love it.

 

check the compression on the motor?
i really think that if you buy a newer used car, your still gonna have issues with it..most of the time when somthin goes, its not CHEAP at all...unless you get a decent warranty with a newer used car or just buy a BRAND new car with a good waranty...youll always need to dump cash into it!

 

as lond as you dont mod it or mad it with safety mods on mind itll be fine, just check numbers, bubble test it, oil test it, and enjoy it. btw those tests if you dont know are in the faq i believe

 

thats a 50/50 question... 50% of the time it will be reliable... the other 50% it will be broken

 

if you have a good motor, it will run fine. Forget all these guys about who say they arent. If you get a well keep car with sound wiring, and a good well kept engine, it will treat you well. I know half a dozen people with well over the 200k mark, and still running fine. 2 of them have over 280k! So either keep it stock, or some basic upgrades (radiator, dp) If you plan on going over that, either tune it very well, or becareful, they can be touchy

 

reliability and TII in the same sentence? LoL

But I dont care, I still love her

 

I am not saying that the car you are looking at is or is not reliable


If your dad is satisfied with answers that start with "IF" then go for it... but to me; "If" is just another word for 50/50.. the fact is that any car(not just RX7) with 187k on it will become less and less reliable as time goes on. There are a lot of factors that go in to whether a car is "reliable".or not... the point is... what is your definition of reliable... If your definition of reliable is ** I can put a hundred miles on my car every week... 52 weeks a year and not have a problem *** then i would say that is a reliable car. But to qualify an RX7 as being reliable by stating that I know 6 people with more then 200k on there cars... and "If" the car has a good motor or "has sound wiring"... well that doesn’t fly in my book

The fact is even if you know what your looking at there are variables that you can not see. I have personally pulled apart 50+ rotary motors, most of them with 150k+ miles on them and some of them ran perfect.. all of them had a worn out aluminum housing with chrome scraped off and grooves on the face... or the coolant passages were packed with mud and or the coolant seals were very close if not breached already.

Your best bet for a reliable RX7 is to pick out 5 or 6 RX7's that you really like and find a reputable rotary mechanic to do a pre purchase inspection for you.... it is the only way for someone with little knowledge about RX7's to limit the chance of getting a lemon... also spend the cash and find one with low miles. Otherwise do yourself a favor and keep your dad off your back by getting a new car. You can always get a RX7 another day

 

+1 ^. Get a buyer's guide. Have a mechanic check it out. I have an N/A that's my daily driver. At $2500 it was super cheap compared to new. It's reliable and only 100k miles on it. The speed and handling is just a big plus. I've frequently taken it on long trips and it makes them enjoyable. OTOH there are a lot of guys on these forums with cheap garbage FC's that they poured a small fortune and a large chunk of free time into. Get a buyer's guide and mechanic before buying.

Here are some good sporty new or recent used car options:
Acura RSX: new Integra, reliable, harsh ride
Ford Focus: cheap, slow, but handles nice - same suspension as Mazda3, gizmos tend to break but mechanical problems have been fixed
Honda s2000: fastest, best handling, most expensive, harsher ride, super reliable
Mazda[speed] 3: reliable, decent handling, MSP3: 0-60 in 6s
Mazda[speed] Miata: best handling, super reliable
Mazda RX-8: best handling, amazing brakes, 2005 is super reliable (2004 is avg.)
Subaru WRX: quick, good handling, reliable
Toyota MR2: similar to Miata, tiny trunk, great mpg

 

^^

A used Mini Cooper S that is loaded can be had at 22-24K

 

rx-7 family car? get a new rx-8.

 

**** on it. you can buy a 15yr old+ car and with the proper maitenance it can be every bit as reliable as when it was new. granted you will have to replace parts and you will work for it but you shouldnt hesitate to buy what you want. dont be afraid to turn a wrench, you might learn something. i have had a few cars with over 200K and they were more than fine! my ranger has 205k and its perfect. i maintain it. every one of my 7's is perfectly maintained and has NEVER left me stranded. forget the fords and hondas and buy your RX-7.

 

You sound like a young kid the car is tierd your going to beat on it and its gona blow up, end of story. get a civic.

 

if you want something that is reliable with electronics and mechanically get a corolla...

with 7's it really depends on the PO and how you take care of the car when it comes to mechanical things...

electrical stuff on the 7 otoh is horrible and you WILL need to replace things

 

As you might have deduced from the variety of replies: You either have to learn your stuff, inspect your car carefully before buying and maintain it well or get a new/barely-used car. That's the only way any old car will be reliable. Unless it was an unreliable model to begin with. A TII will be less reliable than an N/A regardless, but still decent.

 

A car is only as relaible as the driver/tuner/maintenance person.... With that in mind, seeing how it is a 20year old car, if u are smart and inspect ur car before u buy it, u'll know what u are getting in to... For instance make sure that the suspension, engine/tranny, brakes, and steering is ok before u buy it....

U can buy a new car and it can still be shitty... For instance, my friend just bought a used 2003 mazda speed protege. It came w/ an upgraded turbo and an fmic... It truly is a sexy car (inside and out) but since my friend thinks that he cannot drive w/o racing (the pedal is always on the floor) and the boost guage is always maxed out, the car is starting to give him a lot of issues. He needs a new tranny, a new clutch kit, his wheel bearings are fucked, he needs to change his hoses, needs new tires, needs a new turbo manifold, and the list goes on... And that's on a 2003 protege (and yes, the protege is a "reliable" car...

So, if u wanna buy a "sports" car to drive hard continuously, then expect **** to break. But if u just want a sporty car to cruise in that has a little zing, then kewl... But don't be one of those people that buys a car, races the life out of it and then say the car sucks...

 

i have a 19yr corolla... its pretty good.

 

If the car is in decent shape, and you go ahead and change out things that tend to wear and break before they break, it'll be sweet. However, if your dad is the one buying the thing, and will be the one paying for maintenence, you probably aren't going to be able to convince him.

I think some owners continue to drive cars while they have mechanical problems, and never fix the problem until something breaks completely . Then they bitch about how 'unreliable' it is/was.

 

thanks for your worthy post. I'm not an ignorant kid, and I would certainly not use it a beater and have it blow up. I know my way around engines and mechanical stuff, seeing as I've been working on engines (not rotary, of course) since I was about 10. Everyone else, thank you for your input. I'll be sure to get a compression check, and I still have to find a reputable rotary mechanic in the area to check it out. The current "kids" car, which is going to college with my sister come december, is just a corolla, so an s2000 is definately out of the question. The thing is I have the intention of buying the car back from my family, so a 2nd gen is my car of choice. I would like to keep my dad off my back, so I don't bring it up too often, but december is right around the corner, and I would like to have a car by then. Thanks everyone but iceblue, I'll do some more research and make sure this car isn't a lemon.

 

Im sorry did I put your life in perspective? If you actualy knew you would not be asking these queshtions about a 16+yr old car. The fact is you are a kid and you still no matter what you think have not obtaind these skills or again you would not be asking. So if you neeed our advice to convince your dad who realy knows more then you about buying a car you are in much deeper then we can help.

So see you in 5 weeks I blew my engin what now thread?

 

I never said that I did know...thats why I made a thread. to learn. If I follow the advice that most people left me, then I can make sure it is not a lemon, and have a reliable car to start out with. True, my dad knows more about buying cars than me, but he is a guy who has never changed the oil in his car once. The dealership has done it. In that perspective, I know more about cars than he does. Also, im not retarded. If I get the engine checked out and it's ok, how would I blow up it up in 5 weeks. With regular maintence, there is no possible way that I could blow it up. Everyone else, thanks again. Also, if I could get it the mazda dealership around here, would they be able to tell me anything? I know its a 13b and if certified they would be certified for a renesis, but right now thats the closest thing I have to a rotary mechanic.

P.S. iceblue...get some spelling lessons. It took me about 5 tries to understand what you said. when your trying to put someone down and they can't understand it, it kinda loses the meaning.

 

Ok, so I talked to my dad, and he didnt really reply to my reliability findings, probably because I still have to see if its a good engine in the first place. Then he said something that I had completely forgotten about: safety. I know that the fc does not have airbags, but safety features it have does it have? I didnt really feel like making a new post for this cause its kinda the same topic. thanks,
-Chris

 

The Fc has seatbelts....

 

Some of them have airbags. My 86 doesn't... but they just add weight.