'90 RX7, good first car?
 

Hello all, I'm new to the forum and about a year or two into the whole automotive scene. I'm currently 15 and looking around at what cars I want for my first. I plan to get a year or so of driving experience with my parent’s cars before I buy my first, this also gives me time to build up some funds. While looking around I saw that according to www.edmunds.com , a turbo 1990 Mazda RX-7 is not out of my possible price range. I plan to have ~$4500 saved up. I do like a quick car, but street racing most likely won’t be tried, I plan to do it the safe way - on a track. I have some questions about this vehicle that I hope you all can answer.

1. Would a 1990 Mazda RX-7 (turbo, if I can find one) be a good first car?
2. I want to drive a stick after I get about a year or so of driving experience, is this a good decision?
3. Do you think it would be feasible for find a 1990 RX-7 in my price range? ($3k - $5k)
4. What is the insurance rate on this car? I'm looking at Integra’s but insurance is through the roof!

The cars I am also looking at currently are:
'94 Integra GS-R
'93 3000GT SL
'95 Mustang GT
’91 Supra Twin-turbo

I know that since I'm on a RX-7 forum that the answer to this next question is going to be incredibly biased, but which of the 5 do you think would be the best car for me?

Thank you for any and all help!

First thing you need to know is that an RX7 is an attention whore...and its gonna cost a lot of money.

Plan on spending whatever you pay for the car on parts and repairs to get it in perfect working condition. So take what you spend on the car and double it and thats what you need pretty much...they are fun cars to drive, and can be reliable if well-maintained.

Check the FAQ at the top of the 2nd Gen section for lots of important info, and use the search function because almost anything you can think of has been covered before.


-Matt

1. If you dont mind getting your hands dirty and working on your car, then yes
2. Definately, I started out driving a manual.
3. easily, maybe even a Turbo II
4. Depends, I pay only about 70 a month for liability, but then my friend pays 130 a month

GS*R's are good FWD cars, but not as fun as RX7's
3000GT SL's are turds...dont even bother unless its a VR4
Mustangs are good bang for the buck, but then again...its a damn mustang
If you think the insurance is expensive for an RX7, just wait to see the bill for anything with two turbochargers, especially a Supra (was '91 MKIII or am i stupid? Did they even make MKIII TT's?"

Start off with a stick. I thought that I'd ease into driving a stick after about a year of driving an auto, but I know now it'd be best to just start off with a manual.

How much do you enjoy working on cars? How much money do you make in the average month? The TII will get pretty bad gas mileage in comparison to the other cars on your list, and will require more strict maintenance.

For a first car, I'd get a reliable FWD car until you learn the "rules of the road". Just my opinion, and the route I took. From your list, I think the Integra would be the best bet as a first car.

Again, it all depends on how much you enjoy working on cars. If you really enjoy that wrench time, get the turboII. They aren't as horribly unreliable as some people make them sound, provided you are keen on the maintenance part. You NEED to be religious on the oil consumption/changes on these cars, as they DO burn oil by design.

For a first car I'd recommend a Civic or a Corolla. Not powerful so you won't get yourself in trouble or killed. Good gas mileage, cheap to get, and generally rather reliable (at least the Corolla). But if you get a Civic your demograph will think you're cool.

dont get a rx7 for a first car if you really wanted something roll witha 240 with some mods or a fwd car untill you know how to work on them (assuming you dont know a whole ton on these cars) a 240 will be pretty quick handle well and its pretty reliable it would be a good first car just not a tii well thats my 2 cents

Get a real POS for a first car. That way you can learn the rules of the road, get a few fender benders under your belt, realize that driving is a privelege and all that. And if you crash it, who cares, it'll probably be something like a 90 corolla anyway. That's what I had for a first car. About a year and a half later I sold it and bought a nice 85 RX-7, then sold that and now I'm into my FC. I'm 19, by the way.

Basically, in my opinion, only a handful of sixteen year old kids can drive. That's why I say get something crappy. It might not look too cool driving into school with, but at least you'll get some experience under your belt, get rid of it then move on to something cool. By senior year you might have a semi-modded TII that WILL move, cause RX-7's are no joke...neither are supras, or VR-4's.

Please stay away from a mustang though, everyone and their mother and their girlfriend has one. My girlfriend has one, V-6 too...meh.

A good condition '7 will probably be around your price range, too. Turbo FC's are more expensive than NA's (non turbo), so if you still want a sports car as a first car, I'd stick with an NA.

Good luck on your search!

James

Thank you all so far for you help. Some of you said to get a FWD car or someting not powerful at all. I agree that this would be a good idea, which is why I play on driving my parents car's for the first year. My dad drives an 05 Altima (I4, not V6) and I'll probably drive that because he'll most likely have a new car soon. I didn't know that RX-7s needed as much wrench time as you said. I think that insurance on an RX-7 wouldn't be the problem, the maintence would, ecpecially seeing that the year I have chosen is 16 years old!

I do enjoy wrench time. I helped my brother change his rodbearings and re-attach exhaust on his super rusted '94 Taurus SHO. Alright, keep the advice comming guys, this stuff is great. Thanks!

Actually, the above suggestion on getting an N/A '7 isn't that bad. It isn't balls-out fast, but definately is peppy enough for a 1st or 2nd car. Also, they are typically more reliable than the turbo models. My 1990 N/A '7 has been more reliable than my 1990 VW Jetta was, and the '7 has 3x the miles! Jetta had 57k, '7 has 188k.

first off
91 Supra Twin-turbo, is not a real car,(the US still got the 7M-GTE engine JDM had the 1JZ twin turbo) i have a friend with a 89 supra Turbo the plumbing and wiring is a mess, not a car i like to work on.
3000GT SL is shit plain and simple.
Integra GS-R, would be a good first car not to much power and easy to repair.
95 Mustang GT, decent car build qality isn't the best and im not shure if that year still had the 5.0 engine.
with 4500 you can get a turbo 7 no problem and id do it all over again, i picked my car up for 4k with all the mods in my signature.

I'd start with a non-turbo until you get experience driving a sports car. To me the non-turbo makes a better city, mountain, & daily driver as the throttle response is much more predictable, smooth, and infiniently adjustable (the turbo throttle is more like on or off, either slow or hang on for dear life). Plus the turbo is waaay to rare in the US, and we've had 500 teens either blow the motor from overboosting or crash them as it is :(

Driving a sports car requires MUCH more skill than your "grocery getter" family sedan. By that I mean other drivers not you. You think everyone is "civilized" until you drive a REAL sports car, then you attract all the idiots (ricers, SUV no blinker cell phone drivers, etc...).

The non-turbo lets you "dial in" just the right amount of power, including "flooring it" without worrying about breaking the back wheels loose and smashing into a wall. It's also much cheaper and reliable to operate as a daily driver.

Like any used car, once you approach 100-150K miles expect the usual stuff like rebuilding the water pump, brake master cylinder, starter, and the like. The 89-91 years tend to be the most reliable, but all years have minor annoyances (wipers on medium only, clock backlight goes in & out, etc..). Severely neglected cars (you can easily spot them) tend to have issues with leaky injectors flooding the engine while turned off, idle under load, and hesitation/stumbling from grounding issues.

To give you an idea of how the rx-7 compares to the other cars you listed, the RX-7 is all about feel, FINESS, handling, and application of power. The "muscle cars" tend to be about all power with sloppy handling. In comparison:

'94 Integra GS-R - mid end sports sedan ride, but not quite a sports car
'93 3000GT SL - too heavy / big - high end sports sedan
'95 Mustang GT - all muscle, no handling
’91 Supra Twin-turbo - the supra & rx-7 go hand in hand, but the rx-7 may be lighter & cheaper to run. Plus the rotary engine hooks you.

I slightly disagree. Any high mileage car will be like this, especially a sports car that's been beat on and neglected. You can find a happy medium between "beater" and "cherry condition" that will be inexpensive to purchase but have been well maintained and documented. Look for a car that is well worn (paint is fading/chipping, seats cracking) but everything works and all the maintenance has been done.

yes they did.

the RX-7 is by far the funnest car I've ever had or rode in. They are expensive and require every waking moment. poke around some more on this forum taking note of the cars strenghts and weaknesses. My first car was a 91 Plymouth Acclaim. I picke up my 86 GXL near mint with 104k on it for $900. Look around there's tons of deals out there. you should be able to find a decent TII for $4500 with maybe a little left over for a tune up and mods.

good luck

:werd: Didn't realize that until I wiped out around a turn at 90 mph.

NA POWAH! Hah.

DO what i did. Get a cheap s4 (86-88) N/A, learn to drive a manual and get the feel for drivign a sports car, then use the rest of that saved up money to either mod it to your liking or get a better model/condition rx7.

I mean my car is pretty beat looking but i got the chassis for free and the motor for $600. So....

I bought an 89 N/A as my first car 6 months ago. I've had no problems with it yet, starts up every morning just fine. I wouldn't recommend a TII for your first car though just because I hear they need more attention than an N/A does, plus a turbo might be too much power for your first car.

I agree with the 240 option.
They handle well and stop fast, also reliable. all you need for a first car.
Kids tend to love any car that they get at first.
I had a 80something subaru GL wagon and had a blast in it.
If your anything like i was you'll definately slide a mustang right off the road in no time at all so stay away from those, thats an old-timer ride anyway.

And get a stick, theyre more fun to drive, and they'll help keep your attention on driving.

Since you want a sports car you prolly want to drive agressive as well. Believe me not many first cars actually survive more than a years driving.

Once you wreck one and learn better judgement, and also learn to do routine maintainance yourself(oil changes\spark plugs etc..) get a rx7 and take care of it like your baby.

Race
 

I got both of my Rx-7s when I was 18. I like that your parents are making you pay for your car; it adds a whole other pride issue into driving. I drive an NA RX-7 s5.

Racing
You're interested in a quick car and track racing, you're off to a good start in being a responsible sports car driver. I'd suggest getting your mom and or dad to take you to some scca event and let you run in their cars. It doesn't tend to damage a car and will increase your whole family's driving control.
Beater
Some people have addressed that a first car often gets beats and breaks. I drove a truck from 16 to 18 and was involved in rear ending somebody and being rear ended, high school parking lots are bad for nice cars. Another mistake I made was hitting a door against a garage late at night. It got reasonable mileage, was useful for throwing things in the back, and didn't really need much maintenance (though I did work on the air conditioning). I also wired my first stereo in this truck. My car probably would have suffered majorly from my accidents and would have been falling apart.

Fixing
RX-7s do tend to require a lot of maintenance that a lot of shops can't do inexpensively. You'll have to learn a lot about your car. There were weeks when I would be doing work on my car and unable to drive it (a clutch change can take a while the first time). I'd have to drive my beater truck instead of my RX-7. A turbo has a whole lot more to fix and upgrade and the means to break things than an NA.

Insurance / Stick
My insurance for my RX-7 is about $100 more than what it was for my truck rates should be reasonable, you'll want to have a good student discount. I learned to drive stick by taking my car out every afternoon (after coming home in my truck) and driving around my neighborhood to hills and such. I think the biggest part of learning stick is to learn that it's sometimes okay to slip it. I also have friends who drive stick, but not well, with tons of slippage every shift, you should really only slip the clutch grossly on starts and going slowly (they drive an accord, porshe, and carbio - they don't tend to understand me saying easy on the clutch when they drive).

An RX-7, especially a normally aspirated (non turbo) can typically be had in great condition from 2-3k. My boss asked me today if my stock paint job 89 was new.
Pride will teach you to wash and wax nicely and often. Looked for medium miles or great paint/interior on a high mileage like mine(175k miles, 30k miles on engine, paint that has dents and scratches you can count on one hand).

Overall I suppose I recommend an NA RX-7 if you're opposed to having a altima, honda, truck; remember, you're in high school, typically more than 1 person wants to ride with you and it's your first experience with cars - reliability and usefulness are key. For a note, while I love driving my RX-7, there are times especially for trips that I wish I had a honda (mileage, reliability, and 5 person seating).

i started off with a 90 240sx, i personally think it is one of the better starter cars, if you like to get a feel of rwd, balanced handling, "live-able" power (sohc 140 hp 150 tq?), the car is great to drive around and predictable, the low end is what makes it such a great daily driver to me, if given a second chance i would have kept the 240 as the daily driver, but instead i sold it for an rx7... the 7 is not in best shape since it is quite rare for anything decent to pop up under $2000 in brooklyn area.. and i am not implying that the 7 is a bad car.


Once i switched to an rx7, i had to do the usual get use to vehicle dimensions and all, at that point i notice the car in handling felt crisp, but slightly out of place, its hard to descirbe but it is different. part of it might be the 300 extra lbs, its hard to cruise around since the low end is ... that low. on the highways i rarely hit pass 4th gear since i go wayyy pass speeding limit if im at 5k and 5th. in the city i notice more than half the time in either in first and 5k rpm or second and 4k, no more no less, and watch gas needle drop, im slightly pass a quarter tank by gauge and got about 35miles out of it.

starting off driving something like an 7 can be dangerous. i already slid once in the 7, thank god nothing happened as i learned some saftey and recovery techinques messing around in the 240... and applied it to the 7.

im a newb on this forums, but i just want to help out, if anything i said is wrong im sorry i am just telling what i feel between a 240 and a 7 hehe... i really think the 7 isnt for beginners to drive around, you will get into more trouble than should... and i have a NA...


and for a side note all my friends that isnt into cars and my girlfriend and my parents told me my 240 was better since it was quiter, more comfy ride and ... its got rear seats. and it dont stink as bad. (running presilencer no cat...)

was in the same exact situation, my first car ended up being a FC. The paint was faded with rusted dents on the sides, not to mention the interior was half missing. But the selling point was a newly rebult engine, tranny and RB headers. Point being, if you find a well maintained FC and plan to do consistant maintaince, you will have minimal expenses. Buy smart and do heavy research and you won't loose huge amounts of cash.

My car is a 90 GXL NA.

I agree the 7m is junk. Those damn headgasket problems. a 1j is cool. These mkIII's are heavy pigs though. Tipping the scale at 3800lbs.


I'd rather have a flaming pack of 'roids before working on another Supra.

Wow you guys rock, this is more information here than I have recieved at any other forums. Possibly the friendliest forum I've ever been a part of! I've taken what you've all said into consideration. I think I am going to follow the advice that an RX7 shouldn't be a first car. I'm not ruling it out for ever, I'm actually thinking of one as a second car :) . I think I'm going to drive my dad's Altima for a year, then possibly the Integra GS-R. Not overly powerful, FWD, easy to repair and maintain (comparably at least), and still fun to drive.

What do you all think of this decision?

Sar, I agree that when you buy you own car that you will most likely protect it and really treat it like it is yours, since, it is. My parents wouldn't be able to buy me a car anyways, just not a wealthy family.

Thank you all tremendously for your help!!!

My first car was (is) an RX7... but then again I haven't driven it yet :)

(well...first car with my name in the title)

My first car was a T2. It was a blast to drive until the apex seal broke and I didn't have the money to fix it at the time. So it was sold. 3 cars later, I got another T2 because I missed it so much.

I own a heavily modded N/A Rx-7 and a beater 89 Supra N/A. Both have rebuilt motors which have given me no real trouble.

I would recommend an N/A Supra over an N/A Rx-7. Why? These are much more forgiving cars. Every time I push the Supra and the back end steps out, I can very easily get it under control. The car is alot heavier than an FC and has a lots of torque and a comfortable interior, though it's actually the base model (5 speed). You are way less likely to kill yourself in one.

It's got a lot more power than a 240 (I've driven two) and is maybe slightly faster, but with worse gas mileage of course. Of course there are headgasket issues, but I've never had a problem with mine because obviously it's rebuilt. I don't think the N/A's are that bad with headgaskets, just like N/A Rx-7's blow up way less than turbo ones do.

For a brand new driver I think a Mk III Supra would beat out a 240 in the fun factor, stock-for-stock, but the 240 would be more practical. I do NOT recommend an Rx-7 of any kind for a brand new driver. They are too hardcore compared to the competition.

ok here goes..
i got lucky and got to start driving at around 12 up and down a nice curvy gravel road... i learned alot really quick driving moms lebaron balls to the wall and not wrecking it. (i was lucky)
by the time i got my learners my grandpa was all about taking me driving.. which means the first cars i drove on the street were nice 67 ss Camaros, a 66 big window c10 pickup, with full power steering (that is still the scariest thing ever) and he wouldnt let me drive below 70 i swear. if someone in front of me was going 54 in a 55 he made me stomp it and roll by them.. tis no lie. but more importantly he told me how to keep the car on the road at such speed...

so my first actual car after that was a POS 85 4-Runner 4 cylinder..
and i tore it up.. (mom said i could bust it... so i did..)
all the redneck kids here would hit the mud holes all slow to not tear stuff and id low 4 floor it and just go.. lol blew every engine seal cept the head gasket
but it was RWD and i could slide it a little.. i wasnt scared i had seatbelts, and a roll bar, (and a 16 year old brain....)

then i got my subaru, a 90 legacy
this car taught me more about driving than i ever thougt id learn in a FF automatic. Given at this point in time i had already driven the balls off of some nice family cars and a few others... i still think nothing was quite like that car.. if it had been the sport coupe version id have never wanted another car.. but that car taught me braking, and balance.. or atleast the concept. i had it for a while.. then as all EAT trannys of that time do.. blew up..
but i mean that little boxer put out some power.. i could put it in that gay manual shift mode and bark 2nd.. it was a shock.

after that my dad loaned me the grey goose.. 1991 olds nintey eight...
nuff said..

after some searching i found that id like 1 of 3 cars... an FC, MR2, or, Corrado..
i ended up with the corrado as i had the money and the car was there. i have always loved vws and think i always will ( i do have a rabbit coming to be the new DD) this car is awsome. the way it handles, the way it pulls, the way it sits, its amazing. but i just feel that i cant do a whole lot more with a FF car where im at.. im no pro, hell i dont even drive that well. but i use3 too many FR driving tricks while driving the FF corrado and it messes me up alot...

so now im fixing the corrado to sell so i can get an FC, and only cause im gonna have a beater and will be able to take care of it.. an FC is a hell of a car and 200 HP is alot more than it sounds if youve never driven a turbo car before. turbo spool comes on very strong and quick ( sometimes )

so depending on what you want out of your car heres what id suggest.
if you trying to learn to drive..
find a 5spd peice of crap, FF/FR dosent matter.. and drive it till you cant anymore..then upgrade

if your looking to look good and roast a mustang like its nothing..
get a 1st gen AWD DSM (talon tsi, eclipse gsx) the stock turbo will run at 14-16 LBS really well and will toast about anything arund the high school lot.. nd 16g turbo upgrade costs a howle 300 bucks and bolts up.. hellow flow...

this way you dont spend alot of money to wreck a nice car.. hell if you have 4500 to spend, go buy a complete peice of crap, and save to buy a nice TII that way atleast you can beat around something..

woa i kind of winded myself...