help me convince my dad
 

heres my situation. im 17 and only have about $800 from working this summer. theres a really nice gtu-s for sale from a rotary mechanic for $5000. my dad is still thinking if he wants to put down money for it, but also my uncle is selling his 98 camry for that same price so my dad thinks it would be better to get that (yeah right). i think i will know by this friday if he will put in the money for a car but i need to convince him to let me get the rx7.

How many miles on the GTU, and condition? I'll then render my opinion.

5000 is too much for a GTUs. The Camry will be way more reliable than the 7 will ever be. I got my first 7 at 17yrs. but i was working part time at 13.65/hr so I could spend money on maintenance. think about that before you make ur dad invest in it. Insurance is a bitch too.

The camary is probably a much better car.

The rx7 is a very nice and much faster better handling car.
But the Rx7 is going to break allot it is going to suck money on a weekly basis.
Unless you like to work on cars all the time instead of playing with your friends I would get the camary. I no longer have a life because I own several rx7's I love them with all my heart but god knows they don’t stay running for long.
You see buying a rx7 is like the down payment and the monthly payments keep coming. I promise the seven will be like nothing you have ever drivin but it will cost you alot.

yeah 5000 is way to much for a GTU...look around and you'll find way better deals.

How is $5k too much for a GTUs? They go for that much all the time.. (depending on condition of course)

if they go for 5000 all the time they shouldn't

get the camry.

GTU...... S!!! There is an "S" on the end of there. They kinda rare to say the least. In good condition it could easily go for 5k. A GTU on the other hand might go for 2.5k.

Don't buy the 7 unless you want to have your life transformed. I bought my first over 5 years ago and my life has never been the same.

Are you looking for a "project car" or a "reliable daily driver"?

If you're comfortable working on your own car (or want to learn really quick), the '7 is a good way to go. Mine is a daily driver, and I currently spend about as much time poking with it as I do driving it. The fact that I'm bored out of my mind may have something to do with that though.

Weekends change from "Where can I go out?" to "What can I do in 8 hours?" To give you an idea, my project for this next weekend is to take off the intake manifold, rerun some vacuum lines, and replace the hard fuel lines in the vacuum rack with fuel injector hose. Why? Because I can, and because I want the vac rack gone fully (no emissions).

-=Russ=-

camry

Depends on what you want the car for: reliability or enjoyment. Enjoyment = 7 reliability = Toyota

Get the Camry.
Hang around here and learn about 7s then buy one in a few years

Bah...Get a TII for 5000.

-Joe

get a good running one for less....got mine for 3550 with 85kmiles and she's running great...
save the extra dough for repairs

I dunno where u live but damn that is too high. I bough a TII with low miles for 5K.....No way in HELL I would ever pay 5K for an NA, GTUs or not. the only reason that would ever be justified is if it had like 50K miles with ALL records. I bought my non running GTUs for 700 with a straight body, by friend bought a running GTUs for 1800 in good shape and a non running GTUs for 400(it turned out to be flooded). so yeah....it is too much. I bought my GXL for 2100 with 80K miles, bought my 90 GTU for 2100 with 105K miles and that was too much.

Show me some nice, non butchered S5 TurboII's for $5k. I'll buy a dozen.

http://img54.photobucket.com/albums/...r/DCP_1302.jpg
http://img54.photobucket.com/albums/...r/DCP_1305.jpg

dude... i wanted an rx7 since i was 10 then i got one at age 15... i knew nothing about cars, but my dad and uncle did and since then I've quite working part time and some days here during summer and about every other weekend I work on these cars and I make enough money doing it. Right now I got tons of um and I work on um every chance I get... that is my hangin out with friends... so is racing :D
On the other hand, one screw up and you can get farked pretty bad... i had an engine fire once... luckily i had a fire extinguisher... and 5k is too much to pay... and lets not forget that you WILL have your life changed forever.

Maybe they are pricey where you live? I picked up mine, stock, 110 PSI all the way around on both rotors, no rust...all for $1000. I considered about 10 others in beautiful condition that were between 3-5K. I found them all on this forum's classifieds.

-Joe

Get the Camry, that way you might still have a couple bucks in your pocket for gas, fun and girls.

Get the Rx7 and you will be paying the mechanic, speeding tickets, insurance, and more for gas.

Sports cars are fun, but I learned long ago not to make them my primary transportation especially if they are over 10 years old...

If you enjoy driving (and some wrenching) get the GTUs, but I wouldn't pay quite that much for it. If you prefer more appliance-like vehicles, get the camry.

I've learned that the hard way. However, rebuilding the engine did give me something to do for a month during my boring and horrid internship. It could be worse... it could be an old British sports car/touring car. Plus, carrying around a full set of tools is really a good practice to be in. You never know when they'll come in handy, either for you or for someone you stop to help on the side of the road.

-=Russ=-

Yeah our area has few non trashed RX-7's (For sale anyways...). Most are torn apart or not taken care of, I bought my Turbo II for 3.5k and it was very trashed and running very poorly. I searched for months to try and find one which I could spend my money on...

Ended up buying the project car and working to hopefully restore it. ;) If you find a place to buy a nice Turbo II around here for cheap please let me know as well.

mine was in Oakland!!!!!!!

You sir, got lucky. PM me if you find another and ill give you $500 in cash if its in as good as shape as you say and I end up buying it. ;)

The 98 Camry is the coolest of all the Camry body styles if any Camry can be called cool. TRD makes many parts for them including suspension, exhaust, wheels and body kits. PLUS, if the Camry is a V6, it will be as fast or faster than the non-turbo RX-7. No doubt, a GTUs would be cool, but maybe not as a daily driver if live a winter climate or have a lot of traffic. Are you really interested in motorsports? Do you want to autoX? There are many factors to consider.

I have not searched recently but if I ever do find something I'll hit u up

How could a GTUs not be a decent winter car? My highly-modded n/a was fine in snow if the driver actualyl acknowledges that there is snow on the ground. I got stuck once, but my performance tires were to blame for that, and I got unstuck myself anyways.

GTUs is a sweet ride, that is a bit pricey though. With that money you could by a 10th Ann. Now that is a rare car.

I agree that you will learn alot about machines if you buy a RX. You will come to learn and know what every part is because you'll have to replace damn near every part. If it is a NA your looking for, why don't you find one with a blown engine for cheap. That way you get the whole replacing the engine out of the way, and learn about your whole car before anything else even breaks.

:word:

I drove my GXL for 2 winter in Minnesota. Loved it, had more tracton than my "Winter car (honda civic)" and you could bust some serious doughnut when the time was called for. Winter traction tire is a must though.

I assume that this will be your first car. Right? If so, then I would recommend the Toyota. The RX-7 is a diffrent animal than any other car. My first RX-7 is the one I bought a few monts ago and did a motor swap to it. I had a bit of difficulty with it and nearly gave up on it a few times. I also know my way around the shop as I performed all work on every vehicle I've owned, with the exception of a tranny swap. It was the middle of winter and I had no access to a garage, so I paid the $100 for the install. The RX-7 is a wonderful car to own, but they have their moments. Do a ton of research and hang out on this board and learn as much as you can. I had bought a S5 project car that needed a motor. I swapped in a low milage S4 shortblock, (It's what I could get cheap) and kept the S5 electronics and emissions. It was a PITA, but well worth it. I seriously think you should get the Camary.

I resent that remark, A British sports car is a babe magnet in some circles. But, in other circles, it seems to draw more guys (Must be a car thing...)


Mike B
89 Ragtop Rx7
59 Austin Healey 3000
01 Pathfinder
58 Austin Healey Bugeye with plans to drop a rotary in some day...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Syonyk
It could be worse... it could be an old British sports car/touring car. Plus, carrying around a full set of tools is really a good practice to be in. You never know when they'll come in handy, either for you or for someone you stop to help on the side of the road.

-=Russ=-

I think he was talking about the Lucas ecectronics problems I've always heard about.

wow, 3 pages already...

actually ive been doing a ton of research and have been obsessed with them for about a year now. yes this will be my first car. check my post count, i dont even post hardly ever on here.

about the price, its in great condition on looks, havnt got to talk to him about the engine or tranny yet, but it is being sold by a rotary mechanic who fixes to sell them all the time and does rebuilds and all that.

yes i am into autosports and will autox with it. i live 5 minutes from a parking lot where events are held about once a month.

i really wouldnt be satisfied driving a camry when i could have this beautiful gtu-s. even if it dies i could still have it to stair at and i can always get rides if i need them cause thats what i do now. $1200 for a rebuild from the guy im buying it from and warrantys on it.

and no i dont live where the winters are bad (sc). really this is the only car i would be satisfied with, unless i go higher in the price range.

forgot to mention it has 116000 miles on it.

Get one of these bad boys

http://www.funnyjunk.com/p/0423-jpg.html

no gas req

you guys are talking wrong. the kid is looking for reliability and a fun car. Turbo is not for him if he wants reliability. Turbo 7 break alot more than N/A. My car has been fine up to 171k and it's still running strong, no major problems either.

we're telling him that 5K is too much for an NA, not that he should get a Turbo.

I was talking about maintenance on the British sports cars... I know a good number of them tend to be garage queens.

-=Russ=-

im telling you jus get one of these.
most work your have to do is change the tire
http://www.funnyjunk.com/p/0423-jpg.html

im not trying to hijak the thread hear, but r u guys telling me that even a properly maintained Tii (lets even say a on slightly broken in reman, like 5k miles) would still be a maintence whore? I cant imagine that with a new engine, the car would be that bad...

you are assuming that the rest of the car is structurally sound. New engine does not mean everything else is in good running shape, the Pulsation Dampener is a big problem in FCs, the suspension, then the electrical might need to be checked(ecu solders migh be loose causing malfunctions) the CAS migh be bad and would need to be replaced, the coils might fail, the cats might be clogged, etc. etc.
After all the newest FC woould be 13 yrs old.

get the camery

I DD/Autox an 88 Honda Prelude for the longest -- I got a RX7 TII to build into a racecar.

Needless to say, the Prelude is still my racecar. The RX7 has been giving me a headache since day 1. It's been 7 months now, and I still haven't raced it at an Autox

:(

Beware, it just seems that Mazdas from this generation, just generally suck major ass, as far as reliability goes. Not just the engine. Everything around it falls apart.

David

5K is totally too much for a car with 116K on the clock. I bought my TII with 60K miles for 4K, and a TII is a hell of alot more fun, and a hell of alot faster than a N/A RX-7.. Personally, I wouldnt pay more than 2K for a non-turbo 7 in ANY condition.

I agree, whether or not it is a GTUs.......

Am I the only one who has a reliable RX-7? Nothing major has gone wrong with my car up to the 171k where it's at now. I just took it on a road trip too. Didn't break, my aftermarket moonroof just leaked. If it's taken care of, don't expect too many engine problems. Only things that should go out on my car have gone out. Cats, Clutch hydraulics, Transmission(Blew up due to neglect, Blew up so bad, it couldn't be rebuilt.), speakers, radiator hoses, thermostat, and suspension. I've just had to do maintenance, altough I did have to rebuild brake calipers. Everything otherwise is okay, I still need to do a compression check to see how much life is left in my car.

My RX-7 has been reliable through the years my family has had it. It's a well maintained 87 Base. It has been in a small crash too, but I fixed that with my brother(he did it).

EDIT: They are right about the price, don't pay that much 3k at the MOST.

well those maintenance issues are what I am talking about. It takes money to maintain these cars. What year Camry BTW, and how many miles?

camry is a 98 and probably top of the line since my uncle who owned it was vp of UPS and retired at 35. hes selling it to make room for 2 new lexi.

got more info on the gtu-s, tranny is original, engine has 30000 on rebuild. mabey i should wait till he gets another one ready for sale for cheaper and buy that one. i sorda need a car now though.

and what do you mean about "it'll change my life forever"?

http://www.rx7world.com/Cars4sale/IM007096.JPG

hope that works. if not the text should still be there so copy paste. i dont feel like fixing it if it doesnt work...