Hi Guys and Gals,

I was looking at getting an FC or maybe an FB but wanted to get the low down from the PPL who know.
so how good or bad is the FC...?
Handling...
mileage...
running costs...
etc...

 

well, be prepared to get some very bias opinions here.. If you post the same in the FB section you will get bias opinions there towards the FB

I personally really like the styling of the FC, it will handle as good as you set it up, but stock it handles well enough for some fun daily driving, but not necessarily ready for road racing or mountain runs. I have heard the FC's are the lower maintnence choice of all the rx7's but i guess all that really depends on how you treat it.

Good luck in your choices

 

OK here is my opinions on MY FC when I got it

year of car: 86' RX7 non turbo
Mileage when purchased: 65K (give or take 500 miles)
year purchased: 06'

Handling: (8/10) This car was on stock suspension, stock 14" phone dial 4 lugs with decent tires I think it held VERY GOOD.. I took the car auto X alot and it was great I could take corners a bit higher speed, I felt I had alot more control over other cars I have used in the past and yes my DTSS bushings were GREAT.

Mileage: (5/10) I take this to be the GAS mileage question. I gave this a 50% only because if u drive the car in the normal tradition with minimal spirited driving I was able to acheive a nice 25mpg on average.. Once I put my foot in it and beat the horse snot out of it I could easily see 13-15mpg

Running Costs: (8/10) I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR IN STOCK FORM
Yes you read that right NEVER in over 15,000 miles NEVER no brakes, no plugs, no nothing.. and in that time I had even removed the emissions, begin premixing and added a racing beat road race exhaust and NEVER had any issues EVER with the car.. NONE... The only thing that gets pricey depending on your driving style is PETROL.. if you premix u have to add that cost to. I notice that for "upgrades" these cars can but normally are not much more for parts then more non traditional cars.


IMO a good low mileage S4 non turbo can be a GREAT car to have for an every day commuter, for a fun car or a weekend warrior (if u plan to get soem extra ponys under the hood)

I am very happy with mine and since have decided to build it up and tare it down and I will never let it go...

good luck on your quest..

 

so how good or bad is the FC...? its awesome if you have time to take care of it
Handling... still has potential to keep up with modern machinery
mileage... if you get better than 15mpg on the turbo model, something is wrong
running costs... nickel and dime ya but if you get a clean example and dont rush up-keep or repairs then it will be well worth it.

as opposed to the fb.
they are both fun in their own way. the fb is much smaller but its also down on power a lot(12a). its like a gocart and doesnt feel as refined as the fc. personal experience is that the fb, after replacing all the 30 year old parts is the more reliable car. the 12a na is also a lot more accepting of abuse like overheating and such

 

thanx for all the help guys looks like i'm swinging to the FC na for my first car

 

you'll want the turbo sooner than later...

 

personally for me, it is a simple matter of what I like. If you love a car you won't care how much it nickel and dimes you, you won't care if it only runs 60% of the time, and you won't care about all the little things you will find broken on it next weekend.

Go with what your love is, if you love the FC, get one. Put your energy into the car and it will give you some energy back (usually negative but hey, who's splittin hairs here...).

My humble opinion..

----86 N/A Sport model (White stock and engine being rebuilt at the moment)
----88 N/A Vert (Black on black undergoing suspension work and a bit of body work)

Yep, I Love em, they seem to hate me sometimes, but , whatcha gonna do???

 

I'm going to have an 87 na fc Friday!!!! Man I'm excited!! Then only thing that gets me is the high mileage. The one I'm getting as 170,000+. I don't know how long I will last until I have to rebuild it.

 

those are the good ones to get. its the cars with 80k that are the ones to watch out for. high milage means its spent more time on the road than on jack stands.

 

I bet you can't keep off that boost. Lol, I have the same problem... If you keep your foot out of it and the turbo modle in vaccum and not boost you'll get better mileage than the naturally aspirated.

 

Its good, james.

John ny

 

Bought my 88 na from my aunt in Oakland back in 2005. it had been sitting for a couple of years. drained the gas tank, replaced a few rubber items (belts, etc) and drove it back to Illinois. I think it had about 225k on it at the time. Has 249k on it now. has not been rebuilt as far as I know. Been an awesome car and fun to drive. I have a 2006 eclipse, but love driving my RX more. ditto on the nickle/dime comments, but I've been lucky. More nickels than dimes for me

 

In terms of handling,
the question is not how good the excellent FC platform is, it is how good of a driver you are.

The FC is a very neutral chassis, and when pushed to the edge, has very little resistance against the driver like a lot of cars have, (the S2k).

I think you will find the FC is very easy to drive fast around corners and what not, but i highly suggest you take the time to safely find your limits on a stock FC, before you start throwing money into the suspension.

I personally feel a lot of people take for granted what a stock FC can do, and when they quickly beef up the suspension they lost out on how to properly maneuver the chassis while leaving new coilovers or struts/shocks to cover up mistakes.

Just an opinion though.

 

thanx for all of your advise and opinions about this model RX! it has all been very helpful in deciding the route I'm gonna go down.
the major problem I'm having is trying to convince the misses to let me buy one of these beauties. her main arguing point is that the car we share does 45MPG around town, but is small and pokey and although handles quite well for a small car... well... IT'S JUST PLAIN BORING!!!
i need excitement and danger/thrill... I'm sure you all know it's about the CORNERS!

 

http://www.aaroncake.net/RX-7/buy1.htm read that, good guide to look at for when you go to look at the car

 

If you're trading in your 45mpg commuter car, I say don't do it.

The RX-7 is great and all, amazing IMO, your girl will NOT be happy with how it is compared to her "cute, small, and gas efficient" car.

Keep the commuter, and get a beater RX to beat around on for a while, before you seriously get into them. My opinion.

 

my girls car is gonna stay regardless as she likes it and it does good mileage...
but i've done all the small car thing and i'm less than 2 years from 30, i think it's time for some fun in a car that can handle it... maybe just for weekends and get a small car for the comute, but i crave the fun!!!!!!!!!!!

again thanx for the info!
keep it rotary!

 

s5 turbo the only way to go !!!!

 

Do what you route on your sig.But get one that's in decent shape so you can learn and get more famillar with the rotary.No mater what gen of rx7 you get,the point is to learn. welcome

 

its bad if u know what i mean.

 

I have owned:
- 84 FB (12A non-turbo): LOTs of fun, a bit small for a daily driver, getting more difficult to find parts for them nowadays and some of the major components are no longer available from Mazda
- 88 FC Non-turbo Coupe: Almost as much fun as the FB, much more practical than the FB
- 88 FC Convertible: Great for cruising or for short trips, it's the only RX-7 with a real trunk, you can feel that it is heavier than the coupe, and I'm not so sure a convertible is all that practical in your country given the weather situation
- 88 FC TurboII: Great for acceleration, but does not feel as nimble as the FB or FC non-turbo coupe

FB is good at handling but the outdated steering system has a lot of slop. FC is just as good at handling but the manual steering rack is excellent, while the power steering rack is good when compared to other cars. The handling is what first sold me on the RX-7.

As a real sports car, the RX-7 isn't exactly known for getting good gas mileage. However, I think it is acceptable. As mentioned earlier, a TurboII will eat gas when driven hard.

Other than gasoline, running costs are low IF your car is in good shape. The oil consumption is only about 1 qt per 3,000 miles, which I do not consider a significant expense. The problem is that these cars are 20+ years old, and you can't expect them to hold up like they did back in the 1980's. On the good side, once you fix something it should not give you any more trouble for quite some time.

 

wtf... i get like 8 on a good day, o wait i have a half bridge

 

i currently have an fd and fc and used to have an fb.

The fb it a great car if u want turnkey reliability look for a 84-85 gsl-se it had the first 13b that was put in an rx7 and came with fuel injection. the carbureted 12a's are good too but have a bit less torque and always require a bit of tinkering. The great point of the fb is that the require less money to workon or mod the parts are a bit cheaper and less electronics to worry about. they handle great and make fair rally cars but don't do so well at drifting with out a lot of money.

The fc is the middle ground between the fd and fb. Its less expensive to own and mod and less apt to breakdown or blowup than the fd. it is more powerful and has more grip than the fb but does require more cash upfront and when u mod or replace parts. The non-turbos are more reliable than the turbo but that is due to the extra wear and tear of the turbo but that is the cost of extra power. If u don't get power hungry and turn the boost up higher than your set up can handle and u perform proper rotary maintenance (premixing, spark plugs, high octane for turbo, and oil changes at 3000 on the dot) then it will last for quite a while. Great drift, drag and all around sports cars in general. they due require a standalone ecu once you start modifying.

The fd is most tempermental, expensive, and nerve racking of the bunch but. It does provide the most power and grip. However these cars aren't recomended to newcomers of rotaries without someone who has had one before to help you. Don't consider these cars unless you have DEEP pockets and LOADS of patience. All in all i have 50k invested in mine including the cost of the car (12.5k) and am at 450hp. Have had an engine fire and blown motor and and numerous worn out or heat rotted components.

just remember these cars require a lot of maintenance and will always get crap gas mileage, and don't get overly power hungry too soon with a boosted rotary tune conservatively 20-30hp isn't worth a 3-6k engine every year. I get 24mpg on the fd but only on highway trips over 3hrs at 90mph cause steve kan tuned my car to run closer to stoic afr at that load and rpm so i wouldn't get 14mpg on the highway.

 

are you saying the s2k puts up resistance? if so you smoke all kinds of crack. My 2000 s2000 i still think is more predictable than my rx-7 the rx7 still makes me a little reserved to do certain things the s2k does whatever i want when i THINK it. not so much with the seven. the s2k maybe slower in a straight line but for a long time my s2k was faster at the autocross and easier to drive like a go cart... anyways

 

The fc is a really good car. but think about it before you buy if their are shops around your town. where i live no one works on rotaries anymore so the parts are really expensive and getting sumone to work on it is a biatch. unless you know what u r doing