Redwood

My 88 n/a and I have been through a few ordeals together, some her fault, some mine. Together we've fought through them and come out stronger, but this thread will be a good place to rant and rave about what you love about your 7 and what you love a little less about your 7.

If I may begin.

What I love:

- Having 40-year olds tell me stories of their sevens and how much trouble I'm going to get in
- Passing a ricer on the inside of a 30mph corner at 80mph
- The look cops give as I coast by at the upper end of second gear and smile
- Slaughtering civics with body kits
- The facial expression of the new BMW 525 owner when my $2K car wastes him up to 120
- The aggressive silence waiting to attack when the engine hits 6 grand
- Dual exhaust
- The supportive and intelligent community
- Not having a single piston, valve, cam, or any other boinger engine weak-point
- Chirping on shifts
- Walking away from my car, looking back, and getting excited all over again

What I hate:

- Being targeted by the po
- My third gear synchros that people think is my bad shifting
- The tiny dents from the previous owner
- Having to fill my gas tank three times a week
- Cracking interior pieces
- Faulty electronics (ie clock, dome light, rear defroster, stock alarm )
- The lack of respect from the opposite sex who prefer a riced civic to a beautiful rex
- Mazda dealers lack of 7 knowledge
- Walking away from my car, looking back, and seeing the spot where I knicked a wall

Let's hear what everyone can come up with.

Shamrock1054

Hey Redwood,

More a "what if". If Mazda had produced the cars with a separate two cycle oil reservoir for the OMP, would bad raps about reliability and longevity of the rotary engine exist?


Gregg

Oh, a like?
Handling, hands down, like it's on rails, motor in front, rear wheel LSD, like it should be.

ZachSpazz

What I love...

1. Looking at her when she's freshly washed/waxed and seeing the beautiful red paint shine in all of it's glory.
2. Looking at the boost gauge and knowing what all that needle bouncing entails.
3. Cruising in 1st gear at around 4K, flooring the gas and running through all the gears with stuff flying out of the pocket under the stereo and my girl covering her eyes and telling me to slow down!
4. The tail-lights, the black leather interior, the stock wheels...the whole package
5. Looking at people check the car out as I drive by them or timing the BOV release as I'm passing joggers...

What I hate...

1. The minor problems, such as the squeaking from a fucked up shock, the worn out clutch, the creaking of my rear brakes due to a slightly warped rotor or the brake pad vibrating.
2. The warm-start problem which cropped up after a 2-Cycle oil overdose, causing the injectors to leak slightly. Very annoying.
3. The fact that it gets so dirty so quickly.
4. The fact that I need to get everything fixed before I can throw my downpipe, midpipe, FCD, and gauges on.
5. That I'm not driving her right now.

Grimlock

i love my 88 TII period with all its faults. for real i dont think i would sell it or trade it.

if i had to list somethin though...

likes:

1. looks
2. performance
3. RX-7 name badge

dislikes:
1. 16 by 7 rims (16 by 8 wouldve been phat)
2. stock i/c
3. long *** thrrrroooowwww stock shifter

Redwood

Um...Maybe. My OMP works great and, as far as I'm concerned, that is a problem that is easily noticeable, not exceedingly common, and not tough to remedy.

I blame those "bad raps" about 94% on ignorance, 5% on hear-say, and 1% on actual experience.

Shamrock1054

Hey Redwood,

Didn't really mean OMP reliability, meant carbon buildup from burning reg motor oil in the combustion chamber. The average driver doesn't take it to redline in every gear. You're right, most people here say OMP system works well.

Gregg

Mines RX7

I think we all love our sevens, but if there are some things I had to list, these would be them.

Things I love:

-8000 rpm stock redline
-the different sound the exhause makes (doesn't sound like a ricer)
-oil cooler comes stock
-front air ducts to cool the brakes down
-the gleaming black after a fresh wax
-of course, the handling
-rear wheel drive
-and one more, any of you high country folk know where I'm coming from when I say 'SNOW IS FUN!'

Things I love not so much:

-bad low end torque
-6th port actuators never seem to work right if there have been any modifications to the car.
-not trusting any mechanic to work on my car (Except Rotary Specialist in Englewood, CO)
-Third gear sync
-stock fuel line
-fuse box placement (by the clutch pedal)
-stock rims are too ugly, to heavy, and too small
-and going along with my last like from above, when you're driving in the snow, it could be the last time you drive at all because chances are likely that you will hit a telephone pole somewhere and be paralyzed from the waste down. (not a true story)

Champagne87

hey now, not all women prefer a riced civic over a beautiful rex. Any guy who owns a rex, and works on it and can drive it well has my respect.

asherwood

Hat's off to you, especially since you also choose to own one!

I've had mine for 10 months now, still kind of freaked out about the time it flooded on me after pulling out of the garage to wash and spending the next 10 hours trying to get it to start back up! (I finally had to roll it down the hill outside my house to bump start it!)

I'd have to think awhile about the likes and dislikes, but the at the top of the dislikes is VERY expensive OEM Mazda spare parts ($754CDN for a wiper switch assembly!) On the plus side, when someone, especially someone who isn't a car nut mistakes the style and condition for a "2 or 3 model year old car"

For the money, it's one helluva ride!

RETed

Love:
1) Blowing away ricers who have no clue what I'm driving
2) Getting ricers to back off cause they DO know what I'm driving
3) Passing people in 5th gear
4) Being able to take offramps at triple the posted limits

Hate:
1) Stupid *** (#%6(^$#%(^$# pilot bearings that fail that costs <$20 in parts but necessitates transmission removal to fix!
2) Stinky exhaust gases due to no emissions
3) Crappy gas mileage (versus my 30mpg Hachi)




-Ted

rico05

Love: Eating up riced civics all day long

Hate: My jacked up roof from where I forgot to put in my hood pins and the hood flew up

BlackSport0187

Likes:
-overall apperance, show me a 15 year old car that looks better!
-only kid at my high school with a 7
-that rotary acceleration sound and deceleration sound
-tight cockpit wtih only two seats
-placement of shifter relative to armrest
-the taillights and sunroof
-the uniqueness of it's engine
-the name "RX-7"
-smoking "fast" Hondas
-1st, second, and third gear acceleration
-big-*** tach and all the other orange gauge lighting
-hp gain from changing the exhaust/intake
-pop-up headlights
-reliability
-technologically superior to the piston engine (more power with fewer moving parts)
-getting the "thumbs up" from fellow RX-7 drivers
-the fact that I get no repect from most other car owners

Dislikes:
-off-center steering wheel, I can't get it centered for the life of me!
-short start flooding problem
-heat of the rotary engine
-stinky exhaust
-stock sound sytem
-stock wiper switch
-15inch rims
-logicon woes
-cost of parts
-shitty gas mileage
-2nd gear grinding (not my fault)
-trying to drive slowly in 1st gear
-not being able to see the front corners of the car from the drivers seat

The bottom line is I am a diehard RX-7 fan for life. The rotary will one day replace the piston engine, all doubters will see the light. Drive safely my fellow enthusiasts, treat your car well and it will treat you well.

have a good one,
Ike

Redwood

My bad. I guess that kinda sucks. But after considering that, I'd like to add one thing to my love list:

-The reward of pulling hard through every gear after doing the ATF trick treatment for a week.

Seriously, that isn't cool, but revving it up once in awhile would remedy the problem I would think (not necessarily on every shift, just once in awhile).


And a few more things to add,
Loves:

-Replacing a broken fuse and having everything in the interior work again
-Scaring the hell out of passengers as I pull the e-brake around a 90 degree turn in the rain
-Sleepy lights forever!!!
-No power steering (aka big forearm muscles)
-Reverse 180s
-Vin Diesel drives one (I know, but it's still a 7 and he's still bad-***)
-The little bitch driving his "civic dx type r racing edition" who thinks his car is better than mine because he invested in the 8 inch type r turbo tip to accomodate his 1.5 inch piping not even getting a race out of me and still losing to my economy driving (aka taking it to 6k instead of 7k)

Hates:

-86 to 88 taillights
-No turbo
-5th and 6th ports (DAMN THEY ARE BITCHES)
-It's not an american truck. Oh wait, no, wait, no...um...I'd like to move that up to the other section.

tweaked

iTrader: (4)

nothing but love for the girl
cornering on rails
that lovely sound
the curves of her body
talking to car guys that know nothing about the 7
I think the 5 &6 ports are a good idea
the responsiveness of haveing an n/a
the power gains from simple mods
touching her
the redline
low center of gravity
oil cooler stock
RWD
falling in love again every time I get behind the wheel


dislikes:
stock cooling system
electronic failures
everything I have neglected too long and had worsned
emissions
not trusting a single mechanic within 300 miles
the dents caused by parking lots and walnut trees
the small bit of rust under the paint on the moon roof and quarter panel
cops hate me and her. they try to split us up, but our love is strong

have fun, play hard, drive safely!

Mykl

HAHAHAHA!

Likes ---

Looks beautiful for a 13 year old convertible.

When people say "what year is that thing? Late '90's model?", and the shock on their faces when I tell them that it's an '89.

8000 RPM redline

The interior


Dislikes ---

Leaky top

The over-glorified automatic choke system. (the thermovalve and everything associated with it)

DTTS

Flakey interior switches

Boost Lee

iTrader: (3)

Likes:
Using my LSD to stay sideways for an eternity.
Pulling up two or more hondas racing around and having them pause to stare.
Cutting out all the BS involving heads, valves, cams...
Hearing the same note from the exhaust and only having it get louder, not lamer.
Watching 4th gear at 80 be somewhere around 5k rpm and still have the same gear go to 120mph.
Knowing that the car requires more driver than I am to be properly driven. (leaves me room for improvement)
You have HOW MUCH POWER from a 1.3 liter engine???


Dislikes
Bad compression having too many possibilities for repair.
Engine parts cost a bajillion dollars.
Electric seatbelts.
DTSS
No Low end torque
The fact that 550 cc injectors can't be used to make the same power as in piston engines.
FCD is required after opening the airways.

RexMan

That's my only dislike.......she's in the garage with the car cover on..... resting till I get my brakes done

cool3865

just think of it as a beutiy(sp?) sleep

NixxoN

Likes:
Everyone admiring my car
How much I paid for it
Being able to theif stuff from the higher models like tail lights, hood, mirrors... heh... theft :P
Being the fastest "ricer" in my town... so far... theres a guy with a TII that he's repairing right now...
The Exhaust note

Dislike:
Faulty Sunroof
Faulty Wiper Switch
No competent mechanics in my area that I know of, for the rotary
My exhaust leak

skydivr73

What I hate:

- Being targeted by the po
- My third gear synchros that people think is my bad shifting
- The tiny dents from the previous owner
- Having to fill my gas tank three times a week
- Cracking interior pieces
- Faulty electronics (ie clock, dome light, rear defroster, stock alarm )
- The lack of respect from the opposite sex who prefer a riced civic to a beautiful rex


well, I hate that too, but my rex is very clean even tho it is bone stock. And I have been there too, but I notice that the girl's expression changes when her stud( who incidently spent $$$$THOUSANDS to dress up his car instead of on her!!! ) gets smoked........
Think I'm gonna look into a supercharger....
"BOTTLES ARE FOR BABIES...REAL MEN GET BLOWN"

Rotorific

iTrader: (1)

man dont get me started on love/hate short and sweet says that i love it when its going hate it the rest of the time and right now the hate still out does the love
86base - 2 blown motors never ran right
88 gtu 1 blown motor - swap- same day less than 4 hours tranny blew 4 gears tranny swap and its running but how long -BUT i did just take it 330 miles round trip to savannah so that is a plus but only one plus

13bpower

Likes-
Going 35 in first
70 in second
95 in third
120 in 4th
then shifting into 5th with the person in the passenger seat saying "what? you have another gear?"
Just about everything everyone else listed

Dislikes?
Not to many.
I do wish there were more aftermarket parts available.

skydivr73

Likes:
Rear wheel drive.....e-brake......snow......heh heh
high revs
the sound when I floor it
the looks I get when I floor it
the looks I get when I don't floor it
the styling--can't tell it is 16 years old until you see the dash lighting glowing orange....
good looks without having to spend $2000 on body kits
the ATF trick....try getting that much improvement with a slug block!!
the fact that cops notice it


Dislikes:
FLOODING
cost of new parts
trying to decide what rims I want for her--lost!!
the fact that cops notice it ;P

stracr85019

Likes:
-Popping my hood and some one saying "so how many cylinders?" and the look they get when I say none
-How 4th gear still pulls hard
-The Whole Car...its a rex.

Dislikes:
-That it already flodded and took me 3 days to unflood
-3rd gear synchros (thought it was just me)
-that its a N/A