Alias

Why does everyone say to search? I have an idea!! Lets close down the forum, find all the useful posts, and make a website dedicated to RX-7 How-Tos and info. Because I am very sure that EVERYTHING has been covered all ready.

2ndGen.rocket

Because these are questions that get asked on a daily basis, and the answers are clearly posted at the top of this section.

Alias

I was half-joking, but you do see my point.

Valkyrie

I'm only here for a year, and it's to study.

I thought I already mentioned that if I came back to Japan, I would buy a car.

If I did it would be an FC, FD, a Hachiroku, or some sort of S-chassis Nissan (My faves are the S13, S15, Sileighty, and S14), more than likely. I'm not really a fan of the GT-R since I don't like heavy cars (I like to do late braking for turns), and I can't stand the idea of heavy understeer (for the R32 at least) and heavy front-tire wear. Plus 4WD is harder to drift.




S5 = 89-91, right?
If I could buy an RHD FC, and take it home, I would do it in an instant, but I don't have the cash or knowhow for making it meet US regulations, unless they've become less strict lately, or someone is willing to part with RHD crash test data.

I prefer RHD anyway. I think the left hand is better suited for shifting.

Either that or I've played too many RHD arcade games!


duehuynh: I'm coming back next July.... I think... But I'm painfully picky when it comes to what I want... I want a S5 TII, as much as this preference will probably cost me time and money. And it's gotta be very close to stock, low-mileage, with no mechanical problems, and preferably in a color I want.

I'm still wondering WTF is going through the heads of people who list their high-mileage FC's for ~$8,000-10,000 on online classifieds...

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

That's cool your parents are willing to help you out. Um, you can find a really nice s5 TII for around $6,000 with rebuilt motor, but make sure you get a chance to check it out before buying it. It's really important that the car has good compression (100+psi on both rotors). I bought my TII without checking the compression and the motor faded out in a little over a year of daily driving. My s4 TII cost me $3750 bone stock with 140k miles on it.

A turbo car wouldn't use headers. The 2nd gens come with stock dual TIP exhaust, but is not actually a true dual exhaust. Since you like the single side exit exhaust already, go with that cause it'll be cheaper, lighter and maybe even sliiightly better performance.

Don't settle for anything less than what you want. One thing; N/A's and Turbo's usually are (strangely) the same for insurance prices, because both are considered "sports cars".

Valkyrie

I guess the TMV price of $3,650 is quite a bit less than what people are asking, huh...

And that was with some extras, 20,000 miles, '89, Turbo II.

Valkyrie

Does anyone know if a JDM FC has ever been made street legal in the US? I figure stuff like seatbelt mods and adding impact bars into the doors would be part of the required mods, plus various emissions regulations.

Would Mazda or an RI be willing to say that the RHD FC is "sufficiently similar" in crash safety to the LHD? Or would someone have to do the crash testing themselves?

Has any manufacturer ever actually helped a grey market import before?


I talked to my parents about the car over the phone, and surprisingly my mom seemed a bit more willing to help me get a sports car than she was last time I talked with her before... Good sign I guess.

My dad doesn't understand import laws at all (I think our family's Toyota truck that I learned to drive MT on was actually a grey-market vehicle...), so he asked why I don't just buy one and ship it home. That did get me into thinking about it, although I'm sure it would be either impossible or cost way more than an A-spec TII, reguardless of how much I could get the car for.

I guess if I can't get an RX-7 (even an A-spec), I might just have to settle for a 240 Sileighty conversion... heh.

Valkyrie

Question:

What's the deal with the oil metering pump, and what's the chances of it failing?

flamin-roids

Doesn't matter. Just run premix and don't worry about it.

RETed

They will never be allowed in the U.S. by the DOT and customs.
The techicality is that a RHD FC3S is not unique, and there is a "comparable" model (any US-spec FC3S turbo) model "easily" available.


-Ted

Valkyrie

That would be if I brought it in as a "display" car.

I'm talking about if a registered importer was contracted to modify it to be street legal. i.e., by installing US spec bumpers, doors, guages, headlights, etc.

Feh... Now a friend of my mother's at work was telling her that the RX-7 is a peice of crap since her son had one and they had to spend a bunch of money to keep it running.

Not to mention the thinks I want one to race in... which is only about half-true...

Very annoying.

Maybe I'll just have to buy a Hachiroku or something... eh.

RETed

You can argue with the DOT and cusoms when they impound the car.


-Ted

Valkyrie

Question:

I've heard the mechanical OMP for the 87-88 is more reliable than the 89-91 electrical pump (I guess Mazda's strong suit isn't electronics... unless I'm mistaken).

Is the S5 backwards compatible with the S4 pump?

Also, if I bought a ~100,000 with a fairly recent rebuild, about how much would I have to spend to keep it running, assuming normal problems pop up, but big ones only come up every 10,000 or more miles or so? ie, normal operation.

My parents (especially my mom) are convinced that 7's are money pits because of what people keep telling them.

Although a Hachiroku would cost me less than half of the insurance of an FC... heheh. Well, even cheaper than my dad's Toyota truck (88), according to Progressive.com