Hi guys,

I've been looking around this site for the last hour now for general info on RX7s, and i must say some of you have some of the most beautiful cars i have ever seen!

Basically i have come here for advice - i am a guy from the UK who has fallen in love with RX7s now, and i am looking for buying advice. What are the major differences between the 92 and 93 models? which is best to buy and for what reason?

What is the fuel economy like? (With quite a heavy foot) and what is reliability like? I am currently looking at buying a japanese import with 113000 KM on the clock, with a full engine rebuild 1000 MILES ago.

What do i need to watch out for when i go to see it?

Basically, any advice you guys can provide on what to look for and how to avoid buying a dog would be much appreciated.

Thanks all!

Bob

 

welcome to the site
there are big differences between the 86-92's(FC) and 93-95(FD) im sure you've noticed the difference in bodystyles. the FD's came with twin turbos, whereas the FC was available in either na or single turbo applications. all of them are great cars, and all have their merits! of course, like all older cars, have their quirks/issues.
what year is the car you are looking to buy? 1k mi on the rebuild is great-not even broken in yet.
if you have any questions about the FC, i have owned 2 and work on them almost daily. i do some work on other generations, but i am most familiar with the FC. feel free to pm me with any questions.
check out the FAQ for 2nd and 3rd gens-really helpful and informative
good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of rotary!!

 

sorry, got it wrong...here is the one i am looking at:

1993 MAZDA RX7 Turbo 3dr Rx-7 Coupe,
Petrol, 67,500 miles, . Black, Effini, 280bhp+, 170mph, both turbos and rotors recently refurbished costing over 3500 pounds, hks filters & new hks exhaust system which pops and bangs fantasticly, greddy boost gauge, alloys, elec windows, power steering, air con, panasonic cd player, leather and suede interior, 10 months m.o.t, 5 months tax, very reluctant to sell! house move forces sale. The performance of this car is outstanding! Do not hessitate to call for more information. No test pilots please. (NO CANVERSERS!!!!). £6,995. ONO.

the only thing that worries me is the popping and banging comment? surely if its set up right it shouldnt do that?!

 

Effini-nice! as far as the popping and banging, maybe he is reffering to the fact that the exhaust shoots flames? this is pretty common if you put aftermarket exhaust on a 7. car sounds like its in good condition-but definatly check her out throughly!!
some usefull links: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/looking-buy-rx7-3rd-gen-few-questions-339680/
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...threadid=27094

check the FAQ for 3rd gens-very usefull.
check for smokes, smells, make sure the turbo spools up normally, etc.
does "no test pilots" mean no test drives? b/c if so, i would not even consider buying the car.
you might want to ask around in the 3rd gen forums for anything specific to that model year.
good luck and have fun!!

 

i wont buy it if he wont let me drive it. Guy has just told me the rebuild was done 7k ago under warrantee, so he doesnt have the receipts but he does have a letter to prove its been done.

Why is a 12 year old car still under warraty i dont know?!??!

seems odd to me...he says it was done through "park lane" in leicester (the rebuild) any UK people know of these people?

I am gonna check it over thorougly, found lots and lots of useful info on the websites in the FAQ's, going to take a boost guage and a check list with me.

 

ok, the guy says the rotors and turbos have been refurbished, the rotors went before he had it but the turbos went when he had it.

Something tells me dont touch? From what i can see here the turbos going could have been caused by the apex seals breaking up? or would the car be totally buggered if that happened?

 

with a heavy foot.... its... Bad.

driving like a granny I can get up to 25 mpg, but driving like that you can expect 12, 15, (maybe even lower...) mpg.

 

ok, thats not as bad as i thought, i heard 15mpg on a website and thought that was driving like a granny so i was expecting to get 8 or less.

Im happy with what you have said :oD

It turns out the car im looking at was under warranty because the guy had it imported a year ago and turbos failed after 2 months, but still this leads me to the question of why did they fail and what other damage has been done...if any...

 

yeah, if the turbos failed, what may have caused that(that he hasnt had fixed)and what else could there be?
smart idea for you to take a boost gauge with you-trust your instincts on this one, if you look at it and get a bad feeling, keep looking.
it may take you awhile, but evenutally you'll find the 7 of your dreams, and then youll be one happy guy!

 

see i know i will get caught up in it all though and end up buying a dog...i've got a real soft spot for a Black one, and this one i am going to see is black...

Also he is considering PX'ing with my current Audi Quattro so it means i don't have to wait either, i could possibly have the car on sunday!!!

 

ok just heard from the guy, turns out the turbos blew because as he says "the previous owner in Japan moved induction pipes to improve performance, so he thought, but it blew the turbos"

Both now have new impellers and inner casing.

I think what has ACTUALLY happened was that the car was converted to single turbo/non sequential when it was in Japan, and put back to standard spec when it was imported into the UK but done wrong.

Does this sound plasible? i think this one is a dont touch with a barge-pole example...

 

and he says the impellers did not break up, he stopped as soon as he saw smoke...

the guy sounds geniuine, he certainly isnt hiding anything but the car seems to have had troubles...

 

trust me-you want to think very long and hard about buying a car with problems...when i looked at the car i knew it had problems, but i bought her anyways(it was love at first sight!)and then i ended up going through several months(and several thousand dollars)of replacing my motor, clutch, flywheel, driveshaft, oil cooler hoses, etc, etc, etc.
hindsight is always 20/20, but i think if i had it to do all over again, id buy the car again, simply b/c its been fun, ive learned alot, and im now an accomplished mechanic
if your willing to go through something like that, and you love the car-id say go for it. but, if you dont want to go through all the headaches(and not having something to drive, either)you might not want to go for it.
just a cautionary tale-if you see any red flags, think long and hard about it.
let us know what happens!!

 

well, i can tell you one thing: be prepared for some work... they are fun cars though

oh yea and welcome to the sight...good luck =)

 

i dont think the car HAS problems at the moment, but it has done. As i said the rotors were rebuilt in Japan before it came over, and the turbos blew while the car was here (apparently due to the induction pipe routing)

He says the turbos didnt break up, the car just smoked heavily and he pulled over as soon as it happened...so it seems its ok now, but we will have to see. I am going to have a look at it and drive it but i dont think i will go through with this one...I want to have a look at quite a few cars before i decide, because as im sure you all know - you have to look at a few to know if one is ok, but im sure you have to look at a few more to determine if past problems are still evident...

I was originally going to part exchange my current vehicle for the RX7, but i've now decided to sell my vehicle instead. This will probably get me more money for my car, and give me more time to look at more rx7's so i pick the right one

Thanks all! :yes:

 

do you have another car to drive on a daily basis? If this car has troubles you can expect random stuff to crap out at any given time, plus FD's (93+) are very expensive to maintain versus FC's (86-92).

 

I do not have another car as such, but i do have access to lots ( i have about four cars laying around in pieces, none wankels though!)

How expensive is very expensive anyway? I really prefer the FD's but if its going to cost me hundreds a month plus a potential 1k plus if something serious goes wrong i might have to think twice about this!!

 

bump!

 

If the FD was properly cared for, it can be just as reliable as any other 10yr old car. But since it isn't as common as most other 10yr old sports cars, it will cost more to fix. Add to that, most mechanics have never worked on rotary engines. You're better off working on it yourself IMHO.

 

Thats what ill be doing...are parts expensive?

 

Yes and no. Off the shelf parts, like starters, alternaters, etc are no more expensive than for any other car. Vehicle specific parts tend to be pricy though. I've saved money on my repairs by getting most of my parts on Ebay, and from junkyards. For an FD, those options might not help though, as the parts tend to be more rare.

 

hmmm so many options and choices to make!!! I just don't know!!! At the moment i am considering:

RX7:
Lovely car, great looking
fast and nimble
rwd (preferable)
cheap (ish)
High running costs
high maintainance costs

Integra type R
Nice ish looking
pretty fast and nimble
FWD (not good)
same price as RX7
low running costs
low maintainance costs

Mitsubishi Evo 4
Nice looking
Fast, very nimble
4wd (better than FWD but would prefer RWD for fun factor)
expensive to buy
medium running costs
pretty reliable.


I really just dont know, i know i want the RX7 but i just couldnt bare to buy it and have it die on me!!!


who knows...i certainly don't!