Hey Fellas,

Just getting on board trying to do some research. I am familiar with rotaries in general but I want to get my 15 year old son an FC for his first car. I figure it would be a fun project and he loves rotaries so....................


Anyway, I searched a bit but couldn't find much with regard to safety. I am looking for a TII or a loaded non turbo. I realize new cars have much more safety features but I plan on letting him autox with me and I think he will be a good driver and he is a responsible kid. But how does the FC hold up in a crash? I plan on addressing brakes, tires, wheels, and suspension first.

 

Every crash story I've heard involving an FC [] makes them out to be quite safe..

Rollovers, freeway rear ends [with the hatch full of stuff] etc.. Seems pretty good.

I had a very small accident in mine [spun 360deg on the freeway because of a van] and got hit right in the middle of the rear bumper by a Taurus.. Scratched my bumper, pinched my spare tire, and obliterated the headlight area on the Taurus.

Didn't even get a bruise that I can remember...

 

I crashed my first FC learning how to drift, it was a pretty bad crash (spun 360 degrees in the air and landed in a ditch) car was toast, me and my passanger were completely unharmed. I would get my own child a FC as their first car.

 

They don't have airbags unless you get a convertible or a few rare T2's which have it on the driver side. It's rare to find one with working ABS. In its day I think it was considered pretty safe for a sports car. It is the largest Rx-7 ever made. The bumper supports are not the beefy metal bars you will find on newer cars, they are more like a hard styrofoam. The brakes do stop well but they require more pedal effort than you would be used to.

In a straight line they are pretty slow by today's standards, even the turbo ones (stock s5 T2 is maybe as fast as a healthy stock Rx-8). Most people wouldn't consider it "kill yourself" power. Those new V6 300hp Mustangs will hand a stock T2 (or a stock FD for that matter) its *** in a straight line. All the cars had a primitive mechanical stability system called "Dynamic Tracking Suspension System" and GXL models (high end non turbo) had adjustable dampers. But that stuff doesn't work well anymore after all these years.

I think you should be concerned about reliability in the sense that no matter how well they are maintained, they will need a lot of attention and there are times your son will need to find another way to get to school or work. Are you prepared for that?

 

i bought an FC as my first car i only had a few mishaps and my biggest problem was i had worn tires i spun it out alot in the rain (bald rear tires) and i hit a curb in the snow it held up great

however the car doesnt have airbags and may not have working abs which makes it unsafe in a mothers eyes (ask me how i know) so just make sure mommas ok with that lol

and no matter what you do he will prob be stranded somehow lol they do break down but give them a break there old lol

 

if you're going to get him anything, get him a really clean low mileage s5 'vert. it'd be really slow but it still handles pretty well, and you'd have an airbag.

 

I bought a new FC coupe back in 1988. One of the main reasons for my choice was the excellent safety rating in Consumer Reports. You can probably find an old copy at your local library if you want to check it out.

Safety items to check on the FC:
- Make sure a previous owner did not remove or cut the internal front bumper structure in order to mount a FMIC.
- Make sure a previous owner did not ghetto-rig the driveshaft or differential flange in order to mate a NA transmission to a TII differential or vice versa.
- Ask when the driveshaft was replaced. The u-joints usually start to bind around 150,000 miles. I recommend replacing any driveshaft that the previous owner "fixed" on his own.
- Ask when the pulsation damper was replaced. If the car has "the banjo bolt mod", that is OK, but it is a good idea to install an Aeromotive or SX fuel pressure regulator with a built-in pulsation damper to compensate for the deleted stock damper.
http://www.mazdatrix.com/c-pulsation.htm



A "loaded" non-turbo FC may or may not be a good choice because "loaded" in the 1980's usually indicated luxury items rather than performance items. If you are looking for more performance, then just choose one with 5-lug wheels and a manual transmission. If you think the car may end up in SCCA IT or EP racing, then choose one without a sun roof.

The stock brakes are fine, and will probably just require a caliper rebuild and maybe new lines. Tire Rack usually has a pretty good deal on Brembo replacement rotors if you buy a car with worn or cracked brake rotors.

I totally disagree because:
- Cars do sometimes roll over in autocross events. I have seen it twice.
- Airbags are bullshit. If his son moves up to higher-level SCCA racing, then the airbag needs to be disabled anyway.
- Many insurance companies charge more for convertibles, and with a teenage son the OP needs all the help he can get on his rates.
- Convertible tops add more expense to the car. When I was a teenager I barely had enough money for gas, oil, and tires. Spending $700 on a replacement top would have been a real bummer.

 

I've been in 2 really bad wrecks due to my epilepsy. Once into a ditch and once into a telephone pole. Walked away both times, albeit in tears.

 

Sounds good, the car will have great brakes (one if the first things I upgrade) and I am making my son do quite a few Autox events to learn car control prior to getting his license so hopefully he will be able to handle the car should he get in a sticky situation on the street.

 

im 19 and i can tell you they are safe cars. i wont get into the details but i got t-boned at 60 and hit on drivers door. im fine, window still rolls down and up the doors on these cars have great steel beams in them i would say the doors weigh 50 lbs each or more without power window option.

 

As long as the car is healthy, your son gets the feel of the car & is aware of his surroundings then he will be fine.

But there's ALWAYS a slight chance of sh*t happening that we can't prevent. So many terrible driver's on the road now adays.