Hey guys. I've been eyeballing the rotarys for a long time now, and I finally made up my mind and I'm seriously thinking about picking one up. An 89- whatever FC to be specific. My stupid newb question is what are some things I should look out for, and also I was thinking of just buying one regardless of its engine condition and performing a complete swap but I'm not quite sure if thats a good route. Money, as always, is limited to about 6 gs so any suggestions at all would really help. Thanks!

 

just buy a TII with a low mile rebuild, you will be much happier. 6k can get you something in near mint condition... or something not so great with 300+whp

 

There is a wealth of information in the FAQ threads at the top of the forum.

Check that all the electrical things are working.
The RX-7 has lots of interrelated electronics.
The best clue on the engine is a compression test.

 

Sweet! So I should just steer clear of the gtus, gxls and all the others? Or would those have room to work with cause what I would really like is to end up with turbo. But I can't seem to find any around my area other than the convt. and junk.

 

its not a great idea to turbo the NA motor, the TII engine is made to take it. It would prob be cheaper/easier to just buy a TII than find a nice NA and spend all that time to convert it.

 

i assume when you said gtus you ment plural for the gtu model. If you find a GTUs i would consider it. Lightest sportiest model however no turbo, and extremly rare. Go through the faq once and then when your done go through it again and again and again. you will be told to do so anyway.

 

oOCujoOo,

The 89-91s are my preferred 2nd gen years. The GTU-S, Convertible, & Turbo II are the best models to choose from. The Convertible comes with all the "GXL model" luxury features like leather & power everything, while the Turbo II has optional leather. The GTU-S is the lightweight "stripped/delete racing model" with Air-Conditioning as the only optional. It also shares the Turbo II's nicer RIMS and better gearing.

The vert & Non-turbo coupes have just the right amount of power to be fast & fun, without having to worry about breaking the tires loose and slamming into a wall every time you press the gas. On city surface streets & mountain roads these cars are a BLAST to drive. I prefer the convertible for daily driving as it feels "more connected to the road" than the Turbo II does. The convertible shares the "heavy duty" suspension with the turbo II including bigger swaybars & bigger brakes.

The Turbo II has much more muscle and makes a great track car, but as a dialy I miss the better throttle responce and 8500rpm readline found with the non-turbo cars. If I was rebuilding my TII engine I'd swap in the 9.8:1 compression rotors, reprogrammed ECU, and a faster spooling turbo to improve off-boost throttle responce and cut some of the turbo lag. I'd also consider a faster aftermarket ECU (with Oil Metering Pump control) so I could restore the 8000rpm readline.

 

Actually, aren't the base/se models lighter?

 

Wow...so I guess the others wouldn't be a bad idea. However, I was thinking along the line of purchasing either the gtu or the convt. if the TII wasn't available and if it were to be that the motor went downhill just to swap in the 13BT. Um...I don't know if that even made any sense but if it did, is that possible, or should I just save the headahe and look for the TII?

 

Yes.

If that is what you're set on.

 

Ok I think I got it now. But from what I'm getting out of the forums and basically my image of an rx7, is that turbo and rx7s walk hand in hand. Is there any life and power for these FCs by simply doing without?

 

The RX-7s are about finess & control of power, not just just MUSCLE in a straight line. In the stock form the NA is the easiest to learn to drive fast, control, and handling. It also makes the best street setup in my opinion.

Your correct, boosted RX-7s tend to have more RWHP per PSI than most cars in the same power class. Most people can't control this much power since if you "light them up" in a tight corner you'll put it into the wall. You have to have throttle discipline in tight corners and most drivers can't control this much power.

When it comes to "mods", while the stock Turob II car is very reliable most people start adding "unreliable mods" without the proper controls & mangement. The minuet you run the engine lean or overboost the turbo they damage the engine.

Having said that if you want 300+HP the TII is the way to go. If you want a fast car with good overall balance of power, handling, and cornering that's a blast to drive, the converible, GTU-S, or GXL is my recommendation.

 

Very nice. I'm set then. I guess the only thing I have left is to find a winner. Thanks a lot for all of your help. Especailly you Vaughnc, haha you should look into being a car salesman. I have to say theres certainly a lot more love here than with the Honda enthusiasts. Its been awhile since I've been this excited about a car. I thought I was over it, but the FC sure has brought it back. Thanks again.

 

89-91's are heavier than the 86-88's but definately look better. Good luck finding an 89-91 TII in good shape without paying $Texas. If you want power, I'd recommend getting an '88 Turbo II. The stock aero package (mirrors, spoiler) looks much better than a stock 87 and you can always install the 89-91 tail lights. I also like the interior of the 88 T2 better than the 87, with the 3 spoke steering wheel and stuff.

I wouldn't bother with an 86-88 nonturbo unless you find a good deal on one in good shape. I have an 88 GTU (which was the sport model that year) which comes with the 4 piston caliper brakes and T2 suspension. I only bought it though because the previous owner had heavily modified it. It's going to be hard to break into the 14's with an N/A without spending a whole lot of cash.

 

Any real big difference in features between the 86-88 and 89-91s? And yea its the taillights that got me wanting the 89-91s compared to the earlier model, but from what I understand thats a quick mod.