MeesterJonathan

Just found out I will be moving to Phoenix in August. I was just looking to see how many rotary's are out there. Also, how hard of a time do you have passing emissions testing?

Looking forward to bringing my baby back to the states!

pzr2

iTrader: (3)

Uhh..... Pretty meh. Not many running FCs in Phoenix as far as I know. I've personally seen 11 different FCs here, of which 4 didn't run. The heat doesn't treat our cars very well, but I'm sure yours will fair well enough if your cooling system has been maintained properly. Emissions is not bad, mostly just a sniffer and a visual check for the charcoal canister (all else fails, just try the alcohol trick). Alternatively, you can get collector's insurance and never be tested, it's just that you won't be using your 7 as a daily in that case.

Also, I'm pretty sure this should be posted in the South US Regional forum instead.

Glad to see a fellow RX7 owner join us in our sandbox! It's hot as all hell during summer, junkyards are bare of rotaries, there's no significant tracks here, and neither are there any major rotary shops, but it's good weather for wrenching at almost all other times.

MeesterJonathan

That's a little disappointing, but I guess I'll be turning some heads then. Especially when people see me driving from the "passenger seat" lol. Still, good to know there are at least some FC's around. I'm going to be upgrading the cooling system in preparation so I don't think the heat will give me too much trouble. But, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I'll mosey on over to that section now.

BlueWarrior

I live out in the Chandler area and FC's are pretty rare. There use to be 1 or two I would see occasionally but now I'm like the only one lol. They some times show up at some local car meets but I haven't been to many with mine yet.

MeesterJonathan

Looking forward to meeting you guys when I get there. It'll be nice to know some people who drive FC's. Even here in Japan there aren't many driving around because they made the FD until the mid 2000's. Plus the military folks here only seem to want the GTR...

pzr2

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, looking forward to it! When you get here, shoot us a PM or something. The FC scene here has been a bit stale lately; it's time to shake things up already.

I don't blame them though, haha. FDs are dirt cheap over there, the Series 8 RX7s got armed with some mean kit from Hiroshima, and the whole GTR ban makes the Nissans all the more attractive. It's not like they don't live up to the hype though. I personally think the R32 is one of the few childhood heroes that you should actually drive eventually. When I'm not broke though, heh.

Slight sidetrack... Can I just ask how on earth you've survived owning an FC in Japan? I'd imagine they'd nickle and dime you to death from owning a 25-ish year old, gas-guzzling, noxious, loud rotary antique.

And one last thing: get rare parts from Japan while you can. All the desirable imported goodies get hogged by Australia or California, so the only rare parts here in Phoenix are ones you make yourself. Thinking of eventually putting RE-Amemiya, FEED, Yumekobo, SuperNow, or Panspeed parts on your car? Get them now. It's going to be excruciatingly painful to do so once you're out of Japan.

MeesterJonathan

Yeah FD's are dirt cheap. They sell at the auction in pretty good condition for about 4 grand USD. There are a lot of R32 GTR owners that I know personally and unfortunately most of them just bought them for the name and aren't actually car enthusiasts. They just see it as a social status. It's very sad to see.

If you have ever heard of UpGarage, that place is the bomb. So many good parts. I picked up a used GP sports Catback for 100 bucks and It's in really good condition, hardly any carbon buildup. Fuel cut defensers for about 20 bucks, and I'm looking at buying a set of GP Sports coilovers that have been deemed "wrecked" because they need new pillowballs to rebuild. So parts are really cheap. Not to mention the Yen rate is 116 to the dollar right now. Tires and rims are super cheap too. A nice set of R32 GTR rims runs about 150-200 bucks. I'm planning to keep her mainly stock body, but I'm buying up whatever parts I can when I have spare cash.

I spent about 6 months looking for the perfect one and I've had this one for about 3 months now. If you are familiar with Japan, they really are picky about cars on the road, and there is a full car inspection that has to be done every 2 years to determine if it is roadworthy. I just pay somebody to do it because there are so many ways to get these cars to pass. Also, there is an annual road tax based on the weight and class of the car, and my car insurance is insane. Because it is a sports car they add 50% on top of the normal cost. So I paid 400 bucks for 6 months of the lowest available liability insurance... Overall though, the fact that its 26 years old doesn't matter to them as long as it passes the bi-annual inspections.

pzr2

iTrader: (3)

4k... That kind of price for a nice FD can't possibly be legal, what the heck.

Yessir, I've heard of UpGarage and it sounds like heaven on earth. I wish they had something like that in the states. I'm betting that you could stock up on random parts, pile them into the trunk of your car when it gets shipped over, and make a killing selling them here. Hell, buy a bunch of random Honda bits and people would buy it for ten times what you paid because it's "JDM yo".

And holy smokes, that's what I was worried about. That insurance and the inspections must be killer. Still, I can't wait to see your car. It must look absolutely pristine.