slow7NC

Show some vids or something. Because at the local autocrosses here, the FD dominates the FCs, and mostly all car classes.

My buddy has had several FCs, I have had an 88 GXL.

I disagree with you totally.

The N/A FC is simply slow. Sure it can be a great track car, but be realistic. 99.9% of Americans drive on the road to school or work, not a track.

The N/A FC is slow as well. I had a 93 automatic Camaro with the 3.4L engine. Probably the slowest camaro ever made. It was faster from a roll and from a stop than any FC he over owned. All of his FCs were 5 spd as well.

If you get an FC, get a turbo. Don't get N/A. It will be a waste of your money for what you want.

Cpt.Zanzibar

well your friend must be a really bad driver to not be able to beat that comaro, i have an N/A and it can beat all of those weak *** comaros and mustangs.

when i said on the track i meant the turbo model not the N/A

and even off the track id still rather have an FC, even if you have a problem, you can come here and get help and usually find the part you need. when you have a friend who has an FD that dosnt run 85%, im happ that i have an FC.

KhanArtisT

iTrader: (2)

lol, so public roads make it okay to have a powerful car? Reguardless of whether your car is built to run 11s or rule the auto X, using either of that should call for a visit to the track. Same concept as driving a good distance to find a nice isolated strech of road to run on or a long twisty mountain pass or road. Yes you can push a powerfull car on highways or streets, just like you can push a lightweight RWD 50/50 weight distributed LSD equipped car on ramps and turns No offense, but lay off the FNF and watching 16 second cars drag race.

I also disagree about getting an NA FC, you can get a TII with a tired *** 15+ year old motor/tranny for a decent amount of buy your average running NA for 1000-1500, tear the motor out and put a nice rebuilt TII motor/tranny and rear end and know the damn car. It'll be a huge learning experience that will come in handy in case anything breaks later. RX7 parts/parts cars are dirt cheap and the cars are easy as hell to work on, it doesn't matter if its an NA or TII.

Ketchup

Well, for college I don't really plan to travel out of state. I plan to transfer to UW. Sure I will miss some of the college experience, but I will still make friends at the CC and friends at the UW. I am not from a rich family and for college I will have to pay 100% of if myself so I don't want to be in student loans up to my ears, if I spent 2 years at the CC it will only be to my *****! Besides I don't really think I have the grades to get into UW or anything else. I have a 2.5 GPA because I slacked off sophomore and freshmen years; being dumb and lazy sucks =(. And I scored about 1400 on my SAT's so I doubt that's hardly anything to even get glanced at by admissions.

Thanks for the input guys. If I see an FC that really jumps out at me I just might get it. Right now on craigs list, there is an 85 and 88, both NA, and some $10,000 pimped out FC that I don't want to touch.

Thanks again guys.

P.S.

For you haters out there saying "if you have to ask dont get one.." I wasn't asking if I should get it because its hot, I wanted to know what current owners thought of the maintenance and upkeep and if it would be too much for a soon-to-be CC/university student to keep up with. Thank you non-haters for not hating!

Cpt.Zanzibar

if your not wanting to spend a fortune on parts and have a relibale car to get you around town and to school then an FC is definately the way to go.

ExSr20kidF2

cant take a corner? bullshit man, i have coilovers on mine and it handles almost as good as my FC did, the STOCK susp. may not handle all that u throw at it bcuz it still weighs damn close to 2 tons with a driver. and dont say EVERY 3/s member regrets it, most say the same as an FC/FD owner...it cost way to much, a lot of crying nights in the garage but most will say yes it was worth it..if it wasnt we would all be driving hondas following the speed limit a stock 3/s can be a VERY reliabile car, its when u start modding and launching the car's when problems start to arise. haha did u have an RT or a RT/TT? u can say whatever the **** u want, theyre not pieces of **** if u take care of them..which im guessing u didnt or the previous owner did not do. if theyre POS's why do they sell for 8-18k STILL..excatly because they arent. and face it if they were able to make the same quality car weighing only 3000 lbs, they would dominate ALL. i love fd's but theyre overpriced and the maint. that is needed is more than most 3/s cars need in my opinion.

im sure you will respond again..so let me hear what else you have to say

But i would recommend a well-kept FC to anyone, i drove mine back from michigan 3 hours with no problems and drove it nearly 5 months, to school and work, with no problems. good luck and keep us updated.

Cpt.Zanzibar

I call shens, pics or it didnt happen.

ExSr20kidF2

i call...shut the **** up. i dont have to prove **** but you're more than welcome to bring ur FC to Columbus and ill show you whats up well in ur case infront. dont jack this kid's thread he's looking for opinions from owners not an agrument about cars he's not interested in.

finishline

iTrader: (13)

does it take this many comments to make a decision? jk it's easy man.
if you're willing to put some TLC into it, get one.
might as well put good use to your account.
good luck.

micah

If you are going to get one (sounds like you are), save up, be patient (can take a while to find the right one) and get an S5 (89-91). Some things are fixed, more power, typically lower miles since they are newer... The S5 spoiler is good looking.. S5 Aero mirrors.... and the infamous S5 round style tail lights... Some people like the look of the S4 better... and while I LOVE the look of the S4 as being a classic 80's sports car; I prefer the S5.

rowtareh?

iTrader: (1)

Please don't say this again. You look like a fool. When I got a NEW car at 20 years old, I co-signed under my fathers name for a car. My credit score went from a 000 (which is no credit established) to a 665 within a year. Anything that has to do with financing takes a car loan seriously. Even if it is 10k, 15k,20k does not matter, as long as payments are made on time, every time. And I did that, and I got a credit card as soon as I joined with Bank of America.

Please, don't post something if you don't know what you are talking about. I do this type of work everyday.

And financing an FD, yeah, don't do it. Your interest rate will be through the roof no matter if you have an 850 beacon, you are financing a 12+ year old car or more, with usually high miles, unreliable, expensive to maintain, SPORTS CAR, RWD, Turbo or not.

You have alot to learn young grasshopper. Oh yeah, take this is constructive criticism. Your lucky I did not say "Shut the **** up newbie, now get the **** out".

KhanArtisT

iTrader: (2)

Spending $1000+ and then saying that it handles almost as good as your STOCK RX7 isn't saying much. Please don't even begin to compare the two cars, the 3/S weighs 1000lbs more! lol, I don't know enough about FD's to say much but FC's in general are cheaper, parts are cheaper, and they're easy as hell to work on. Its a damn toy. You can't regret much there. And um, I'm not a Honda freak but you definitely don't have to do the speed limit while driving a Honda I had my 120k done at 105k right when I got it, and the brand new tensioner failed. The synchros were getting weak and started grinding, one random morning (dyno day, just my luck) it started sputtering and ran like ****, put a whopping 130whp on the dyno. Even after new clutch, axles and fluid it blew the diff 5000 miles later. Even with manual suggested 10W40 Castrol Syntec Synthetic oil and a "40,000 mi." JDM motor it spun a bearing not even 100 miles after the new owner put another tranny in. My friend's took a timing belt, then spun a bearing, now his reman. even eats spark plugs like nothing and sputters sometimes. This is just my experience, you can "take care" of it as much as you want but you can't prevent stupid *** problems like synchros, t cases, TPS, CAS, spun bearings, valve stem seals, on and on...heres a list (http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=316065). They sell for a lot because the interior and exterior styling is one of a kind, damn near exotic looking and has the factory hp/tq numbers to back it up. The styling is the reason I bought one, and it was THE worst experience for a first car anyone can have. The only good thing I got out of it was a LOT of automotive knowledge that I wouldn't have gotten had I driven a Honda instead. We all know Mitsu isn't the most reliable japanese manufactuer, just look at DSMs. I'll stop talking though, even when brand new, their reviews were **** and they were always on the bottom of the list on the test drives I still visit 3SI's A/V section though

Ketchup

I said co-signing for a loan as a MINOR does nothing for your credit. My half-brother co-signed with my dad when he was 17 for his bug and it did absolutely nothing for his credit because he was a MINOR. Which is why I will wait until I turn 18, I will still have to co-sign because I have 000 credit but if I'm 18 it will still boost my credit score.

We covered this crap in my law class.

slow7NC

Listen guys. A 3s will always be last compared to a supra or FD. Why do you think they sell for so cheap? I got a 45,00 dollar car for 6200 dollars with nothing wrong with it.

The FD is 10k plus and originally sold for over 30,000. The supras are even more expensive.

I don't know about you guys, but I don't take slaloms and track corners on my way to school or work. Of course the 3000gt isnt the best handling sports car in the world. You guys are acting like they are ****.

They are fast. Heck mine is par with my neighbor's 03 50th anniversary Z06. And he bought that at a steal with only 5000 miles on it for 29k. Compare to my cost of 6.2k.

If i had the money, I would have bought an FD. But some of us don't have that kinda cash.

Some of us have preference as well. I think the 3000gt has better styling than the FC. But I would trade mine for an FD any day of the week. I wouldn't trade it for an FC though.

You guys are acting like its all about being on the track. HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO ON THE TRACK?

Basically it comes down to preferences, like i said. I'd rather you beat me 5 seconds a lap at a track or autocross, and then me hand you your *** at the strip or street. I can hand FCs and FDs asses to them. That's what I prefer to do. There is only 2 autocross meets a month in my part of NC, and that is during the summer. Why would I have my daily driver as an underpowered track car???

And don't even blow this out of proportion, talking about ported motors and big turbos. Sure there are FCs that are faster than my car. But there are also sick 3000GTs as well. So there's no use trying to compare apples to oranges.

I'm just giving the kid options.

KhanArtisT

iTrader: (2)

Sad thing is you probably will put enough money into that 6200 dollar car that will make the cost equivalent to a stock FD or a highly modified reliable FC. And no, your stock R/T TT/VR4 is not "on par" with a stock Z06...

I don't like to personally attack people but you sound like you just finished watching the fast and the furious, seriously. Who the hell said you need to go to a track to take some damn turns? Do you wait for tracks to open just so you can take your car to the strip? I hope not I know tons of people with 11 and 12 second cars, they don't drive around their local highway and look for people to race like you sound like you do, they drive places where its somewhat safe to run, just like me and my friends drive out to well known (among us) twisty roads with no houses/cops/hazards. Finding a 3+ mile stretch of road takes the same effort as finding a long twisty, around here anyway. You're seriously missing out if all you do with your car is run people in straight line, I hope you get a hold of a REAL sports car later on and learn to actually drive it, not just hit the gas and shift gears. You can mod an RX7 to make big HP, but its damn near impossible to make a pig *** 3000GT ever handle like a 2800lb 50/50 weight distributed sports car. **** I'd take a nice T/A over a 3000GT, much better buy!

The kid wants an RX7, a true sports car that can haul *** and take corners, and for you to recommend a 3000GT is a complete waste of his time and has turned this thread waaay off topic, good job.

slow7NC

I have invested 289 in a profec b spec II, and 290 in an Apexi NEO. I haven't even used the Neo though, I bought it off my friend who needed to sell it for some fast cash. Tuning my car with the PSI I'm running wont give me hardly any gains.

so we're looking at 6800 dollars. Yes It came full BPU, but with a MBC.

My car isn't stock. It does however have stock turbos and a stock engine. His car is stock except for being lowered.

And yes my car is on par 0-60 with my neigbor's z06. I am the one who has raced him from a dig, not you. How would you know?

Who the hell said that someone needs to own a car that can take a turn .05 seconds faster than another car?

If I wanted a 50/50 weight car, I would have kept my lame GXL. I wanted something that was fast. If you want a T/A, go ahead and get one. Still not fast.

Ever heard of tail of the dragon? I went up with a group, and there was a Stealth with EVO 16G turbos that outran one of the members in a T-Rex. Take that for your handling bullshit. Don't believe me?

Post in the GA3s Section on 3si.org. And for all of you that don't know, a T-Rex is a 3 wheeled vehicle that has a motorcycle rearend. It is one of the ultimate sports cars. Tail of the Dragon has been voted as one of the best driving roads in North America.

Stop the trolling. You are acting like a high school student who just got his first car and thinks that it is the best in the world.

TehMonkay

iTrader: (-1)

DSMs are worse teenage cars than RX-7s. At least if you put the RX-7s engine back together right, you don't have as much stuff to break as the mitsu does.

Just listen to the members, buy a clean low mileage FC TII, get some suspensions bushings, coil overs, sway bars, strut tower bars, replace the brakes and change the lines, rebuild the engine with a street port and get a GT35-R kit and a haltech.

You will be under 17k have a new engine beat 3KGTs and stock FDs, and new Z06s.

slow7NC

Put a big single and a standalone on anything and it will be fast.

A 3000gt or Stealth is not a DSM.

Have you rebuilt a piston engine and a rotary engine before?

TehMonkay

iTrader: (-1)

I know a 3000GT isn't a DSM, I was merely stating a fact.

I'm rebuilding my engine right now actually. Plus, you cant put a big single on a 3kgt and beat other cars because it weighs as much as a chevy blazer 4x4. Even if you put the same mods on the 3kgt you wont beat the FC with it because it weighs a half a ton more than the FC.

I also don't know how rebuilding the engines by experience pertains to anything stated in this thread, the 3KGT is still a fat pig and is poorly built, it's a mitsubishi, it breaks trannies and self destructs engines. The few people who love the pieces of **** are the only ones who are lucky it all hasn't blown up on them yet.

0-60 is one thing, you have AWD, that gives you an advantage. The Z06 has 500+ HP, weighs less and has better suspension. On a track, auto-x, 1/4 mile drag strip, the Z06 would rip you a new *******. Even with the mods I listed. The only thing you'd beat him at would be off road or in the rain perhaps.

The last decent car mitsubishi made was the starion. I've seen plenty of 3kGTs go for around 3K dollars. Not VR4s, but still, you can guy one of those pig *** turds for as much as a decent FC and rip it a new *******.

You should have kept your GXL swapped a TII in an called it a day. You'd have had a much better car all around.

raptor22

That means one of three things:
-Your lying
-The guy with the trex cant drive
-The guy with the trex wasn't pushign it because he wanted to keep his new toy squeeky clean.

The trex can corner at almost two g's. That is quite simply out of the reach of almost any car.

--Alex

ericgrau

iTrader: (1)

Buyer's guides for the FC and FD, and performance numbers for both.
http://www.rx7.voodoobox.net/infofaq/infofaq.html
You'll pay more in the long run if you buy a bad car. You also might want to have a mechanic check it out before you buy (goes for any car). After you get a car, I'd get a Haynes manual or other service manual so you can maintain it.

This site has all the reliability and performance mods I've ever seen for the FD in one place.
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/projectcars/

Blue book values for any car.
www.kbb.com

So, I read $17k, weekend car (not daily driver), drops panties and rotary is nice but not necessary. The FD is best for the last 3 because it's in the very top racing class and it looks good. But even though most go for $13-$15k at first, it's going to cost you quite a bit in the long run. That means it will likely exceed $17k after not too long. The FD is pretty unreliable, so you either have to replace the things that make the engine blow or (eventually) replace the engine. The 2nd link has some good info. Whether you believe that link or not, I'd recommend researching the FD heavily before buying. Or better yet you could find one with all the reliability (and maybe performance) mods already done and inspect it very very carefully. I saw one advertised for $20k once, which is a steal in the long run. Out of any car old or new, that's the one that seems to best fit your criteria if you can afford it. And it's ridiculously fast; still in the highest racing class after all these years in fact. Though personally I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a car when I've got other expenses. You've heard that 50 times though.

The FC and RX-8 are decent too. The FC performs quite well in spite of its age and is pretty reliable if you get a good one. I absolutely love mine, it's a total blast even as an N/A and it fits more cargo than an SUV (I make frequent long trips). Performs like a Civic Si or BMW 3 series. While the RX-8 isn't the best performing new car out there, it performs pretty well and it's more practical than other new sports cars.

Other nice cars to look into: s2000s, Miatas, MR2's, maybe 350Z. Old or new. Miata and MR2 are short on power, though. And Miatas have the reputation of being "cute".

For those ragging on the Miata, I thought this $17.5k Miata was amusing, though probably too overtweaked to be practical: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/137987.

TehMonkay

iTrader: (-1)

Plus it's just plain fact you cant make a fat car handle well, it's just impossible. Impossible.

micah

Oh... the metamorphasis of a thread.....

Slow Rotor

Kid if you want a fun car that handles well, and obviously have the money to keep it running then get an fc, if you want something with class that gets the girls get an fd, and if you want something that you are going to keep for 3 or so years and sell get the rx-8 its as simple as that.

edit: Changed my mind

However i was lusting over fc's since i was 14 didnt know what they were just that i wanted one. im 20 now and have had mine for 4 months, everytime i look at it i get a grin on my face just knowing that a finally have one, just get what you really want nobody elses opinon matters.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

I think we've gone far enough off topic to say that we're done here.