ok i finally got my liscence and i have around $5000 to spend on a car. ive loved 2nd gen rx7s for a long time and i want to buy one. i dont know alot about rx7's so i need some advice on what model to get. im looking at 88's or 89's. preferably i would like to get something turbo but if i have to get n/a i will. what model would be best for me ie: gxl, gtu, etc... also i have been reading on here can you tell me what all the terms you guys say like FC etc.... thanks in advance for your help and sorry if this is not the right forum to be posting this but i need help and dont know where to ask.

 

are you 16? im 18, almost 19 and a 87 N/a stole ALL my money.. so if i were you, i wouldnt go turbo, but to as what n/a model, i couldnt help ya

 

Well the difference in years is from 88 to 89. FC is what we call the 2nd gens because it is in the VIN. If you want a turbo and you have the money(which you obviously do) I would say get what you really want. As for models, GXL is the full power options, leather, etc. TII is the turbo model. GTU is the stripped down model that is the fastest NA supposedly.

 

so your saying $5000 is enough for a running 89 TII? or is there a different turbo 2nd gen i can afford? if i do end up buying an N/A what do you think would be better power wise the gtu or the gxl? thanks for all your help.

 

Check out SNIPER X's car, he's got real nice '90 fc n/a for sale...

 

these are real close to my house and i wanna go look at them which one do you think is better

"Description — $3,300, MAZDA 1989 RX-7 GTUS, 5 spd, 99k, black/black, a/c, all orig, adult owned, $3300/neg "

"Description — $1,600, MAZDA 1987 RX7 red, 104K, 5spd, p/snrf, a/c. $1600"

and where can i see SNIPER X'S car

 

Try this link to the forum discussion:

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=93076

Just an idea...

 

The GTUs is a very nice N/A model. I would pick it up before the turbo. Generally, 87-88 turbos are cheaper than 89-91's. But the newer ones have more hp, and are a tad faster.

The GTUs basically has everthing a turbo has, except the turbo. Theyre the second rarest Rx7, behind the 10th anniversary model, made in 88.

 

SNIPER X lives too far from me i live on long island, NY he lives in chicago. i think im gonna go check out that gtus soon.

 

Do yourself a favor and get a TII to begin with. Power wise the only difference is between the years and the turbo models. The 86-88 NAs all have the 146 hp and the 89+ all have the 160 hp. The 89+ are all heavier which pretty much balances out the more HP(not quite but just about). I say go for a series 4 TII. With $5000 you can get a really nice one, prolly for more like $3000. And then have money for mods or things that could need to be replaced/upgraded. Check out www.teamfc3s.org for their classifieds. Also www.thepartstrader.com and the for sale section on the forum here.

 

try this

 

or this

 

you might like this

 

those are all really nice but really far from where i live. this guy around the block from me has an 89 TII in his drive way with no plates and stuff im gonna ask him about it. 1 more question. how come some TII's have the hood scoop and some dont?

 

From the factory, all TIIs come with hood scoops and top mount intercoolers.

 

if its a TII and has no scoop, it probably means its been upgraded to a FMIC (front mount intercooler) which is better than top mount.

http://www.sunautorx7.com/Sun_Auto_Cars_&_Parts.htm

 

i would have to agree, get what you REALLY want. don't get the first FC you drive just because of that. i almost regret getting mine now because it's an '87 SE with no options except A/C (i don't even have the rear buckets, believe it or not). I mean don't get me wrong, i love my car, i'm just ready for more power now and i want a car with all the options. So i'm just taking my time waiting for the right car to come along and saving my money because i'm a poor college student .

of course this was before i knew what i know now and i hadn't found this forum at the time, so you're quite lucky to be getting our input.

You have a lot of places to look for a car, there's ebay, autotrader, here, a local RX-7 club could also have a f/s section. From what i've seen there are a lot of 7's f/s in the NYC/NJ area. So you should have quite a selection to choice from.

ok, i've rambled on long enough, good luck.

 

rx7 has rear seats?

 

It can. There was a 2+2 option that came with a rear seat that folds down. My old GXL had it but I could only get one small person back there laying down, lol.

Oh and how far do you want to travel, 10 miles?lol. What is your ZIP code and I'll look some more.

 

OK, you need to decide NOW what direction you want to take. There ALL good choices and ALL true sports cars. Take your time, look around, consider the options, and choose one below:

"my 1st sports car, I need to get my feet wet and may crash it as I'm new at this" - any NA model will do to get your feet wet. Don't think you won't crash it if your a new driver, so choose a model that's cheap, reliable, and plentiful like an 88 SE, 89 SE, etc..

"fun to drive as a daily, but I'm not obsessed with power" - get the convertible

"I'd like to try my hand a SCCA racing" - GTU-S, 89+ SE or GTU

"Just a fun sport car with some luxury" - GXL or convertible

"I want a daily & project car to make massive HP & torque" - Turbo II

"I want a cool collectors car that can be a daily" - GTU-S, 10th Aniversary Turbo II

 

If you are looking for a fast NA RX-7, go with an '86-'87 base model with the "Sport package" or an '88 GTU. For the money these cars just rock and weigh a bit less than the Series 5 ('89-'91). If you think the extra 14hp that the Series 5 have is actually worth it go with a GTUs.

Now if you wanna go turbo, I suggest a Series 4 Turbo II ('86-'88). From what I have heard they can be had for much cheaper than a Series 5, and are rumored to be able to handle more boost.

Anyway you choose, you can't go wrong. An RX-7 will soon grace your driveway and will make you a fanatic.

Happy hunting,
Isaac

 

Sorry, but in good conscience I cannot recommend an RX-7 as a first car. Now I know there are going to be a bunch of people saying "I bought my RX-7 as a first car and have had no problems", but statistically, it is not a good idea. Get a lame assed Honda, drive it for a few years until you wreck it, then get an RX-7. Just my 2 cents.

 

I totally agree. As much as I love them, these cars are not for novices, both for driving and wrenching.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Get something that you can stuff into a ditch and not care, especially for your first car.

 

Yup. Get an 86 5 speed Taurus with a 4 banger It worked for me for a few years and I never even changed the oil. Prolly woulda lasted longer if I wouldn't have made the engine suck up the bottom of the tank all the time