YUOnDaGround

*What RX7 to buy*

What is the best 2nd Gen RX7 I should buy for autocross racing/ fun on the street?

Does the Turbo have any more engine problems than the NA?

I've done some research and so far I've found out that the S5 has more power than the S4 and the Turbo edition has a stiffer suspension and about 40 more hp.

Thanks for your help.

afpreppie04

iTrader: (5)

Give the FAQ a read, it has a lot of info between the different models. If you're serious about racing figure out what is permissible in the class you want and go from there. The S5 do make some more power but also have some annoying things, like automatic seatbelts. They also have larger gas tanks.

YUOnDaGround

Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a read.

Evil Aviator

I recommend an NA for your first car. In my opinion it is more fun to autocross the NA, you can get a decent NA for about $1,000, and many of the used NA drivetrain parts are cheap because most of the drifters and drag racers want the turbo drivetrain parts.

The S5 has more horsepower than the S4, but it also weighs more and the suspension bushings aren't so great. I would just buy whatever nice NA I could find locally, and not worry about series, year, or trim. There are no "lemon" model years or trim levels, and you can always buy a different RX-7 later once you have a better idea of what you like.

If you are serious about autocrossing then you may want to find one that is as stock as possible. If you are only autocrossing for fun or for a learning experience then you just need to make sure the car doesn't have any wacky mods that are not allowed by the SCCA. Most of the typical mods will just bump your car into a higher class in which it will be difficult to beat the other cars that have ALL the allowed mods for that class.

Just do NOT buy any car with an automatic transmission, as these are incredibly expensive to fix, make the car slower, decrease gas mileage, and are not worth the trouble to convert to a manual transmission. See the 2Gen forum FAQ for tips on buying a car.

A stock 2Gen turbo engine is nearly as reliable and trouble-free as its NA counterpart. Most of the problems with the turbo engines result from neglect or incompetent tuning. The stock 3Gen turbo engines are a pain in the rear.

hella24

iTrader: (8)

As someone else has said, if you are serious about the racing part with scca , pick a class and read the rules carefully.

Some people get discouraged by the rules. You can always use the car in track days or club track days. hpde, pdx, etc

Race cars can be found very cheap compared to what building one costs. You can never build a car for less than buying a used one. Just make sure it is well built and legal for the class.

Your local SCCA regions websites have classified sections with good cars.

shampoop

s5's look better and have a little nicer interior, but have auto belts. s4's are cheaper, have normal belts, and are usually lighter and easier to find.

slpin

iTrader: (9)

if you are doing competition, like you have an actual license
dont get the turbo
you get stuck with all the fast cars....
be a bigger fish in a small pond
go na

buy my t2 XD