I'm looking to buy an Rx7 in the next few months but I was wondering if a daily driver could be achieved at that kind of hp. I'm thinking of just a few upgrades and nothing too complex. Heres basically what I want in the car:

Apexi Power Intake
Greddy Power Extreme Exhaust
Apexi Power FC and Commander
Greddy Pulley Kit
HKS Downpipe

I am mechanically minded its just I've never owned a rotary before and I guess I'm gonna jump in headfirst and start working on these things. I was also thinking of rebuilding the stock turbos. Do you guys think I'm insane to try all this or should I go for it? By the way I'm 17.

Also, please let me know of anything I should probably have (besides an rx7)

 

Hmm..This has never been brought up before.Try searching,because believe it or not,you aren't the first person ever to ask this..In fact,you aren't even the first person today to ask this.Read the FAQ stickied at the top of the forum..And i'll give you a tip from a guy who bought his FD last year at the age of 18..Unless this is all going on mommy and daddy's credit card,don't do it..You most likely aren't in the financial situation to properly maintain this car.Read a bit more,and you'll learn that yourself.

 

take it from from me i bought my car at 17 in a half and make sure you have money. i had the money for every repair when needed and never expected it to be so much.. make sure you have plenty of money saved, so what im saying

+1 ^

 

Auth:
Funny thing is I've been surfing these boards for about two weeks and I haven't found such a topic, guess I better go look harder, and please don't give me advice on my financial situaion, mommy and daddy won't be paying for this car. I've had a job since I was 14 and I've been saving up since then, making $10 an hour + what I've earned with side jobs I've got enough. So please don't treat me like some kind of richboy brat.

 

Haha,relax..I was simply saying that chances are,you don't fully understand the financial burden of owning an FD..Not because i'm an ***,but because dropping $12k into the car after the first 2 months of owning it was not something I expected to have to do.If you have enough money to purchase a great condition FD (anywhere from $13k-18k most likely),plus an addition $2k-$3k for initial unexpected maintenance,then by all means,purchase one..But if not,don't be surprised if you find yourself eating Ramen for weeks on end and picking up a 2nd job to pay for the car.

 

eh i wouldnt Daily Drive an FD. I did for a while and it was just not a good idea, between gas and maintance, i got myself a Subaru Legacy GT Sedan as my DD.

a Higher horsepower will only make it more impractical for a DD.

 

Basically what I'm looking for is a good condition '93 or '94 with somewhat low mileage (I know, pretty hard to find). If i was an *** (which would be yes) I'm sorry. It's bad of me to come in here ask for your help and then spit in your face. I think first off I just want to get it running reliably, then I'll go for more hp.

 

It's no big deal..But be smart and do what you said..Get the car running right first with reliability mods,enjoy it for a while..Then,if you decide it isn't enough,slowly add on the bolt-on's..Also,I personally wouldn't let anyone talk you out of daily driving it..Granted,I get 8 miles to the gallon in my FD..But the joy of getting to drive it everyday far surpasses the money I spend on gas..Just make sure you do proper and routing maintenance and you should be fine.Good luck.

 

Yes you can DD a FD with that much hp. Just have all supporting mods and do regular maitenence (spelling error) I DD my FD with 400hp T04R single even got great gas mileage I do have a back up vehicle though

 

Wow. How much do you have saved up? Who do you plan on paying to tune your PowerFC? Can you afford a rebuild in the near future. It only takes one tank of bad gas, or one mess up to blow your engine. That is the sad reality of the rotary engine. Plus, parts for this car are more expensive than the average car. Price a dashpot lately...

Fuel economy sucks for a 2800lb car.

Insurance rates are going to suck.

This car needs LOTS of attention. I would not recommend it for someone around the age of 17. Not being demeaning, but very few younger people will care for an FD properly. however, my definition of properly may differ from yours. Mine means if something needs fixing, then do it then, and do it right. 10/hour is not exactly going to get you far with an FD and paying rent in a year or two. Not the most reliable daily driver for college either.

Get a honda until you finish school. then get an FD as a second vehicle. You will thank yourself.

 

im 17 and i daily drive mine 335rwhp tuned by steve kan and georgi from gotham racing
my advice is be prepared to make sacrifices for your car
be careful and always be concious of what your doing (let it warm up and cool down accordingly)
get it tuned by someone reputable and research reliability mods and get them ALL done remember heat is the enemy
other than that its not unreal to have 350rwhp and still daily drive just get good tuning
some things u just have to jump into u never get the reward if u dont take the risk
i say go for it

 

A career and a backup car (which will be your REAL DD.)

 

forgot to mention i almost have 300 hp and dd my car. fine for me.. i save gas by not boosting.. very hard to do!!!

 

I love the dream threads. I have had my car for two years and I have spent way more maintaining it and keeping it running than I have paying the damn thing off. Bad thing is that it is sitting in my shop waiting to have another couple grand injected into it to fix a blown motor.

Buy one at 17 and someone will get a good deal on a dicked up FD before your 18.

 

i dont get it

 

Im 17. I bought my car low miles hoping to DD. I soon went off and bought a 2K $ saab 9000turbo. Its just better and more fun to have a cheap DD and the Rx7 for weekends. BTW my car is ~300whp, you can DD it but when you look forward to a perfect day to drive the FD after 5 days of rest, it just feels better. I dunno.

 

I'm not going to even grill you on your financial situation or the required upkeep for a DD FD, since everyone already has.

But, 300RWHP+ can be done easily and reliably. With an intake, downpipe, high-flow cat, SMIC, a reprogrammed ECU, and around 13psi, and a fuel pump, you're well into the "safe zone" for 300RWHP+. Most of these mods can be had for cheap, if you don't mind buying used parts.

When all is said and done, how much money do you really have to drop on a FD+maintenance? I know I said I wouldn't grill you, but I'm just curious as to how much you plan on spending?

Good luck with your FD (aka the Financial Disaster) project.

 

I am tired of seeing people thinking that everyone is going to screw up there car. Take your time, save your money, it's your car do what you please with it don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

 

for sure its his car to do what he will, just, i think taking insurance and gas and maintanence that we see for the FD into consideration, it seems impractical for a DD. I mean sure, theres nothing like cruising down the highway in it, watching people stare and all that, but when your filling up every 2 days or your spending 3k at the shop every month in repairs, you start to wonder if its really worth the money for a DD.

But seriously guys, his age doesnt mean he cant do it, so i think he should go for whatever he wants to.

 

yea gas is expensive since u cant put less than 93 octane in it but u can conserve gas by not boosting, and if your careful u wont have to worry about that high repair bill as long as u have a low mileage motor and have the reliability mods done, things can still happen but there just not as likely to

daily driving an FD is not as unreasonable as most people belive it to be
i think some people just have bad experiances with them, its not like the motor is made of paper.

 

i dd my 350+ hp fd. reliability mods / single turbo / $$$ is how i get by.

 

People always come here planning to buy an FD and want us to tell them how to build it to be reliable, cheap and fast...we tell them that there's no way and that they shouldn't get an FD until they are fully ready because they'll drown in debt and they get pissed again.. I guess they know the car better than we do, that's why they are asking us for help...

For the record, I researched for 2 years before I started shopping, then toon another 6 months to pick one out and I still bought the wrong one. 2 weeks is not nearly enough time to get a good feel for this car or how it's going to treat you. Read on, research a hell of a lot more, and buy one after you are fully finished school and have a career that pays better than $30k.

 

$10 an hour couldn't possibly be enough to own and maintain an FD.

 

Hello mate

I use my fd as daily driver here in London. It drinks fuel like mad but who cares – the pleasure of driving the car by far out weights the cost

(stock twins, boost up to 0.94 - full de cat, HKS super dragger exhaust, profesionally mapped, Apexi PFC, air pump removed.)

You just have to look after the car, always worm up as 80% of the damage to the rotors (so I hear) occurs when the engine is cold.

I personally do not understand people who drive a car like this once a month…

I drive it everyday and boost it every day with out failure – car runs sweat…bank account gets smaller thou (LOL)

Regards,
Michaelb

 

$10/hour is definately not enough money, especially after insurance and gas.

Imagine full coverage on an FD for someone under the age of 18. The rate has to be ridiculous.