N/a rotaries tend to be more reliable though.

 

I got mine in HS and have spent several thousand keeping it running. Now I'm a freshman at UC Davis, and I'm looking at a rebuild this winter, (bad coolant seal, so I'll just redo the whole thing with 40k on it). I'm very fortunate in that my parents are paying for my schooling (well, undergrad) and I'm in the ROTC program, so if I can get the 4 year scholarship, it would pay for my full tuition, fees, books, and a monthly stipend of like $250 for the ten months I'm in school. I worked two jobs, six days a week last summer to pay for my car and my computer as well as having a little spending cash in school, since my parents said no job my first year. Can you pull it off? I don't know. I will be working all winter break, six days a week again to help pay for my rebuild this winter, and then next summer I will work full time if not more again, just to pay for the body work that it needs. If it weren't for the ROTC scholarship that I have a good shot at getting, I probably wouldn't be looking to mod my car at all next summer, but instead, I would be saving up money to help pay for housing next year. I don't know your financial situation, but you need to figure it will likely cost a few thousand to get the car right, and very easily a few thousand more every year to keep it running, although some have been luckier then others. Add to that insurance, registration, gas, and maybe money for school, food, housing, and, of course, women, life can be pretty pricey with a seven. Good luck with your decision. Josh

 

Ditto, on every detail. Except replace credit card bills with loan from dad for new engine and turbos.

It is doable, but you have to work at it. I work full time to support my FD, while being a full time student, as do many other young FD owners. It's worth it, but beware, it is an addiction. I like to say that I'm happy with my car in it's present state, so I don't need to mod it anymore, but I know it isn't true. You'll always want more power, better 1/4 mile times, etc. As long as you can balance your budget to keep food in your stomach, and the car running, and not fail out of school in the process, go for it.

 

Im most definately getting an rx-7 by the end of my school year this year. I am a senior in high school. Im going to manage, I have a old school z which are good for like 300k miles before motors "start" going bad. So that is my car that I will have incase **** goes down with the 7. I feel like a trendy clown going straight for the FD but theyre irresistable.

 

Trendy clown? How many FD's are out there in Cali? I see an FD other than my own like every 2-3 weeks. This car is far from trendy. It's downright timeless.

 

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I am in college and knew I would face financial difficulties with my FD. But after fallin in love with my friends FD the way I did....I got one. And everytime I walk out to get into my car I couldnt be reassured more that the money spent on this car was the best money ever spent. But working my *** off to make sure I have money in the bank for the next thing that goes wrong . I'd rather work for my car than a girl tho =). Priorities!

 

I've had my FD for almost 4 years now as a student at UCLA and it works out to about $2000/yr. So, you do the math, do you have $2000/yr to spare? I drive it less than you indicated you would, about 2000 miles per year(if you drive 10-15mi per day, plus weekends, thats about 100 miles per week, or about 5000/yr), but I am also especially fanatical about maintenance, and that figure includes mods. In terms of downtime, for me that isn't much of an issue since I don't need the car to drive daily, and there are lots of competent local mechanics in the LA area, but YMMV.

 

Im getting an FD within the next few weeks, I will also be going to school full time, I'm 19 and this can be done, you have to budget your money well, and be smart about your first mods to the car, once i get the car if it dose not have any reliabilty mods done that will be the first thing I do. Also check your insurance rates before you get the car, for being a young male with a twin turbo car insurance can be a bitch. If you have any high interest oustanding credit card bills or anything it might be smart to get those paid off before you invest in this, sometimes fd's can run fine, othertimes you run into a grocery list of problems which cost $$$, maintain the car well, keep your job, and be wise about your money and you will be ok. Also just dont be stupid, fd's are very fast so be wise about what you do on the street, you can end up in alot of trouble and debt or even jail from mistakes made on the street. Just my $.02

P.S. - I will be getting a daily driver as well, the fd has a purpose and it is not stop and go traffic

 

Sigh I'm glad I got some time to think this over I keep going back between FD and 350Z. Honestly I figure I can find a fairly strong FD for about 17-22k and then drop about 4-5k into fixing it up.

Hopefully I won't need to spend anymore then 1-2k a year in mainitance/repairs.

But everytime I think about doing it I get more worried about it. Although insurance isn't a problem and I already have an 11k loan payment at the same time which has been no problem for me in fact I've been paying it off almost twice as fast.

But it seems like the FD's can be very reliable or very unreliable and just is scary to think about buying a car and then to have it constantly broken.

 

I'm gonna have to go with the whole beater deal. I'm doing that right now. I stopped driving my FC, bought Honda Rebel 250 that gets 55-60mpg in the city. 5/wk is all it costs me. So I can save MAD loads of cash.

Matt P.

 

How much is it for you to insure that car? For some reason a 90 4runner waso nly 40 bucks cheaper for me to insure (just liability) then my 2000 GT-S celica. Not to mention at least I have full coverage on the celica.