Hi, this is my first post. At the moment i have no car. I have been borowing my brothers 300zx TT for a few months now. I am looking into buying a 3rd gen rx7 5spd. I need a car that will last me through college. I am moving up north in the fall (Providence, Rhode Island) in the fall to go to college (Brown U.). I want a twin turbo sports car. I am a car fanatic and would take care of my car very very well. I have been contemplating gettng a 3rd gen. People tell me i shouldnt get one because it would break down often. It would be my only car. My daily driver etc... I live within reasonable driving distance to Pettit racing's shop. Now, if i get a 3rd gen with about 80,000 miles and took it to Pettit to get all the mods done, reliability and performance, would my rx-7 be a good car to have as a daily driver? I really need to know for sure. I would appreciate all the help you guys can give me in my decision. I love how rx-7s look and drive. I drove one recently and fell in love. what do you guys think?

 

Shouldnt be a problem if you find one in good condition. But you'd better have a daily driver unless you're really lucky.

 

 

Search big boy... and read too!

(uhh.. that didn't sound gay did it?? )
Nick

 

or know somebody willing to let you borrow their car for extended periods of time while your FD is in the shop

 

No. Buy a good used Prelude and don't worry, be happy! (I've owned my FD3S since April of 93')

You are in rotary lust. Forget about cars and buy a good suit and get a good haircut instead. Focus on getting a good career and then you can buy a Ferrari or Porsche and let Tony or Hans take care of her for you.

RX7's ARE exotic, and that means $$$$, grief and eventually divorce for most owners. I love mine, but I am also the only one ever alllowed to touch her innards - but then again I've treated her like a lady since new. She can be a real bitch sometimes, but I won't kick her *** out of the garage yet since she is so much fun.

 

Ya, FD's are expensive, complex, and under the hood is a nightmare. But they are amazing cars!!! I am in the proccess of purchasing one. I would recommend getting a daily driver. I live in WV so it's pretty much a given. I just don't think FD's deserve to be daily drivers. Too many things can happen.

 

I've had my R1 for over 3 yrs (since Jan 1st, 1999) and have put over 50k miles on her. She was extremely reliable until the engine went due to water seal failure about a year ago. I drive the hell out of the car, seeing redline often and 150 mph speeds weekly .

My advice to you is this: If you do get an FD, do all the reliability mods (ast, hoses, rad, etc) and keep the power mods to a minimum (intake, d/p, c/b).

Good Luck....you won't regret it. You only live once

 

I'm in massachusetts, my 3rd gen is my only car and daily driven. If you're going to be moving up here I would recommend getting a beater for the winter. Bought the car with 89k, now it has over 100k not too sure what the exact mileage is because my speed sensor was broken for a year and I got too lazy to fix it. You can see I got lucky and my car hasn't died on me. I do keep it well maintain.

 

Since you're just starting college, I'm assuming you are about 18-19. Even if you were capable of doing all of the work yourself (very difficult at your age and position), the cost of parts, insurance, gas, etc could easily exceed your budget. Get a used Prelude like RonKMiller suggested. If you just have to have a rotary, get a turbo FC. Plenty fast, handles good, and still looks good. Wait until you can truly afford the car. A lot of people on this forum work very hard to keep up their FDs. I respect that but I wouldn't want to do it. Even though my wife and I have good paying jobs, if (when) I need to rebuild the engine/turbos, that will still be a big chunk of change. I had a 79 RX-7 through most of my college years and replacing all the things that wore out on it nearly broke me (along with rent, food, etc). Don't do that to yourself, college can be hard enough already.

 

Go for it, I'm currently going to school, and the FD is my only/daily car/driver, just keep a bus pass handy when things go wrong while mid term/finals week

 

Well, I understand that the car is expensive to fix, an exotic, and if not taken care of meticulisly it will probably fail on me, but is it worth the risk? I am going to have to work to partly support myself during college. Rent and food + insurance. That is probably going to hurt me allot money wise. I think i might have to settle for a lesser car considering that the only fds that i can afford right now have high milege($10-13K range). I didnt want it to come down to this but i think i might just get a turbo mr2,or a prelude, not bad cars, but oh how badly i want an fd. Thanks for your help guys. i made my desicion based on the fact that most of you, 7 out of 9, told me to have a seperate form of transportation on the side or someone who can give me rides when/if the fd breaks. I dont think i will be able to do that all the time.First I dont know anyone where i am going, and second I wont have an extra parking spot for a second car. So basically i need a car that would be esier to maintain than an fd. Its just logical but sad, ill get an fd sooner or later i know it. When i am in a better situation. Thanks

 

only if you have a motorcycle or bicycle that you don't mind riding on when you need to :p

 

I go to college full time, work full time, and get everything done man...don't discourage the guy. Even with my measily 10.75 an hr it's more than enough. You guys speak as if this thing is going to break down like crap. Seriously by listening to everyone, who in their right minds would buy a car that's gonna break down every other day? No car is worth that...and it's not that bad. Do reliable mods, and KEEP IT STOCK. Warm it up, cool it down...do oil changes 2k miles, EASY ON SHIFTING don't release the gas real quickly. I dunno i'm just starting to think FD owners can't drive for a lick. Sorry if I come across a bit harsh but it's pretty sad when the poor kid gets discouraged like this.

 

Good for you man. In a couple of years when you are in a better financial situation, you can purchase an FD and really appreciate it. Right now, the most important thing in your life should be school, not a car. Besides, Mazda might decide to develop and bring out a 4th gen RX-7 in a few years and then you'll be in a position to purchase a new one. You never know.

 

I like your thinking rynberg.

 

i think its about 1-3k for all the relibility mods you can do so take this into consideration when buying a fd.

 

i've used my '93 base BB as a daily drivers *and* my only car for 6 years now, sometimes had to walk but no regrets..

 

Just get the RX-7. I know you said you've made your mind on something else, but if you don't get it, you'll never be satisfied. I'm currently a freshman in college and have had to sacrifice a lot and will have to sacrifice even more in my pursuit of owning a 3rd Gen RX-7.

My mother is willing to buy me a car and pay the insurance, but not for an RX-7. Any other sports car will be ok, Mustang, 300ZX, 240SX etc. etc.. but not an RX-7. So I told her, don't worry about it, because if I can't have what I really want, i'll just have to work for it, and here I am, working and saving money to afford the RX-7. This is the end of my freshman year and after working all summer long, hopefully I'll be able to be able to buy the car IN CASH.

It might be hard financially, but just get what makes the most sense to you. If you're not a hard worker and having the 7 will put you in a situation where you'd have to work, wait and save. I'm buying a 7 without an engine for 8,000 and dropping a new Pettit Racing engine in for 3400 which brings me to 11,400, but i'll have @ least 4 grand in the bank to cover my *** for insurance and any type of maintenance in the case i'm not able to work.

Don't give up if it's truly a dream.

 

My FD is a daily driver and I've been blessed so far because everything that's happened was minor and easy (and inexpensive) to fix. But then again, I rarely take the car over 3500 rpm's and I live five minutes away from work. I also have a friend who's a Mazda mechanic with his own '94 R2. But if you can't find an FD in good condition you should look into a 2nd Gen TII or MR2 Turbo.

Trust in God
It'll work out

 

ok dude the only thing I have to say is, get what you want. It's not worth getting a car when you are like 30 years old, IT IS NOT the same thing. Get it while you are young coz that's where the fun is. GO FOR IT!

 

ROTFL!

That is the funniest thing I have ever read in a long time.

I believe a sportscar can be enjoyed at any age.

 

Hmm....obviously written by someone who is not even close to 30.

 

I have had my 95 FD since Spring 96. In those days, there are not much help, lots of people look at FD as a failure car since they broke down a lot. Its true. FD is not suitable for people who does not care about a car. It is meant to be treated delicately for e.g. checking oil level every day. Plus if you can't fix the car yourself you HAVE to find a RELIABLE shop or person. Even RELIABLE shop could do something unrealistic to you such as putting off working on your car AND MORE.
I have had my share of walking to school (2-3 miles), taking buses, and using that human powered moped? Last year, I got a $500 VW rabbit. realized I have missed a lot of events if I would have a second car. However, what reminded me the most was the hope of getting my FD back healthy so I can put more mods on it and take it to the road and kick ppl azz especially who had told me that my car suck as it BREAKS A LOT. I let him sit on my car and take it to 175 mph. After that he got no more comments on my car even though it breaks again . So, BUY YOUR FD & GET A SECOND CAR & PARK IT NEXT BLOCK OR PAY AN EXTRA PARKING SPACE Man. That way you will dont have make excuses to your friends for not coming to group meetings.

 

Well, I like the getting a motorcycle idea. I used to have a katana 600. not the best sport bike but it was all black, fast enough, looked decent and was cheap as hell to fix. I guess i might just get an fd afterall and get a bike as a second mode of trasportation. My friend is selling his 97 GSXR for 3000. I could buy an fd for 10K and then work my friend down to 2.5k for the bike. The only problem is that the fd would definitely be high millege. If i got another car i know it would bother me all the time thinking i did not get the fd. My next door neighbor has 9 sec turboII. he said he knows a rotary engine in and out, and has built some. I guess he could help me with any problems i would have. Except i would only have his assistance till this coming fall. Thanks