so currently i am the owner of a 89 rx7 but i want too get a 93 rx7. so my question is. do 3rd gens have more problems than 2nd gens? ie. wiring, turbos, motor not lasting as long..cause i've heard stories that 3rd gens are worse for those kinda things. just thought i'd ask. thanks

 

look at the FAQ buddy...

 

The first thing that comes to mind to me is: the only people that can answer that question are the ones that own both FCs and FDs. Rotaries, no matter what gen carry the same problems.

 

i've had my FC for 6 years now since i was 16 and did most of the work my self. the only problems i've encountered were the engine going out (of course), a/c and electrical problems. the wiring is really bad including the plastic chipping off everytime you're pulling the stereo surround or air vents. but besides that, my car is running fine. motor is great 30k after the rebuild ( i have 330,000 mi on the clock). I don't know why, but when i bought my FD last year at 89k miles...the water seal went at 93km, and i rebuilt it myself...it was difficult for the first time. lol. hmmm, sooo...yea, FD engines don't last too long, are complicated, and have quite a few bugs if you don't take care of them properly...i think fd engines go out b/c of the excessive heat from the turbos. excessive heat at long periods of time will kill seals. you'll also get trouble from not getting correct boost or boost pattern 10-8-10 if you pop a vaccuum hose or a solenoid isn't working.

 

I have multiple FCs and FDs over the past 8 years. All of them have been completely reliable. <knock on wood>

If you start with a nice base with no problems, you're not likely to encounter any. Of course, if you start with a cheapass beater, that's a whole nother problem. If so, I'd say generally the FC would have more issues, things like wiper switches, etc.

 

Can you afford 2 FD's? Because thats about what you should expect to keep it running, replacing motors, etc etc.

I had a Turbo II and it was bulletproof, and my FD has something go wrong with it every time I drive it

 

^ Some people (above) constantly have problems. I rarely ever do.(knock on wood) I have done all the reliability mods and it runs like a champ. Owned her for 2 years now and the only down time it has had is when I was upgrading, adding new things by choice, not because it was broke.

goodluck,
-josh

 

Yeah, seems to be hit or miss with the 3rd gens. I know a few guys that have had no problems with theirs at all, but mine was a complete disaster.

 

dude, dont do it! FC's are way better!!!!!!

 

the FD's are a little bit NICER but the FC's are BY FAR a better car. They aren't even in the same league. Fit and finish, build quality and it's like comparing a mercedes to a geo metro.

 

^WTF??? Which car are you calling a geo metro? That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard if you're referring to an FD.

I've had my FD for 5-6 years now and I haven't had one major problem yet. NOT ONE! I have done all of the reliability mods learned a ton about this car before modding and its ran like a champ . ONLY down-time I see is when I choose to mod it, either exterior or interior. You really have to know how to take car of this car and I'm not saying it doesn't require more work than ANY car I've ever come across, but IMO it's been well worth it. I LOVE my FD !!!!

 

I'm with str8ryd. I've had my FD for about a year and a half. I've yet to have a problem. I think FD's get a bad rap partly because misinformed modification and lack of general maintenance. They are needier than most cars, but are capable of being very dependable.

 

have you SEEN the plastic they used in the FD's?

I was getting into my car one day and BROKE THE CENTER CONSOLE IN HALF (the back part, that's wrapped in vinyl)... and I weigh... 140lb.

How many stock FD's have an unbroken passanger side door handle? And considering how rarely alot of us carry passangers, how long do they last? 50 door closings maybe?

My glove box doesn't even come CLOSE to lining up and there's no way to adjust it any closer.

'93 owners: how long did your factory paint last?

The "paint" used around the gauge clusters and driver's side door/center console probably cost mazda about 2 cents per car, if that, because it's all flaking off and gross.'

compare to my 5 years older 10AE which has had NO interior issues of any kind and still looks new, but with 30,000 more miles now!
70,000 miles on the FD, seats are trash. Wow. Thinnest leather ever.

Bose decks have many issues, the awesome sound system in my 10AE still works flawlessly.

I'd say that quality wise the FD is perhaps a bit better than the metro - but not by much.
How many 200,000 mile metros are there compared to 200,000 mile FD's?
The FC interior is better quality than the one on my mercedes, though...

I currently have a stock TII (not my 10AE which is now a halfbridge, though it's reliable too, but doesn't have stock parts so I can't exactly include it here) and for the past 2 years I've opened the hood for nothing but fluid changes.. My turbovert has been perfecly reliable as well.

I've not had any major underhood problems in my FD aside from an alternator and a few vacuum hoses - I can't say it's been bad. But I've only put maybe 3000 miles on it so far. And as far as styling points goes, well, yeah, the FD wins by far. But in terms of quality FC vs FD, the FC wins by a landslide.

 

I had an '86 FC and it was just bulletproof. Nice car for the times for sure. TOTALLY anemic by today's standards, acceleration-wise. My FD is easily twice as quick as my FC was. Top end of the FC was about 130 mph, going downhill with a tailwind of course....lol! FD will zip to 150 without blinking an eye, and if you have the ***** and the room to run, quite a bit more.
Fit and finish in my cars....hmmmmmm, yeah....I'd agree that the FC didn't seem as, uh..."inexpensive looking" as certain parts of the FD do. Only thing that really ever went out on the FC was the damned climate control electronic unit.
And frankly, the reliability is as others have already said, very different from car to car. A well kept and well maintained FD, that has had reliability mods done will give you years of service without many problems in most cases. The 3rd Gen IS a lot more complex car, engine-wise, but if you are a capable mechanic and have some (okay...a LOT of) disposable income for repairs, and you hopefully have another car for a daily driver, you shouldn't be afraid of an FD.
There really is NOTHING to compare with an FD, performace-wise, that most of us will ever have or drive. I had a '69 Corvette with a 435 hp 427 and I can honestly say the FD is superior in acceleration and top speed, and the handling of the FD is far, far superior to what the 'Vette was.