Just wondering what everyone elses thoughts are on this. Does the type of owners that normally own a car, at all influence your decision to have that car? It seems ~5-10 years ago, the majority of FD owners were a bit older, maybe in a slightly higher income bracket, and more mature. Obviously with the cars aging and coming down in value, there are more poor condition examples out there and younger and younger people are starting to become the majority of the demographic. Thats just the way it is, and it happens with all things, but with that I find myself seeming to have less in common with them, and almost not as "proud" of the group that is beginning to be associated with the cars. For the most part alot of the guys that have been on the forum and owned these cars for a long time have been really great people when I met them in person, but I find myself now not really wanting to go to meets or shows so much, because I just dont fit in with the younger "import" crowd. I really hope that the value and prestige of these cars never falls so low where theyre looked down upon as much as the random civic with altezzas, but lately it seems the direction they are going, and it upsets me because they truly are such a great car. Now dont get me wrong, I love my FD and will always own one even if I do add another vehicle to my humble stable, but part of me misses the "good ole days" where we seemed light a tighter car family.. as it seems like there are less and less of true FD enthusiasts on here, and more people just moving through.

 

Nope, I will always love the car and I could care less what other owners are like, I just hope they share the same love that puts a smile on my face every time I drive the car.

 

ENTIRE 3rd GENERATION TOTAL IN U.S.A 1993-94-95 --------> 13,879
13,879 Less crash, Fire & Others the number of cars running is very small for 3 year production car... here in Miami you see a Lambo, Eny tipe of Ferrari, Astons, Porsche GT`s, Gt2 turbo, Gt3rs, Nissan R33, R34, R35 GTR`s, "TURBO" 1200HP ZR1`s and Supras. Before you see an FD3S (93,94,95 RX7) so I`m very proud of owning a 93RX7.. With a 13B REW in it. (this car will never become a Civic just by numbers)

 

I think this tends to happen with many other cars: as the car gets older and less expensive, the owners who got them for cheap tend to treat them as though they are less special. If you look around other car forums I bet you'll find the same sentiment among others who have had their cars a while.

You could go a step further and say the same thing about the internet in general: remember when it was just a bunch of tech-savvy enthusiasts before everyone and their grandmother got a Myspace or Facebook account?


Luckily, none of that makes the car in your garage any less fun to drive!

 

Yeah I definitely agree. The knowledge base has definitely tanked in here as well with all the newb owners. Bottom line is the price of the cars are coming down, along with their upkeep. I cant wait for the rest of these tired FD's to fall apart and become parts cars to then feed the "restorations" done by "adults" who actually care. This is a phase and will pass, but will also destroy a ton of FD's in the process unfortunately. The "kids" will buy em up, destroy them, and move on. At that point, I hope to be there buying up cheap FD's that need help and bringing them back to life .

 

 

I bought my car for three reasons.

1. Had rotaries in my family since 1985. Was a GL-SE. My brother also is the original owner on a 2004 RX-8. So I love rotary engines.
2. I love the FD. The car is very good looking. The numbers of these cars in the states are limited so there is a rarity to them.
3. Strong community (rx7club) and a strong aftermarket community. There is parts that are still being developed for a car that only had a 3 year run in the states and many major tuning manufactures still produce the parts for this car.

But as Rotormotor said the upkeep of these cars are declining and its hard to find a good car that is reasonably priced. I found mine and have kept putting more and more parts into my car and plan on doing even more modding. I also plan on getting a project car and working on that on my days off from work and having my family work together on it.

 

Different kinds of people buy different cars & do whatever they see fit with them, I have no problem with that . There are still plenty of people building RX-7s how I would consider "properly" & I don't see that changing any time soon. I don't think the rex will ever be degraded to the level of a civic by a group of its owners.

 

[QUOTE=Ceylon;10403861]Different kinds of people buy different cars & do whatever they see fit with them, I have no problem with that . There are still plenty of people building RX-7s how I would consider "properly" & I don't see that changing any time soon. I don't think the rex will ever be degraded to the level of a civic by a group of its


+1

I'm not a member of any car club and unfortunately I haven't been able to attend any meets yet. With that said I thought the point is for people who have 1 thing in common to get together for example the love of the rotary, rx7, or just modified cars. If you have other things in common great but don't always expect it . I do see what the op is saying somewhat but I believe it has more to do with being of a different generation and not having to do with owning this car or that car.

 

Most of the FD owners I know or have known in person are sport bikes guys (and girls) who I immediately connect with....however, some of the forum members here seem insecure in general - like their car is their identity or something - when you point out the weaknesses of the FD they take it as a personal shot, it's kind of nuts

the doctor in Chicago I bought my car from: "this is a close to a bike you will ever get on four wheels" - exactly

 

In any club, company, or organization there's likely going to be some tension between newer members and more established ones. I remember being new here in 2004 when I was a college kid. A couple years ago alot of members that I looked up to began to move on. You can see that and say "maybe it's time for me to withdraw, or move on too" or you can use it as an opportunity to take a more helpful role or provide leadership in some way.

 

Right on target, Gordon

 

Kinda quick, Kinda rare and kinda good looking...all three bases are covered. The FD will be worth some bucks again someday. Mark those words.
I remember seeing big block Camaro SSs all rusted out and sitting for years not too long ago...Now those same cars go for $50,000 plus at pebble beach.

I'm gonna hold onto mine, keep it somewhat stock and watch it's value go thru the roof. The more RX-7s that get wrecked while dorifto-ing, the more rare mine will be later on when it matters.

 

I don't know what you guys are classifying a young owners. I am 28 now and I bought my FD in 2005 when I was 22. I thought I was young when I bought it (of course I still think of myself as a younger "adult"). I have always been in love with the FD! I am one that has benefited from the lower prices and am able to afford one. That being said, I still find parts for these cars to be expensive and have to save up money for stuff. I can't just go out right now and buy what ever I want (I wish I could!). That being said I don't mind working hard and saving money to maintain this car, I absolutely love it, it brings a smile to my face whenever I drive it. So while I can't restore this car (it's a little rough around the edges, but I'm slowly taking care of that) as fast as some of you guys or as fast as I might like to doesn't change the fact that I am trying to fix up and take of this car. I plan on having it for a very very long time.

 

Disagree. This car will never command the kind of collector value a 60s muscle car has - not a chance - it doesn't have the sentimental value rich guys are willing to pay for, and will always remain a niche car for a tiny subset of the collector market. I don't see the prices increasing much, they seem steady because there are so few cars out there, but, c'mon, it's a Mazda. One of the reasons these cars are so much fun is they tend to "show up" higher end performance brands, but in terms of overall long term collector value, it's just not going to be there. How many Fritz's are there in this world?

 

There are too few fds to be associated with a type of demographic. I live southern CA where most of the fds are at and I cant remember the last time I saw another one outside of a meet or a rotary shop. Seriously I think its been 6+ months.

As far as the influx of new young owners who care more about looks than fuction: Those guys are just tourists. As the entry price for fds has certainly dropped allowing them to actually buy one, the maintenance has certainly not. And we all know its keeping the car on the road where it really hurts the wallet.

 

That is exactly what people were saying about Camaros and GTOs back in the 80's when low-end Ferraris were going for a million dollars. Times change, people get older, and the cars they loved when they were a kid get newer as a result.
I will be seriously surprised if the 3rd gen RX-7 doesn't gain value substantially. They are hands-down the best looking Japanese car ever, they're damn quick if you know how to drive them, and you don't see them very often, even in the Bay Area.

 

Gordon-

As usual, you have a remarkable insight. The RX7 was always a "dream" car for me and I had set it as a goal upon reaching a certain level of business success.

I'll never forget when I picked up the car from a well known engine builder on the forum that he made a remark that echoes your sentiment. "You remind me of the guys who used to buy these cars". Then he went on to mention that mostly younger kids were buying them. Mid 30's...I'm old now. =)

 

I'm 25. The "rich collectors" who might drive up the prices will be my peers in 25 years who drooled over FD's when they were in highschool.

 

This.

I constantly hear people on this forum saying they dont wanna get an rx7 because of the crowd or they wanna get out of it because of the crowd lol.

Like is that why you bought the car, to fit in with a certain "group"??

lol i couldnt care less if i never attended another rx7 meet. No offense to anyone but that doesnt do it for me anymore. Like car clubs and stuff.

When i go to a meet or a cruise and theres rx7s around, thats freaking awesome and ill love it but in no way shape or form do i hope for the next rx7 meet so i can attend it.

That being said, i wouldnt care if every single FD owner were pure racists, i own my FD because i love it.

I dont worry what the next guy is doing or not doing.

 

Gordon actually created a great thread a few years ago titled changes in the rx7 community, or something along those lines. It is an excellent read and you can see as the thread was updated over the years how the community has severely changed.

Long gone are the days of the educated, POLITE and ambitious owners. Now there are always exceptions to the rules and I personally feel we do have some members who contribute useful information like Rich, Gordon, Heath, Damian, Dale etc etc. However the majority of important contributors have left the community due to the childish and immature route it has taken. This is not a hypothesis, it is fact as these members have outright told me this. It is quite sad to see what the forum has "evolved" into, don't get me wrong, I really enjoy having a good time on here and have made a lot of exceptional friends along the way.

As many have mentioned, I partially blame the rock bottom prices, you can pick up a decent running FD for under $10,000. Most of these owners are former civic and 240 owners, if you visit their forums you can see a common overlap. Now lets look at say NSX Prime, that is a GREAT community and reminds me of how Rx7 Club used to be a few years ago.

If I did not run Rx7 Boutique, I can 100% say I would no longer be as active, if at all in this community. When reading the forum, I usually skim to users I feel are worthwhile reading their posts and disregard most of the other posts. Such a shame, I can confidently say I do not foresee this community turning around anytime soon. Now the community or FD crowd has zero correlation with me keeping and loving my FD.

B

 

On a way the crowd that comes with the car has an impact of what car I get. Before getting this FD, I though about getting a Porsche but the crowd that came with them, I wasn't to happy with. If the FD crowd was anything like the P-car guys then I guess they would hate me because the FD is my dream car since I saw a new one at the dealer back in 1992.

 

I don't own a BMW because I don't feel like I fit in with the crowd, or at least the E46/E92 M3 crowd. In most cases you can't say it doesn't matter just like you can't say that a girl's family doesn't affect your relationship over the long run.

 

i personally dont think that it matters what age u are or gender or what not. what matters is the passion that all of us have for the rotarty engine. i love running donw ppl with rotaries its fun plus seeing what ideas other ppl have come up to make there car different is great. especially being on here we have ppl from all over talkin bout there passion with there car. i kno it wont change for me even though theres only 3 rx7s in my city and like 10 rx8s, even whe i go home back to new york i try to make shows even though i never make back there like i should. all in all i hope to travel to albuquerque this summer to meet the other rotor heads out there,

 

I purchased my FD back in April of 07, and am currently just shy of 29. As usual, Gordon (and a few others) have hit the nail on the head. There will be a diverse crowd when it comes to ownership of almost any vehicle, and times will constantly be dynamic. You're always going to have that "new school vs old school" tension, but that mainly stems from the individuals themselves.

I, myself, can respect any car that is tasteful and well done, and the same goes for the enthusiast. I can respect anyone that has a genuine interest/passion for cars, and gets as excited about them as I do. More specifically, when I see a well maintained and/or tastefully modded FD, I give much kudos to the owner, because I know what it takes.

As someone else said, I don't really care if some younger people get their hands on these cars. Sure, some of the younger owners who are unfamiliar with RWD and/or a decent amount of power will wrap these around telephone poles, but that will only drive the value of ours up. Fewer FDs = fewer supply = higher value, assuming demand.

Mark, you really cannot sit there and say with such conviction that these cars will never appreciate in value. To make a statement such as that is just plain ignorant. Look at trends in the past....MANY cars worth a small fortune today were thought of to be nothing special at the time. No one can predict the future, and given the qualities/characteristics of the FD, I wouldn't be surprised to see its value increase over time. Now I'm not saying that it will happen, but I could absolutely see it happening. Again, as our numbers decrease it will increase the value of our cars in the long run, but I digress.

I don't own the car because it may or may not be worth something someday. I own it because I genuinely enjoy it, have always had a passion for cars, and think it's one of the best looking cars on the road. Oh, and Gordon hit it right on the head with my profession...I'm an engineer.