Hey.. i'm 16 and i have 3,500 in the bank... next year i'm gonna have a good job can make 10 grand in 5 months.... anyway what do u think i should do?? Get a car now set me back about $1,000 (because when i turn 17 i will have my licence) or wait till im almost 18 to get the 93 rx-7.. Any advice would help a lot... thanks

 

So you're 16 and making 10k in 5 months after taxes and are probably still in high school? Going into to be self employed?

I won't question where you're getting that kind of money while you should be in high school, but as long as you have that kind of money, sure go ahead and get one. But please learn how to drive it first, and I am hoping this isn't your first car.

Also be aware a FD doesn't handle New York winters too well, so you'll need another car to drive in the winter or ride the bus.

 

ummm.. im working part time... and full time in the summer... but no i have a car.. and noe how to drive... we got 1" of snow this year... it snowed 1 time and didnt stick to the ground.. if it snows i wont drive it... its basically like every FR car. it suks in wet or snowy weather.. thanks for input

 

I do not question your ability to take care of a 93 RX-7 because of your age...but like black99 said....

If it is going to be your first car, please don't buy an FD, buy a 1st gen or 2nd gen first so that you can familiarize yourself with the Rotary a little more (by actually having one).

A 3rd gen has a lot of problems, and ANY sports car similar to a 3rd gen costs a lot to maintain, not to mention lack of people to work on them in many places.

Affording buying a car and affording keeping a car are 2 different things. Keep that in mind.

If you feel up for the task and figure that you can afford up to $4000 maintainence per year, then go for it.

 

Yes basically research the car before you buy one. And be prepared for the maintaince/problems that might arise. I would suggest having some $$ stashed away just in case something might break. I recommend this to anyone who buys an rx7 not just you.

 

so.. the 2nd gens are more relliable than the 3rd gen?? wouldnt it be reasonable to think the longer they had to fix the probs the more reliable the car would be ?? 2nd gens run for about 4 K rite?

 

The 2nd gen N/A's are the MOST reliable.

I have an '89 Turbo II and generally I spend about $2500/year just in maintainence (paint, sand paper etc for underbody + frequent oil changes and air-filter re-charging + spark plugs every second oil change + other maintainence together.)

You have to also remember, for you at your age to get any kind of decent insurance rates on a 3rd gen your insurance companies would have to be nuts, you would probably be paying $3600-$5600 per year just for insurance (although the insurance part won't be much better on any car).

 

why are they so reliable and not the fd's?

 

The FD's average engine life is shorter than the average FC's engine life...could be many reason.

The FD has the Twin Turbo system which has lots of fun things that can go wrong with it. The Stock Fd has problems with its cooling system not being good enough to compensate for the massive heat produced by a rotary engine. And you try tracking down a boost leak when you have 40+ vacuum hoses going every which way.

The FD is a great car...but it does require more maintainence. Ask just about anyone that owns a 3rd and a 2nd, they will tell you #1 the insurance is to high on the 3rd, and #2 the 3rd costs more money to maintain.

 

i was thinking about getting a 94 gsr before i "found out" about the price of the rx-7. and on a few sites it said the insurance was cheaper on the rx-7 than the gsr??? could this be because they get stolen more???

 

Probably....

The Acura Integra GSR costs about the same for maintainence though as a 2nd gen.

One thing many car buyers don't look at is the overall costs of having a car.

What do you drive now? It sounds to me like it is a "get you around" type car that basically no one cares about maintainence on.

Most "beater" cars you can get away with 1 oil change per year and cleaning the oil filter once per year, replace the spark plugs once a year etc.

You can't get away with that on ANY sports car.

 

A 3rd gen rx7 has 33 feet of vacum hoses under the hood, most are to control the turbo system. Those vacum lines control solinoids. You also have alot of plastic peices(AST, vacum chamber) under the hood that can break and even split from the heat because Mazda wanted to keep the weight of the car down. The Twin Turbo system produces high heat and makes under the hood as hot as an oven at times. When I swapped out the vacum hoses on my car for new ones my rubber hoses had turned to hard brittle plastic. Then you also have the plastic end tanks on the the radiator that can split, plus the normal car repairs you would expect from a car. Check the TSB's(I believe there were 27 of them?) on a '93 FD and then hope the one you buy has most of the problems fixed.

I haven't heard of TII's being too reliable either, but can't be worse than a FD. At least with a TII you only have 1 turbo right? lol but a N/A FC is supposed to be pretty reliable.

 

Also not to sound like a jackass or anything but a GSR and a FD or even FC aren't even in the same league.

You're talking about a RWD sports car(rx7) versus a FWD econo-performance car(GSR, notice I said performance and not sports)

Don't buy FD because you think the costs to maintain will be the same as a GSR because they won't be. The FD will be more costly to maintain, but it's rarer car, and it's also a true sports car.

 

i know it will be a hell of a lot more costly but i just love the car... can u blame me??? .. i noe the gsr and the rx-7 dont compare but the 7 is a sports car.. wouldnt that mean higher ins costs??? o well.. im lookin at some fc's and they look good.. but as soon as i have enough money put away i am definitly gonna get a fd.. what should i be aware of when looking for an fc? Thanks


Ps.. the beater i have is a 90 camry

 

Hopefully I might be a little help to all of this. I'm 17 and I just bought my 94 RX7. Insurance under my name (with a clean record) was going to be about 320 a month. So I got it under my parents name right now for 106 a month. After haveing it for a couple weeks the transmission went out. Luckily I have a warranty. And these things don't get the greatest gas mileage either. I put 91 in it along with Amsoil boost (No place around here that has higher octane without that ethanol junk) So it costs quite a bit just for gas. I would definantly get a 5 speed if I were you. I had an automatic in there before it blew and I was getting around 15-17 mpg, and it was a total pooch off the line. I'm having a 5 speed conversion done to it. This is my 4th car. I started out with a 69 Bug to a 95 Camaro, and then I had a 97 Prelude. Luckily I got to drive around my friends 90 300ZX Twin Turbo before I got this so I knew what to expect.

Nick
https://www.rx7club.com/photo/index....&cat=500&user=

 

oops

yea that is right, the GSR is an econo-performance car...less cost than Turbo II maintainence for sure.

For some reason I thought the integra was a high maintainece vehicle....then I remembered it was an Acura.

Turbo II maintainence sucks...but FD is worse for sure.

 

So basically i should wait a while, when i have a lot in the bank before i even think about getting one? i am DEFINITLY getting a 5sd... thanks for all of ur replys.. so which fc should i get??? integra's are very low maintainence...honda is very reliable.. my friends dad is a mechanic and im 95 % sure he noes a lot bout rotarys.. i have to ask him again..

 

I am not saying you can't get one now, just trying to bring you aware of the problems of them and try to get you to learn more about them before you jump head first into one. There are places to take rx7's for work but they are a ways away from you in Jerzee and in PA. www.kdrotary.com is one and JR Rotary(I think that's the name) is in Jerzee. T&R Racing is in New York but I don't know the website for them. And yes I would suggest having a good bit saved away before you get a FD, also do a little more research on reliability mods, and just hang out in the 3rd gen section and look for common problems. Also there have been lots of newbies through here asking what to look for when buying a FD, so try searching and learn a little more of what to look for when looking at one. The search function is in the upper right hand corner. If after researching alot about FD's you still want to try to take one on then go ahead. Just hate to see someone get one and go bankrupt because they weren't aware of the problems.

As for a FC? I know little about them and maintaince.


At least I know you're not a ricer, you would have took that GSR not being a true sports car thing way wrong if you were.

 

lol.. thanks

 

lol.. thanks but when u search.. it searches for each word individually. thanks for alla ur help

 

Wait til 18, get a fun but less powerful RWD to learn on between now and then.

 

I don't KNOW what to tell you for sure, but you need to KNOW that FDs are not the easiest of cars to keep running and in top shape. Having a '90 Camry as a "beater" is not too bad, by the way.

I can vouch for N/A FCs being very reliable, if you are interested in a 2nd Gen at all......I had about 173,000 absolutely trouble free miles on my '86 before it got killed in a hailstorm...

If I was you, I would invest the money you have, put whatever you make next year or so with it, keep the Camry for a couple of more years, and then see what you REALLY want.

Cars like the FD are great, truly magnificent automobiles...but, they ARE just cars.....pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

 

ummm, am i the only one that KNOWS how to spell "noe"

 

I was kind of wondering about that myself.

I was in your shoes way back a long long time ago.... Ever since I layed eyes on the CYM on the cover of Motor Trend I was in love. But when I turned 16 I didnt get a FD. And now I'm about to finally buy my very own FD. But for the past years I have read and read about this car so I know exactly what to expect. I would suggest you doing the same.

Start off with a FC and then a few years later sell it and get a FD. This way you will be able to save up a little more money for the unexpected things to happen.

 

Well for starters, if you are only making 10k in 5 months, you may be able to aquire the car, but keeping it up and paying for maintenence may become an issue.

It is not very expensive to purchase, but the price it costs to keep one running and in good condition is pretty high. Be aware of what you are getting into before you jump into it (like i did). Having a steady job helps out, but if your job is just for a few months and all you want to do is pay off the car, you'll have no money to keep it up.

Oil changes and gas are the real killers, about $26-$30 for a full tank on premium gas. Oil changes AT LEAST every 2 months, and thats a minimum.

Really think it over before you do this and make sure you have some cash to lean on if something does come up....

But good luck. Once you find the car and its working right, you'll love it