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Old 03-21-02, 03:21 PM
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every day driver?

are rx7s good everyday drivers? if i buy one thats what its gonna be? is that not such a good idea?
Old 03-21-02, 03:42 PM
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any input would be appreciated! thanks
Old 03-21-02, 03:43 PM
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It is not a good car for short errand running, if that is what you are asking. You have to properly warm up and cool down the car. Plus, as a daily driver, you will be subjecting your car to a much higher risk of door dings, accidents, etc. That said, my FD will be a daily driver when my Nissan lease is up, but I will have access to my wife's Protege for errand running.

Also, I don't know how old you are, but if you are talking driving to college or something like that, your car will likely be vandalized at some point.
Old 03-21-02, 03:54 PM
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ya im 19 and go to college, my corvette has been dinged 3 or 4 times, but i live really close to where i go to college so if worse comes to worse could ....walk..... gasp!
Old 03-21-02, 04:00 PM
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I have a 93 auto fd that is my daily driver, and I drive way above the national average, and no probs yet. 75K original miles.
Old 03-21-02, 04:02 PM
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19 and in college.....corvette, FD...and what do you do to afford this stuff. I would get the FD if you know how to care for it, maintain it, work on it, have patience with it, and love it. I am 20, got mine when Iwas 19 and I have put a ton into it. Not just money but work, sweat, hours, and tons of love. You have to respect the car for its good traits as well as its bad. I say get it if you can take care of it
Old 03-21-02, 04:13 PM
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It is not a good daily driver. I wish I had another car for daily driving.
Old 03-21-02, 04:24 PM
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It is not a good daily driver. I wish I had another car for daily driving.
Yeah but it sucks to be in your daily driver, and see an opporunity to show off your 7.

So I say make/keep your FD as your daily driver
Old 03-21-02, 10:10 PM
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Its not my only vehicle, but I drive mine everyday to work, school, etc. I don't dog the hell out of it, but I don't think twice before going anywhere in it. 1 hour trips to 12 hour trips, doesn't matter. Never had it to leave me sitting, or any real problems for that matter. Just keep it tuned and stay on top of things and you can do it too. Not the most comfortable, however. Good luck to ya. Another thing. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, before you buy. Know everything about the car, as well as what to look for. It took me three years to find one I felt good about buying, regarding history, miles, price, etc.
Old 03-21-02, 11:19 PM
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My 93-Auto FD is my daily driver. 1.5 Hours a day. Stop and go and high speed highway.
The car is perfect as a daily driver.

Doesn't help much in transporting sheets of plywood from Home Depot.
Old 03-21-02, 11:39 PM
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Originally posted by venom858
ya im 19 and go to college, my corvette has been dinged 3 or 4 times, but i live really close to where i go to college so if worse comes to worse could ....walk..... gasp!
what college do u go to? 858 = la jolla = ucsd?
Old 03-22-02, 12:29 AM
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see the problem here is i dont know everything about this car, and while im attempting to learn, the fact of the matter is i dont know anything about cars. now if i got one i would be posting/searching regularly for stuff to look for and do to the car. that is one of the reasons i want this car, becuase it will make me learn about cars which is something ive wanted to do for awhile but never stuck too.
Old 03-22-02, 12:46 AM
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Originally posted by venom858
see the problem here is i dont know everything about this car, and while im attempting to learn, the fact of the matter is i dont know anything about cars. now if i got one i would be posting/searching regularly for stuff to look for and do to the car. that is one of the reasons i want this car, becuase it will make me learn about cars which is something ive wanted to do for awhile but never stuck too.
fd might not be such a good car to "learn" on... u might wanna learn about cars on something more forgiving. unfortunately, one of the things you'll learn quickly is that oem parts are never in stock and always expensive... heh, meaning don't be breaking **** unless you have lots of money to waste.
Old 03-22-02, 03:15 AM
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I use my car as a daily driver except for when the roads here in MN are salty or slushy or too snowy. this winter has been great for it since little snow has fallen. and the cold air is great for the car too. I am always sure to let the car warm to normal temperatures and ALWAYS stay on top of maintenance. I drove my car to school everyday in Minneapolis and was fortunate enough to not have ANY damage done, even when parked on a street for 8 hours. And I am not sure if it will be your daily driver.
Old 03-22-02, 03:18 AM
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venom858: Please don't pick the FD as the car to force you to learn about cars. You can pick up an FC turbo II that will be much cheaper. The FC is still a good looking car and is fast with good handling. Save some money while getting experience with a rotary. Then in a few years, get an FD.
Old 03-22-02, 08:37 AM
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Good daily driver if you live 20 miles away from work. (You need to run it long instead of brief periods of time.)
Old 03-22-02, 01:54 PM
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My FD is my only car. I have gone 30,000 miles in just under 18 months while doing two full seasons of autox. This year's season has just started; will run over 20 events this year.

Things that have HAD to be repaired:
-clutch
-suspension bushings (worn at purchase and race rubber really lets you know which ones are gone)
-radiator
-turbo coolant hoses
-rear main seal oil leak

The only time the car has stranded me was blowing a turbo coolant hose and having to pull over. I did replace it that night in a parking lot with just tools and a flashlight. The radiator was replaced at the first sign of leaking.

I run the car hard enough that I spend a lot of time going over it; there are dozens of things I have done in upgrading or fixing others' work, but for that the car is very reliable. Comapared to most every other FD I have seen my car is actually lightly modded. No way could I afford the car without being able to perform my own work. I have done all the work except the rear main seal because what RP wanted was worth me not having to do it; I learned all about that when I had done the clutch.
Old 03-22-02, 02:09 PM
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DamonB: How do you like the M2 cat-back? Did it fit well? How is sound level/sound quality compared to the stock cat-back?
Old 03-22-02, 02:13 PM
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Originally posted by RyanREX
Good daily driver if you live 20 miles away from work. (You need to run it long instead of brief periods of time.)
I drive mine daily to and from work/church. 27 miles each way, almost all freeway. Only starts acting up when I do stuff near home, like last season's christmas shopping.
Old 03-22-02, 02:50 PM
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I Have a 94' FD with 120k & it's my daily driver. I'm looking to by a junker (old honda or nissan) to putt around town in, so I can slow down on my miles while I save some gas money to use as mod money

I love my car but you're playing with the Big Boys if you get one!! It's a "Love-Hate" relationship , either you "Love" to have one, or you "Hate" to drive anything else after you've been in one.
Old 03-22-02, 04:17 PM
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Originally posted by rynberg
DamonB: How do you like the M2 cat-back? Did it fit well? How is sound level/sound quality compared to the stock cat-back?
I love the M2 dual. The fit is good, but not perfect. When installed and hung the can and tips were too far to the left on the car. I swapped the spacers on the muffler hangers and now it's fine. The sound at idle is a little louder than stock, not enough to bother you but noticeable. Around town and on the highway I don't think it is any louder, it just has a much deeper tone. Once you get into the second turbo you get a disctinctive whoosh from the tips; it defiantely flows. My boost went from 11/12/11 with downpipe and stock catback to 12.5/15/12.5 with downpipe and M2. I changed the wastegate pill to bring it back to 11/12/11.

It is unlike any canister exhaust, it sounds very mellow and deep with a little burble at idle and pops on the upshift when the engine is cold. It is everything I wanted; great sound but not so loud as to drive me nuts everyday. The sound attracts no attention unless you really get on it. At last weekend's autox a friend described the sound as turbine-like on the high speed stuff.

The exhaust is very well made and handsome; looks nearly stock when installed. I would say the Racing Beat is slightly quieter, but the M2 has more performance after comparing notes with some other people.
Old 03-22-02, 06:02 PM
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*in tears*
"I love you guys man"
Old 03-22-02, 08:42 PM
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Thanks DamonB for the great response. I'm going to get a cat-back fairly soon and have been checking out the RB dual-tip and M2 dual-tip. I wanted something that flows better and looks slightly more aggressive than stock but not much louder. From what I've read so far, the RB may be TOO quiet. I think I might end up going with the M2 after your comments.

BTW, you got 15 psi boost spikes with just a downpipe and cat-back? Wow, I didn't think I'd have to worry about that level of boost with just those two mods. Since I have a 95, I can't just swap out pills. Looks like I might want to consider a Apexi avc-r or something similar.
Old 03-23-02, 01:21 AM
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daily drive unless it rains or snows 120 p/day
Old 03-23-02, 04:57 AM
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i think it can be a good daily drive but you must warm it all the way up to operating temp which is above 180 degrees and take it easy on the gas untill it does, that means no going over 3k rpm and dont get on the boost. also you must let it cool off. this means popping the hood if possible and keeping the fans on untill the engine cools down. this can take from anywhere from 5 to 30 mins (i leave my hood open for about 30 mins when i get home).

good luck


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