Baggypants

This is driving me crazy. No, correction....BEYOND crazy. I simply don't know what to do. Let me explain.....
I'm in the fortunate position living in the UK, in that I can quite easily import any car I so wish from Japan, eg a mint condition, nicely modified 96/97 RX7 for relativley little money, lets say about $17500. (My 2nd choice car being a Nissan Silvia S15).
I've set my heart on this car, I really have, but everyone, and I mean everyone, I have spoken to for feedback (including my Japanese mechanic) has told me not to buy one. That they are an absolute nightmare to own, no matter how much I look after the car (and I would and appreciate the need) the design is inherently flawed, etc etc.
Whats more, since becoming a member of this forum and reading the various threads....I'm starting to believe it's true....
Help me out a little guys, give me some support, some truths, what the hell, some lies and when and if I import the car...I'll post pics and thank you all...But at the moment all I see are question marks and the chance I'll miss out on something special....
Thanks.

mightyslash

Why do you need to import one? I'm sure there's local RX-7's for sale all the time.

Baggypants

It's cheaper, you get a lot more car for the money and they stopped selling the RX7 in the UK in '95.

3rdGenLuvr

Dont buy it!


If ur that confused dont get one, its that simple. Those of us who bought one most likely cldnt be talked out of it.

silver93

It is not a flawed car - someone's ignorance does not mean the car is flawed. ha!

read as much as you can. check the major sites
-http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/index.html
-http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobinette/
-this forum
-the big list: rx7@world.std.com

the support for these cars is nothing short of amazing. (as is the following for these cars)

All cars break. All cars need work.
Do the maintenance and drive the car like you stole it - and drive it a lot. don't let it sit for 6 of 7 days a week.

I've put over 25,000 miles on my 93 in just under 2years and it left me stranded one time - for a busted radiator hose - thats it. and that has nothing to do with the type of car it is. other than that, the only money i've spent on maintenance is oil, oil filters, plugs, new tires, etc...

tell everyone to kiss your *** (or ****) and import a 99 model - cause i know if i could import one as easily as you, i would!

Chaz

You know what they say, opinions are like a-holes....everybodies got one. How many of these people that have strong opinions about these cars have owned an FD, and of those that actually have, how many were educated about the needs of these cars? Do your research, know what you need to do to keep your car healthy/happy, and decide if you're willing to spend the time and energy to do this. These cars do require more attention that your typical commuter vehicle. This car isn't for everyone so you have to decide for yourself if it's the car for you.

pweizman

It is a labor of love for sure.

There are days that I want to sell the car, and there are days that you couldn't buy it from me.

The best feeling though is walking up to it, and just looking at how bad a$$ it is.

If you are getting a pretty low mileage one, and take care of it, you should have TOO many problems. Just be prepared, it is not a Honda in terms of maintence.

Mine is on of the older US models, so I was prepared. It needs some TLC. But, I do feel good for preserving the RX7, and fixing one up...even if I don't own it forever.

Also, you will find that RX7 owners are the most neurotic and pessimistic bunch of car owners out there.

Later,
Patrick

Jonesboro

The extent to which you seem to be relying on the opinions of others suggests to me that you have not developed an independent understanding about the FD. This also suggests to me that you are not independently prepared to "own" the car and do your own work i.e. provide the proper maintenance, troubleshoot problems, make repairs, perform modifications, etc.

If you need to rely on "others" to take on your automobile ownership responsibilities, then your "others" are telling you loud and clear that you cannot rely on them when it comes to the FD.

The happy and satisfied FD owners are the ones who have accepted the responsibilities of ownership. They may seek the advice and insights of others but they rely on themselves when it comes to "owning" the car.

KibagamiR2

Yes you hit that one right on the head!

Baggy, get the car... and get a 99 or above RS! There are MANY improvements on the 99 that make the extra expense worth it all. When I go to Japan later this year I will be looking for a used 99+ RS to import, preferably blue...

-Kib

Cetchup

The design is flawed? You mean engine and internally wise? In no way is it flawed, its a mechanical achievement. It has some flaws like crappy stock IC and Radiator. Also the AST is prone to explode dumping coolant everywhere. BUT!! since you say you could probably get a 96 or 97" RX7 you should be able to find one with very low miles. MY stock radiator went out at 77,000 miles, but i got my car from texas (very hot) and i live in San diego where it gets very warm also. As far as the IC goes, its only an issue once u start modding your car, but like any turbo car u would want to upgrade the IC when you add more fuel anyways.
The ast is a $35 issue and the stocker can last very long actually...enough said

The body design is unparalelled for any car under $100k.

If you have your heart set on it then you know what u should do. Only take advice from people that own these cars and also dont just look at the bad, look at the good! Basic mods will destroy %90 of cars on the road, has one BADASS design and basically a pretty rare car. Just make the decision that is right for you.

IgoSlow

Are any of these owners rx7 owners that are telling you to not buy it?? Does your mech not like working on rx7's. The only other car I wanted beside a rx7 was a supra, but i'm happy witht he purchase. And I wouldn't mind getting another if I had the chance. I have only driven it a few times and boy did it feel great being behind the wheel. Either way you, silvia or 7, both seem like a nice choice.

Vicious

hey i'm a fan of both cars FD and the s15, but if i had a choice i would go with the S15 i believe it's less maintence than the FD and it looks better stock than the FD that's my opinion. But hey if you like maintence go for it. But i'm sure in the LONG RUN the S15 would be your winner.

Vicious

neokai

the s15 is a gorgeous car and while the SR20DET isn't quite the same as a 13b-rew, it'll probably give you less headaches in the long run. if you want more reliability, get the S15. if you want a classic, the FD is probably your better choice (thoe the S15 being the last silvia is prety nifty too).

driftin180sx

as you can tell from my screen name i own a 180sx and love the silvia line more then anyone but there is NO WAY that any silvia can compare with an FD.... its as simple as that. rx-7 is competition for another nissan, whose name i think you all know, but the S15 is not competing, nor should it be considered in the same class as the FD. get the FD, after all is said and done the S15 is still just a 4cyl.

driftin180sx

the S15 isnt the last silvia, its the last silvia based on that chassis and using the SR20DET. the S16 will be based on the XVL platform

lane_change

iTrader: (20)

A S15 seems cool to us in the US because you can't go out and just get one kind of like a Skyline or a Lancer (real one, not our shitty attempt). I think that the FD is by far the better car in looks, performace, handling, and fun factor. The S15 has cool as hell headlights though and may be more reliable but then again I don't know an S15 for ****, all I know are the SE-R models from the Sentra's and they are very reliable. Either way, go with what you want, don't listen to what everyone else says they are just opinions after all.

maxcooper

The FD has some flaws, but they are all fixable. Some other cars have problems that are difficult or impossible (within reason) to fix, like a weak tranny. But the FD just has a few things that you need to address and good solutions have been well documented (AST, vacuum hoses) for those items. The car will become an obsession/money pit but that is all part of the fun. If you want to enjoy it and keep the bills in check, limit yourself to the basic reliability and performance mods.

It sounds like you know what you want. Go for it and enjoy your new car!

-Max

mazdaspeed00

iTrader: (6)

I have owned a FD for about 6 months and for the amount of time I owned the car it was in the shop for 2 months fixing various parts. The car is definatly high maintance but when you drive one of the things it wont matter how reliable it is or how much money you have put into it. You need to own one and experence it before you can really make a decision

Astro

they are a pain to deal with
but ALOT of fun to drive
that seems to be the consensus right?
hehe

Baggypants

Yeah it does

Thanks everyone.

RX7 Rotary Rocket

iTrader: (1)

Hey BaggyPants, just ask anyone here if they regret to have bought their FD, I don't think there's much !

My opinion is :
Any FD owner should be able to open the hood and know where everything is placed and should be able to
diagnose problems.

It is a peace of art in mechanic and when you take the time to learn about it, nothing will stop you.

-Carl

spigot

iTrader: (4)

Have you talked to other UK owners? I know Chris Wilson is in the UK and I'm sure there are others on this forum too. Also from what I understand it would be alot cheaper to buy one that had already been imported, since as you have said most people are afraid of them, and therefore their resale value isn't that high.

UK club http://uk.geocities.com/gouldkim/


Some things you might want to find out before getting one is where you can get parts from (I'm guessing the local mazda dealer won't stock parts and probably won't even be able to get them for you), simple things like spark plugs and general maintanance items.

Can you do your own work on the car? Do you have a place and do you have the time/ patience/ tools to fix things when they go wrong? If not have you found a shop close enough to take your car to that knows the rotary engine and the turbo system of the third gen?

Can you afford the gas I know thats one thing I'm not looking forward to if I have to move to England. ( And those damn speed cameras, definatly not sporting. )

On a side note what requirements need to be met for a imported car to register, I'm guessing similar tests to kit cars but what do they do for something like the RX-7 that has met safety standards in US/JP.


Matt

Tankeyes

well, if you replaced the engine with a v6 or something then would it not be a lot easier as far as maintenance goes? but then again id guess youd have to replace some other stuff to if you go over to pistons. personally i wouldnt do that, because thats what the rx-7 is all about, rotary power. but if you wanna drive one around and dont want to do maintenance, i guess you could go to pistons but i dont know how much it would help

rtryrktrx7

I've owned two and they can be a headache, but I still love them. I'm actually looking for a 3rd, because everytime I get rid of one I end up missing that feal the RX-7 gives you. This past time was because I needed to be practical, because of a new family member, but I've decided to forget practical. I'd get the FD. You don't need to be a mechanic either. It's good to know some basics, but that's it. Just take it to a rotary mechanic when and if you have major issues. They'll just hook it up to a computer anyway. It's not like the old days where they trouble shooted and had to figure out what wrong themselves.

Foz'sRX-7

No way I would ever want to change my decision to buy an RX-7. Owner for 6 years, I bought my 93 VR Base Model with 49k miles on it, the day after it was turned in from a lease. I put a down payment on it, then when i came back the next day to finalize the purchase, another salesman had a customer in it out for a test drive. When they got out of the car i asked how they enjoyed driving my car! Boy, were they pissed! They had driven 1 1/2 hours to get here. I have never regretted this purchase. Now, @ 118k miles, I am a very proud RX-7 owner.

I dreamed about it for 4 years, before I could get one.

You either want it or you don't.....no indecisions.